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Novels Musical Films

It's good to see me, isn't it?
— Glinda's signature utterance[src]

Glinda Upland, also known as Glinda the Good, and formerly referred to as Galinda is the deuteragonist in the Broadway musical, Wicked.

History[]

Glinda is one of the two female leads of the musical as the musical focuses on her friendship with Elphaba (the young woman who would later become the Wicked Witch of the West).

In the novel, her role was minor, as she only appears a couple of times out of the Shiz setting, but in the musical her role was expanded. As in the novel, Glinda is characterized by her popularity and ambition and goes by the name of Galinda Upland (who hails from the Upper Uplands). Glinda is a very bubbly, perky, and popular girl. Unlike in The Wizard of Oz she has blonde hair instead of red hair and wears a blue dress instead of a ball-gown of light pink.

She and Elphaba cross paths while attending Shiz University, and while the two girls dislike each other at first, they eventually become best friends. Galinda enrolls in Madame Morrible's sorcery seminar, but is precluded from entering when Morrible decides to tutor Elphaba privately. Later, however, Elphaba convinces Madame Morrible to admit Galinda to the sessions. Galinda is rather irritated by Doctor Dillamond's constant mispronunciation of her name (he has difficulty pronouncing the first "a," and so calls her "Glinda," to which she often responds, "It's Galinda. With a 'Ga.'"). It is therefore somewhat ironic that she, herself, constantly makes the mistake of addressing Boq, a Munchkin boy who is infatuated with her, as "Bick" As in the novel, Galinda later shortens her name to Glinda (telling the Wizard that "the 'Ga' is silent" when she introduces herself to him). She does this to mark the firing of Dr. Dillamond, but also in an attempt to impress Fiyero, who she has a crush on.

When Elphaba decides to rebel against the Wizard, she offers Glinda the chance to go with her, but Glinda decides to stay behind and realize her opportunities with the Wizard, ultimately sealing her destiny to become "Glinda the Good." She shares a relationship with Fiyero, but is oblivious to his increasingly strong romantic feelings toward the now vilified Elphaba. When the two eventually run off together, Glinda is left heartbroken and enraged, but later realizes that Fiyero really does love Elphaba. She is present when the Wizard sends a mob of witch-hunters to kill Elphaba, and, unable to stand by while her friend is killed, she goes to Kiamo Ko to warn her of the impending danger. Before being supposedly melted by Dorothy, Elphaba makes Glinda promise not to clear her name, and gives her the Grimmerie, a legendary spell book. Glinda tells her that of all the friends she has had, Elphaba is the only one who really mattered, and the two Witches acknowledge that each has been changed by their friendship. Glinda then confronts the Wizard with the revelation that Elphaba was in fact his own daughter, and forces him to leave Oz, before having Madame Morrible arrested for murdering Nessarose, thus exacting long-overdue justice for Elphaba. She announces to the citizens of Oz that she will try to help them recover in the aftermath of the past few years, and that she wishes to truly earn the title of "Glinda the Good."

Musical Numbers[]

Solos[]

Solos (In A Duet)[]

  • For Good (Elphaba)
  • What is This Feeling (Elphaba)

Solos (In A Group Number)[]

Trivia[]

  • Susan Hilferty, the costume designer for Wicked, explained there are 25 different kinds of sequins used on the bubble dress.
  • The sequins on the bubble dress are all hand-sewn.
  • The bubble dress was intended to appear like a wedding dress or every girl's fantasy of a princess outfit.
  • There are 9 different fabrics used in the construction of the bubble dress.
  • The Popular dress has little rainbow stitches on the bodice.
  • All of the bags have a bit of glitter on them.
  • In L. Frank Baum's novel Glinda was the Good Witch of the South, it wasn't until the 1939 movie that MGM changed it to the North due to timing.
  • In the Wizard Of Oz Glinda wears a pink puffy dress but in Wicked she wears a blue dress.
  • The role of Glinda/Galinda was originated by Kristin Chenoweth.
  • Katie Rose Clarke stated in a Q&A on Twitter that during episode 4 of Fly Girl that the bubble dress that Glinda wears in the opening and closing of the show was 25 pounds. For Katie, it weighs at least 45 pounds.
  • Glinda's real name is Galinda, which she changed in honor of Doctor Dillamond, who always called her "Glinda" instead of Galinda.
  • Glinda calls Dorothy's dog, Toto "Dodo" when trying to warn Elphaba of the impending mob that is coming to kill her.

