The early heat and humidity might have had some wailing “I’m melting” in their fanciest gowns and suits, but it was only fitting that the Land of Oz came to, well, the land of Oz on Sunday evening.

The State Theatre was awash in green, pink and more green for the Australian premiere of Wicked, the blockbuster Hollywood adaptation of the hit stage musical.

Across the street, excited fans, some from interstate, had camped from early morning or overnight to catch a glimpse of its cast, particularly pop icon Ariana Grande (and Jeff Goldblum, maybe).

The 31-year-old, dressed to theme in a sparkling pink ball gown, walked the yellow brick carpet to pose for photographers and greet fans.

A revisionist take on The Wizard of Oz tale from the perspective of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, the film is the first screen adaptation of the Tony-winning musical by Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman, which premiered in 2003 and was itself based on the 1995 novel of the same name by Gregory Maguire.

Led by its breakout number Defying Gravity, the musical has since become a stage staple overseas and in Australia (it premiered locally in Melbourne in 2008). Last year it overtook Cats to become the fourth-longest-running musical in Broadway history, with more than 8100 performances.

At Sunday’s premiere, the film’s stars – including Cynthia Erivo, who stars as Elphaba, and Grande, who plays the good witch Glinda – introduced the movie.

“This is an absolute dream, to bring Oz to Oz,” Erivo said.