Wicked (musical)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Wicked
Image:Wicked-poster.jpg
Broadway Poster
Music	Stephen Schwartz
Lyrics	Stephen Schwartz
Book	Winnie Holzman
Based upon	Gregory Maguire's novel Wicked
Productions	2003 Broadway 2005 North American tour 2005 Chicago 2006 West End 2007 Stuttgart 2007 Los Angeles 2007 Tokyo 2008 Melbourne 2008 Amsterdam
Awards	Drama Desk Outstanding Musical Drama Desk Outstanding Book Drama Desk Outstanding Lyrics Outer Critics' Outstanding Musical Grammy for Best Cast Album

Wicked is a Tony award-winning American musical produced by Universal Pictures with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and libretto by Winnie Holzman. The story is loosely based on the best selling novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire, a re-imagining of L. Frank Baum's classic story, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz from the perspective of the witches of Oz. The musical follows the stories of Glinda and Elphaba, two young witches who eventually become the Good Witch of the North and the Wicked Witch of the West respectively, and is set mostly prior to Dorothy's arrival from Kansas. The plot also makes several references to the classic 1939 film.

The musical first opened on Broadway on October 30 2003, directed by Joe Mantello and starring Kristin Chenoweth, Idina Menzel and Joel Grey, with musical staging by Wayne Cilento.^[1] Although the production received mixed reviews and was panned by The New York Times, it proved popular amongst patrons and became a theatrical phenomenon. The Broadway production's success spawned productions in Chicago, Los Angeles, London's West End, Tokyo, Stuttgart and Melbourne, along with a North American tour which has visited over 30 cities in Canada and the United States.^[2][3]

Wicked has broken box office records around the world, holding weekly-gross-takings records in New York, London, Chicago and Los Angeles, and the record for fastest opening £100,000 in the West End (slightly over 1 hour). The West End production has played to more than 800,000 people and the North American tour to over two million.^[4] The show was nominated for ten of the 2004 Tony Awards, winning Best Actress, Scenic Design and Costume Design. Wicked also won six Drama Desk Awards in 2004 and was nominated for four Laurence Olivier Awards in 2007.

Contents 1 Development 2 Synopsis 2.1 Act I 2.2 Act II 3 Principal roles 4 Music 4.1 Musical numbers 5 Response 5.1 Critical reception 5.2 Awards 5.3 Financial success 5.4 Popular culture 6 Other productions 7 References 8 External links

[edit] Development

Stephen Schwartz first discovered the Gregory Maguire novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West while on holiday in Hawaii and immediately realized its potential for dramatic adaptation.^[5] Meeting Maguire in Connecticut in 1998, Schwartz persuaded him to release the rights for a stage production.^[6] In reading the novel, Schwartz considered how best to condense the book's complicated plot into a sensible script;^[6] in collaboration with Winnie Holzman, the outline of the plot developed over the course of a year.^[7] While the draft followed Maguire's "brilliant" idea of retelling the story of the classic children's book from the perspective of its main villain, the story of the stage adaptation "goes far afield" from its literary namesake.^[8] Holzman observed in an interview with Playbill that "It was [Maguire's] brilliant idea to take this hated figure and tell things from her point of view, and to have the two witches be roommates in college, but the way in which their friendship develops – and really the whole plot – is different [onstage]."^[8] Schwartz justified the deviation, saying "Primarily we were interested in the relationship between Galinda – who becomes Glinda and Elphaba... the friendship of these two women and how their characters lead them to completely different destinies".^[9]

The book, lyrics, and score for the musical developed through a series of readings. For these developmental workshops, Kristin Chenoweth, the Tony Award-winning actress Stephen Schwartz had in mind while composing the music for the character,^[10] joined the project as Glinda. Stephanie J. Block read the role of Elphaba before Idina Menzel was cast in the role in 2001. In early 2000 the production recruited David Stone, the New York producer, to begin the transition to a full Broadway production. Joe Mantello was brought in as director and by April 2003, the show had assembled a full cast and was prepared for a public production. Following an out-of-town tryout in San Francisco, California, Wicked's original Broadway production began previews at the George Gershwin Theatre on October 8, 2003, and officially opened on October 30.^[1] The cast included Kristin Chenoweth as Glinda, Idina Menzel as Elphaba, and Joel Grey as The Wizard being billed over the title.

