On January 10, 2019, actress Brittney Johnson (recently starred in Les Mis, Motown, Beautiful)  made history as the first African American woman to take on the role of Glinda the Good Witch of the North in the play Wicked in an English version of the show.

Johnson joined the cast in June of 2018 as an understudy. Fans did not know when Johnson would be taking the role of Glinda. Shortly before the show on Jan.10,  Johnson took to Instagram and let the world know with the caption “Simply Grateful. See you at 7! #BlackGlinda”

Johnson says she is humbled to play Glinda and says that stepping on stage to perform each show is something that’s bigger than herself. “My heart is bursting with gratitude. God is so good! I am so humbled to be the first Black Glinda and honored to fulfill the dreams and hopes of so many! I feel like my feet have yet to touch down. The importance of this moment in history is only amplified by the message of this beautiful show: Love, friendship, and kindness are stronger than the fear of “otherness”. Love can break down barriers to change the world. I’m so grateful to the Wicked team for trusting me to tell this story. My hope and prayer is that people see my story and have faith that they can achieve their dreams too. Nothing is impossible! And no dream is too big.” Johnson told news.

Official Broadway photographer, Drew Shade, captured this shot of Johnson about to take the stage, captioning the pic, “Just photographed Brittney Johnson, the first Glinda of color, as she prepares to go on in ‘Wicked’ for the first time.”