Melcher Media editors noticed the startling popularity of the Broadway musical Wicked and approached the show’s producers in 2005 about collaborating on a book that would capture the magic of the musical by taking its audience behind the scenes to show them how the Tony-winning show was made. They agreed, but how would we document the journey of the green-skinned Elphaba (later the Wicked Witch of the West) and her best friend Galinda (later Glinda the Good Witch) on their yellow-brick road from high school to Oz? With Wicked: The Grimmerie (Hachette Books).

We set out to show how the production’s elaborate sets, gorgeous ballads, and robust girl-power themes came to be by turning to well-regarded theater critic David Cote, who conducted interviews with the people—both behind the curtain and in front of it—at the center of the worldwide hit, including novelist Gregory Maguire, composer Stephen Schwartz, book writer Winnie Holzman, director Joe Mantello, and, of course, stars Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth. Using narrative first-person interviews, the book delves into the minds of the creative team and the cast as they take the reader from conception to workshops to rehearsals to out-of-town tryouts to the wonder, awe, and adoration the show provokes in audiences on the Great White Way. The New York Times best-selling book features behind-the-scenes photos, handwritten notes from early versions of the script and libretto, and character bios to appeal to both readers who have never seen the show as well as the musical’s enthusiastic fan base.

Available on Amazon.