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[0:00] Quincy Brown: Ariana is going to be the twinkiest Galinda.

[0:04] Kevin Bianchi: And Cynthia is going to be the twonkiest Elphaba. That feels so right.

[0:12] Quincy Brown: My name's Quincy. My name's Kevin. And this is Sentimental Men. But keep your thumb away from that skip button because we're here to talk and maybe scream about our favorite women in musical theater.

[0:36] Kevin Bianchi: You know what's been weighing on my mind?

[0:40] Quincy Brown: Tell me.

[0:41] Kevin Bianchi: Hi guys, we're back for an emergency. I know, I know. It's not next year.

[0:44] Kevin Bianchi: What's been weighing on my mind is what with the voice because I kind of thought Miss Grande was going to use the voice like finale to debut her new single off of her next album. But if she's all caught up in the Wicked movie of it all, are we not going to get like a new Ariana Grande album for a while?

[1:00] Quincy Brown: Okay, because I had the same thought because obviously my world today has revolved around Ariana Grande being cast as Galinda. And then I'm scrolling through Twitter and I see some fucking ad for like lipstick that she's releasing. And I'm like, she's been hyping up this makeup line since before.

[1:17] Kevin Bianchi: I know, and what poor timing that now like this is so much more exciting.

[1:20] Quincy Brown: I actually think that's why she's going on Fallon because her makeup line launches like next week or something. But I did think it was funny that it was announced and then it was announced that she would be on Fallon tonight. And I'm like, they're putting her to work already.

[1:36] Kevin Bianchi: They're putting her to work. Okay. Anyways, everybody, hi, welcome. We have our two leads in Wicked, the musical, the movie coming to theaters near you in 2000 and whenever. Kevin, what were you doing when you found out?

[1:45] Kevin Bianchi: I was like, did you find out through my text?

[1:54] Quincy Brown: I did. You're the one who told me. Isn't that special? I love that. I was laying on the couch watching Drag Race UK and they were about to lip sync, literally read your text message on my watch. I didn't even pick up my phone. I'm like looking at it, trying to see what the picture is. And then I'm like, Oh my God. Oh my God. Is it, is this happening? And so then I opened my phone. I look at the picture. I started crying. Like I was so excited. I was so excited. I just started crying. And then I, I don't think I've exhaled since.

[2:30] Kevin Bianchi: Yeah. I was literally brushing my teeth, getting ready to go to bed. Ha ha ha. And I got a notification cause I've post notifications for Ariana and Taylor. And so I got a notification that Ariana posted, almost didn't look at it. Cause you know, she posts a lot. So I was like, whatever. I'll see. And I was like, ah. And it's not like she posted the wicked poster. You know what I mean?

[2:45] Quincy Brown: Exactly. Cause you could see the little icon. I was like, okay. Yeah. Opened it, looked at the photo still was like, okay. And then I read the caption and I was like, what? Yeah. Thank goodness. Wicked movie. And then I was like, what? Glinda? Oh my God. Freaked out. Texted you. Freaking out. The rest is history.

[3:04] Kevin Bianchi: They're truly history. But Cynthia Erivo is going to be movie Elphaba. Meaning that like a canon Elphaba in the wicked verse is going to be a black woman. Which I think finally bodes well for like the future of wicked casting. Because if you have the like standard Elphaba, like the mainstream standard Elphaba is now going to be black. To me, that makes it easier and more likely to cast a black, not that it mattered before, but like for them to cast black women, women of color, moving forward.

[3:36] Quincy Brown: Which I just want to say, I've been seeing a lot of hate on Twitter of people saying, yeah, it's great that the movie Elphaba is black, but like it still hasn't happened on Broadway. And to that, I say, can we just take the wins as we get them? Like why do we have to shit on everything? I was way more emotional than I think I. Well, partially because I wasn't expecting it. Like it was just nine o'clock on a Thursday and all of a sudden.

[4:04] Kevin Bianchi: I think we did get a DM from a listener saying like, Hey, I think we're going to get wicked casting soon. But that thing is like, we get those DMs a lot. So I kind of just saw him and was like, okay. And then literally that night I was like, oh, they were right.

[4:12] Quincy Brown: Anyways, I, my take, because I still haven't responded to like a majority of the texts and DMs being like, what do you think of it? I refuse to, I don't have the energy. I almost want to write a notes thing and just screenshot it and send it back to everyone. Like my public statement as a dictated to the notes app.

[4:30] Quincy Brown: Yeah. I Quincy Brown am really thrilled about this casting. I understand the concerns that people have voiced. However, I do not share those same concerns.

[4:47] Kevin Bianchi: Come on, Gigi. Good.

[4:52] Quincy Brown: I think what took me by surprise was in my head, there was like a world where maybe Cynthia Erivo would be in the mix. There was a world where Ariana Grande could be in the mix, but like never together, never in my mind. Did I, what did I ever pair them? The way they cast the wicked movie could have been a moment to like launch two people into superstardom, but this casting it's like, they're already superstars. Like both of them in their own right are like at the peak of their career already. And so it's like, or at the peak, but at a peak of their career. And so to have the two of them, it's just going to make this movie like a fucking spectacle, which I talked about today where people were saying, wicked didn't need to cast superstars in the two leads because wicked itself will sell and all that jazz.

