Video: WICKED's New Elphaba Lencia Kebede Sings 'Defying Gravity' Before Historic Broadway Run

Watch Wicked's next Elphaba, Lencia Kebede, sing "Defying Gravity" in an emotional post announcing her historic run in the Broadway production. On March 4, she will make history as the first Black actress to assume the role of Elphaba full time in the Broadway company.

While singing a short section of the classic Act One finale of Wicked, Kebede stops to remember "all the times I sang this to myself as a kid." The video then shows her official offer for the role, followed by the reactions of her family and friends.

Lencia graduated from Occidental College majoring in Diplomacy & World Affairs and minoring in Politics. Before Wicked, she spent five years as Angelica Schuyler and Woman 5 in Hamilton, toured nationally and internationally in Rent as Joanne, and sang backup for Beyoncé Knowles Carter. 

She will be joining Wicked alongside Allie Trimm, who was the Glinda standby from December 2021 through March 2024, as she steps into the role of Glinda full-time. 

Mary Kate Morrisey (Elphaba) and Alexandra Socha (Glinda) will play their final performances in Wicked on Broadway on Sunday, March 2.  Additional new principal casting will be announced in the coming weeks.

About Wicked

Currently the 4th longest-running show in Broadway history, WICKED is currently in its 21st year on Broadway.

Winner of over 100 international awards including the Grammy Award and three Tony Awards, WICKED has been performed in over 100 cities in 16 countries around the world (U.S., Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Japan, Germany, Holland, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, The Philippines, Mexico, Brazil, Switzerland and China) and has thus far been translated into six languages: Japanese, German, Dutch, Spanish, Korean and Portuguese. WICKED has been seen by over 70 million people worldwide and has over $6 billion in global sales. 

In addition to the Broadway production, WICKED in North America has enjoyed unprecedented record-breaking sit-down engagements in Chicago, where it ran for nearly four years; Los Angeles, where it ran for two years; and San Francisco, where it ran for nearly two years, as well as two North American Tours.

The Broadway sensation WICKED looks at what happened in the Land of Oz…but from a different angle.  Long before Dorothy arrives, there is another young woman, born with emerald-green skin, who is smart, fiery, misunderstood, and possessing an extraordinary talent. When she meets a bubbly blonde who is exceptionally popular, their initial rivalry turns into the unlikeliest of friendships…until the world decides to call one “good,” and the other one “wicked.”

Based on the novel by Gregory Maguire, WICKED has music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, and a book by Winnie Holzman.  The production is directed by Tony Award winner Joe Mantello with musical staging by Tony Award winner Wayne Cilento.  WICKED is produced by Marc Platt, Universal Stage Productions, The Araca Group, Jon B. Platt and David Stone.

The blockbuster film version of WICKED opened on November 22nd, 2024, and has become the highest grossing film based on a Broadway musical in history.

Buy Tickets to Wicked