Long before Wicked hit theaters and the Wicked Experience opened at Universal Studios Florida, the musical’s hit Broadway run inspired a unique experience of the show at Universal Studios Japan.
Back in 2006, Universal Creative along with the Broadway team created an abridged, 35-minute version of Wicked to showcase the musical to theme park fans in Osaka, Japan. The show was featured as a main attraction at Universal Studio Japan’s now defunct Oz area. It also incorporated characters from L. Frank Baum’s Wizard of Oz stories and its own Emerald City with nods to the classic Wizard of Oz film’s style without infringing on copyright.
The shortened version of the Wicked essentially featured most of the songs that now appear in Wicked Part One, and were done in versions that blended English and Japanese lyrics, creating a bilingual performance accessible for both locals and tourists. However, out of necessity it focused mostly on the story between Elphaba and Glinda.
The songs were as follows, according to Wicked’s Fandom Wiki page on the Universal Studios Japan run:
- “One Short Day”
- “Dear Old Shiz”
- “What Is This Feeling?”
- “The Wizard and I”
- “Popular”
- “A Sentimental Man”
- “Defying Gravity” and “For Good”
As seen above in a post from former Glinda performer Maki Ogasa (@omaki.musical), the show opened would often feature a foreign performer as Elphaba, while Glinda and the ensemble would be composed of talent from Japan. Major roles were cut to save time, so there was no Fiyero to dance through life and no Boq or Nessa. Various Elphabas—including Jemma Rix, who was the show’s first Wicked Witch of the West—would go on to play the role in international tours of Wicked.
With the release of the Wicked film, former cast members have gone down memory lane to celebrate their role in the history of Wicked and its first theme park appearance, which ran until 2011.
Here’s the least grainy look we could find of the Emerald City-inspired theater facade that housed Wicked at Universal Studios Japan.
While we wait for Universal Studios to announce a greater Wicked presence at its theme parks (fingers crossed for Epic Universe), you can visit the Wicked Experience at Universal Studios Orlando. That attraction featured special appearances from Elphaba and Glinda, but only for its opening—honestly, they need to release the witches! You can visit various Wicked shopping and treat pop-ups at Universal Studios Hollywood.
Wicked is now in theaters; Wicked Part Two arrives November 2025.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
Read the full article here
