Lorna Luft, the late Judy Garland’s daughter, recently spoke about what her mother might have thought of Wicked. While attending the opening night of Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends on Broadway, the 72-year-old said her mother “would’ve loved it.”
The film adaptation of Wicked reimagines the tale of The Wizard of Oz, in which Judy Garland played Dorothy Gale in 1939. Though the new movie focuses on Elphaba and Glinda, two witches from the original tale, it still values friendship and the pursuit of truth, and Lorna Luft believes the themes would have resonated with her mother.
Judy Garland apparently would have loved the new ‘Wicked’ film
Judy Garland’s role in The Wizard of Oz as Dorothy made her a household name and established her as a famous American personality. She later earned a Golden Globe for her performance in A Star Is Born (1954), received the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 1961 for her contributions to entertainment, and was honored with a Tony Award.
Judy Garland passed away in 1969, but her legacy lives on through her work and her children, Lorna Luft, Joey Luft, and Liza Minnelli. At the Broadway event, Lorna Luft took a moment to reflect on her admiration for the legendary composer Stephen Sondheim. “I think it’s just an honor to be here,” she said, praising Sondheim as “a national treasure to all of us.”
View this post on Instagram
Love for ‘Wicked’
While Lorna Luft didn’t specify which songs from Wicked her mother might have enjoyed the most, she expressed absolute confidence that Judy Garland would have been a fan of the movie. “She would’ve loved it,” Luft shared with a smile. The film adaptation stars Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda and has already captured viewers’ attention.
Wicked earned ten nominations at the Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and won Best Costume Design and Best Production Design. In November 2024, Ariana Grande shared how emotional filming the movie and playing Glinda was for her. About a month later, the actress was gifted Glinda’s original wand from the 1939 film during an episode of The Drew Barrymore Show.