Here's the poignant story behind the resurfaced video of Idina Menzel playing "Wicked's" Elphaba on Broadway in red tracksuits and without her green skin

As you probably know, Evil You’ve got some time right now thanks to the inevitable film adaptation starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande that hit theaters last week.

Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande as Elphaba and Glinda in Wicked — It is therefore only natural that interest in the stage show, which was created back in 2003, has been revived.

For context: *Evil* is a loose adaptation of Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel *Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West*which in turn was inspired by the 1900 novel by L. Frank Baum *The Wonderful Wizard of Oz* and its 1939 film adaptation.

© Universal Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection

While Cynthia and Ariana play the main characters of Elphaba and Glinda, respectively, in the film, musical theater stars Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth were the first actors to ever play these roles.

Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel at the curtain call for “Wicked.” — The two led the cast when the production opened in San Francisco in May 2003 and remained with it when the show transferred to Broadway in New York later that year. They are also the singers featured on the original Broadway cast recording *Evil* Soundtrack.

Both Idina and Kristin received critical acclaim for their performances on the show and quickly became synonymous with the production, with their legacies repeatedly recognized in the film adaptation as well as the promotional campaign surrounding the release.

Bruce Glikas / FilmMagic

In the midst of all this, a video of Idina performing as Elphaba on Broadway has resurfaced online. Many are confused by the fact that she wears a red Adidas tracksuit instead of her character’s costume – and also doesn’t have green skin.

Joey McIntyre as a scarecrow and Idina Menzel in a red tracksuit appearing in “Wicked”. — What *Evil* Newbies don’t know that this is a pretty infamous moment in Broadway history, with Idina bravely deciding to return to the stage after breaking a rib during a previous performance – here’s the full story.

As previously mentioned, Idina originated the role of Elphaba in May 2003, and during a matinee performance in January 2005 – just a day before her final scheduled show – the star fell through a trapdoor during the show’s melting scene and suffered a painful injury.

According to reports, the show was eventually stopped for 45 minutes as a rescue team arrived to free her from the trap and take her to a nearby hospital.

Bruce Glikas / FilmMagic

Shoshana Bean was the replacement actress for Elphaba during this production and was apparently released after just seven minutes so that she could perform the final two minutes of this show for the audience.

Jennifer Laura Thompson and Idina Menzel during Idina Menzel's final appearance in "Evil" After an injury during the show — Shoshana then played Elphaba for that day’s evening show and also filled in for the next day’s performance while Idina recovered.

Fans – some of whom had booked tickets specifically for that date to see Idina’s final show – were understandably disappointed that they missed the show, but the star ended up surprising them with an unprecedented performance towards the end of the second act.

Shoshana played Elphaba until the crucial melting scene, and right after that Idina took the stage in her tracksuit for the last few minutes.

Unsurprisingly, the audience went wild.

Bruce Glikas / FilmMagic

In fact, Idina received an enthusiastic five-minute standing ovation – some of which can be heard in a clip that recently went viral on TikTok.

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The video, which was just uploaded on Wednesday, has been viewed more than 650,000 times and received tens of thousands of likes and hundreds of comments.

Many praised Idina for bravely completing her run as planned and giving her fans a truly unique memory that will stay with them for a lifetime.

Jennifer Laura Thompson and Idina Menzel during Idina Menzel's final appearance in "Evil" After an injury during the Sho — Bruce Glikas / FilmMagic

Notably, this wasn’t actually Idina’s last appearance as Elphaba, as the star reprized her role in London’s West End in 2006.

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Here’s the poignant story behind the resurfaced video of Idina Menzel playing “Wicked’s” Elphaba on Broadway in red tracksuits and without her green skin

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