Wicked (musical)

This article is about the musical. For the book, see Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West.

Wicked
Broadway Poster
Music	Stephen Schwartz
Lyrics	Stephen Schwartz
Book	Winnie Holzman
Basis	Gregory Maguire's novel Wicked
Productions	2003 San Francisco tryout 2003 Broadway 2005 First National Tour 2005 Chicago 2006 West End 2007 Los Angeles 2007 Tokyo 2007 Stuttgart 2008 Melbourne 2009 San Francisco 2009 Second National Tour 2009 Sydney 2009 Osaka 2010 Oberhausen 2010 Helsinki 2011 Australian Tour TBA Film
Awards	Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Musical Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Book of a Musical Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Orchestrations

Wicked is a musical with songs and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and book 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 parallel novel of the 1939 film of L. Frank Baum's classic story The Wonderful Wizard of Oz from the perspective of the witches of the Land of Oz.

It is currently the 18th longest-running show in Broadway history and the 25th longest-running show in musical theatre history.

Wicked tells the story of Elphaba, the future Wicked Witch of the West, and her relationship with Galinda, later Glinda, the Good Witch of the South. Their friendship struggles through their opposing personalities and viewpoints, rivalry over the same love-interest, their reactions to the Wizard's corrupt government, and, ultimately, Elphaba's public fall from grace. The plot is set before and during Dorothy's arrival from Kansas, and includes several references to well-known scenes and dialogue in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz as a backstory.

Wicked premiered at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco in May 2003. In October 2003, the show premiered on Broadway at the Gershwin Theatre. It was produced by Universal Pictures and directed by Joe Mantello, with musical staging by Wayne Cilento. The original stars were Idina Menzel as Elphaba, Kristin Chenoweth as Glinda, and Joel Grey as the Wizard. Although the production received mixed reviews and was panned by The New York Times, it has proved to be a favorite among patrons. The Broadway production's success spawned productions in Chicago, Los Angeles, London's West End, San Francisco, as well as international productions in Japan, Germany and Australia, and two North American tours that have visited over 30 cities in Canada and the United States.

Wicked has broken box office records around the world, holding weekly-gross-takings records in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, St. Louis, and London, and the record for biggest opening in the West End (£100,000 in the first hour on sale). Both the West End production and the North American tour have been seen by over two million patrons. The show was nominated for ten 2004 Tony Awards, winning those for Best Actress (Menzel), Scenic Design and Costume Design. It also won six Drama Desk Awards and an Olivier Award.

Synopsis

Wicked explores the concept that the Wicked Witch of the West, here known as Elphaba, was a misunderstood, 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 of course, Elphaba's eventual fall from grace.

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 ostracised for her electric-green skin; they take an immediate dislike to each other. In a moment of anger, trying to help her sister Nessa, Elphaba reveals an innate magical talent, which impresses Madame 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, espouse their mutual loathing in a duet ("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 organises 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, Doctor Dillamond is taken away by Ozian officials. The new history teacher arrives with a caged lion cub (who will turn out to be the Cowardly Lion) as the subject of an in-class experiment, revealing that Animals that are kept in cages will never learn to speak. Outraged, Elphaba and Fiyero steal the cub and set it free. The two hint that they might have feelings for each other, 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 doesn't seem 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 ("A 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. Showing her how powerful she really is, the Wizard reveals a 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").

Act II

A few years have passed, and Elphaba's exploits have earnt 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, criticises 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 Woodman; 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 favour 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 her castle, Elphaba tries to cast any spell she can 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'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. Glinda, not quite sure what has happened, sees that all that remains of her friend is her black hat and elixir vial. After mourning Elphaba's death, Glinda takes the elixir vial to the wizard, revealing the fact that he is Elphaba's father after having had an affair with her mother. 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").

Early development

Stephen Schwartz discovered the 1995 Maguire novel while on holiday and saw its potential for dramatic adaptation. Schwartz met Maguire in Connecticut in 1998 and persuaded him to release the rights for a stage production.

Schwartz considered how best to condense the novel's dense and complicated plot into a sensible script. To this end, he collaborated with Emmy Award-winning writer Winnie Holzman to develop the outline of the plot over the course of a year. While the draft followed Maguire's idea of retelling the story of the 1939 film from the perspective of its main villain, the storyline of the stage adaptation "goes far afield" from the novel. As Holzman observed in an interview with Playbill, "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." 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." In addition to this change in focus, changes include Fiyero's appearance as the scarecrow, Elphaba's survival at the end, Nessarose's using a wheelchair instead of being born without arms, Boq having a continuing love interest for Glinda, the complete cutting of Elphaba's years in the Vinkus and Doctor Dillamond not being murdered.

