Tony Awards rewind: 5 reasons why Idina Menzel (‘Wicked’) defied gravity to win Best Actress

It was a battle of the witches for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical 20 years ago.

You might say that it was a “Wicked” one.

Stephen Schwartz’s musical, which tells the back story of the two witches from “The Wizard of Oz,” had opened on Broadway to much fanfare in late 2003. While the reviews were somewhat mixed, it became a word-of-mouth sensation, with tickets harder to come by than a pair of Dorothy’s ruby red slippers.

“Wicked” would go on to earn ten Tony nominations, including for Best Musical and Best Actress in a Musical for Kristin Chenoweth as Galinda (aka Glinda the Good Witch) and Idina Menzel as Elphaba (later known as the Wicked Witch of the West). The two were joined by Stephanie D’Abruzzo as Kate Monster/Lucy the Slut in “Avenue Q,” Donna Murphy as Ruth in “Wonderful Town,” and Tonya Pinkins as Caroline in “Caroline, or Change.”

It was initially seen as two-horse (or in this case, two-broom) race between Chenoweth and Menzel. Then Murphy picked up the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical, putting the contest very much up in the air.

When the big night came, things weren’t looking great for “Wicked.” It would lose Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score to the quirky “Avenue Q,” which perhaps tattled on the upset victory by “Q” over “Wicked” for Best Musical at the ceremony’s end. “Wicked” had quietly accepted Tonys for Best Costume Design and Best Scenic Design earlier in the evening. What in the world was going to happen with Best Actress?

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Rob Marshall (1998 Tony nominee for Best Director for “Cabaret,” 2002 Oscar nominee for Best Director for Best Picture “Chicago”) and Renee Zellweger (2003 Oscar winner for Best Supporting Actress in “Cold Mountain”) were tapped to reveal the selection. They opened the envelope and jointly exclaimed “Idina Menzel!” (Thank goodness John Travolta wasn’t presenting, or we might have been introduced to “Adele Dazeem” a decade earlier.) The newly anointed Tony queen took a moment to kiss her stage and award rival Chenoweth before proceeding to accept her trophy. (The gracious Chenoweth beamed with joy, clearly thrilled for her “Wicked” co-star.)

So how did Menzel manage to edge out Chenoweth? Here are five reasons why:

1. She had the more transformative role.
While Chenoweth was dressed in colorful and creative costumes, she still looked very much like the girl whom theatre-goers had come to know and love. Menzel, on the other hand, was decked out in unflattering outfits and horrendous hats. And in case you didn’t know, she was also glaringly green. In addition to her outward appearance, Menzel also played the more complex character. Elphaba was different from the day that she was born. She struggled to fit in. Many people (and Munchkins) judged her by the color of her skin. And she had the audacity to stand up to the wicked Wizard’s corruption and fight for what she believed to be right. Tony voters felt that Menzel’s part had greater arc and was the bigger stretch, so it’s no stretch to see why they went with her.

2. She was the face of “Wicked.”
The show’s title references the Wicked Witch of the West. That means Elphaba. (I dare say that a musical called “Good” referring to Glinda the Good Witch would have been far less enticing.) Even though the two “Wicked” leads have roughly the same amount of stage time, it really does feel like it’s all about Elphaba. “Wicked” did lead all musicals with ten nominations. The most appropriate place to give it a a major award was Best Actress. And voters naturally opted for the “Wicked” one.

3. She had the killer song.
Both Elphaba and Glinda have some memorable melodies, like “The Wizard and I” by the former and “Popular” by the latter. There are also several popular ones that they share, including “What Is This Feeling?,” “One Short Day” and “For Good.” However, the most celebrated song in “Wicked” is undoubtedly “Defying Gravity,” in which Elphaba asserts her independence and flies for the very first time. (Glinda does have lyrics in the tune, but Elphaba dominates.) Menzel’s show-stopping number wowed the crowds, and she literally soared. Having the killer song under her belt gave her a definite advantage in the Best Actress showdown. “Defying Gravity” helped to pull the Tony towards Menzel.

4. She had a Tony IOU for “Rent.”
The acclaimed musical contended for ten Tony Awards in 1996 and collected four — including for Best Musical. Featured player Menzel was cited for her role as Maureen, but the Tony went home with Ann Duquesnay for “Bring in ‘da Noise, Bring in ‘da Funk.” Meanwhile, “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown,” had been able to bring in the 1999 Featured Actress in a Musical Tony for Chenoweth, who played Sally. So faced with the two good women in the 2004 Best Musical Actress lineup, voters might have felt compelled to pick the overdue Idina over the already chosen Chenoweth.

5. There was no one else in the category strong enough to beat either of the “Wicked” women.
Vote-splitting between Chenoweth and Menzel was definitely seen as a serious concern, especially after Murphy defeated them both at the Drama Desk Awards. However, the wonderful Murphy had already gone to Tony town for “Passion” in 1994 and “The King and I” in 1996. A triple crown might have not have seemed warranted. Best Musical champ “Avenue Q” was largely an ensemble production (with the actors upstaged by the puppets), so D’Abruzzo’s inclusion was her reward. As for Pinkins, she was already in possession of a Tony for 1992’s Best Featured Actress in a Musical for “Jelly’s Last Jam.” Anika Noni Rose was honored with that same award for “Caroline, or Change.” It appeared as if Rose is where “Caroline” received her due. That left nothing between Menzel and the prize, casting a spell as the wonderfully “Wicked” 2004 Tony Award winner for Best Actress in a Musical.

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