“She Would’ve Loved It”: Lorna Luft Backs Wicked Film as a Tribute Fit for Judy Garland

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New York, 27 April 2025 — Lorna Luft, the youngest daughter of screen legend Judy Garland, says her mother would have been “over the moon” for Jon M. Chu’s Oscar-winning adaptation of Wicked. Speaking on the red carpet at a Broadway gala honoring the late Stephen Sondheim, Luft called the blockbuster “a breathtaking continuation of Mom’s legacy,” adding, “I couldn’t even guess which song she’d replay the most — she would’ve loved them all.”

A Family Link to Oz

Garland’s immortal turn as Dorothy in 1939’s The Wizard of Oz cemented her as a Hollywood icon, a status later crowned with Globes, Tonys and a Cecil B. DeMille Award. Luft said the new film’s re-imagining of Oz’s witches — Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and Glinda (Ariana Grande) — captures the same themes of friendship and moral courage that defined Garland’s career.

Oscar Success and a Sequel on the Way

Released last November, Wicked scored 10 Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, and won for both Costume Design and Production Design. A sequel titled Wicked: For Good is already in post-production and slated for release on 21 November 2025.

Grande’s Emotional Connection

(FILE) Ariana Grande Butera didn’t win the Oscar for her supporting role nomination in ‘Wicked’ at the 97th Annual Academy Awards on Sunday, March 2, 2025. LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA – NOVEMBER 09: American singer, songwriter, and actress Ariana Grande Butera wearing custom Thom Browne arrives at the Los Angeles Premiere Of Universal Pictures’ ‘Wicked’ held at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion at The Music Center on November 9, 2024 in Los Angeles, California, United States. (Photo by Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency)

Ariana Grande has long called Glinda her “dream role.” In a moment that went viral last December, talk-show host Drew Barrymore surprised the singer with the original 1939 Glinda wand — a prop once waved alongside Garland’s Dorothy. “Having that wand in my hand felt like closing a circle,” Grande said at the time.

Honouring Sondheim

Luft, herself a stage veteran, also paid tribute to Stephen Sondheim during the gala. “Stephen is a national treasure,” she remarked. “To celebrate his genius on a night like this, while thinking of Mom and the magic of Wicked, feels perfect.”

Bottom Line
More than half a century after Garland clicked her ruby slippers, Oz remains fertile ground for reinvention. With family approval, critical kudos and box-office momentum, Wicked looks set to carry the yellow-brick legacy well into the next generation — something Judy, according to her daughter, “would have loved, wholeheartedly.”

Photo Credit: DepositPhotos.com

Belaid S