Watch Broadway's queer Elphaba, Mary Kate Morrisey, belt out 'Defying Gravity' at NYC Pride

Wicked_Musical and MarySpaceKate Instagram

Mary Kate Morrissey at New York City Pride

Wicked's 25th Elphaba, Mary Kate Morrisey, sang a love letter to the show's fans and to her queer community during the NYC Pride Parade.

Tracy E. Gilchrist

Tracy E. Gilchrist is the VP of Editorial and Special Projects at equalpride. A media veteran, she writes about the intersections of LGBTQ+ equality and pop culture. Previously, she was the editor-in-chief of The Advocate and the first feminism editor for the 55-year-old brand. In 2017, she launched the company's first podcast, The Advocates. She is an experienced broadcast interviewer, panel moderator, and public speaker who has delivered her talk, "Pandora's Box to Pose: Game-changing Visibility in Film and TV," at universities throughout the country.

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Tracy E. Gilchrist

July 03 2024 2:45 PM EST

July 03 2024 5:28 PM EST

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Broadway’s current Elphaba in Wicked, Mary Kate Morrissey, performed a stunning rendition of her character’s signature song at New York City Pride on Sunday. Sporting a tee with the words, “Here, Queer, & Wicked” from Gay Pride Apparel emblazoned on the front, the word “Wicked” in rainbow colors, she performed for her LGBTQ+ community while the procession of queer people and rainbow flags proceeded behind her.

Known for playing the iconic Janis in Mean Girls on tour, Morrissey is the 25^th person to play Elphaba full-time on Broadway, though she is no stranger to the role. For the better part of a decade, Morrissey has donned Elphaba’s signature green on the national tour of Wicked and as a standby on Broadway. She stepped into the role full-time this past March.

Regarding being queer and playing roles like Janis and Elphaba in queer faves like Mean Girls and Wickedshe has said, "You don’t need to have a love interest on stage to recognize queerness, or otherness, or sort of the way that you carry yourself. I think that’s something that I probably personally bring to these characters, but I also think a lot of times it’s written in; there are clues to it everywhere. I try to play just what’s on the page, but if I’m playing something, it’s going to probably be skewed a little more queer than not.