But like someone compared it to the In the Heights movie where they didn't necessarily cast superstars. And that was a commercial failure. It was a great movie. I loved it, but it was a commercial failure. And so I understand, especially after In the Heights, not wanting to take a risk with a property like wicked, especially when you have superstars that can do it, can carry the role.

[6:07] Kevin Bianchi: Right. That's the thing. It's not like we got like random girls from the CW who can't sing playing these two parts because they're celebrities. Like these are two celebrities who can sing, who will sing the shit out of the score.

[6:23] Quincy Brown: It's also two interesting types for the roles where it's like Ariana Grande is not like the standard actress that you would just slot in as Glinda and neither is Cynthia Erivo. So I think it's like actually pretty inspired casting. I know it seems so like, oh, they just went with the biggest name they could get because neither of them are like the typical type for the role.

[6:45] Kevin Bianchi: Yeah. Yeah. So I'm like, but they both really work in the part. So I think this is proof that they put a lot of thought and care into the casting process.

[6:55] Quincy Brown: Yeah. And something, something that sticks out to me about both of them is usually I think of Elphaba as the more like still of the two and like Glinda's kind of the one that's, that's really active, but both of their Ariana and Cynthia both have very like, I just feel like they, they exist on a much closer energy plane to each other than most Elphaba and Glinda's do.

[7:15] Kevin Bianchi: Sure. Ariana is not like zany wacky in the way that typical Glinda's are.

[7:21] Quincy Brown: Right. And Cynthia is a little more level headed.

[7:29] Kevin Bianchi: Yeah. Yeah. Good word. And here's the thing I have been hearing a lot of, I think this is fine to say Hairspray Live concerns in regard to Miss Ariana. And my take on that is one Hairspray Live was a shorter rehearsal process. It was live. And also like it, it's like not enough care was put in, not as much care was put into Hairspray Live as will be put into this wicked movie. And I think with a good director, Ariana can turn it out because the talent is there.

[7:58] Quincy Brown: Oh my God. No shade to, that's not what I meant. I meant, I think with a good director who has enough time to like really bring it all in, because I viewed those live productions, kind of like I view City Center Encores, where it's like, you get these stars in and they just got to pull it together.

[8:17] Kevin Bianchi: It's a shove with love.

[8:22] Quincy Brown: Yeah. Yeah. But I feel like this kind of a thing, when a director can really work with Ariana, I think it's really going to be beautiful. People are like, can she sing that way? And it's like, bitch, we don't know. And I'm excited to find out. Can we give a bitch the benefit of the doubt? We know she has the notes. We know she has the notes and people are like, oh, but that's what she sings. I'm like, no, that is a style of singing that she uses to make a lot of fucking money.

[8:40] Kevin Bianchi: Agree. She's got a voice underneath the like pop star Ariana sound.

[8:46] Quincy Brown: Exactly. I'm for, I'm lit for that. And then people like to be like, oh, but her acting in Hairspray Live. And I think that's like a pretty reductive sampling of what she's capable of. Because like, if you look at her on SNL, she's like, really funny. She's like, has that really good comedic timing. And that's live. And she was great. And it's like, so I just think that, you know, she's not the only person who's ever not had a good showing at one of these like TV musicals.

[9:16] Kevin Bianchi: Sure. So I'm excited. I, I think it should like go without saying that like Mark Platt and David Stone and the universal gods, we're not going to hand this movie to someone after 15 years to someone who, who couldn't do it.

[9:30] Quincy Brown: That's the thing. Like, I hate, I would hate for people, I would hate for people to think that Ariana got it just because she's Ariana Grande, because I really don't think that's the case. I think she's, yeah, I think she's great casting because she's like, it's the kind of casting where it's like, she's not going to have to really like, become something else. Like she just has to kind of like, yeah, put the costume on and exist in the role.

[9:58] Kevin Bianchi: Agree. Our friend Jimmy Larkin was saying that she like, is literally, she's like the literal modern day Glinda in the sense where like, she's very wealthy. She was kind of born into a lot of privilege, is kind of like fun and ditzy on the surface, but has a lot going on underneath.

[10:16] Quincy Brown: Yeah. And I thought that was like an inspired take.

[10:21] Kevin Bianchi: Yeah. And, and then no shade. It's like that she's, she's got everything she needs to succeed at this, at this role.

[10:27] Quincy Brown: Yeah. I think it'll be great. I cannot wait until we get a first look in full Glinda drag. I'll get a poster of it on my wall.

[10:32] Kevin Bianchi: You know what thought I had today, literally in the shower, I was like watching my hair. I was like, oh my God, the amount of like, think of all the looks that we're going to get like every red carpet, every premiere, every late night appearance, every press stop. Like, and what I love is that Ariana turns it out on social too. So it's like, we're going to be fed. I can't wait. I'm talking that this is going to be in five years, but I can't wait.

