Actress Brittney Johnson became the first Black women to ever play the role of Glinda the “Good Witch” in Broadway‘s
Wicked when she made her debut in the famed musical last week.
This is the first time a woman of color has taken on the role since the musical debuted in 2003.
Johnson joined the cast of the perennial hit back in June when she was cast as Glinda’s understudy. She got to play the role for the first time on Thursday.
“My heart is bursting with gratitude. God is so good!” Johnson told
ABC News in a statement. “I am so humbled to be the first Black Glinda and honored to fulfill the dreams and hopes of so many! I feel like my feet have yet to touch down.“
She continued, ”The importance of this moment in history is only amplified by the message of this beautiful show: Love, friendship, and kindness are stronger than the fear of ‘otherness.’ Love can break down barriers to change the world. I’m so grateful to the Wicked team for trusting me to tell this story. My hope and prayer is that people see my story and have faith that they can achieve their dreams too. Nothing is impossible! And no dream is too big.”
Johnson has also appeared on Broadway in
Motown, Beautiful, Les Misérables, and
Sunset Boulevard.
Actress Kristin Chenoweth was the first actress to ever play Glinda on the Great White Way. The beloved character first appeared in the iconic 1939 film
The Wizard of Oz.
Wicked is one of only three musicals to earn over $1 billion dollars since its debut in 2003, making it the second highest grossing show behind
The Lion King.
Congratulations!
