Ilana Keller

@ilanakeller

As Glinda and company would say, congratulotions!

"Wicked" played its 5,462nd performance on Sunday afternoon, allowing it to soar past "Beauty and the Beast" and become the ninth-longest-running production in Broadway history.

Julia Murney, one of the show's earliest Elphabas, recently reflected on what she calls the “green girl sisterhood.”

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"Back when I did the show, there was literally just a handful of women who knew what it was like to try and maneuver that role," she said, as she prepared for "Broadway Sings The Muppet Christmas Carol" at New Jersey Performing Arts Center. "I always felt when I was doing the show, because there were only four or five women who had done it before me and I had seen all of them do it, they were all with me, in a way, sort of on my shoulder. Which was not intimating or scary, it was actually very comforting."

She said the complexities of embodying Elphaba helped draw that community together.

"It’s just a really hard role. It combines so many elements that you have to figure out how to rein in. It’s hard week in and week out. It’s not like 'oh, you get used to it' and then you’re just sailing," she said. "It’s enjoyable, when you feel great and not exhausted and your vocal cords aren’t in complete distress. My gosh, it’s the greatest thing in the world because you get to play that role and sing that music and say those lines and be her."

She says "Wicked" has left her, pardon the pun, changed for good.

"That show is one of those shows. Once you’re involved, it kind of never goes away," she said. "I still have to sing 'Defying Gravity' and 'For Good' many, many places. I do so happily."

"Wicked" opened in 2003 and since has been performed in more than 100 cities in 16 countries, being seen by more than 50 million people worldwide. It has been translated into six languages — Japanese, German, Dutch, Spanish, Korean and Portuguese, according to a news release. It's the winner of more than 100 international awards including a Grammy and three Tony Awards.

According to Playbill, the longest-running shows in Broadway history are:

• "The Phantom of the Opera"

• "Chicago" (1996 Revival)

• "The Lion King"

• "Cats"

• "Les Misérables"

• "A Chorus Line"

• "Oh! Calcutta!" (1976 Revival)

• "Mamma Mia!"

• "Wicked"

• "Beauty and the Beast"

• "Rent"

The current Broadway cast includes Jennifer DiNoia as Elphaba, Kara Lindsay as Glinda, Sheryl Lee Ralph as Madame Morrible, Peter Scolari as The Wizard, Michael Campayno as Fiyero, Dawn E. Cantwell as Nessarose, Michael Genet as Dr. Dillamond and Zachary Noah Piser as Boq.

READ MORE: Donna McKechnie reflects on "Turkey Lurkey Time"

To learn more about "Wicked," visit WickedTheMusical.com.

Ilana Keller: 732-643-4260; ikeller@gannettnj.com