Nov 22
Ariana Grande Takes Note of the Wicked Gay Vibes in 'Wicked'
Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 2 MIN.
To hear Ariana Grande tell it, "Wicked" throws off some wicked gay vibes, from the Emerald City's queer sensibilities to Glinda the Good being "a little in the closet..."
And Grande isn't the only "Glinda" actor to pick up on those rainbow leanings; "original Broadway lead Kristin Chenoweth agrees," Variety noted.
"Every day in the Emerald City is a Pride parade, right?" Variety quoted Grande telling The Gay Times during a joint interview with co-star Cynthia Erivo, who plays Glinda's frenemy, Elphaba.
As to whether the two could be more than roommates (and more than friends), Grande speculated that it might not be outside the realm of possibility.
Their relationship, Grande said, "transcends sexuality," but she also allowed, "whether it's romantic or platonic – Glinda might be a little in the closet – but if there were a time, you never know. Give it a little more time."
Some fans have already decided that, in their head canon at least, the two are romantically linked. Grande suggested that would not be out of place "in the merry old land of Oz," as the song has it.
"Even the chickens... those chickens are gay," Grande said of the magical realm's inhabitants, before going on to note that the wardrobe favored by the character Dr. Dillamond – a professor at the school Glinda and Elphaba both attend, and, Grande asserted, a "gay icon" – has a certain refined quality about it (to say nothing of his tea service).
"I mean, Dr. Dillamond in that Bode cardigan," Grande explained. "With his tea and his cardigan, I'm just throwing it out there!"
Grande's insights struck a chord with Chenoweth.
"When E! News aggregated the interview and posted Grande's quote on their Instagram," Variety relayed, the Broadway star "commented: 'I thought so too way back when...'"
Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.