Wicked: For Good | NYC Premiere
A royal Emerald City arrival, where custom-designed soldiers guided guests, press, and stars including Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande across a carpet fit for Oz.
Astarte’s Winkie Guard soldiers flanking the main cast and creative heads of Wicked: For Good, (left to right) Marissa Bode, Bowen Yang, Jeff Goldblum, Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Michelle Yeoh, Marc E. Platt, Jon M. Chu, and Bronwyn James.
The Context
For the New York premiere of Wicked: For Good, Lincoln Center was transformed into an Oz-inspired arrival moment, with a green carpet, floral installations, and an “Emerald City Elegance” dress code. Vogue described the evening as the end of the yellow brick road for the film’s cast and creative team, with Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum, Jonathan Bailey, Bowen Yang, and Jon M. Chu among the guests. Astarte Creative was brought in by Red Rock Productions for Universal Pictures to create a live performance presence that could hold its own within that level of attention by giving the premiere a sense of grandeur, ceremony, and world-building.
The Approach
The idea was to turn the carpet into a royal passage.
Astarte handled casting, head to toe custom costume fabrication, and wardrobe execution for ten custom Emerald City soldiers. The characters framed the carpet, guided the guest journey, and created a visual threshold between Lincoln Center and Oz.
The look needed to read instantly, photograph well, and feel elevated enough for a global premiere. Inside the David H. Koch Theater, the soldiers continued the world-building with a choreographed aisle procession before the cast conversation and screening.
The Outcome
The soldiers gave the premiere a living architecture. For Astarte, the work was about creating a character system strong enough to define the arrival, but restrained enough to support the film, the cast, and the moment without taking center stage.
Services
Immersive Arrival Experience
Casting
Costume Design
Wardrobe Execution
Character Design
Themed Greeters
Press Carpet Atmosphere
Choreographed Procession
Film Premiere Entertainment
Brand World-Building
Experiential Event Design
Soldier procession through the aisles of David H. Koch theater
Cynthia Erivo (Elphaba) and Ariana Grande (Glinda) in from of the Oz Gates
Produced in collaboration with Red Rock Productions for Universal Pictures.
