"Thank Goodness": Broadway's Wicked Casts Its First Black Glinda

Brittney Johnson, an understudy for "Wicked," prepares for her debut performance as "Glinda" on January 10, 2018.

As Glinda says, “black is this year’s pink,” and I could not agree more! After fifteen years on Broadway, "Wicked" has finally cast its first black actress in the iconic role of “Glinda,” the “Good Witch” of Oz.

Brittney Johnson, who joined the cast in June, stepped into the character’s iconic floating bubble on January 10, 2018, becoming the first woman of color to perform the role in the show’s history. While other characters, namely “Fiyero,” “Doctor Dillamond,” and the leading “Elphaba,” have all been portrayed by actors and actresses of color, Glinda remained an entirely white role until Johnson’s performance last month. Although Johnson’s official role is as an understudy, her groundbreaking debut as Glinda has already brought a new level of depth to the character that has never been achieved in the production.

“When Glinda is a person of color, it forces us to look at the similarities in their struggle and to really notice Glinda's growth in a way that maybe we didn't quite see before,” Johnson said to a Playbill representative.

As someone who has both seen "Wicked" live and followed the show for nearly a decade, I strongly believe that casting an actress of color as Glinda is more monumental than in any other role within the show. "Wicked" famously tackles prejudice and racial discrimination through Elphaba’s green skin, and yet, the impact of Elphaba’s reviled greenness is not truly understood until placed against the extolled whiteness of Glinda. The audience is meant to sympathize with the scorned Elphaba, which usually means that Glinda’s own struggles are overlooked. By placing a woman of color in Glinda’s glittery shoes, the show not only shines a light on the issues surrounding both of the leading ladies, but also provides the representation that is desperately needed in the famously “white-washed” Broadway community.

“When you see yourself represented onstage—and that’s something that little brown girls and boys don’t get to see very often—to be able to see someone who looks like you have an experience onstage gives you strength and encouragement and makes you feel like you can do the same thing,” Johnson says. ““That’s why theatre is important and that’s especially why representation is important.”

Although Johnson’s next performance remains unannounced, I am eagerly waiting to watch her continue to break through the flying bubble ceiling. Kudos, "Wicked," and “thank goodness!”

LU