A Wicked Quiz

A Wicked Quiz

Wicked: For Good, the concluding chapter of the blockbuster film version of Wicked will be released on November 21.

To get in the spirit—and “greenify” your knowledge of all things “Ozian”—we thought it would be fun to test fans’ knowledge of Wicked trivia. So you think you know a lot about the book, musical and movie? Think again and test yourself. Answers below:

1. To what actress did Broadway director Joe Mantello first pitch the role of Elphaba?
A. Audra McDonald
B. Lea Michele
C. Patti LuPone
D. Alice Ripley
E. Laura Benanti

2. What out-of-town musical, that began in Connecticut, replaced Idina Manzel, which allowed her to fly in to Wicked?
A. Holiday Inn
B. Summer of ’42
C. Compulsion
D. My Paris
E. Next to Normal

3. Kristen Chenoweth was hesitant about committing to the musical Wicked because…”
A. She wanted to play Elphaba, not Glinda.
B. Glinda dies in the end.
C. She felt Glinda didn’t have enough presence in the show.
D. In the original version, Glinda just had one song.
E. She didn’t think the show had promise.

4. In Gregory Maguire’s Wicked follow-up, Elphaba’s presumed offspring is named Lir. What was the name of Lir’s daughter who stars in another series of books by Maguire?
A. Autumn
B. Rain
C. Summer
D. Poppy
E. Emerald

5. Who was originally set to direct the film version of Wicked before Jon M. Chu got the gig?
A. Wes Anderson
B. Tim Burton
C. Stephen Daldry
D. Greta Gerwig
E. Martin Scorsese

6. Where did the name Elphaba come from?
A. It was the name of author Gregory Maguire’s aunt.
B. In Greek, it means “elevated.”
C. It’s an amalgam of the initials of the name of the author of “The Wizard of Oz.”
D. The original book’s publisher of Wicked in 1995 made it up.
E. It came to author Gregory Maguire in a dream.

7. Fiyero’s song “Dancing Through Life” wasn’t in the San Francisco pre-Broadway run of Wicked. What was the name of the song that was cut?
A. “Big Man on Campus”
B. “Which Way’s the Party?”
C. “Life is Good”
D. “Just a Handsome Fellow”
E. “Bad Boy”

8. In the pre-Broadway run in San Francisco, what plot point did the creators decide to change?
A. In the end, Elphaba is alone in the world, strong and independent.
B. Madame Morrible saves Elphaba at the very end.
C. Dr. Dillamond is murdered.
D. The Wizard turns out to be a woman.
E. The show opens without a flashback as told by Glinda.

9. What actor was NOT in the running to play or was rumored to play Elphaba in the film version of Wicked?
A. Lea Michele
B Lady Gaga
C. Zendaya
D. Anna Villafane
E. Taylor Swift

10. What actor was NOT in the running to play or was rumored to play Glinda in the movie?
A. Amanada Seyfried
B. Dove Cameron
C. Saoirse Ronan
D. Kristen Chenoweth
E. Taylor Swift

11. What was a song cut from Wicked before the show made it to Broadway?
A. “Making Good”
B. “Goody, Goody”
C. “Wicked”
D. “Good Enough”
E. “Something Wicked This Way Comes”

12. What actor below made a cameo appearance in Part One of the film Wicked?
A. Gregory Maguire
B. Liza Minnelli
C. Jane Goodall
D. Stephen Schwartz
E. The great-granddaughter of L. Frank Baum

13. In the book Wicked, Elphaba’s sister Nessarose was born with a different affliction than she has in the musical and film. What was it?
A. She was blind.
B. She could not speak.
C. She was born without arms.
D. She was deaf.
E. She had terrible taste in clothes.

14. Who was originally cast as the Wizard in the pre-Broadway run of Wicked in San Francisco?
A. Tom Bosley
B. Robert Morse
C. Kevin Chamberlin
D. Sid Caesar
E. Pinky Lee

15. What sign did composer Stephen Schwartz hang on the wall to keep librettist Winnie Holzman and him focused on the writing of the show:
A. “It’s the girls, stupid.”
B. “Think pink”
C. “Keep the magic”
D. “Believe”
E. “Always Oz”

16. Which is not a real quote from critics on the 2003 Broadway opening?
A. “Nothing really jells.”
B. “The merits of Stephen Schwartz’ score are meager.”
C. “Bland, generic Broadway music.”
D. “Generically impassioned songs.”
E. “An inspiring, moving show for the ages.”

17. In which categories did the Broadway production of Wicked win Tonys in 2004?
A. Best musical
B. Best score
C. Best book
D. Best orchestrations
E. Best choreography
F. None of the above

If you got all 17 correct, you get to marry Jonathan Bailey; 12 to 16, you get the Grimmerie; 8 to 11, you get the magic broom; 4 to 7, you get to join the flying monkeys; none to 3, you just get a plain old broom.

–Frank Rizzo

Answers: 1-A; 2-B; 3-C; 4-B; 5-C; 6-C; 7-B; 8-C; 9-E; 10-D; 11-A; 12-D; 13-C; 14-B; 15-A; 16-E (New York critic quotes from Howard Kissel, Michael Feingold, Clive Barnes and Ben Brantley of The New York Times. The last one is made up, at least after the original opening); 17-F.