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

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.”

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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

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.”

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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.”

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