Wicked (musical)

Wicked is a Broadway musical. It is the untold story of the witches of Oz and is based on the best selling novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire. The musical features music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and book by Winnie Holzman. With musical staging by Tony Award winner Wayne Cilento, Wicked is directed by 2003 and 2004 Tony winner Joe Mantello.

The plot centers on the witches of Oz prior to Dorothy's arrival from Kansas. Galinda (who changes her name to Glinda during the course of the play) is beautiful, popular, and ambitious, while Elphaba is green-skinned, intelligent, and misunderstood.

In early 2003, the musical opened a pre-Broadway run in San Francisco to mediocre reviews. The original cast included Idina Menzel as Elphaba, Kristin Chenoweth as Glinda, and Robert Morse as the The Wizard. After extensive retooling, it opened later that year at the Gershwin Theater in New York City, with Joel Grey replacing Morse. Reviews were mixed, but business slowly increased due to very good word-of-mouth, and the box office was boosted when the show was nominated for ten Tony Awards, including Best Musical. (It subsequently lost that award, however, along with the Tony Awards for best score and best book, to another new musical of the season, Avenue Q).

Menzel was named Best Actress in a Musical. The play received two additional awards—to Eugene Lee for scenic design and Susan Hilferty for costume design. The cast recording received a Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album.

Wicked earned back its entire initial investment by December 21, 2004. In its first year it grossed more than $56 million. The show has been playing to capacity crowds for almost every recent performance and grosses more than a million dollars every week. The show had a $14 million capitalization.

The show begins its first national tour in 2005 with extended runs in Toronto, Chicago, Los Angeles, Denver, Dallas, Fort Lauderdale, and Hartford. In late June of 2005 a permanent production of Wicked, separate from the national tour, will open at Chicago's Oriental Theatre with an open-ended run, which many consider to be a harbinger of things to come for Chicago theatre. Wicked will be the first show in decades to run on a permanent basis simultaneously on Broadway and in Chicago's North Loop theatre district.

Original Broadway cast

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Kristin Chenoweth (left) and Idina Menzel (right) performing "For Good" (Photo by Sara Krulwich)

Principals (in order of appearance)

• Kristin Chenoweth as Glinda
• Sean McCourt as the Witch's Father and the Ozian Official
• Cristy Candler as the Witch's Mother
• Jan Neuberger as the Midwife
• Idina Menzel as Elphaba
• Michelle Federer as Nessarose
• Christopher Fitzgerald as Boq
• Carole Shelley as Madame Morrible
• William Youmans as Doctor Dillamond
• Norbert Leo Butz as Fiyero
• Joel Grey as The Wizard
• Manuel Herrera as Chistery

Ensemble: Ioana Alfonso, Ben Cameron, Cristy Candler, Kristy Cates, Mellisa Bell Chait, Marcus Choi, Kristoffer Cusick, Kathy Deitch, Melissa Fahn, Rhett G. George, Manuel Herrera, Kisha Howard, Walter Winston Oneil, Andrew Palermo, Andy Pellick, Michael Seelbach, Lorna Ventura, Derrick Williams

Standbys and Understudies: For Elphaba - Eden Espinosa, Kristy Cates. For Glinda - Melissa Bell Chait. For The Wizard - Sean McCourt. For Madame Morrible - Jan Neuberger, Lorna Ventura. For Fiyero - Kristoffer Cusick. For Nessarose - Cristy Candler, Eden Espinosa. For Boq - Andrew Palermo. For Doctor Dillamond - Sean McCourt.

Current Broadway cast

Principals (in order of appearance)

• Megan Hilty as Glinda
• Sean McCourt as the Witch's Father and the Ozian Official
• Cristy Candler as the Witch's Mother
• Jan Neuberger as the Midwife
• Shoshana Bean as Elphaba
• Michelle Federer as Nessarose
• Jeffrey Kuhn as Boq
• Rue McClanahan as Madame Morrible
• William Youmans as Doctor Dillamond
• David Ayers as Fiyero
• Ben Vereen as The Wizard
• Phillip Spaeth as Chistery

Ensemble: Adinah Alexander, Ioana Alfonso, Clyde Alves, Kevin Aubin, Jerad Bortz, James Brown III, Ben Cameron, Cristy Candler, Kathy Deitch, Lori Ann Ferreri, Anthony Galde, Asmeret Ghebremichael, Lauren Gibbs, Kristen Leigh Gorski, Zach Hensler, Kenway Hon Wai K. Kua, Brandi Chavonne Massey, Sean McCourt, Mark Myars, Clifton Oliver, Walter Winston Oneil, Rob Sapp, Megan Sikora, Marty Thomas, Shanna VanDerwerker, Jennifer Waldman

Standbys and Understudies: For Elphaba - Saycon Sengbloh (Here is her Website), Brandi Chavonne Massey. For Glinda - Stacie Morgain Lewis, Megan Sikora. For The Wizard - Sean McCourt. For Madame Morrible - Adinah Alexander, Jan Neuberger. For Fiyero - Jerad Bortz, Clifton Oliver. For Nessarose - Stacie Morgain Lewis, Cristy Candler, Megan Sikora. For Boq - Walter Winston Oneil, Robb Sapp, Marty Thomas. For Doctor Dillamond - Sean McCourt.

