WEBVTT - Defying Gravity (Wicked) 0:00:01.680 --> 0:00:04.440 And that's what you really missed with Jenna. 0:00:04.440 --> 0:00:07.280 And Kevin An iHeartRadio. 0:00:06.519 --> 0:00:12.160 Podcast Welcome to You, and that's what you really miss podcast. 0:00:13.039 --> 0:00:16.639 Whoa happy opening, Kevin. You are you are in your run, 0:00:17.040 --> 0:00:18.840 you have embarked on the journey. 0:00:19.560 --> 0:00:20.160 Thanks. 0:00:20.600 --> 0:00:21.200 How's it going? 0:00:22.120 --> 0:00:23.119 I mean, so far, so. 0:00:23.200 --> 0:00:26.920 Good, amazing, It looks amazing. 0:00:27.480 --> 0:00:28.160 Have been great. 0:00:28.400 --> 0:00:33.199 Oh, it's so good. Guest spellers are unbelievable. Wow. 0:00:33.479 --> 0:00:36.600 The other day because so they post this thing on 0:00:36.640 --> 0:00:39.520 the board where like some people want to know who's 0:00:39.720 --> 0:00:41.440 like a celebrity guest speller if we have one and 0:00:41.440 --> 0:00:43.960 some people don't. So it's covered and it says celebrity 0:00:43.960 --> 0:00:46.720 guest speller. Oh I love that pull up for a reveal? 0:00:47.440 --> 0:00:48.280 Do you do it or no? 0:00:48.760 --> 0:00:48.919 Oh? 0:00:49.000 --> 0:00:50.120 Yeah, yeah, you like to know. 0:00:50.320 --> 0:00:53.680 The other day, our first like celebrity guest speller was 0:00:53.680 --> 0:00:58.600 Stephanie J. Block. Oh icon, which was appropriate. It's very 0:00:58.640 --> 0:01:01.840 appropriate for what we're doing today, correct, like the original 0:01:01.840 --> 0:01:03.520 original original alphaba. 0:01:04.240 --> 0:01:09.760 Right right right in the workshop, pre Broadway Alphaba. 0:01:09.920 --> 0:01:13.319 And I was I was fully fanning out because in 0:01:13.319 --> 0:01:21.440 my journey into musical theater, Block is my number one. 0:01:21.720 --> 0:01:24.680 From what I think, she's my number one. I saw 0:01:24.760 --> 0:01:28.679 Falsettos when it was when it was revived a number 0:01:28.680 --> 0:01:30.639 of years ago, and I was like, who is this woman? 0:01:31.720 --> 0:01:33.480 Because she comes out and does like her solo and 0:01:33.600 --> 0:01:34.200 is unreal. 0:01:34.480 --> 0:01:35.520 Who is this woman? 0:01:36.560 --> 0:01:39.959 I obviously had no idea, And then Austin has since 0:01:40.520 --> 0:01:44.360 fully educated me, which showed when I met her after 0:01:44.400 --> 0:01:47.960 the show the other day. I go I was showing 0:01:48.000 --> 0:01:52.680 some of the guys you singing memory from cats off 0:01:52.720 --> 0:01:56.240 of YouTube today, you stop right now, and she was like, well, 0:01:56.280 --> 0:01:57.680 I looked more like a goat in that. 0:01:57.680 --> 0:01:57.840 But. 0:02:00.560 --> 0:02:03.800 Oh my gosh, her whole family is so talented it's crazy, 0:02:03.920 --> 0:02:05.760 and she's done everything. 0:02:05.880 --> 0:02:08.000 She's amazing. Oh that's so exciting. 0:02:08.200 --> 0:02:12.000 I can't wait to see who your guest as spellers are. 0:02:12.080 --> 0:02:14.080 This is like such a journey and how exciting. 0:02:14.080 --> 0:02:16.040 You should like make a list of all of your 0:02:16.040 --> 0:02:18.160 favorite ones and such and just like so you can 0:02:18.200 --> 0:02:18.760 remember them. 0:02:19.200 --> 0:02:21.560 Well, I freaked out, like Nick Offerman was our second 0:02:22.000 --> 0:02:24.679 unbelievable Yeah, I was like, oh that's huge. 0:02:25.200 --> 0:02:26.519 Yeah, like where do you go from there? 0:02:26.680 --> 0:02:32.600 Yeah? Like like he brought his wife, comedic icon magh Malali, and. 0:02:32.480 --> 0:02:35.840 I just I cannot, Yeah, I cannot. 0:02:36.080 --> 0:02:38.280 Really terrifying knowing like they're in the audience. 