 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. <unk> 's original illustrations for Baum 's novels and Maguire 's concept of the story being told through a giant clock . Costume designer Susan <unk> 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 . 