[11:04] Quincy Brown: Yeah. I, uh, told you this earlier. I really hope that she does like a Beyonce, the Lion King, the gift album.

[11:11] Kevin Bianchi: Yeah. That would be really cool for wicked. Like, I think that would be super, super, she does like a pop, the concept wicked inspired album. If that's the next album, I'll take the Ariana cover of Sentimental Men.

[11:26] Quincy Brown: I would love, I think it'd be super great. I'm into it. I'm sure she does it. She heard it here first.

[11:33] Kevin Bianchi: Yeah. If, if she does it, we will be collecting.

[11:42] Quincy Brown: Quincy two parter for you, like maybe two sides of the same question is what is a moment of Cynthia's Elphaba that you are looking forward to slash. Do you think, do you predict that she will be?

[11:56] Kevin Bianchi: Oh, was it? Okay. So if I'm subscribing to the Elphaba rules, I, and I don't think this is the popular take and I'm starting to believe that maybe I am just wizard and I bias, but I truly believe that Cynthia Erivo's "Wizard and I" is going to be like her song. There's something about her voice that I think would really suit that song. And I think that acting like, I honestly cannot envision her "No Good Deed."

[12:26] Quincy Brown: Oh, see, that's the easy. Like, I don't think I've ever seen her get that raw and nasty.

[12:34] Kevin Bianchi: Oh, see, no, I feel like that's the easier place for me to go. Maybe no, clearly. Cause everyone's been saying that. Cause it's like, did you see the Color Purple? She doesn't have a "No Good Deed."

[12:38] Quincy Brown: No, no, no, no. But I'm just saying like her, no, I'm not, I don't mean to like equate the two. I'm just saying like that her performance in that was so, um, so multi-layered and so high stakes, even though it was like a very different emotion than "No Good Deed" that like, I'm excited to see like the depth of her "No Good Deed."

[13:03] Kevin Bianchi: Yeah. And that's, I, you know what, I'm going to take back my answer. Okay. I'm judging off of her Color Purple performance and her, now that I think about it more, her Color Purple performance was very defying gravity in like emotional capacity and where she was living. And so I think that is the easiest translation for me to see.

[13:24] Quincy Brown: That's interesting. I think I'm most excited to see her "Wizard and I." I honestly like haven't even thought about her "No Good Deed." I don't care.

[13:30] Kevin Bianchi: Is that crazy?

[13:36] Quincy Brown: So crazy. Cause for me, I'm the opposite. I I'm like only thinking about the "No Good Deed" and now the "Defying Gravity." Cause I think the "Defying Gravity" will be the easiest for her.

[14:12] Quincy Brown: Welcome back to Sentimental Men! Today, we are diving into the exciting news about the casting of Elphaba and Galinda in the upcoming Wicked movie.

[14:42] Kevin Bianchi: I mean, can we just take a moment to appreciate Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba? She’s going to absolutely slay it!

[15:01] Quincy Brown: Right? I can’t wait to hear her sing "The Wizard and I." That’s the song I’m most eager to hear her perform.

[15:17] Kevin Bianchi: And let’s not forget about Ariana Grande as Galinda! I know she has her critics, but I think she’s going to bring something special to the role.

[15:33] Quincy Brown: I get that, but I still have my reservations. I mean, can she really capture the essence of Galinda?

[15:59] Kevin Bianchi: I think she can! She has the vocal chops, and she’s shown her acting skills in other projects. Plus, she’s a huge fan of the musical, which counts for something.

[16:19] Quincy Brown: Fair point. I just hope she doesn’t lean too much into the pop star persona and really embodies the character.

[16:39] Kevin Bianchi: Exactly! It’s all about finding that balance. I’m excited to see how they both interpret their roles.

[16:57] Quincy Brown: Speaking of casting, who do you think should play the rest of the characters? I have some ideas!

[17:19] Kevin Bianchi: Oh, I’m all ears! Let’s hear your thoughts.

[17:39] Quincy Brown: I think we need a strong Fiyero. Someone who can really hold their own against Cynthia and Ariana.

[17:57] Kevin Bianchi: Agreed! I’ve heard some buzz about Ben Platt. What do you think?

[18:19] Quincy Brown: Ben Platt could be interesting! He has the vocal talent, but I’m not sure if he fits the character’s vibe.

[18:41] Kevin Bianchi: That’s fair. What about someone like Jordan Fisher? He has that youthful energy and charisma.

[19:01] Quincy Brown: Ooh, I like that suggestion! He would definitely bring a fresh take on Fiyero.

[19:19] Kevin Bianchi: And for Madame Morrible, I think we need someone with a commanding presence. What about Idina Menzel?

[19:39] Quincy Brown: Idina would be perfect! She has that Broadway pedigree and could really bring the character to life.

[19:57] Kevin Bianchi: Plus, the nostalgia factor of having her in the film would be amazing for fans.

[20:19] Quincy Brown: Absolutely! It would be a full-circle moment for her and the Wicked legacy.

[20:41] Kevin Bianchi: So, we’ve got some solid ideas brewing here. I can’t wait to see how this all unfolds!