0:02:38.760 --> 0:02:41.000 Well that's why people do the paper, so you don't know, 0:02:41.760 --> 0:02:44.160 I know, but but then you're gonna find out anyway, 0:02:44.160 --> 0:02:44.600 so he may. 0:02:45.120 --> 0:02:48.000 I think it would be more disturbing to look into 0:02:48.040 --> 0:02:51.720 the audience and spot someone or I think. 0:02:51.639 --> 0:02:54.480 You guys know there's like guest spellers coming, Like there's 0:02:54.480 --> 0:02:57.160 always somebody that could potentially have the potential to be 0:02:57.360 --> 0:03:01.280 very famous coming. Is like the thing like otherwise you 0:03:01.320 --> 0:03:03.560 could just kind of slight slightly avoid it if it 0:03:03.600 --> 0:03:08.280 was just audience totally, you know, but yeah, there's there's 0:03:08.280 --> 0:03:10.480 a whole element there that I would not. I am not, 0:03:11.240 --> 0:03:14.520 but that is how fun. Well, congratulations on the beginning 0:03:14.560 --> 0:03:15.080 of your runs. 0:03:15.080 --> 0:03:16.600 It is very inciting, and I. 0:03:16.520 --> 0:03:19.400 Would just you know, before I move on. This is 0:03:19.440 --> 0:03:22.440 my weekly shout out to Lily Cooper for being the 0:03:22.480 --> 0:03:25.160 funniest person on the planet. 0:03:25.240 --> 0:03:29.320 I'm just glad that you're getting to experience her because 0:03:29.600 --> 0:03:32.600 it's one of my favorite people and has always been 0:03:32.880 --> 0:03:36.000 and wildly talented, good person. 0:03:36.640 --> 0:03:41.320 She also has like she's so funny and also has 0:03:41.400 --> 0:03:43.240 an insanely hard vocal track. 0:03:43.840 --> 0:03:45.400 This very hard, very hard. 0:03:45.560 --> 0:03:47.600 I don't just makes it look easy. 0:03:48.120 --> 0:03:51.440 Effortless that's that's a Tony Tony nominee. That's what they do. 0:03:52.880 --> 0:03:53.280 See her. 0:03:53.720 --> 0:03:57.400 Oh, I can't wait. What a joy. I'm so excited. 0:03:57.520 --> 0:04:05.280 I'm so excited. Well, speaking of Cooper, Wicked, Wicked, lots 0:04:05.280 --> 0:04:09.520 of Wicked people, yes, circling. I mean, Wicked is such a. 0:04:11.440 --> 0:04:21.440 Monster of a musical and cultural moment and truly revolutionary 0:04:21.560 --> 0:04:27.320 for so many people that obviously we couldn't avoid doing 0:04:28.279 --> 0:04:33.160 the movie musical Wicked, which the part two was on 0:04:33.240 --> 0:04:34.040 its way here. 0:04:34.720 --> 0:04:35.960 The press is here. 0:04:36.520 --> 0:04:39.280 The press is here, speaking of which I just watched 0:04:41.080 --> 0:04:44.039 they had Arianna and Bowen back on the Vanity Fair 0:04:44.200 --> 0:04:45.279 like light detector test. 0:04:45.440 --> 0:04:46.880 I love the moon thing. 0:04:47.120 --> 0:04:52.320 And she's so funny. The whole thing is so fun 0:04:52.400 --> 0:04:54.679 Like she's just she's great. 0:04:54.960 --> 0:04:55.520 She's great. 0:04:56.320 --> 0:05:00.600 I really just I feel like she's just mashing it. 0:05:01.000 --> 0:05:03.880 Like however, she's been able to do this transition into 0:05:03.960 --> 0:05:05.640 like and. 0:05:06.160 --> 0:05:09.200 Yeah, I also feel like I was thinking about this 0:05:09.360 --> 0:05:09.960 as well. 0:05:10.600 --> 0:05:12.719 The secret sauce to this movie. 0:05:12.760 --> 0:05:14.640 I mean, there's so many parts of it that are 0:05:14.720 --> 0:05:16.719 secret sauce and not so secret sauce. 