'Wicked' impersonators soar in demand ahead of 'For Good' release

With one brief glance at each other, the witches get in formation. Glinda points her wand of sharp, sparkly crystals toward Elphaba. The witch who flies the western skies leans back, clutching her bristly broom in defense.

We’re not in Kansas anymore — or over the rainbow, for that matter. These are character performers visiting the Cradle of Aviation Museum in Uniondale, standing below suspended model airplanes, dressed head to toe in hues of dreamy pink and glowing green.

Character performers are bringing the "Wicked" heroines to life across Long Island. Companies offer the entertainment experiences for private and public bookings, such as birthday parties, bridal showers and "Wicked"-themed events. The demand to hire the witches is at a high due to the upcoming release of "Wicked: For Good," experts in the business say. The finale of the two-part film soars into theaters Nov. 21.

Local companies such as Royal Princess Prep and Samantha’s Fairytale Princesses started to see an increase in popularity after the first "Wicked" movie’s premiere last year, their owners say. Samantha Catalano, who cosplays as Glinda and runs Samantha’s Fairytale Princesses, says her company obtained the Elphaba and Glinda costumes months ahead of the first film’s theatrical debut. Catalano has played Glinda at events this year "at least 20 times so far," she says. 

"We started to book parties as soon as the movie came out," says Catalano, of Staten Island.

Kelsey Edquist, who owns Royal Princess Prep, says they have been offering the "Broadway versions" of the characters for hire since her business opened 10 years ago. The costumes differed from those seen in the film (Glinda’s dress was blue, while the new version they offer is pink). Mostly, customers prefer to book the "movie version" for their events, Edquist says, which were added to their offerings soon after the film's release.

"The movie has really launched these characters into a much larger sphere," she says. "Obviously, we live in New York and we’re very lucky that a lot of children have been able to see the Broadway show, but not everybody. It’s been really nice for children to experience that magic for the first time on the big screen."

Royal Princess Prep offers packages starting at $250, which can be found and booked on their website. Samantha's Fairytale Princesses provides one-hour events for $500 (plus travel), and their Facebook page shows methods for booking by phone, email or direct message. Packages for both companies include performances, photo-ops and more.

Lyza Morciglio, of Brooklyn, plays Elphaba (among other characters) for Samantha’s Fairytale Princesses. "I’ve loved the musical since way before we even thought there was going to be a movie," she says.

So when the film was announced, "I don’t even think there was a conversation," Morciglio says. She and Catalano just knew it was time for the company to offer these characters, and they would be the ones to play them.

"We were locked in," Morciglio says, with a laugh.

Their wickedly screen-accurate costumes were brought to life by Long Island-based designers Teresa and Abigail Loos, Catalano says. And through "a lot of trial and error," Morciglio has figured out how to green-ify herself. One of her other characters, Gamora from "Guardians of the Galaxy," has a green exterior as well, so she had some experience to draw from for her Elphaba transformation.

"I use three to four different green colors," Morciglio says. "And I use other colors, too. The face is not flat; you need light and dark. And just like you would contour your regular makeup, I do a little contour for her."

Morciglio completes the look with freckles, which also cover Cynthia Erivo's cheeks and nose in the film.

If she is being "intricate and delicate," Morciglio likes to allot an hour to an hour and a half to finish her makeup. But if there's a time crunch, she’s learned how to go faster. Morciglio has also picked up a few tips from online backstage videos of the Broadway production.

"Here’s a trade secret: I use a self tanner brush, and it actually helps it to get on super even, and it helps you put a lot of product on at one time," she says. "You’re not doing patches of your skin; you can do big sweeps and cover your whole face pretty quickly."

To become the "Popular" Good Witch of the North, Catalano tints her eyebrows with bleach and shapes them to achieve the thin, straight look of Ariana Grande’s eyebrows in the movie. Catalano also wears a wig and brown contact lenses over her blue eyes.

"It’s a process," she says.

The Glinda and Elphaba performers at Royal Princess Prep sing four to five songs at events. When the movie comes out, the new songs will be added into their repertoire, Edquist says.

"We have performers who have been on Broadway, on cruise ships, worked at Disney," she says. "So all our performers are professional singers who give that full, Broadway caliber performance, and we sing live."

The characters also take photos with guests and hand out trading cards of themselves as keepsakes.

Some "Wicked" fans have been hosting themed events long before this duo defied gravity at the box office. Lauren Maia, of Smithtown, was 15 when she first saw the musical on Broadway, with original cast members Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth.

"I just became fascinated," Maia says. "I loved everything about it."

Then, she had a vision, almost like a prophecy: "I thought, when I get married, I want a 'Wicked'-themed bridal shower."

In 2020, Maia’s mother and sister planned just that. A bridal shower with the "Wicked" Broadway Playbill design printed across a sheet cake, pink and green cupcakes and candies and witchy decor on every table.

But the showstopper of the event: "I just remember sitting down, and all of a sudden, I hear something," Maia says.

Her family had hired Elphaba and Glinda character performers, who came out and sang "Defying Gravity" for the guests. "I did not expect that," she remembers. "That was such a surprise."

Maia, a career counselor for BOCES, snagged tickets to an early screening of "Wicked: For Good" two days ahead of its release. She’d like to host another event soon, possibly a screening of the first movie, for her friends.

For those hoping to plan something similar, "I would definitely say having performers there would be one of the best things ever, to really feel like you’re in it," Maia says. "When I had the performers there, I just wanted to sing along with them. It was so cool."