[edit] Synopsis

Wicked explores the concept that the Wicked Witch of the West, here known as Elphaba, was a misunderstood and victimized person whose behavior was merely a reaction against a charlatan wizard's corrupt government. It also shows her relationship with the beautiful and ambitious Galinda Upland, who ultimately becomes Glinda the Good Witch of the North. Through the show their friendship struggles to endure extreme personality conflicts, opposing viewpoints, rivalry over the same love-interest, and Elphaba's eventual fall from grace.

[edit] Act I

The show opens as the citizens of Oz celebrate the death of the Wicked Witch of the West. Glinda descends onto the stage and confirms the circumstances of the Witch's melting ("No One Mourns the Wicked").

The remainder of the plot forms an extended flashback through the events of Glinda's and the Witch's lives. It is at Shiz University that Glinda, then Galinda Upland, first encounters Elphaba Thropp, the daughter of the governor of Munchkinland ("Dear Old Shiz") who is ostracized for her electric-green skin. In a moment of anger, Elphaba reveals an innate magical talent, which impresses Madam Morrible, the "headshiztress" of Shiz; she notes that Elphaba's talents may be of use to the Wizard of Oz, and promises to ask him for an audience ("The Wizard and I"). Galinda and Elphaba, meanwhile, take an immediate dislike to one another ("What is this Feeling?").

The audience is introduced to Doctor Dillamond, a Goat and Shiz university's only Animal professor, whose history class is interrupted by an anti-Animal demonstration. After dismissing the class, he confides in Elphaba that things in Oz are not what they seem – something is causing the Animals of Oz to lose their powers of speech ("Something Bad").

Fiyero Tiggular, a Winkie prince, arrives at Shiz and immediately impresses his own brand of cavalier, carefree living on the students ("Dancing Through Life"). Fiyero organizes a party at a local ballroom; Galinda, while preparing, discovers a black pointed hat in a box and gives it to Elphaba as a 'present'; Elphaba arrives wearing the hat, only to be ridiculed. Defiant, she proceeds to dance alone and without musical accompaniment. Feeling guilty, Galinda joins her on the dance floor, marking the start of a new friendship between the two. After the dance, Galinda and Elphaba talk in their room – Galinda decides to give her new friend a makeover and make her "Popular".

The next day, Ozian officials take Doctor Dillamond away. The new history teacher arrives with a caged lion cub, revealing that Animals that are kept in cages will never learn to speak. Outraged, Elphaba and Fiyero steal the cub and set it free. There is a hint of chemistry between the pair, but Fiyero leaves, embarrassed. Elphaba takes refuge under a bridge and regrets that it would be impossible for someone like Fiyero to love someone like her ("I'm Not That Girl"). Madame Morrible finds her and announces that she has been granted an audience with the Wizard. At the train station, Galinda and Fiyero see Elphaba off to the Emerald City; In an attempt to impress Fiyero, Galinda announces that she will change her name to "Glinda" in honor of Dr Dillamond's persistent mispronunciation. Fiyero does not appear to notice and, feeling bad for Glinda, Elphaba invites her along to see the Wizard.

After a day of sightseeing in the Emerald City ("One Short Day"), Elphaba and Glinda meet the Wizard. Eschewing the special effects, which he employs for the benefit of most visitors, he invites Elphaba to join him ("Sentimental Man"). As a test, he asks that Elphaba give his monkey servant, Chistery, the ability to fly using the Grimmerie – an ancient book of spells. Elphaba demonstrates an innate understanding of the lost language, and successfully gives Chistery wings. The Wizard reveals an entire cage full of winged monkeys, and remarks that they will make good spies to report any subversive Animal activity. Realizing that she has been used and that the Wizard has no power of his own, Elphaba runs away with the Grimmerie, pursued by the palace guards.

Elphaba and Glinda run into the tallest tower, where they hear Madame Morrible declaring to all of Oz that Elphaba is a "Wicked Witch" and is not to be trusted. Elphaba enchants a broomstick to fly and tries to convince Glinda to join her in her cause, but Glinda cannot resist the call of popularity and refuses. Leaving Glinda behind, Elphaba flies off, promising to fight the Wizard with all her power ("Defying Gravity").