0:05:16.760 --> 0:05:19.960 But like a big part of this was like the 0:05:20.040 --> 0:05:24.080 hype and the press and the media surrounding it, like 0:05:24.279 --> 0:05:27.880 what a brilliant campaign, and then also like building it 0:05:28.000 --> 0:05:34.800 around these two women who clearly have a deep love 0:05:34.839 --> 0:05:39.720 and understanding and sense of like friendship surrounding the movie 0:05:39.920 --> 0:05:42.240 like and coming out of the movie. It's kind of 0:05:42.240 --> 0:05:46.840 the way that like they position Leanne Groff sometimes where 0:05:46.880 --> 0:05:50.640 it's this like magical story of these two people that 0:05:52.080 --> 0:05:55.719 are so I don't know, it's it's the press of 0:05:55.760 --> 0:05:58.880 it all is also so brilliant, not that they needed it, right, 0:05:59.000 --> 0:06:02.040 not that the show needed it, but what a way 0:06:02.160 --> 0:06:05.839 to create the genius buzz around it. I mean, the 0:06:05.880 --> 0:06:09.080 holding space moment last year was just iconic. 0:06:09.640 --> 0:06:13.880 Well. I think also what helps is secret sauce wise, 0:06:14.560 --> 0:06:16.599 is when you have people working on it in front 0:06:16.600 --> 0:06:18.600 of the camera and behind the camera who do care 0:06:18.760 --> 0:06:23.760 so deeply about what they're doing, have been like longtime fans. 0:06:23.800 --> 0:06:28.000 Obviously you can't necessarily have that with something that has 0:06:28.040 --> 0:06:31.680 not been around for twenty years, right, right, Like these 0:06:31.680 --> 0:06:35.480 people grew up loving this show, right, and this has 0:06:35.520 --> 0:06:39.120 always meant something to write like you yeah, and so 0:06:39.320 --> 0:06:41.320 I think to be able to and I think this 0:06:41.440 --> 0:06:45.960 is also part of like Ariana's really great transition into 0:06:46.040 --> 0:06:49.400 doing more films is that she works really hard at 0:06:49.440 --> 0:06:52.440 this stuff because she really cares. Yes, you can, and 0:06:53.000 --> 0:06:55.840 you see people who opportunities just because they're famous and 0:06:55.880 --> 0:07:00.520 they like phone it in. She's not doing that. And 0:07:00.640 --> 0:07:04.120 the respect she has for whether she's doing music or 0:07:04.160 --> 0:07:06.480 she's doing this, whatever it is, there's a great respect 0:07:06.520 --> 0:07:10.200 for it. Same with everybody and John Chu coming into 0:07:10.280 --> 0:07:13.720 this with a deep love of music, a deep love 0:07:13.920 --> 0:07:21.000 of musicals, and also making them accessible to a big audience. 0:07:21.280 --> 0:07:23.360 The other part of this, I think is really challenging, 0:07:23.560 --> 0:07:27.520 beyond a musical being successful, which seems like the odds 0:07:27.520 --> 0:07:32.040 are stacked against you from the get go, is that 0:07:32.120 --> 0:07:37.400 you have this gigantic and wildly successful stage musical right 0:07:37.520 --> 0:07:40.520 all around the world. It's huge. People of it. People 0:07:40.600 --> 0:07:45.480 have their preconceived ideas of what a film should be. 0:07:45.800 --> 0:07:49.040 They've been trying to make this movie. This was supposed 0:07:49.080 --> 0:07:51.360 to be a movie before it was ever a stage show, 0:07:52.080 --> 0:07:56.040 like that was that was supposed to Like when I 0:07:56.080 --> 0:08:00.200 went to the premiere last year, Mark Platt was saying, 0:08:00.280 --> 0:08:02.600 like this was like it was supposed to be a movie. 0:08:02.600 --> 0:08:04.760 It wasn't even supposed to be a stage show. And 0:08:04.800 --> 0:08:07.800 so like the stage show was an attempt, like you know, 0:08:08.040 --> 0:08:12.040 an ip thing to get it to be a yeah, 0:08:12.200 --> 0:08:15.880 and so I think to be able to pull it 0:08:15.920 --> 0:08:23.520 off and have it be successful is ext is an 0:08:23.520 --> 0:08:27.560 extremely hard challenge, and all of these people met the challenge, 0:08:27.840 --> 0:08:31.400 and I was very excited to get to watch it again. 