In 2024, 21 years after it was first released, the original cast album for this show made the Top 40 for the first time

The Final Jeopardy category for Wednesday, June 12, 2025, was Broadway Cast Albums. The clue read: In 2024, 21 years after it was first released, the original cast album for this show made the Top 40 for the first time.

What is Wicked?

This musical, based on Gregory Maguire’s novel that reimagines the world of The Wizard of Oz, has long been a fan favorite. Though its original Broadway cast recording was released back in December 2003, it never reached the Billboard 200 Top 40 — until a resurgence of interest in 2024 changed that. Fueled by the release of a major motion picture adaptation, the cast album surged to number thirty-three on the chart dated December 7, 2024. This marked a significant milestone for the recording, which had previously peaked at number sixty-six in 2014.

The Impact of the Wicked Film Adaptation

The renewed chart success of Wicked‘s original cast album coincided with the buzz surrounding the film version of the musical, which premiered in U.S. theaters on November 22, 2024. Starring Ariana Grande as Glinda and Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, the film brought fresh attention to the show’s iconic music and story. In its opening weeks, the film earned more than two hundred sixty million dollars across the U.S. and Canadian box offices. As a result, interest in the original stage version soared.

The film’s soundtrack also saw notable success, debuting at number two on the Billboard 200 — the highest position for a big-screen musical adaptation in years. The momentum clearly spilled over into the original Broadway recording, which saw a sixty percent increase in weekly album units, totaling twenty-two thousand in the week ending November 28, 2024. This bump in numbers pushed the album into the Top 40 for the first time.

A Milestone for Broadway Cast Recordings

With its chart resurgence, Wicked became only the seventh musical cast album in the last 25 years to break into the Billboard 200 Top 40. Other titles to reach this milestone include Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen, The Book of Mormon, Springsteen on Broadway, If/Then, and Disney’s The Little Mermaid. For a cast album released more than two decades earlier, Wicked‘s climb was especially remarkable.

The original Broadway cast featured powerhouse performances from Kristin Chenoweth as Glinda and Idina Menzel as Elphaba, helping the album gain critical acclaim upon its initial release. Though it didn’t chart highly at the time, the recording quickly became a staple in musical theater circles and enjoyed enduring popularity among fans.

Longevity and Influence in the Broadway World

Since its Broadway debut in October 2003, Wicked has become one of the most successful musicals of all time. With more than 8,100 performances, it currently ranks as the fourth-longest running Broadway production in history. The original cast album has also set records of its own, spending a staggering 350 nonconsecutive weeks at number one on Billboard’s Cast Albums chart. Only Hamilton has spent more time at the top of that list.

In 2024, the Wicked cast album also entered Billboard’s Top Streaming Albums chart, debuting at number thirty-eight. This highlights the continued shift in how fans access and revisit classic Broadway music in the digital age. Streaming plays a central role in the album’s latest success, connecting new generations to the show’s music.

A Final Jeopardy That Honors Broadway’s Staying Power

The clue on Jeopardy didn’t just challenge contestants’ knowledge of Broadway — it also spotlighted the enduring power of musical theater in popular culture. The answer, Wicked, reflects a rare case where a beloved show from decades ago can find new commercial success thanks to modern media exposure.

As cast albums become accessible to wider audiences through streaming and film adaptations, musicals like Wicked prove that the line between stage and screen continues to blur. For longtime fans and new listeners alike, the music of Oz’s misunderstood witches is once again casting a powerful spell.