[edit] Act II

A few years have passed, and Elphaba's exploits have earned her the title "The Wicked Witch of the West" ("No One Mourns the Wicked (reprise)"). Glinda and Morrible hold a press conference to announce Glinda's surprise engagement to Fiyero ("Thank Goodness"). Meanwhile, Elphaba arrives at the governor's residence in Munchkinland seeking refuge; Nessa, now the governess, criticizes Elphaba for not using her newfound powers to help her sister. Guilty, Elphaba enchants Nessa's jeweled shoes, enabling her to walk. Boq, Nessa's servant, is summoned and reveals that his affection for Nessa was put on and his heart lies with Glinda. Furious, Nessa miscasts a spell from the Grimmerie, causing Boq's heart to shrink. While Elphaba attempts to save him, Nessa reflects on how her obsession with Boq has led her to oppress the Munchkin people ("The Wicked Witch of the East"). Elphaba saves Boq by turning him into the Tin Man – horrified, Nessa lays the blame with Elphaba.

Elphaba returns to the Wizard's palace in order to free the rest of the winged monkeys. The Wizard attempts to regain her favor by agreeing to set them free ("Wonderful"). Upon discovering a now-speechless Dr. Dillamond among the monkeys, Elphaba rejects his offer and attempts to escape, but runs into Fiyero. Confirming his true love for Elphaba, he runs off with her. Glinda sees this and is crestfallen that she has been betrayed by those closest to her ("I'm Not That Girl (Reprise)"). In an attempt to capture Elphaba once and for all, Madame Morrible decides to create a cyclone that will endanger Nessa.

In a dark forest, Fiyero and Elphaba express their love, but are interrupted when Elphaba senses that her sister is in danger ("As Long As You're Mine"). She flies off to help, but is too late, arriving just as Glinda sends Dorothy and Toto off along the Yellow Brick Road. The palace guards capture Elphaba, but Fiyero intervenes and allows Elphaba to escape before surrendering himself. The guards take him to a nearby cornfield to be tortured until he tells them of Elphaba's whereabouts. At Fiyero's "other" castle, Elphaba tries to cast a spell to save Fiyero but, thinking she has failed, she begins to accept her reputation as "wicked" ("No Good Deed").

Meanwhile, the Citizens of Oz and Boq prepare a witch-hunt ("March of the Witch Hunters"). Seeing this, Glinda travels to Elphaba and Fiyero's castle to persuade her to let Dorothy go, but she refuses. She makes Glinda promise not to clear her name and to take charge in Oz, and the two confirm a true friendship ("For Good"). As the mob arrives at the castle, Dorothy runs in and throws a bucket of water on Elphaba, melting her. After mourning Elphaba's death, Glinda tells the Wizard to leave Oz in his balloon and sends Morrible to prison, before preparing to face the citizens of Oz, returning to the opening scene of the show.

Fiyero, whom Elphaba had turned into the Scarecrow, opens a trap door in Elphaba's castle; Elphaba, very much alive, emerges and the two are happily reunited. Glinda addresses the citizens of Oz, proclaiming that she would like to be "Glinda the Good" as she will reform the government. Elphaba and Fiyero leave Oz forever as the cast performs the final song ("Finale").