Musical numbers

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Idina Menzel perfoming "Defying Gravity" (Photo by Joan Marcus)

Act I

• "No One Mourns the Wicked" – Glinda and Citizens of Oz
• "Dear Old Shiz" – Students
• "The Wizard and I" – Morrible and Elphaba
• "What Is This Feeling?" – Galinda, Elphaba and Students
• "Something Bad" – Dr. Dillamond and Elphaba
• "Dancing Through Life" – Fiyero, Galinda, Boq, Nessarose, Elphaba and Students
• "Popular" – Galinda
• "I'm Not That Girl" – Elphaba
• "One Short Day" Elphaba, Glinda and Denizens of the Emerald City
• "A Sentimental Man" – The Wizard
• "Defying Gravity" – Elphaba, Glinda, Guards and Citizens of Oz

Act II

• "No One Mourns the Wicked" (Reprise) – Citizens of Oz
• "Thank Goodness" – Glinda, Morrible and Citizens of Oz
• "The Wicked Witch of the East"* – Elphaba, Nessarose, and 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" – Glinda and Elphaba
• "Finale" – All

* "The Wicked Witch of the East" is not included in the Original Broadway Cast Recording

Pre-Broadway Run

Act I

• "No One Mourns The Wicked" – Glinda, Citizens of Oz
• "Dear Old Shiz" – Students
• "The Wizard And I" – Madame Morrible, Elphaba
• "What Is This Feeling" – Galinda, Elphaba, Students
• "Which Way is the Party/We Deserve Each Other" – Fiyero, Galinda, Boq, Nessarose, Elphaba, and Students
• "Popular" – Galinda
• "I'm Not That Girl" – Elphaba
• "Dear Old Shiz" (Reprise) – Students
• "The Wizard And I" (Reprise) – Elphaba
• "One Short Day" – Elphaba, Glinda, Tourists
• "A Sentimental Man/The Chance to Fly – The Wizard
• "Defying Gravity" – Elphaba, Glinda, Guards and Citizens of Oz

Act II

• "Thank Goodness/I Couldn't Be Happier – Revelers, Glinda, Madame Morrible
• "We Deserve Each Other" – Nessarose, Boq
• "Wonderful" – The Wizard and Elphaba
• "I'm Not That Girl" (Reprise) – Glinda
• "As Long As Your Mine" – Elphaba and Fiyero
• "No Good Deed" – Elphaba
• "March Of The Witch Hunters" – Boq and Citizens of Oz
• "For Good" – Elphaba and Glinda
• "No One Mourns The Wicked" (Reprise) – Citizens of Oz
• "A Sentimental Man" (Reprise) – The Wizard
• "Finale" – The Company

Replacement history

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Jennifer Laura Thompson (left) and Joey McIntyre (right) performing "Dancing Through Life" (Photo by Joan Marcus)

Note: only replacements of principals are noted

• Kristoffer Cusick replaced Norbert Leo Butz as Fiyero on November 25, 2003
• Taye Diggs replaced Kristoffer Cusick as Fiyero on December 22, 2003
• Norbert Leo Butz replaced Taye Diggs as Fiyero on January 18, 2004
• Randy Harrison replaced Christopher Fitzgerald as Boq on June 22, 2004
• George Hearn replaced Joel Grey as The Wizard on July 20, 2004
• Joey McIntyre replaced Norbert Leo Butz as Fiyero on July 20, 2004
• Jennifer Laura Thompson replaced Kristin Chenoweth as Glinda on July 20, 2004
• Christopher Fitzgerald replaced Randy Harrison as Boq on July 27, 2004
• David Ayers replaced Joey McIntyre as Fiyero on January 11, 2005
• Shoshana Bean replaced Idina Menzel as Elphaba on January 11, 2005*
• Jeffrey Kuhn replaced Christopher Fitzgerald as Boq on January 11, 2005
• Rue McClanahan replaced Carole Shelley as Madame Morrible on May 31, 2005
• Megan Hilty replaced Jennifer Laura Thompson as Glinda on May 31, 2005
• Ben Vereen replaced George Hearn as The Wizard on May 31, 2005

*Shoshana Bean replaced Idina Menzel on January 8, 2005, due to an injury that happened to Menzel on the Saturday matinee, but her official replacement occurred January 11.

External link

• Wicked – official site
• Synopsis, summary, and spoilers
• Wicked on Broadway