0:08:32.760 --> 0:08:35.280 Okay, well let's start, let's talk about it. So we're 0:08:35.280 --> 0:08:39.920 doing Wicked and it premiered on November twenty second, twenty 0:08:39.960 --> 0:08:43.320 twenty four, which is wild. It was a year ago. 0:08:44.559 --> 0:08:48.840 I saw this in the movie theater with my newborn 0:08:48.920 --> 0:08:53.120 son with ear muffs and a bobby and he slept 0:08:53.120 --> 0:08:53.719 through the whole thing. 0:08:53.880 --> 0:08:56.520 And I was able to enjoy this postpartum. It was 0:08:56.640 --> 0:08:59.840 what a dream. The number one. 0:08:59.800 --> 0:09:03.560 Saw in the world at this time was a bar 0:09:03.679 --> 0:09:05.120 song Tipsy by Shaboozie. 0:09:06.280 --> 0:09:08.800 The number one movie was Wicked. 0:09:08.960 --> 0:09:11.760 Wicked forty six mil opening. 0:09:11.520 --> 0:09:15.360 Day Jesus three, biggest opening day. 0:09:15.240 --> 0:09:17.600 Ever for a film based on a Broadway musical. 0:09:17.880 --> 0:09:19.760 Well, Yes, and Glee News. 0:09:19.880 --> 0:09:23.680 It was our podcast and we were recapping season five 0:09:23.720 --> 0:09:28.200 episode four, a Katie or Agaga in season five episode 0:09:28.200 --> 0:09:30.120 five and of to work and we chatted with. 0:09:30.600 --> 0:09:43.520 Jcse Okay, So Wicked look directed by John m two 0:09:43.800 --> 0:09:48.440 screenplay by Winnie Holtzman and Dana Fox, based on the 0:09:48.480 --> 0:09:50.640 two thousand and three Broadway musical by Stephen Schwartz and 0:09:50.640 --> 0:09:55.160 Winnie Holdsman, which was also based on Gregory Maguire's nine 0:09:55.280 --> 0:09:58.640 ninety five novel Wicked, The Life and Times of the 0:09:58.679 --> 0:10:02.200 Wicked Witch of the West. Did you read that book? No? 0:10:02.880 --> 0:10:07.480 Did you so? In preparation to see the movie last year, 0:10:09.040 --> 0:10:11.040 Austin encouraged me to read the book because he was 0:10:11.040 --> 0:10:15.240 starting to read the book. Austin, in turn, gave up 0:10:15.280 --> 0:10:18.040 reading the book, and I finished it on my own. 0:10:18.920 --> 0:10:20.800 I went on a trip. I thought when i'd come back, 0:10:20.840 --> 0:10:22.679 he would be done and we could talk about it. 0:10:23.520 --> 0:10:29.440 He gave up. The book is obviously reimagining of the 0:10:29.640 --> 0:10:33.520 you know, L. Frank Baum's nineteen hundred classic Wonderful Wizard 0:10:33.600 --> 0:10:36.680 of Oz. I'm not saying you need to read the book. 0:10:36.720 --> 0:10:39.360 I don't think anybody needs to read the book, and 0:10:39.440 --> 0:10:41.160 so many times, you know, in so many cases I 0:10:41.200 --> 0:10:43.800 would say that you don't need to read this one. 0:10:44.520 --> 0:10:49.160 The adaptatient the fact, first of all, the book and 0:10:49.240 --> 0:10:54.520 the stage show are so wildly different. They are so different, 0:10:56.520 --> 0:10:59.400 and I think the stage adapt patient is so much 0:10:59.440 --> 0:11:02.400 better than the story in the book, and the fact 0:11:02.400 --> 0:11:08.760 that they got that story out of that book is incredible. 0:11:09.320 --> 0:11:13.560 The stage show just has so much, so much more 0:11:13.559 --> 0:11:15.439 of what you want and you see, like there's so 0:11:15.520 --> 0:11:19.080 much more magic and whimsy. And when you hear some 0:11:19.120 --> 0:11:20.480 of these demos, I don't know if you've heard like 0:11:20.520 --> 0:11:23.239 the early like Stephen Schort's demos and things. 