Gallery[]

Portrayers[]

Broadway[]

Broadway Standbys[]

Broadway Understudies[]

  • Melissa Bell Chait (October 2003-March 2004)
  • Melissa Fahn (March-October 2004)
  • Stacie Morgain Lewis (October 2004- May 2005)
  • Megan Sikora (May 2005-June 2006; Also Nessarose u/s)
  • Heather Spore (June 2006-January 2018)
  • Sarah Jane Everman (July-September 2006)
  • Megan Sikora (September-November 2006; January 2007-April 2007)
  • Lindsay K. Northen (January 2007-April 2013; January 2014-September 2021)
  • Libby Servais (Temporary 2011)
  • Emily Mechler (April 2013-February 2015)
  • Emily Ferranti (November 2014-December 2015)
  • Brittney Johnson (June 2018-June 2019)
  • Celia Hottenstein (July 2019-April 2023; Also Nessarose u/s)
  • Beka Burnham (April 2023-Current; Also Nessarose u/s)
  • Jackie Raye (September 2024-Current; Also Nessarose u/s)

First National Tour[]

First National Tour Standby[]

First National Tour Understudies[]

  • Katie Adams (March-December 2005)
  • Emily Rozek (March 2005-January 2007)
  • Annaleigh Ashford (December 2005-September 2006)
  • Laura Woyasz (September 2006-September 2007)
  • Christeena Michelle Riggs (January 2007-February 2008)
  • Melissa Bohon (September 2007-January 2009)
  • Meggie Cansler (February 2008- January 2009)
  • Stefanie Brown (also Nessarose u/s; January 2009-June 2010)
  • Marissa Lupp (January 2009-January 2011)
  • Lauren Ashley Zakrin (June 2010-June 2011)
  • Emily Ferranti (also Nessarose u/s; January-August 2011)
  • Alli McGinnis (June 2011- March 2012)
  • Megan Campanile (August 2011-February 2012)
  • Lesley McKinnell (February-March 2012)
  • Sarah Schenkkan (March 2012-August 2013)
  • Cassie Okenka (March 2012-January 2014; August 2014-March 2015; also Nessarose u/s)
  • Shanon Mari Mills (August 2013-March 2015)
  • Nikki Bohne (January 2014-August 2014)

Chicago Production[]

Chicago Understudies[]

  • Sarah Jane Everman (June 2005-April 2006)
  • Sara Jean Ford (June-January 2006; also Nessarose u/s)
  • Kate Loprest (January 2006-February 2007; also Nessarose u/s)
  • Erin Mackey (April-October 2006)
  • Kate Fahrner (October-November 2006; January 2007-April 2008; also Nessarose u/s)
  • Megan Sikora (November 2006-January 2007; also Nessarose u/s)
  • Cristin Boyle (February 2007-January 2009)
  • Michelle London (April 2008-January 2009)

West End (London)[]

West End Standbys[]

  • Annalene Beechey (September 2006-April 2007)
  • Dianne Pilkington (April-July 2007)
  • Sarah Earnshaw (July 2007-January 2011)
  • Chloe Taylor (February 2011-October 2012)
  • Lucy van Gasse (October 2012-November 2013)
  • Sophie Linder-Lee (November 2013-September 2015)
  • Carina Gillespie (September 2015-July 2017)
  • Maria Coyne (October 2017-March 2019 (Maternity cover))
  • Lisa-Anne Wood (July 2019-March 2025)
  • Charli Baptie (April-July 2019, September 2021-April 2022 (Maternity cover))
  • Christine Tucker (March 2024-January 2025 (Maternity cover))
  • Lydia Gerrard (March 2025-Current)

West End Understudies[]

