Writer of Pop Culture

Cool and refreshing news about pop culture and entertainment.

The Legacy of the ‘Wicked’ Musical (June 10)

The musical “Wicked”, one of the longest running shows in Broadway history is also one of the most popular shows worldwide.

June 10, 2026

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

The Wicked musical is currently celebrating its 21st year on Broadway. Inspired by the Wizard of Oz stories by L. Frank Baum, the show’s story centers on the misunderstood and green Elphaba (who would later become the “Wicked Witch of the West”) and the bubbly, popular girl, “Glinda the Good” who mix like oil and water only to become unlikely friends.

2003 – The ‘Wicked’ Musical That Enchants Audiences

Graphics of the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda from the Broadway musical "Wicked" — (TVDB)

After weeks of previews, Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West opened at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco on this day. The musical is based on Gregory Maguire’s novel of the same name which was based on the characters and some of the storyline from L. Frank Baum’s novel, The Wonderful World of Oz. The stage show’s music and lyrics were written by Stephen Schwartz.

Now commonly known simply as Wicked the show’s original cast included Idina Menzel who appeared as the green Elphaba and Kristin Chenoweth as Glinda. (Schwartz said that he wrote the character with Chenoweth in mind.)

The following October, the Wicked musical moved to the Gershwin Theatre on Broadway and it has been playing there ever since. In fact, It’s the fourth longest-running show in Broadway history. The original production of Wicked won three Tony Awards and the cast album won a Grammy.

The Wicked stage musical has performed in 100 cities in 16 countries, has been translated into six languages, and has been seen by over 70 million people worldwide.

Produced by Universal Stage Productions, it’s no wonder why Universal Pictures couldn’t wait to film a movie version of the Wicked musical. The movie version, which starred Cynthia Ervivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Galinda, didn’t open in movie houses until Thanksgiving of 2024. And it was just “part one” at that. The second half, Wicked: For Good, opened on Thanksgiving 2025.

1752 – Ben Flies a Kite

Benjamin Franklin flying a kite — Benjamin Franklin *(Wikimedia Commons)*

Benjamin Franklin was pretty much interested in electricity and spent about ten years trying out a variety of electrical experiments before flying a kite during a thunderstorm on this day in 1752. The hope was to collect a charge in a Leyden jar when the kite was struck by the lightning. After the experiment, Franklin came up with a bunch of terms that we use everyday today like battery, conductor and electrician. He is also responsible for creating the lightning rod.

2007: So Final

Artwork for the TV show "The Sopranos" — *(TVDB)*

The HBO TV series The Sopranos came to end on this day in 2007. Some people thought that the “cut to black” ending was clever while others hated leaving things up-in-the-air.

1972: So Yummy

Sammy Davis Jr. released “The Candy Man” from the film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. It went to #1 on the charts and was his biggest single.

2013: So Super

Henry Cavill as Superman. — *(Warner Bros.)*

Henry Cavill donned the blue pajamas and red cape playing Clark Kent/Superman in Zack Synder’s Man of Steel which had its premiere in New York City.

1845: The Swearing Parrot

African Grey parrot — *(Wikimedia Commons)*

According to Snopes, the following tale cannot be proven, but it makes for a great story. Andrew Jackson was America’s seventh president who served from March 4, 1829, to March 4, 1837. He died on June 8, 1845, at the age of 78. His funeral was held two days later, and his African Grey parrot “Poll” was among the guests. The parrot became very rowdy and swore up a storm. The bird was so “fowl”, he had to be removed.