Friday, December 6, 2024

Broadway: “Wicked” Announces First Black Glinda with Brittney Johnson, Giving the Show Some Needed Soul

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Oz is about to get a big shake up.

On Broadway, “Wicked” is getting its first ever Black actor in one of the two leading roles. Brittney Johnson will take over as Glinda on February 14, 2022. Now the show will have some R&B soul. Count me in.

No word on why the current Glinda, Ginna Claire Mason, is stepping down. Mason had a much trumpeted elevation to Glinda after appearing in touring companies and then commanding the Broadway spot beginning this fall after the pandemic break.

Johnson is a Broadway vet already with credits for “Sunset Boulevard” and “Les Miserables.” Original Glinda Kristen Chenoweth clearly thought she was talented enough to include in her “For the Girls” revue on Broadway two years ago.

 

Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. His movie reviews are carried by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is a member of both the movie and TV branches of the Critics Choice Awards. His articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. He is also the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.

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