It's been a long road for the singer who has played Elphaba for more than 1, 000 shows since 2007.

WSJ: 'This is the top' _ Dutch singer on Broadway debut

It's taking her out of her comfort zone and it's allowing her to find new things in her Elphaba.

WSJ: 'This is the top' _ Dutch singer on Broadway debut

The newest Broadway Elphaba thinks she knows why it's so unstoppable.

WSJ: 'This is the top' _ Dutch singer on Broadway debut

Verkaik, a Dutch actress who has played the role of Elphaba in versions of "Wicked" in Germany and Holland, last month made her debut on Broadway as the green-skinned witch for a 15-week stint.

WSJ: 'This is the top' _ Dutch singer on Broadway debut

With a score by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman, "Wicked" has been one of Broadway's biggest success stories since it arrived in 2003 starring Kristin Chenoweth as Glinda and Idina Menzel as Elphaba.

WSJ: 'This is the top' _ Dutch singer on Broadway debut

The Wicked Witch, Elphaba (originally played by the excellent Idina Menzel), turns out to be good, while Glinda the Good Witch (originally played by Kristen Chenoweth) is exposed as a smug, ambitious, manipulative bitch, with little talent for sorcery.

NEWYORKER: Wicked

She started with a two-year stint in Stuttgart in southern Germany, before jumping to the western German city of Oberhausen for a year, then made a triumphant homecoming in the Dutch city of The Hague, where she played Elphaba for four years.

WSJ: 'This is the top' _ Dutch singer on Broadway debut