 The book , lyrics and score for the musical were developed through a series of readings . For these developmental workshops , Kristin Chenoweth , the Tony Award – winning actress whom Stephen Schwartz had in mind while composing the music for the character , joined the project as Glinda . Stephanie J. Block played Elphaba in all of the workshops , ( she was the original Elphaba in the 1st National Tour and joined the Broadway cast later on ) before fellow performer Idina Menzel was cast in the role in late 2000 . In early 2000 , the creators recruited New York producer David Stone , who began the transition of the workshop production into a full Broadway production . Joe Mantello was brought in as director and Wayne Cilento as choreographer while Tony Award – winning designer Eugene Lee created the set and visual style for the production based on both W. W. Denslow 's original illustrations for Baum 's novels and Maguire 's concept of the story being told through a giant clock . Costume designer Susan Hilferty created a " twisted Edwardian " style through more than 200 costumes , while lighting designer Kenneth Posner used more than 800 individual lights to give each of the 54 distinct scenes and locations " its own mood " . By April 2003 , a full cast had been assembled and the show readied its debut . 
