In the Broadway musical Wicked (based on Maguire's novel), Glinda is one of the two female leads as the musical focuses on her love/hate relationship with Elphaba (the young woman who becomes the Wicked Witch of the West). As in Gregory Maguire's revisionist novel, Glinda is characterized by her popularity and goes by the name of Galinda Upland (who hails from the Upper Uplands). She is described as "blonde" in every way, whereas Baum's original Glinda as well as Billie Burke's Glinda in the 1939 MGM movie (which dictated the visual look as well as the overall feel and flavor of this stage musical) had red hair. This is because composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz tailor-made this version of Glinda for actress/singer Kristin Chenoweth. Elphaba and Glinda find out the Wizard has a campaign to rid Oz of all talking animals, and has tricked Elphaba into creating flying monkey spies. Elphaba rebels against the horrendous torturing and cruel treatment of animals, vowing to bring down the Wizard. Glinda prefers to play it safe and moreover explore her political opportunities with the Wizard, ultimately sealing her destiny to become "Glinda the Good", and a public icon/spokesperson of Oz.
The love triangle between Glinda, Fiyero and Elphaba is what primarily distinguishes the Wicked musical incarnation of Glinda from Gregory Maguire's novel. Glinda and the "scandalacious" Winkie Prince Fiyero gravitate towards each other, but while Glinda convinces everyone that the two of them are in love, Fiyero re-evaluates his priorities and becomes increasingly drawn to Glinda's now best friend Elphaba.
Most significantly, in the musical, Glinda unwittingly sets into motion the events that lead to the Munchkin Boq becoming the Tin Woodman (which only happens in this musical), and Elphaba's sister Nessarose being killed by Dorothy Gale's farmhouse. Boq was an unwanted but ardent suitor that Glinda foisted upon Nessarose, the Munchkin Governor's daughter, who became so attached to him that she stripped the Munchkins of their rights just to keep Boq with her (thus earning the title "Wicked Witch of the East"). Boq was transformed into the Tin Woodman when Elphaba attempted to correct a Grimmerie spell-book charm that was miscast by Nessarose (who wanted to claim the "heart" he "lost" to Glinda). Not long after, Glinda was so determined to bring Elphaba and Fiyero to justice for running away together, that she suggested to the Wizard and Madame Morrible that they spread a rumor about Nessarose being in danger to lure Elphaba out of hiding. The Wizard and Madame Morrible took Glinda's suggestion to its most extreme level, with Morrible creating the cyclone that brought Dorothy's house to Oz and crushed Nessarose to death.
Glinda comes to understand that Elphaba and Fiyero "deserve each other" in the most positive sense of the term. She tries to avenge Elphaba's supposed death by threatening to expose the Wizard as a fraud unless he leaves Oz altogether. Having thrown the fiendish Madame Morrible in jail, Glinda follows in Elphaba's footsteps, trying to fix all the damage that has been caused in Oz over the past few decades, and hoping to truly earn her title as "Glinda the Good" among the people.
The role was originally played by Kristin Chenoweth.
Read more about this topic: Glinda The Good Witch, Musicals