The book, lyrics, and score for the musical were developed through a series of readings. For these developmental workshops, Kristin Chenoweth, the Tony Award-winning actress whom Stephen Schwartz had in mind while composing the music for the character, 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 creators recruited New York producer David Stone, to begin the transition to a full Broadway production. Joe Mantello was brought in as director, and by April 2003 he had assembled a full cast, and the show was prepared for a public production.

Current Casts

• The following are the casts for the current productions of the musical.

	Elphaba	Glinda	Fiyero	Madame Morrible	The Wizard	Nessarose	Boq	Dr. Dillamond
Broadway	Mandy Gonzalez	Katie Rose Clarke	Andy Karl	Kathy Fitzgerald	P.J. Benjamin	Jenny Fellner	Alex Brightman	Timothy Britten Parker
1st National Tour	Jackie Burns	Chandra Lee Schwartz	Richard H. Blake	Randy Danson	Richard Kline	Brynn O'Malley	Justin Brill	Steven Skybell
London	Rachel Tucker	Louise Dearman	Lee Mead	Julie Legrand	Clive Carter	Cassandra Compton	George Ure	Julian Forsyth
San Francisco	Marcie Dodd	Alli Mauzey	Cliffton Hall	Jody Gelb	Tom McGowan	Deedee Magno Hall	Etai BenShlomo	Paul Slade Smith
2nd National Tour	Vicki Noon	Natalie Daradich	Chris Peluso	Marilyn Caskey	Don Amendolia	Kristine Reese	Zach Hanna	David DeVries
Sydney, Australia	Jemma Rix Patrice Tipoki	Lucy Durack	Tim Campbell	Maggie Kirkpatrick	Bert Newton	Elisa Colla	James Smith	Rodney Dobson
Oberhausen, Germany	Willemijn Verkaik	Joana Fee Würz	Anton Zetterholm	Barbara Raunegger	Carlo Lauber	Janine Tippl	Ben Darmanin	Thomas Wissmann

• For further information see Wicked (cast lists)

Current Productions

Broadway (2003-Present)

San Francisco tryout

On June 10, 2003, Wicked officially opened in a pre-Broadway tryout at the Curran Theatre, San Francisco, after previews began May 28. The cast included Kristin Chenoweth as Glinda, Idina Menzel as Elphaba, Joel Grey as The Wizard of Oz, Norbert Leo Butz as Fiyero, Michelle Federer as Nessarose, Carole Shelley as Madame Morrible, John Horton as Doctor Dillamond and Kirk McDonald as Boq. Stephanie J. Block served as an ensemble member and understudy for Elphaba. The musical staging was created by Wayne Cilento. Tony Award-winning designer Eugene Lee created a set and visual style for the production based on both W. W. Denslow's original illustrations for Baum's novels and Maguire's concept of the story being told through a giant clock. Costume designer Susan Hilferty created a "twisted Edwardian" style through more than 200 costumes, while lighting designer Kenneth Posner used more than 800 individual lights to give each of the 54 distinct scenes and locations "its own mood." The trial run closed on June 29 and extensive retooling for Broadway began. Elements of the book were rewritten and several songs underwent minor transformations. One song from the pre-Broadway version was scrapped before the musical opened on Broadway. Entitled "Which Way Is the Party?” it was replaced by "Dancing through Life"; each was used to introduce the character Fiyero.

Broadway premiere

The musical began previews on Broadway at the Gershwin Theatre on October 8, 2003, and officially opened on October 30. Most of the production team and original cast members remained with the show, except for some minor ensemble changes. Also, Robert Morse was replaced by Joel Grey who was billed over the title, William Youmans replaced John Horton as Dr. Dillamond and Christopher Fitzgerald replaced Kirk McDonald as Boq. In addition, Eden Espinosa and Laura Bell Bundy were added to the original Broadway cast as the standbys for Elphaba and Glinda. The production has consistently been one of the two highest weekly grossing shows since its opening and has grossed over $1 million every week. From November 2006 through January 2007, several modifications were made to the production's book and score which reflected the changes made for the London production.

Notable cast replacements have included Shoshana Bean, Eden Espinosa, Ana Gasteyer, Julia Murney, Stephanie J. Block, Kerry Ellis, Marcie Dodd, Nicole Parker, Dee Roscioli, and Mandy Gonzalez as Elphaba; Jennifer Laura Thompson, Megan Hilty, Kate Reinders, Kendra Kassebaum, Annaleigh Ashford, Alli Mauzey, Erin Mackey, and Katie Rose Clarke as Glinda; Joey McIntyre, David Ayers, Sebastian Arcelus, Aaron Tveit, and Andy Karl as Fiyero; George Hearn, Ben Vereen, David Garrison, and Lenny Wolpe as the Wizard; Rue McClanahan, Carol Kane, Jayne Houdyshell, Miriam Margolyes, and Rondi Reed as Madame Morrible; Jenna Leigh Green as Nessarose; Robb Sapp as Boq; and Sean McCourt and Timothy Britten Parker as Doctor Dillamond.