[edit] Principal roles

Character[11]	Voice[11]	Description
Elphaba	mezzo soprano	An intelligent, fiery, but misunderstood girl with green skin. Shunned from society because of her appearance, she finds a friend in Glinda, and falls in love with Fiyero. Her pro-Animal motives and rebellion against the Wizard cause her to be branded the Wicked Witch of the West.
Glinda	soprano	Beautiful and ambitious, she initially seems conceited and vain, though her friendship with Elphaba reveals more depth to her character. She later changes her name to "Glinda" in honor of Doctor Dillamond's persistent mispronunciation. Glinda is a social climber, and seizes the opportunity to join the Wizard, who decrees that she be known as 'Glinda the Good'.
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz	tenor	The illegitimate dictator of Oz. Though he appears quite fatherly and even brands himself a "sentimental man," the Wizard is secretly the driving force behind the suppression of Oz's Animals.
Madame Morrible	contralto	The power-hungry headmistress of Shiz University, who is revealed to be working in collaboration with the Wizard of Oz. Morrible is revealed to have a magical talent for controlling the weather.
Fiyero	tenor	A handsome Winkie prince with a "scandalacious" reputation who is instantly attracted to Galinda. Fiyero tries to act shallow and self-absorbed, but his encounters with Elphaba cause him to reevaluate his way of thinking.
Nessarose	mezzo soprano	Elphaba's spoiled, crippled younger sister. Though heavily dependent upon Elphaba, Nessarose is embarrassed by her sister. She develops an obsessive attachment to Boq during her time at Shiz; when she becomes the governor of Munchkinland she abuses her authority to keep him near her, leading to her title "The Wicked Witch of the East."
Boq	tenor	A Munchkin who has eyes for Glinda, but is instead attached to Nessarose against his will; he does not have the heart to tell her his true feelings. He is eventually enslaved and forbidden from leaving Munchkinland when Nessarose strips the Munchkins of their rights.
Doctor Dillamond	baritone	A Goat, and the only Animal professor left at Shiz University, Doctor Dillamond is a victim of the Wizard's Animal suppression policy. Elphaba takes a liking to him, but he is eventually taken away from Shiz after it is decreed that Animals are no longer permitted to teach. Doctor Dillamond eventually loses his ability to speak.

[edit] Music

Although Schwartz rarely re-uses motifs or melodies from earlier works,^[12] the first musical theme for Wicked came from The Survival of St. Joan, on which he worked as musical director.^[12] "I always liked this tune a lot and I never could figure out what to do with it", he remarked in an interview in 2004;^[12] the chord progression that he first penned in 1971 became a major theme of the production's orchestration. By changing the instruments, which carry the motif in each instance, Schwartz allowed the same melody to convey very different moods. In the overture, the tune is carried by the orchestra's brass section, with heavy percussion. The result is, in Schwartz' own words, "like a giant shadow terrorising you".^[12] When set to the piano with some electric bass in "As Long as You're Mine", however, the same chord progression becomes the motif for a romantic duet. With new lyrics and an altered bridge, the theme forms the basis of the song "No One Mourns the Wicked" and its reprises.^[12]

Schwartz as the “Unlimited” theme refers to the second major motif running through the score. Although not included as a titled song, the theme appears as an interlude in several of the musical's headline numbers. In tribute to Harold Arlen, which wrote the score for the 1939 film adaptation, the "Unlimited" melody incorporates the first seven notes of the song "Over the Rainbow". Schwartz included it as an inside joke as, "according to copyright law, when you get to the eighth note, then people can come and say, 'Oh you stole our tune.' And of course obviously it's also disguised in that it's completely different rhythmically. And it's also harmonized completely differently... It's over a different chord and so on, but still it's the first seven notes of 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow'".^[12] Schwartz further obscured the motif's origins by transposing it into a minor key; creating contrast with the songs it interrupts ("Defying Gravity", for instance, is written primarily in the key of D flat major^[13]). In "The Wicked Witch of the East", however, when Elphaba finally uses her powers to let her sister walk, the "Unlimited" theme modulates to a major key.^[12]

Wicked's score is heavily thematic, bearing in some senses more resemblance to a film score than a musical.^[12] While many musical scores develop new motifs and melodies for each song with little overlap, Schwartz integrated a handful of leitmotifs throughout the production. Some of these inclusions are distinctly ironic – as Galinda presents Elphaba with a "ghastly" hat in "Dancing Through Life", the score reprises a theme from "What is this Feeling?" a few scenes before,^[12] wherein Elphaba and Galinda espouse their mutual loathing.

