Judy Garland's Daughter Lorna Luft PraisesWickedas 'Breathtaking' and 'Everything I Wanted It to Be'

Mar. 15, 2025

Lorna Luft; Wicked.Photo:Dia Dipasupil/Getty; Giles Keyte/Universal Pictures

Dia Dipasupil/Getty; Giles Keyte/Universal Pictures

TheWickedmovie hasLorna Luft’s approval.

The daughter ofThe Wizard of OzstarJudy Garlandtook toInstagramto post an enthusiastic review of theJon M. Chu-directed adaptation of Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman’s hit Broadway musical. Captioning a shot of her at a screening in New York with Chu himself, she called the film “breathtaking to look at” and “everything I wanted it to be.”

“I told the genius Director Jon Chu,” wrote Luft, 71, “that he had picked up the torch, the broom, and the wand, and carried it forward; and thanked him, for adding to the family.”

Garland, who died in 1969 at age 47, starred in the 1939 classic adaptation of L. Frank Baum’sThe Wonderful Wizard of Ozas Dorothy opposite Billie Burke as Glinda the Good Witch and Margaret Hamilton as Almira Gulch and the Wicked Witch of the West.

Lorna Luft.Slaven Vlasic/Getty

Slaven Vlasic/Getty

The “astonishing” new trip to Oz, as Luft said in her review, starsAriana Grandeas Glinda andCynthia Erivoas Elphaba a.k.a. the Wicked Witch. “Cynthia and Ariana are nothing short of magnificent! They take you on an emotional roller coaster, and you better hold on tight. Vocally, they both are phenomenal and jaw dropping! Their performances are honest, subtle, funny, and absolutely perfect.”

She added thatWickedis “a lot of fun, and done with a great deal of love and respect for the original. So all I can tell you, is go see it and be taken on the journey of the witches! And buckle up, because it’s one joy filled ride!”

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Garland andSid Luft, the actress’ third husband, were parents to Luft and her brother Joey. Their half-sisterLiza Minnellihailed from Garland’s second husband, Vincente Minnelli.

Wicked.Universal Studios

Universal Studios

During a jointappearanceonEntertainment Tonightin 2022, Minnelli and Luft reflected on what would have been their mother’s100th birthday. “We’ve all had tragedies in life, but we’re not tragic,” Luft said at the time. Garland “had such an extraordinary sense of humor, and that was her survival guide. That is what I can tell you has been my lifeline is to find the funny.”

Go behind the scenes ofWickedwith PEOPLE’s new special issue, availablehere.

source: people.com