0:11:23.440 --> 0:11:25.360 Maybe I had, but it's been a while. If I have, 0:11:25.840 --> 0:11:30.080 it is incredible. Was it even short singing them? I 0:11:30.160 --> 0:11:33.360 think so, Oh it's like a man, not like idea. 0:11:34.040 --> 0:11:36.720 But it was like bad, like you know, like the 0:11:36.720 --> 0:11:37.520 song I mean. 0:11:37.480 --> 0:11:39.480 These are yeah, oh the songs are bad. 0:11:39.800 --> 0:11:42.440 Yeah, like everything was. Yeah, it was so strange and 0:11:42.440 --> 0:11:44.280 like earn the process. And that's why it's so amazing 0:11:44.320 --> 0:11:46.439 to me that, I mean, this is some of the 0:11:46.440 --> 0:11:49.959 most incredible music ever. Yeah, And that's the magic of it. 0:11:50.000 --> 0:11:51.800 That's why it's so successful. That's why the movie is 0:11:51.840 --> 0:11:55.880 so successful. Like it is, Yeah, it is so so 0:11:56.120 --> 0:12:00.720 good and complex and every line means something and anyway, 0:12:01.360 --> 0:12:04.120 it's just a great show. What is your experience with 0:12:04.160 --> 0:12:08.559 the show, Well, do. 0:12:08.520 --> 0:12:09.800 You have all day? 0:12:10.360 --> 0:12:11.560 Yeah? 0:12:11.559 --> 0:12:18.480 In fact, I remember my dad getting a little program. 0:12:20.120 --> 0:12:22.480 I was in high school and he got a program 0:12:22.720 --> 0:12:24.720 like he does for discount of tickets for this new 0:12:24.760 --> 0:12:26.920 show that was in previews, and he saw a Dina 0:12:26.960 --> 0:12:29.959 and Kristin and he knew I, like, you know, I 0:12:30.040 --> 0:12:31.040 knew who a Diena. 0:12:30.960 --> 0:12:35.280 Was, of course in Kristin, you know, from other musicals. 0:12:35.880 --> 0:12:38.360 And he said, do you want to see this? And 0:12:38.360 --> 0:12:42.520 I said yeah. So we went in previews and. 0:12:44.360 --> 0:12:47.320 I remember sitting there not knowing anything about the show, 0:12:47.600 --> 0:12:50.319 not having any context of like what this was about, 0:12:50.360 --> 0:12:52.800 except for that, you know, there was a Wizard of 0:12:52.800 --> 0:12:58.640 Oz connect here. That's really all I knew. So I 0:12:58.679 --> 0:13:01.400 sit down start watching the show. I'm like, Wow, this 0:13:01.480 --> 0:13:05.920 is great. And then Defying Gravity hits and the lights 0:13:06.000 --> 0:13:08.800 go down at the intermission, and my life was changed, 0:13:09.840 --> 0:13:13.520 you know. And I think I went back four or 0:13:13.559 --> 0:13:17.000 five times and that next year to see that show 0:13:17.040 --> 0:13:21.880 again with those with that cast, that original cast, my 0:13:21.960 --> 0:13:27.720 sweet friend Chris Fitzgerald, and it was truly life changing 0:13:27.840 --> 0:13:32.280 for us. I mean, anybody in musical theater pursuing musical 0:13:32.320 --> 0:13:33.840 theater at the time I was, I think I was 0:13:33.880 --> 0:13:37.559 in my junior year hub or senior of high school. 0:13:37.880 --> 0:13:42.360 Like every person was seeing spat suite spot Yeah, yeah, yeah, 0:13:42.440 --> 0:13:49.480 life changing female strong women in the leading positions. Songs 0:13:49.520 --> 0:13:52.360 to sang for Good was at every high school graduation. 0:13:52.640 --> 0:13:55.680 Definitely sang it at mine, like listened to it in 0:13:55.679 --> 0:13:57.880 the car every day on the way to school. Like 0:13:58.320 --> 0:14:04.960 truly groundbreaking, life changing, a part of musical theater history forever, 0:14:05.080 --> 0:14:07.120 kind of like what Hamilton, you know, the kids had 0:14:07.120 --> 0:14:10.880 for Hamilton, you know, more recently seeing it take on 0:14:10.960 --> 0:14:20.000 another life with the tour and people are friends going 0:14:20.080 --> 0:14:24.920 into the show, like Jackie Burns playing Alphaba and Stephanie 0:14:25.000 --> 0:14:29.320 j Block one of the you know, coming in after aDNA. 0:14:28.800 --> 0:14:30.600 Left, and it's just. 0:14:32.320 --> 0:14:36.480 It was a really important musical and clearly like then 0:14:36.840 --> 0:14:39.960 Glee's doing it on the show in so many ways, 0:14:40.000 --> 0:14:43.280 we do it a million times and so many numbers, 0:14:43.320 --> 0:14:45.560 and then Kristen comes on the show. So it's just, 0:14:46.160 --> 0:14:49.040 I don't know, it was just a