Every theatre kid knows Wicked, but for some of us younger theatre kids who grew up with Glee, our introduction to Wicked came through the countless renditions of Defying Gravity spread across all six seasons of what was arguably the most contentious musical TV show of… dare I say, all time?
Thankfully, even theater chains have recognized that, for some fans, Glee clips might just be the perfect gateway to build excitement before Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo leave us emotionally wrecked for nearly three hours, and some theatre chains — namely, Alamo Drafthouse — have even decided to air the ultimate Wicked and Glee singalong right before the main event.
As one fan noted on X, these screenings include clips of several Wicked numbers performed on Glee over the years. “Defying Gravity” was performed twice on the show. First, in season 1, by Rachel Berry (Lea Michele) and Kurt Hummel (Chris Colfer), and later on, in season 5, performed by Rachel, Kurt, and Mercedes (Amber Riley), as seen in the video above. “I need to be there,” replied a user on X.
Of course, though, those weren’t the only times Wicked was honored on Glee. They went on to sing two more Wicked songs, “Popular,” and “For Good,” just to really emphasize how important Wicked was to these characters. However, the connection between Glee and Wicked goes well beyond simple covers.
If you’ve never watched Glee, you might not know that the two actresses who led the original Broadway run of Wicked have appeared in nearly every season of the series as recurring characters. It’s yet another layer to this theatrical crossover that makes these screenings such a fun time for fans of both worlds.
Kristin Chenoweth played April Rhodes, a character invited by Will Schuester to help the New Directions after her Broadway career hit a rough patch, while Idina Menzel — our iconic Elphaba — portrayed Shelby Corcoran, Rachel Berry’s biological mother and the adoptive mom of Quinn and Puck’s daughter. Funnily enough, despite Kurt and Rachel’s love for Wicked, none of them ever comment on how Shelby or April might look oddly familiar.
For a more modern connection to Wicked and its current buzz, we have to address the feud between two stars tied to both Wicked and Glee: Naya Rivera and Ariana Grande. The late Glee actress dated rapper Big Sean for six months before they got engaged in October 2013. By the following year, the engagement was called off, with many fans speculating Grande played a part in the split.
In her memoir Sorry Not Sorry, Rivera didn’t hold back in recounting her feuds — both with Glee co-star Lea Michele and with Grande. She detailed how, after the Glee tour, Big Sean became distant. When he refused to see her after returning to Los Angeles, Rivera decided to visit him anyway, using her key to his home, only to find Grande at her place.
“We’d been fighting for five straight days while he [Big Sean] was traveling, and then on the one day that he was back in L.A., he said he didn’t want to see me. Well, a**hole, I’ve got a key to your house. I walk in, go downstairs, and guess what little girl is sitting cross-legged on the couch listening to music? … It rhymes with ‘Smariana Schmande.’”
With all this history — ranging from Glee’s Wicked performances to the off-screen drama involving its stars — it’s no wonder Glee clips have found their way into these special Wicked screenings. For any Gleeks in the audience, it’s the perfect chance to really go down memory lane for a bit, so don’t walk — run to your local theatre.