  • Sarah Earnshaw (September 2006-July 2007; also Nessarose u/s)
  • Elinor Collett (September 2006-July 2007)
  • Caroline Keiff (July 2007-May 2009; also Nessarose u/s, Nessarose)
  • Pippa Lloyd (September 2008-May 2009)
  • Chloe Taylor (May 2009-March 2010)
  • Lucy Newton (March 2010-February 2011)
  • Zoë Rainey (February-December 2011; also Nessarose)
  • Sophie Linder-Lee (December 2011-November 2013)
  • Charlotte Scott (December 2011-October 2012; also Nessarose u/s)
  • Florence Andrews (October 2012-February 2013; also Nessarose u/s)
  • Michelle Francis (February 2013-May 2014; also Nessarose u/s)
  • Lauren Stroud (November 2013-October 2014)
  • Lauren James-Ray (May 2014 - September 2016; also Nessarose u/s)
  • Maria Coyne (October 2014-September 2015)
  • Helen Woolf (September 2015-July 2017)
  • Rosa O'Reilly (September 2016-July 2019; also Nessarose u/s, Nessarose)
  • Samantha Thomas (July 2017-July 2019, September 2021-March 2023, Maternity cover)
  • Joanna Sawyer (July 2019-March 2023)
  • Natasha Ferguson (July 2019-February 2020; also Nessarose, Maternity Cover)
  • Carina Gillespie (February 2020-March 2023; also Nessarose)
  • Christine Tucker (March 2023-March 2024)
  • Caitlin Anderson (March 2023-March 2025; also Nessarose)
  • Aimee Hodnett (March 2024-Current)
  • Hannah Qureshi (March 2025-Current; also Nessarose)

Los Angeles Production[]

Los Angeles Standbys[]

Los Angeles Understudies[]

  • Melissa Fahn (February-December 2007)
  • Amanda Flynn (February- December 2007)
  • Natalie Daradich (also Nessarose u/s) (December 2007-December 2008)
  • Alexa Green (December 2008-January 2009)

Stuttgart Production[]

Stuttgart Alternates[]

  • Jana Stelley (October 2007-February 2009)
  • Valerie Link (February 2009-January 2010)

Stuttgart Understudies[]

  • Valerie Link (October 2007-February 2009)
  • Katrin Taylor (February 2009-January 2010; Final)

Melbourne Production[]

  • Lucy Durack (June 2008-August 2009)

Melbourne Standbys[]

  • Erin Hasan (June 2008-August 2009)

Melbourne Understudies[]

  • Liz Stiles (June 2008-August 2009)

San Francisco Production[]

San Francisco Standbys[]

  • Natalie Daradich (January 2009-February 2010; also Nessarose u/s)
  • Libby Servais (February-September 2010)

San Francisco Understudies[]

Second National Tour[]

Second National Tour Understudies[]

  • Libby Servais (March 2009-February 2010)
  • Michelle London (March 2009-August 2010; also Nessarose u/s)
  • Lesley McKinnell (February 2010-April 2011; also Nessarose u/s)
  • Rachel Potter (August 2010-February 2011)
  • Tiffany Haas (February-August 2011; also Nessarose u/s)
  • Lisa Livesay (April 2011-March 2012; also Nessarose u/s)
  • Marissa Miller (August 2011-August 2013)
  • Jillian Kates (March 2012-September 2013; also Nessarose u/s)
  • Lindsey Brett Carothers (August 2013-November 2014)
  • Whitney Brandt (November 2014-November 2015)
  • Kelly D. Felthous (September 2013-August 2014; also Nessarose u/s)
  • Beka Burnham (August 2014-April 2016, August 2017- September 2019; also Nessarose u/s, February 2023-March 2023)
  • Allison Bailey (November 2015-June 2019)
  • Emily Ferranti (April-May 2016)
  • Jillian Butler (May 2016-August 2017; also Nessarose u/s)
  • Jennafer Newberry (July 2019-March 2022)
  • Jackie Raye (September 2019-July 2024; also Nessarose u/s)
  • Chelsea Cree Groen (March 2022-February 2023)
  • Madison Claire Parks (April 2023-Current)
  • Allsun O'Malley (July 2024-Current; also Nessarose u/s)

Tokyo Revival[]

  • Tomada Asako
  • Torihara Yukimi

First UK/Ireland Tour[]

First UK/Ireland Tour Standby[]

  • Chloe Taylor (September-October 2013;Temporary)

First UK/Ireland Tour Understudies[]

  • Carina Gillespie (also Nessarose) (September 2013-July 2015)
  • Helen Woolf (September 2013-September 2014)
  • Victoria Farley (September 2014-July 2015)