really important musical 0:14:49.120 --> 0:14:52.000 to me. And to see a movie that was done 0:14:52.040 --> 0:15:00.160 successfully not just successfully, like exceedingly excellent in every way 0:15:01.520 --> 0:15:06.600 and the masses really appreciating it as well in this 0:15:06.760 --> 0:15:11.440 new medium is like, so it's just everything you dream 0:15:11.560 --> 0:15:14.800 of as somebody who loved musical leader and loves the show. 0:15:15.520 --> 0:15:19.080 It was that it's that magic of you know, to 0:15:19.080 --> 0:15:22.640 what you were talking about, how obviously people want these 0:15:22.640 --> 0:15:24.600 things to get funded and they want them to do well, 0:15:24.640 --> 0:15:27.800 so they hire really famous people, and like hiring Ariana Grande, 0:15:27.880 --> 0:15:30.360 who was arguably one of the most famous people on 0:15:30.400 --> 0:15:34.880 the planet. Yep, But that a lot of times doesn't 0:15:34.880 --> 0:15:39.080 necessarily translate into like box office success, right. And so 0:15:39.160 --> 0:15:41.520 this was all of those things coming together in the 0:15:41.560 --> 0:15:48.680 exact right way and having quality of work matching the 0:15:48.840 --> 0:15:54.440 quality of a press tour right, right, stars aligning and 0:15:54.480 --> 0:15:56.760 making it like a cultural phenomenon, right. 0:15:56.800 --> 0:15:59.280 And I remember John talking about how he was thinking 0:15:59.280 --> 0:16:04.520 about cast saying, you know, newcomers for these roles, obviously 0:16:06.760 --> 0:16:09.080 through all the different versions of people who were attached 0:16:09.080 --> 0:16:13.200 to it throughout the years, but like bringing in Ariana 0:16:13.480 --> 0:16:16.920 and Cynthia, who are well known and famous, and you know, 0:16:17.640 --> 0:16:21.440 but then them really taking on these roles inevitably, like 0:16:21.560 --> 0:16:24.760 them not being able to look away from these women, 0:16:24.960 --> 0:16:26.040 that these were the. 0:16:26.120 --> 0:16:28.080 Ladies who took on the roles. 0:16:28.320 --> 0:16:32.280 Was I think the right approach or I mean, who 0:16:32.320 --> 0:16:34.360 am I to say what approach? But like it was 0:16:34.440 --> 0:16:40.920 like the it seems very genuine that they were like, 0:16:40.960 --> 0:16:43.360 oh no, we're going to do newbies and newcomers, and 0:16:43.400 --> 0:16:45.080 then all of a sudden we decided we had to 0:16:45.120 --> 0:16:52.320 cast these already kind of established, you know, very famous actresses, right. 0:16:52.360 --> 0:16:54.760 I mean, the best person wins. It's just like if 0:16:55.520 --> 0:17:00.560 the team making it feels the most inspired by these 0:17:00.600 --> 0:17:03.640 two people who also just happened to be really famous. Yes, 0:17:03.800 --> 0:17:08.600 and that's sort of like a dream, totally totally in 0:17:08.720 --> 0:17:12.240 terms of creativity, and I'm like the producer end of it. 0:17:12.320 --> 0:17:12.600 Yes. 0:17:12.840 --> 0:17:16.760 Yes, So this wasn't initially supposed to be a movie 0:17:16.920 --> 0:17:21.879 you hadn't like you had mentioned h And in the 0:17:21.960 --> 0:17:27.959 nineteen nineties, Demi Moore, producer Suzanne Todd, and Linda Woolverton 0:17:28.400 --> 0:17:30.800 from Being to These pitched a live action adaptation in 0:17:30.880 --> 0:17:34.680 Maguire's book with the mechis Is, at one point being 0:17:34.680 --> 0:17:35.480 considered to direct. 0:17:35.560 --> 0:17:36.160 Isn't that crazy? 0:17:36.200 --> 0:17:40.840 Susanne was the producer. Listen Suzanne's My Girl No Stop. 0:17:41.359 --> 0:17:46.560 Susan Todd. I played poker with her, Stop played poker 0:17:46.600 --> 0:17:49.359 with her for like a decade, all through the pandemic. 