Wicked followers: this is your second. Airbnb is launching a new experience that allows you to not solely meet Cynthia Erivo herself, but in addition step immediately inside Elphaba’s world. The newest experience from the rental platform offers 20 fortunate friends the respect of spending a day with the Oscar-winning actress at Elphaba’s Retreat, a hideaway created to really feel such as you’ve adopted her to an escape within the Ozian forest.
In Wicked: Part One, we final noticed Elphaba working – properly, flying – away from the Wizard to plan her subsequent transfer whereas Glinda stayed behind. With Airbnb, you’ve the prospect to step into what that refuge may appear to be: a hidden fairy-tale retreat the place she might regroup, chill out, reconnect, and comply with alongside the tabloids to determine what’s subsequent for her.
I had the prospect to preview the experience (sans Cynthia, sadly), and as a Wicked fan myself, I couldn’t assist however geek out at this severely well-crafted slice of Oz. As I, and the remainder of the world, wait eagerly for Wicked: For Good, it felt further thrilling to prance round this wonderful recreation and picture how Elphaba spent her time in between the 2 films.
The retreat is situated in Thousand Oaks, California, simply previous the celebrity-filled areas of Calabasas and Hidden Hills. Tucked away on an acres-large farm, Elphaba’s retreat is a bit tough to seek out (as we think about it will have been in Oz) – so watch out for getting misplaced on Google Maps – however when you’re contained in the farm gates, the journey’s last 10-minute drive up an all-terrain path appears as if it have been pulled proper out of your Wicked imaginations. When you lastly arrive, a small stack of yellow bricks marks the doorway, an unmistakable nod to the franchise’s most well-known highway.
Follow the trail to an enormous nest-like construction – the center of Elphaba’s Retreat. Inside, it feels as if Elphaba has simply stepped out for a second: her black pointy hat (an precise prop from the film) hangs by the entryway, an FBI-style corkboard with pamphlets and newspapers is slung chaotically on the wall, and her signature glasses relaxation casually on the desk. Turn left and also you’ll discover the actual Grimmerie used within the film, which friends are invited to select up and flip round themselves. And only a few steps away, her precise broomstick is hung up on show, surrounded by mystical dried flowers.
Continue ahead and also you’ll discover a canopy-style mattress, constructed from twisted tree branches that feels straight out of a storybook. From right here and the central “living room” space, there’s an unlimited lookout level that enables friends to pause and sink even deeper into the experience, surrounded by wonderful views. You might simply spend hours right here wandering, touching, and taking in each little element, however the true magic unfolds through the two interactive experiences that Cynthia will share with friends.