Mexico City[]

Mexico City Standby[]

  • Crisanta Gomez

Mexico City Understudy[]

  • Liesl Lar (also u/s Nessarosa)

Seoul, South Korea[]

  • Jung Sun Ah (November 2013-June 2014)
  • Kim Bo Kyung (November 2013-June 2014)
  • Kim So Hyun (June-October 2014)

Seoul Understudy[]

  • Lee Ji Eun (November 2013-October 2014)

Sydney Production[]

  • Lucy Durack (September 2009-September 2010)

Sydney Standbys[]

  • Erin Hasan (September 2009-September 2010)

Sydney Understudies[]

  • Liz Stiles (September 2009-June 2010)
  • Taneel van Zyl (June-September 2010)

First Australian Tour[]

  • Lucy Durack (January-September 2011)

First Australian Tour Understudies[]

  • Suzie Mathers (January-September 2011)
  • Allyce Martens (January-September 2011)

Oberhausen Production[]

  • Joana Fee Würz (March 2010-September 2011)
  • Valerie Link (March 2010-September 2011)

Oberhausen Understudies[]

  • Katrin Taylor (March 2010-March 2011)
  • Heather Carino (March-September 2011)

Scheveningen Production[]

  • Chantal Janzen (October 2011-July 2012)
  • Yvonne Coldeweijer (July 2012-January 2013)
  • Céline Purcell (October 2011-January 2013)

Scheveningen Understudies[]

  • Manon Novak (October 2011-January 2013)
  • Ianthe Tavernier (October 2011-January 2013)

Asian Tour Production[]

Asian Tour Understudies[]

  • Allyce Martins (December 2011-October 2012)
  • Claire George (December 2011-October 2012)
  • Stephanie Morrison (also u/s Nessarose; December 2011-October 2012)

Helsinki City Theatre Production (non-replica)[]

  • Anna-Maija Tuokko (2010-2011)

Helsinki Understudy[]

  • Emmi Kangas (2010-2011)

Copenhagen Production (non-replica)[]

  • Annette Heick (2011)
  • Katrine Falkenberg (2011)

Copenhagen Understudy[]

  • Camille-Cathrine Rommedahl (2011)

Second Australian Tour[]

  • Suzie Mathers (September 2013-May 2014; February-June 2015)
  • Lucy Durack (May 2014-February 2015)

Second Australia Tour Standby[]

Second Australia Tour Understudies[]

  • Justine Puy (September 2013-June 2015)
  • Monica Swayne (September 2013-June 2015)

Brazilian Production[]

  • Fabi Bang (February-December 2016)

Brazilian Understudies[]

  • Julia Duarte (February-December 2016)
  • Andreza Meddeiros (July-December 2016)
  • Thuany Parente (February-December 2016)

International Tour[]

International Tour Understudies[]

  • Elizabeth Futter (July 2016-July 2017)
  • Amy Goodwin (July 2016-July 2017)

Second UK/Ireland Tour[]

Second UK/Ireland Tour Understudies[]

  • Charli Baptie (November 2017-January 2019)
  • Grace Chapman (November 2017-January 2019; Also Nessarose u/s)
  • Amy Goodwin (November 2017-January 2019; Also Elphaba u/s)

Hamburg Production (Non-Replica)[]

  • Jeannine Wacker (August 2021-April 2022)

Hamburg Production (Non-Replica) Alternate[]

  • Judith Caspari (August 2021-April 2022; also Nessarose u/s)

Hamburg Production (Non-Replica) Understudies[]

  • Martina Lechner (August 2021-April 2022)

São Paulo Brazil Revival (Non-Replica)[]

  • Fabi Bang (March - July 2023)

São Paulo Brazil Revival (Non-Replica) Understudies[]

  • Verônica Goeldi (March - July 2023)
  • Mariana Montenegro (March - July 2023)
  • Aline Serra (March 2023)

Second Australian Tour[]

Second Australian Tour Understudies[]

  • Jordan Malone (August 2023-Current, also u/s Nessarose)
  • Emily Monsma (August 2023-Current)

Third UK/Ireland Tour[]

Third UK/Ireland Tour Understudies[]

  • Megan Gardiner (December 2023-January 2025; Also Nessarose)
  • Lydia Gerrard (December 2023-January 2025)
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