[edit] Musical numbers

Main article: Wicked (Album)

Act I [10] No One Mourns the Wicked – Galinda and Citizens of Oz Dear Old Shiz – Galinda and Students of Shiz University The Wizard and I – Elphaba with Madame Morrible What Is This Feeling? – Galinda and Elphaba with Students Something Bad – Dr. Dillamond and Elphaba Dancing Through Life – Fiyero, Boq, Nessarose, Galinda, Students Popular – Galinda I'm Not That Girl – Elphaba The Wizard and I (Reprise) – Elphaba One Short Day – Elphaba and Glinda with Citizens of Oz A Sentimental Man – The Wizard Defying Gravity – Elphaba with Glinda and Citizens of Oz

Act II [10] No One Mourns the Wicked (Reprise) – Citizens of Oz Thank Goodness – Glinda with Madame Morrible, and Citizens of Oz The Wicked Witch of the East – Nessarose and Elphaba with Boq Wonderful – The Wizard and Elphaba I'm Not That Girl (Reprise) – Glinda As Long As You're Mine – Elphaba and Fiyero No Good Deed – Elphaba March of the Witch Hunters – Boq and Citizens of Oz For Good – Elphaba and Glinda Finale: For Good (Reprise) – Glinda, Elphaba, and Citizens of Oz

[edit] Response

[edit] Critical reception

The Broadway production opened October 30 2003 to mixed and largely conservative reviews from theatre critics.^[14][15] While Menzel and Chenoweth received nearly unanimous praise for their performances as Elphaba and Glinda respectively, the plot was derided as "muddled" and the sound quality in the massive Gershwin Theatre as "smearing".^[16][17] Despite these mixed reviews, Wicked's popularity spread quickly by word-of-mouth. Speaking to The Arizona Republic in 2006, Schwartz defended the musical, saying, "What can I say? Reviews are reviews... I know we divided the critics. We didn't divide the audience [though], and that's what counts".^[18]

The West End production opened to broadly similar, if slightly more upbeat, critical reception than its American counterpart. Although The Daily Telegraph described it as "at times [...] a bit of a mess", it proceeded to praise Holzman's script, described Kenneth Posner's lighting design as "magical" and lauded the two lead actresses.^[19] The Guardian gave it three out of five stars and remarked on the competence of all the lead actors; however, it complained that Wicked was "all too typical of the modern Broadway musical: efficient, knowing and highly professional but more like a piece of industrial product than something that genuinely touches the heart or mind".^[20]

[edit] Awards

Main article: List of awards and nominations for the musical Wicked

Wicked was nominated for ten of the 2004 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Book, Best Orchestration and twice for Best Leading Actress, for Menzel and Chenoweth.^[21] Menzel won the Best Actress award, and the show also won the Tony Awards for Best Scenic Design and Best Costume design, although it lost the Best Musical award to Avenue Q.^[22] In the same year the show won six Drama Desk Awards out of eleven nominations, including the Book, Director and Costume Design categories.^[23][24] The West End production was nominated for four Laurence Olivier Awards in 2007.^[25]

The cast recording received the Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album in 2005^[26] and was certified platinum by the RIAA on November 30, 2006.^[27]

[edit] Financial success

With a $14 million capitalization, the Broadway production earned back its entire initial investment by December 21, 2004.^[10] In its first year it grossed more than $56 million.^[28] The production, which is open-ended, has been playing to capacity crowds for almost every recent performance and grosses more than a million dollars every week according to reports published by Playbill.^[29] In the week ending January 1, 2006, Wicked broke the record, previously held by The Producers, for the highest weekly box office gross in Broadway history, earning $1,610,934.^[30] Wicked broke its own record in the week ending November 26, 2006, when it grossed a total of $1,715,155.^[31] The Broadway production broke its own record again in the week ending December 30, 2007, grossing $1,839,950. That week the show also broke its own weekly gross records in Los Angeles ($1,949,968), Chicago ($1,418,363), and on tour ($2,291,608), as the seven worldwide productions of the show cumulatively grossed $11.2m.^[32]

The Broadway company of Wicked celebrated its 1000th performance on March 23, 2006.^[33] The Chicago company later celebrated its 1000th show on November 4th, 2007.^[34]

Although West End theatres do not publish audited weekly grosses,^[35] the London production of Wicked claims to hold the record for highest reported one-week gross at £761,000, achieved in the week ending December 30 2006.^[36][37] On September 7 2007, the producers reported that over 800,000 people had seen the London production in its first year, grossing over £28 million.^[37] The show has consistently been one of the two highest grossing shows in the West End. Its West End performance run has been extended until at least September 2008.^[37]