0:17:49.440 --> 0:17:51.879 We were on Zoom Poker. I can't even tell you 0:17:51.920 --> 0:17:54.399 the other people who were in there. It was I 0:17:54.480 --> 0:17:58.840 was the youngest and poorest by far. Wow. 0:17:59.440 --> 0:18:05.560 But Suzanne is I love Susanne Wow, Like she's she's great. 0:18:05.680 --> 0:18:09.960 Clearly she's got, you know something, she knows what's up. 0:18:10.440 --> 0:18:14.399 So over the years, names like Whoop Beee, Claire Danes, 0:18:14.440 --> 0:18:18.000 i'm ahayak, Laurie Metcalf were inked for the project, while 0:18:18.040 --> 0:18:21.560 Michelle Pfeiffer, Emma Thompson, uh, I know, Cale Kidman were 0:18:21.640 --> 0:18:23.480 rumored for Glinda and Alphabet. 0:18:23.760 --> 0:18:26.160 That's really crazy, Like I get it, but I also 0:18:26.280 --> 0:18:28.280 a'm like, could you imagine. 0:18:27.840 --> 0:18:33.520 Well, if they were doing a direct a direct adaptation 0:18:33.640 --> 0:18:37.000 of the book, different, I see that. And here's the 0:18:37.040 --> 0:18:41.320 thing I would like to see, like a series maybe 0:18:41.840 --> 0:18:45.640 based off the book, because the book is a lot darker, is. 0:18:47.680 --> 0:18:47.960 Right. 0:18:48.680 --> 0:18:50.919 And that's what they were saying, was like there was 0:18:51.280 --> 0:18:54.160 all these different inceptions like not being a musical until 0:18:54.160 --> 0:18:55.280 Stephen Schwartz came along. 0:18:55.560 --> 0:18:56.560 Yeah, right. 0:18:58.840 --> 0:19:03.040 Stephen Schwartz, who now is known for Wicked but has 0:19:03.840 --> 0:19:08.359 had an incredible career aside from Wicked. He read Maguire's 0:19:08.400 --> 0:19:12.120 novel in the nineties and envisioned it not as a film. 0:19:11.920 --> 0:19:13.880 But as a musical. Thank Goodness. 0:19:14.280 --> 0:19:18.720 Schwartz persuaded Universal then had a production Mark Platt to 0:19:18.840 --> 0:19:23.240 support the idea, along with David Stone, Winnie holtzman, Joe Mantello, 0:19:25.000 --> 0:19:30.040 choreographer Wayne Cliento, and they began shaping what would become 0:19:31.280 --> 0:19:33.720 one of the most finding musicals is twenty our Century Wicked. 0:19:34.040 --> 0:19:38.600 Speaking of David Stone, who I think has the rights 0:19:38.640 --> 0:19:42.639 of spelling Bee, I've seen him a lot lately, and 0:19:43.840 --> 0:19:48.200 he reminded me how we saw him on the Wicked stage. 0:19:48.480 --> 0:19:50.639 I like first met him when we went to visit 0:19:51.640 --> 0:19:56.399 during Glee. Remember the day we met Bloomberg that picture, 0:19:56.600 --> 0:19:57.640 and then we went on the Wicked. 0:19:57.720 --> 0:19:58.360 I don't think I was there. 0:19:58.400 --> 0:19:59.560 Oh you weren't there for that. 0:20:00.040 --> 0:20:00.840 I don't think I was there. 0:20:00.960 --> 0:20:02.840 We went on the Wicked stage because I was either 0:20:02.840 --> 0:20:06.879 were filming it from the show and we met him, 0:20:07.320 --> 0:20:09.600 and I had no idea what I was, you know, 0:20:09.760 --> 0:20:11.119 I didn't know anything about Wicked. 0:20:11.200 --> 0:20:15.280 Yeah, yeah, wow, wow, wow. How well the show was 0:20:15.359 --> 0:20:19.040 a It was an understandment. This show was a success. 0:20:20.400 --> 0:20:21.639 It won three Tony Award. 0:20:21.640 --> 0:20:22.920 It's crazy it only won three. 0:20:23.320 --> 0:20:26.199 I feel like it was in a weird year with 0:20:26.240 --> 0:20:27.960 Avenue Q, which took away a lot. 0:20:28.040 --> 0:20:30.600 Avenue Q won Best Musical, didn't. 0:20:30.320 --> 0:20:32.919 It, which we were like what and like, obviously I 0:20:33.000 --> 0:20:37.720 love Avenue Q. Great time for musical theater. Truly a 0:20:37.760 --> 0:20:41.480 golden era of musical theater in my opinion. Yeah, but 0:20:42.520 --> 0:20:45.399 it was a tough one because you know, you had Wicked. 