Around 8:30 p.m. on November 25, inside Manhattan’s Hardware Bar, scores of people gathered before a stage under a disco ball, wearing witch hats or tiaras, sparkling emerald green or fluffy pink dresses. One person was even painted green from head to toe. This scene, which passersby might have thought unusually and exceedingly peculiar, marked the official Republic Records launch party for Wicked: The Soundtrack.
On Broadway, Wicked has brought joy to theatergoers since its 2003 debut. The highly-anticipated 2024 film adaptation offers a new version of the story for fans to love. There are some plot updates, and new stars inhabiting the beloved characters—most notably, Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba/the Wicked Witch of the West and Ariana Grande as Galinda/Glinda the Good Witch—but two of the story’s most revered elements are just as prominent in the film: the incredible soundtrack, and the way LGBTQ+ fans identify with the iconic story.
The musical is treasured by the queer community for its themes of facing and overcoming discrimination, and learning to embrace being different—no matter what. It’s also celebrated for the love between Elphaba and Glinda. The movie takes Wicked’s queer relatability to new heights, partly because it features several queer actors—star Erivo, Jonathan Bailey (who plays male lead Fiyero), Bowen Yang (supporting character Pfannee), among others—and the queer-revered Grande.
It’s fitting, then, that the soundtrack release party featured drag queens, and that Hardware is a queer bar just half a mile away from Wicked’s latest Broadway run at Gershwin Theater. With those ingredients, and the crowd itself, the party naturally became a celebration both of the movie and of finding queer joy in art.
“[This event is] a combination of all of my true loves,” said one attendee, Sho, a Broadway superfan and journalist. “Why wouldn’t you want to celebrate Broadway with drag queens, and sing along to Wicked songs with people who get it and love it?”
Disappointingly, the event didn’t actually have a full sing-along, and of all the performances, there was only one Wicked act. However, that one act was INCREDIBLE. The featured performers, RuPaul’s Drag Race alumni Jackie Cox and Jan Sport, delivered a mesmerizing performance to “Defying Gravity.” With only physical acting, Jackie Cox superbly embodied Elphaba’s pain, determination, and fierceness and Jan Sport captured Glinda’s earnestness and admiration throughout the number.
Jan Sport as Glinda & Jackie Cox as Elphaba (Photo: Amanda Ostuni)
“[Wicked] is our story—so many queer people worked on it…are part of the legacy of it,” Jackie Cox told Tagg Magazine, amid gushing about participating in the night’s event. “It’s the story of people who feel like outsiders, but then begin to know themselves and fight for change, and make a space for themselves.”
Even if the entertainment could have been more truly Wicked-specific, the event was a fun time throughout. Broadway star Stanley Martin (Aladdin, The Rocky Horror Show) gave a great song performance, and the hosts, New York drag queens Jacklynn Hyde and Holly Box-Springs were consistently charming and funny beyond measure.
The passion of attendees–both queer and straight–only solidified the beauty of the experience. Guests happily discussed all the ways they see Wicked as a queer story, openly dished about their favorite songs and scenes, and shared why they relate to Wicked so personally.
The attendee who showed up in full Elphaba body paint—a popstar who goes by Lexxe—said she was bullied growing up, for being perceived as a lesbian (before she even understood herself to be). She sees Elphaba as someone who would have stood up for her back then—someone she didn’t have at the time.
“Elphaba reminds me of the best friend I needed,” said Lexxe. Lexxe added that the soundtrack release event offered a space where she could celebrate Wicked without limitations—i.e., she could go “full green.”
Sho said coming together in such a safe space is a big deal for theater kids. They are especially grateful for Wicked itself, for offering them something to celebrate.
“[Director] John Cho gave us theater kids [the movie] we wanted our whole life long,” said Sho. “It’s the type of movie that… truly defies gravity.”
If that’s not worth raising a glass in a bar, under a disco ball on a Monday night, what is?
