Broadway's First Black Glinda Brittney Johnson to Headline Wicked Next Year

Oh, what a celebration we'll have today! Brittney Johnson will take over the role of Glinda in Broadway's Wicked beginning on February 14, 2022. Currently the Glinda standby, Johnson will be the first Black actress to assume the role of Glinda on Broadway.

In addition to Wicked, Johnson has appeared on Broadway in Les Misérables, Motown, Sunset Boulevard, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical and Kristin Chenoweth: For the Girls.

Johnson will play Glinda opposite Lindsay Pearce as Elphaba, Alexandra Billings as Madame Morrible, Michael McCormick as The Wizard, Sam Gravitte as Fiyero, Jordan Barrow as Boq, Mili Diaz as Nessarose and Michael X. Martin as Doctor Dillamond.

Wicked looks at what happened in the Land of Oz…but from a different angle. Long before Dorothy arrives, there is another young woman, born with emerald-green skin, who is smart, fiery, misunderstood, and possessing an extraordinary talent. When she meets a bubbly blonde who is exceptionally popular, their initial rivalry turns into the unlikeliest of friendships…until the world decides to call one “good,” and the other one “wicked.”

With a thrilling score that includes the hits “Defying Gravity,” “Popular” and “For Good,” Wicked is based on the novel by Gregory Maguire and features music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman. The production, which opened on Broadway in 2003, is directed by Tony winner Joe Mantello with musical staging by Tony winner Wayne Cilento.

A film adaptation, helmed by In the Heights director Jon M. Chu and starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, is in the works.