0:20:46.880 --> 0:20:48.119 It just goes to show you never know. 0:20:48.200 --> 0:20:51.440 Wicked, which twenty years later has grossed over six billion 0:20:51.520 --> 0:20:53.240 dollars around the world. 0:20:54.119 --> 0:20:56.919 It's been seen by sixty five million people across sixteen 0:20:56.960 --> 0:20:58.280 countries and over one hundred cities. 0:20:58.560 --> 0:21:04.080 Yeah, like money, money, Mon seventeen, it surpassed The Phantom 0:21:04.080 --> 0:21:07.760 of the Opera to become Broadway's second highest grossing musical, 0:21:08.080 --> 0:21:12.800 only behind The Lion King. Wow wow. Yeah. 0:21:12.840 --> 0:21:17.639 Well, Universal obviously immediately began exploring a film adaptation of 0:21:17.680 --> 0:21:21.440 the show. The project went through years of development and rewrites, 0:21:21.520 --> 0:21:24.919 shifting creative teens before finally finding it's footing. 0:21:25.600 --> 0:21:30.280 So it took a while, I mean yeah, like two 0:21:30.280 --> 0:21:33.080 thousand and nine. Even after Wicked the stage musical was big. 0:21:33.960 --> 0:21:37.720 Sama Jayek's production company Weird was going to adapt it 0:21:37.800 --> 0:21:41.639 for TV and non musical adaptation, but like that didn't 0:21:41.680 --> 0:21:45.200 happen then, Yeah, twenty eleven, they are all these other ones. 0:21:45.200 --> 0:21:48.479 Twenty twelve, Mark Platt announced there's going to be a film. 0:21:49.000 --> 0:21:54.639 Obviously didn't happen. Yeah, yeah, Stephen Daldry was set to 0:21:54.720 --> 0:21:57.560 direct it at some points. Steven Daldry's incredible. He did 0:21:57.640 --> 0:22:02.760 the Hour actually Elliott and huge theater director as well. Yeah, yeah, 0:22:02.800 --> 0:22:05.840 but it didn't work out. Yeah. 0:22:05.920 --> 0:22:10.400 And then John cheu Lands and Oz thank goodness. 0:22:11.520 --> 0:22:15.040 So he obviously is coming off to the heels Crazy 0:22:15.080 --> 0:22:18.040 Rich Asians in the Heights. He's been a lifelong fan 0:22:18.080 --> 0:22:22.960 of the musical. Uh, and he just felt like the 0:22:23.440 --> 0:22:26.080 like when when they announced John, I was like, yeah, 0:22:26.119 --> 0:22:26.840 for sure. 0:22:26.840 --> 0:22:31.560 It makes sense. And I think I think the biggest 0:22:31.600 --> 0:22:36.600 reason it makes sense is because John's movies are accessible. 0:22:37.440 --> 0:22:40.440 Crazy Rich Asians is a perfect rom com. Like I 0:22:41.119 --> 0:22:45.800 love that movie. It's my comfort movie. He makes like 0:22:45.960 --> 0:22:50.080 family friendly. And I say that in a good, in 0:22:50.080 --> 0:22:55.480 a positive way. Where Wicked the Stage musical is a 0:22:55.520 --> 0:23:00.760 gigantic blockbuster of a production, it is that musical can 0:23:00.800 --> 0:23:05.400 be enjoyed by every single person. Yeah, and I think 0:23:05.440 --> 0:23:07.240 if you're looking at like the text, if you're looking 0:23:07.280 --> 0:23:09.119 at the book, like, oh yeah, it could be dark 0:23:09.160 --> 0:23:13.320 and gritty, and that's not what the stage musical is really, No, 0:23:13.720 --> 0:23:17.280 there are some very deep and dark themes in it. Yeah, 0:23:17.320 --> 0:23:22.480 I mean, like visually John's John's tone and style I 0:23:22.520 --> 0:23:25.520 think matched. I think matches it really really well. 0:23:26.720 --> 0:23:28.320 Well, this reminds me a little bit. 0:23:28.359 --> 0:23:31.680 I'm curious to see where part two goes, because everybody 0:23:31.680 --> 0:23:35.320 has been saying it's darker, it's grittier, it's different, which 0:23:35.359 --> 0:23:38.720 is a slight departure from what John is normally used 0:23:38.720 --> 0:23:42.239 to doing and what he does best, right, agreed, And 0:23:42.280 --> 0:23:45.920