The Poster Memorabilia blog

Bewitched by Elphaba and Glinda in Person

Two premieres, one redemption arc, and a poster signed by nearly all of Oz.

By an anonymous Hollywood insider

It's so funny how fate has a weird way of making it up to you. As excited as I was to go to the New York premiere of Wicked in 2024, that ended up being one of the worst nights of my life. I mean, I still love the movie and enjoyed seeing the stars in person, but everything went wrong for me leading up to it.

Not only was I late to the event so I didn't get a good spot at the fan pit, but it didn't even matter because the movie poster I wanted the cast to sign got ripped in the taxi. Then, as we watched the movie, I realized I got the wrong flavored popcorn, and my drink spilled all over my dress right around my favorite part, Glinda singing “Popular.”

You'd think this would discourage me from doing it again, but as a New York native, I've gone through worse. Yeah, that night didn't end up how I wanted, and it still haunts me to this day, but I was determined to make the Wicked: For Good premiere a much better experience. And so, I did everything right.

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I encased my poster in a sturdy container to avoid the previous year's accident, I wore black so that any spillage wouldn't be obvious, and I went to the Lincoln Center early and scored a great spot. My luck really did a 180° turn that night because I got everything I wanted and more.

Thank God I decided to wear black because I ended up matching with the two leads. Cynthia Erivo came out in this cool leather and feathered gown, looking as enchanting as Elphaba herself. While Ariana Grande was channeling Audrey Hepburn down to her princessy dress, complete with a pretty ponytail. I thought this was the best they ever looked on their press tour, especially compared to 2024, when they were constantly in green and pink.

“I was just so gobsmacked by their star quality that I almost forgot to ask them for their autographs.”

I don't even think bewitched is a good enough term to describe how I felt in their presence. I was just so gobsmacked by their star quality that I almost forgot to ask them for their autographs. Luckily, my friend shoving me to get a selfie with Ariana took me out of it. I regained my senses just in time to ask her to sign my movie poster before she left to pose for the cameras.

Once I got Ariana's autograph, it was smooth sailing from there. I guess seeing a major celebrity's writing on my poster gave me the courage to ask the other cast members to sign it too. Cynthia was one of the nicest to do so; she even complimented me on my dress because it was nearly the same color as hers. Michelle Yeoh intimidated me a bit—I still see her as Yu Shu Lien in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon—but she was also very nice.

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The men were dashing, too, even the director, Jon M. Chu. Jonathan Bailey was also in all black and was as handsome as ever. Jeff Goldblum was charisma incarnate, and I even found Ethan Slater kinda cute. I wasn't able to get the latter's autograph, though, but it was fine.

Just getting Elphaba's and Glinda's autographs was more than enough for me, but the fact I got Madame Morrible's, Fiyero's, the Wizard's, and the movie director's too is still unbelievable. I often find myself looking at the signed poster now and then just to remind myself that that night was real.

Some things you watch. This one you keep.

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