Drag superstar makes musical herstory by being cast in stage version of Wicked
Drag superstar Gloria Groove has made some pretty Wicked herstory (Getty)
Drag superstar Gloria Groove has made some pretty Wicked herstory (Getty)
Drag superstar Gloria Groove has made herstory by being the first drag queen to play Madame Morrible in a stage production of Wicked.
If you don’t know what Wicked is by now, you’ve probably been living under a rock far, far away from the Emerald City, but here goes: a twist on the iconic Wizard of Oz storyline, the stage musical follows green-skinned Elphaba on the journey that makes her – you guessed it – wicked.
Most recently, the zeitgeist has been fixated on its two-part film adaptation, with Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, Ariana Grande as Glinda, Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard and Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible.
But a new challenger has entered the arena – because in a Brazilian stage version of the musical, drag superstar Gloria Groove will be taking the reins from Yeoh to portray Madame Morrible for the first time.
Groove, who has 5.5 million followers on Instagram, is performing a limited run from late August to early September at the Teatro Renault in São Paulo as the sinister sorceress for Wicked Brazil.
It’s the first time a drag queen has appeared in a stage version of Wicked.
“How about a change in the weather?” the translated caption for the casting announcement reads.
“From August 23rd to September 3rd, Gloria Groove will play Madame Morrible in Wicked! The weather forecast is for: a storm of talent, plenty of magic and tickets flying out – so hurry to secure yours!”
Though she exists outside of the Drag Race universe, Groove is a certified drag superstar – and Wicked is lucky to have her.
She currently boasts roughly 6 million monthly Spotify listeners, 4 million subscribers on YouTube and has graced the cover of Vogue Brasil as the first ever drag star to appear on the publication.
And, Groove interviewed Erivo and Grande during the bonkers press run for Wicked.
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