Glinda Upland
| Character | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Glinda Upland Galinda Upland (formerly) |
| Occupation: | |
| Relationships: | Fiyero Tigelaar - Ex-Boyfriend |
| Fandom: | Wicked |
| Other: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Glinda Upland, formerly known as Galinda Upland, is a character from Wicked, appearing in both the bookverse and the musical.
She changes her name from Galinda to Glinda about halfway through the musical. 'Galinda' will often be used for her time with Elphaba and Fiyero at Shiz University, and 'Glinda' for everything after, as well as when referring to her more generally. Her name will often be written as G(a)linda.
Canon
Fandom
General
Shipping
Bookverse
Musicalverse
As the musical is an ongoing part, different actresses will bring something slightly different to the role, choosing slightly different reactions or actions for the same line, for instance. As a result, portrayals of Glinda in fandom can differ a little in the details, whilst keeping her relatively consistent in terms of general character traits etc, as a reflection of her musical self.
Fans often have a favourite portrayal, and different actresses have different reputations within the fandom. Some are known for playing up the sapphic undertones of the show, whilst others are known for emphasising Glinda's drunkenness during Popular.
Queer Identity
Whilst Elphaba's sexuality in the musical is commonly headcanoned as being bi, validating her canon feelings for Fiyero, Glinda is commonly headcanoned as being a lesbian. A popular interpretation of her behaviour and actions is that she is suffering from comphet (compulsory heterosexuality), the idea being that she is merely convincing herself to 'like' Fiyero romantically as that is what society expects of her. In essence, because she is the conventionally attractive popular girl, she should get with the conventionally attractive popular boy.
[dearest-darlingest]
the only heterosexual thing about katie rose clarke's glinda is the massive case of comphet she portrays her with[1]
On 21st November 2024, Gay Times released an interview with Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo in which the former suggests that "Glinda might be a little in the closet".[2] When enews reported on this on their Instagram, the original actress for Glinda, Kristen Chenoweth, responded with "I thought so too back when..."
Racial Identity
Due to the nature of theatre, there is a pretty regular turnover of actresses. However despite opening in 2003, it took until 2018 before a Black actress, Brittney Johnson, was cast as Glinda on Broadway. Since then, Lucy St Louis became Glinda in March of 2023 on the West End. Some artists have since begun to draw Glinda as Black in their fanart, though she is still overwhelmingly depicted as white in fanworks.
Notable Actresses
- Kristin Chenowith - The original. The version heard on the official cast recording of the soundtrack, and thus often the first introduction fans have with her character.
- Katie Rose Clarke - Known for emphasising the gayness. A favourite of the fandom.
- Brittney Johnson - First Black actress to play Glinda
- Megan Hilty - Known for gifting Elphaba (Shoshana Bean) with a pair of pink knickers (pants) at one of the shows during the number Popular.
- Annaleigh Ashford
- Alli Mauzey - Known for her absolutely wild and chaotic energy, especially during Popular.
- Kara Lindsey
- Lucy Scherer - Known for playing Glinda as incredibly drunk during Popular
Many meme, video or otherwise, have been created to showcase these performances...
- Kara Lindsay being THE MOST ICONIC Glinda for almost 5 minutes (July 2020) by Arabelle
- Annaleigh Ashford being the most Energetic Galinda for 7 minutes and 20 seconds. (September 2020) by Arabelle
- Katie Rose Clarke being the queen of G(a)linda for 15 minutes straight (March 2022) by parrillayoung
“glinda and elphaba loved each other as more than friends” i say into the mic. the crowd boos but as i walk off the stage in shame a voice from the back says “she’s right” and when i turn to look it’s katie rose clarke[3]
...as well as comparisons between each of them:
- fiYeRo aNd i r gOiNg tO bE mArRied (he doesn't know yet.) [CC] (July 2020) by Arabelle - Comparison of a specific scene.
- Galinda Upland being Gay and Reckless for 11 minutes straight (not really) (May 2020) by Arabelle