[edit] Popular culture

The extraordinary success of Wicked has made several of the songs popular, and engendered references to the show, characters and songs in popular culture. Media as diverse as the anime series Red Garden, the daytime drama Passions and the Buffy the Vampire Slayer graphic novels have all parodied Wicked's songs and characters.^[38][39] The production itself has featured in episodes of television programs, including Brothers & Sisters and The War at Home.^[40] In an episode of Ugly Betty ("Brothers"), Betty gets tickets to see Wicked, discussing with a friend how much she relates to Elphaba's outcast status in a popularity and beauty-oriented environment.^[41] In a later episode ("Something Wicked This Way Comes"), Betty actually goes to see Wicked on a date and accidentally stops the show.^[42] Although Betty attends the Broadway production, the episode is shot primarily in Los Angeles: the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood doubled for the Gershwin Theatre for filming purposes.^[43]

[edit] Other productions

See also: Wicked (musical) cast lists

2003 pre-Broadway tryout

On May 28 2003, the musical opened for a pre-Broadway tryout at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco.^[44] While most of the original cast members remained when the show opened on Broadway, some roles were eventually re-cast for the Broadway production – most notably, Robert Morse as The Wizard, Kirk McDonald as Boq, and John Horton as Doctor Dillamond.^[10] Stephanie J. Block also served as an ensemble member and understudy for Elphaba.^[45] While the show received mediocre reviews, the audience response was enthusiastic.^[28] The trial run closed on June 29 to begin extensive retooling for Broadway.^[10]

In addition to several songs that would undergo some minor transformations, the pre-Broadway version included one song that was scrapped before the musical opened on Broadway. Entitled "Which Way Is The Party?" it was replaced by "Dancing Through Life". Both were intended to introduce the character Fiyero.^[10]

North American tour

Wicked launched its first national tour in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in March 2005. Since then it has visited several cities throughout the United States.^[10] Over 2.2 million people saw the touring production in its first two years, and it grossed over $155 million.^[4] The tour has played to capacity crowds on almost every performance,^[4] with tickets for four-week engagements selling out in as little as seven hours.^[4] In the week ending December 4 2005 the production took $2,045,000 in St Louis, the highest weekly gross in North American touring history.^[4] As of 2009, the tour will have played in 23 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and Ontario.

2005 Chicago production

The first non-Broadway sit-down production of Wicked opened in Chicago, Illinois at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts Oriental Theatre on July 13 2005. In its first week, the show grossed $1,400,000. It has continued to set records, becoming the longest running musical in Chicago history,^[34] and is considered a key part of the booming Chicago theatre scene.^[46] Producer David Stone commented on the unanticipated success of the production in Variety magazine, saying "To be honest, we thought it would run 18 months, then we'd spend a year in Los Angeles and six months in San Francisco... but sales stayed so strong that the producers created another road show and kept the show running in Chicago".^[47] The Chicago production played its 1,000th performance on November 14, 2007.^[48] It has been reported that the production is to close in January 2009.^[49]

Original London West End production

The first international production of Wicked debuted in previews on September 7 2006 at the Apollo Victoria Theatre in London's West End with an official opening of September 27 2006. The West End production reunited the show's original creative team with its Tony Award-winning star, Idina Menzel.^[50]

The show was slightly tailored for a British audience, including minor creative changes to dialogue, choreography, and special effects. In the same fashion as the modifications that were made for the US/Canada tour, most of these changes were later incorporated into all productions of Wicked.^[51]

2006 Universal Studios Japan (Osaka) mini-version

The theme park Universal Studios Japan in Osaka, Japan, has a 30-minute theme park version of Wicked, which began performances in July 2006. It focuses mainly on Elphaba and Glinda's relationship, but also includes the Wizard. Fiyero, Nessarose and Madame Morrible are absent from the production. The production generally uses American and Australian actresses to play Elphaba, while Japanese actresses play Glinda. The show is performed 4 times a day, with several actresses rotating between each role. This version is performed mostly in Japanese, with portions of it being in English.^[52]

2007 Los Angeles production

Wicked launched its fifth open-ended production in Los Angeles, California at the Pantages Theatre. Performances began on February 10 2007, with an official opening on February 21. All but two of the principals had previously performed their roles in some capacity – representatives from the Broadway, Chicago and Touring productions made up most of the original cast, with Eden Espinosa and Megan Hilty in the leads as Elphaba and Glinda.^[53]

