How To Save Wicked The Musical On Broadway From Closing

Wicked: The Musical used to be a barometer of where the Broadway industry was at. Many people watched their weekly grosses and sighed with relief if they were good or popped Tums before strategizing how to turn things around.

But in 2026, Wicked is the problem. The once giant of the musicals is now facing their worst weeks ever. Every week, analysts are signaling that something is wrong with the show. But what is it? That part is something no one can agree on.

Some believe that the issue is Wicked fatigue. With the two motion pictures coming out in 2024 and 2025, the brand was constantly in the news cycle for longer than most Broadway shows run. It was a lot, and the backlash could be seen in the grosses for the second movie, Wicked: For Good.

However, if it's not "Wicked fatigue," as some people say that's not a thing, then what is it?

A few people have theorized that the economy is heading for a recession. During the 2008 recession, Wicked went through a similar pattern of destabilized grosses but ultimately made it through. Fueling this theory are the economists who are saying that the United States faces a real possibility of a recession in 2027.

They point to the AI bubble bursting, as well as declining consumer confidence, as reasons that the economy may falter in 2027. Wicked's grosses could be an indicator that something bad is about to happen.

One of the easiest ways to increase the weekly grosses would be to be stunt cast. There are two ways to do that; the first is to bring on someone from the movies. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child has had great success with Tom Felton joining as Draco, the character he played in the movies. They'll soon add Rupert Gint as Ron in the coming weeks.

Wicked could take a page out of their book. While it's unlikely that producers would be able to get Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Michelle Yeoh, or Jeff Goldblum to grace the stage right now. But fear not, there are other actors that would likely jump at the chance to take the stage for a while.

Marissa Bode could take on her movie role of Nessarose for a limited engagement. She was beloved in the role and trained for Broadway with her schooling.

Adding her to the cast would bring a lot of buzz to the show.

Another actor from the movie who would bring buzz is Ethan Slater as Boq. There was Oscar buzz for his performance in Wicked: For Good. And many said he transformed the role into something far deeper than anyone else who has played the role before him.

Even better, Slater has a proven track record on Broadway. He played SpongeBob and was nominated for a Tony for his efforts. While he won't be eligible for any awards this time around, he would raise his profile on Broadway significantly.

Shows like Hamilton and The Book of Mormon have brought back original cast members to great success. And even better box office numbers. Especially for the former.

Hamilton has brought back Leslie Odom Jr. and Christopher Jackson in their original roles. Each time they do this, the weekly grosses top more than $2 million.

When The Book of Mormon did their Magical Mormon Mystery week that saw Andrew Rannells and Josh Gad return, the show doubled its average weekly gross.

Both Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth have appeared on Broadway in the last two seasons. While it is unlikely they could reprise their former roles, they could take on other roles that would be just as significant.

For Chenoweth, she could play Madam Morrible. It would be a hoot to see a former Glinda take on the villain role, and someone of Chenoweth's stature would really make it a lot of fun. She would definitely add some camp to the role.

As for Menzel, this suggestion is controversial. But she could take on the role of the wizard. Yes, it has been played by male actors to this point, but there's nothing stopping the show from trying something new. And the Tony winner has the gravitas to really sell it.

And in a Broadway fan's fever dream, Menzel and Chenoweth could return together. This might not only drive buzz but also explode the box office and lead it to the highest grosses the show has ever seen. Which is December 29, 2024, and was more than $5 million.

Fun fact about that, Wicked holds the record for the most money any Broadway show has ever grossed in a single week.

How would you save Wicked: The Musical?