On the week ending on March 4 2007 the show grossed $1,786,110 and became the highest grossing attraction in Los Angeles theatre history, taking the record from The Producers, June 2003 at the Pantages.^[54]

2007 Tokyo production

Wicked opened its first non-English production in Tokyo, Japan on June 17 2007. The Shiki Theatre Company at the Dentsu Shiki Theatre “Umi” produces it. The production has an Asian and European cast and is performed entirely in Japanese.^[52]

2007 Stuttgart production

Wicked: Die Hexen von Oz ("Wicked: The witches of Oz") premiered November 15, 2007, at the Palladium Theater in Stuttgart. Willemijn Verkaik and Lucy Scherer headline the production as Elphaba and Glinda.^[55] A recording of this production was released on December 7, 2007.

Planned Melbourne production

An open-ended Australian production of Wicked has been confirmed to open on July 12, 2008 with previews commencing June 27th, at the Regent Theatre in Melbourne, Australia.^[56] Native Australian Helen Dallimore from the London production was reportedly been invited to reprise her role as Glinda.^[57] Although the London production's website stated that Dallimore would be leaving the London production and had been invited to star in the Australian premiere,^[58] John Frost, producer of the Australian production, denied any precasting, saying Dallimore was only one of several candidates under consideration.^[59]

Planned Amsterdam production

According to press releases from the Australian producers of Wicked and various European fan websites, Wicked will begin performances at the Joop van den Ende Theater in Amsterdam, North Holland, the Netherlands in 2009.^[60] This will be the third European production, and fourth translated production.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Internet Broadway Dataase listing
• Official production sites
  • North America (Broadway, National Tour, Chicago, Los Angeles)
  • London West End
  • Tokyo, Japan
  • Stuttgart, Germany
  • Melbourne, Australia
• Wicked pages on official Stephen Schwartz fan site

v • d • e Stephen Schwartz
Music and Lyrics	Godspell • Pippin • The Magic Show • The Baker's Wife • Working • Personals • The Trip • Children of Eden • Wicked • Thiruvasagam • Captain Louie
Lyrics	Mass • Rags
Recordings	Reluctant Pilgrim • Uncharted Territory
Films	Pocahontas (lyrics) • The Hunchback of Notre Dame (lyrics) • The Prince of Egypt • Enchanted (lyrics)
Television	Geppetto

v • d • e The world of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Oz portal
Features	The land • The characters
Books	Major Books • Minor books
Authors	Baum • Thompson • Neill • Snow • Cosgrove • McGraw • Volkov • Smith
Illustrators	Denslow • Neill • Kramer • Dirk • Martin • Shanower • Stout
Other media	The Oz Film Manufacturing Company • List of adaptations
Film adaptations	1908: The Fairylogue and Radio-Plays • 1910: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz • Dorothy and the Scarecrow in Oz • The Land of Oz • 1914: The Patchwork Girl of Oz • The Magic Cloak of Oz • His Majesty, the Scarecrow of Oz • 1925: Wizard of Oz • 1933: The Wizard of Oz • 1939: The Wizard of Oz • 1961: Tales of the Wizard of Oz • 1964: Return to Oz • 1965: The Wizard of Mars • 1969: The Wonderful Land of Oz • 1971: Ayşecik ve Sihirli Cüceler Rüyalar Ülkesinde • 1972: Journey Back to Oz • 1975: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz • 1976: Oz • 1981: The Marvelous Land of Oz • 1982: The Wizard of Oz • 1984: Os Trapalhões e o Mágico de Oróz • 1985: Return to Oz • 1986: Oz no Mahōtsukai • 1990: Supēsu Ozu no Bōken • 1996: The Wonderful Galaxy of Oz • 2002: Lost in Oz • 2005: The Muppets' Wizard of Oz • 2007: The Wonderful Wizard of Ha's • 2007: Tin Man
The Wiz	The musical • The film
Wicked	The books (Wicked, Son of a Witch) • The musical

cs:Wicked

de:Wicked – Die Hexen von Oz es:Wicked fr:Wicked (comédie musicale) it:Wicked (musical) ja:ウィケッド