US Tours

First National (2005–Present)

Wicked launched its first national North American tour in Toronto, Ontario, and has since then it has visited numerous cities throughout North America. Previews were set to begin March 8, but were post-poned until the following day, due to Stephanie J. Block's injury. Block was set to open the tour as Elphaba but Kristy Cates flew to Toronto to take her place. Block returned on March 18, and the tour officially opened March 21. In addition to Block, the original touring cast also included Kendra Kassebaum as Glinda, Derrick Williams as Fiyero, Jenna Leigh Green as Nessarose, Carol Kane as Madame Morrible, Timothy Britten Parker as Doctor Dillamond, Logan Lipton as Boq and David Garrison as the Wizard. Notable cast replacements have included Eden Espinosa (as Block substained another injury, Espinosa filled in for her during the San Francisco stop in August/September 2005), Julia Murney, Shoshana Bean, Victoria Matlock, Carmen Cusack, and Donna Vivino as Elphaba; Megan Hilty and Katie Rose Clarke as Glinda; Sebastian Arcelus, Cliffton Hall, and Richard H. Blake as Fiyero; Carole Shelley, Alma Cuervo, and Jayne Houdyshell as Madame Morrible; Lee Wilkof, Lenny Wolpe, and Richard Kline as the Wizard; and Deedee Magno as Nessarose.

Over 2.2 million people saw the touring production in its first two years, and it grossed over $155 million. The tour has played to capacity crowds at almost every performance, with tickets for four-week engagements selling out in as little as seven hours. The touring company celebrated its 1,000th performance on August 15, 2007 in Philadelphia. In the week ending December 30, 2007 the production took in $2,291,608 in St Louis, Missouri, the highest weekly gross in North American touring history.

Second National (2009–Present)

A second national tour of the United States and Canada began previews on March 7, 2009 at the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall in Fort Myers, Florida, with an official opening night of March 12, 2009, and has since visited numerous cities throughout North America. The original cast starred Marcie Dodd as Elphaba, Helene Yorke as Glinda, Colin Donnell as Fiyero, Kristine Reese as Nessarose, Marilyn Caskey as Madame Morrible, David deVries as Doctor Dillamond, Ted Ely as Boq, and Tom McGowan as the Wizard. Notable cast replacements have included Vicki Noon as Elphaba and Don Amendolia as the Wizard.

London (2006-Present)

Apollo Victoria Theatre

The first international production of Wicked previewed on September 7, 2006 at the Apollo Victoria Theatre in the West End of London with an official opening of September 27, 2006. The West End production reunited the show's original creative team with Idina Menzel (reprising her role of Elphaba from the original Broadway production). Other original London cast members included Australian Helen Dallimore as Glinda, Miriam Margolyes as Madame Morrible, Adam Garcia as Fiyero, Martin Ball as Doctor Dillamond, James Gillan as Boq, Katie Rowley Jones as Nessarose and Nigel Planer as the Wizard.

The production 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 1st national tour, most of these changes were later incorporated into all productions of Wicked.

After Menzel's three month stint in the production she was replaced by Kerry Ellis, who would later transfer to the Broadway production. Other notable cast replacements have included Alexia Khadime and Rachel Tucker as Elphaba; Dianne Pilkington and Louise Dearman as Glinda; Oliver Tompsett, Lewis Bradley and Lee Mead as Fiyero; Susie Blake, Harriet Thorpe and Julie Legrand as Madame Morrible; Desmond Barrit, Sam Kelly and Clive Carter as the Wizard; Caroline Keiff and Natalie Anderson as Nessarose. The production has won various awards including the Whatsonstage Award for Best West End Show (2009), and an Olivier Audience Award for Most Popular Show (2010). It has also been named "The Best Musical of the Decade" by Entertainment Weekly.

On February 14, 2009, the production celebrated its 1,000th performance, and on April 23, 2010, its 1,500th performance.

As of March 29, 2010, Sarah Earnshaw (Standby for Glinda) is the only remaining member of the original London cast.

The production is currently booking through April 30, 2011.

San Francisco (2009-2010)

The Los Angeles company moved to San Francisco's Orpheum Theatre, officially opening on February 6, 2009, following previews from January 27. The San Francisco principals cast was chosen, according by co-creator Stephen Schwartz, based on his creative team assembling an "all-star line-up, in terms of people who have really done a good job and scored very well in their roles in these other cities." Members of the principal cast were chosen among current and former members of the Broadway, Los Angeles, Chicago and touring productions.

Teal Wicks was chosen to originate the role of Elphaba, and Kendra Kassebaum was chosen to originate the role of Glinda. The company also featured Nicolas Dromard as Fiyero, Carol Kane as Madame Morrible, David Garrison as the Wizard, Deedee Magno as Nessarose, Tom Flynn as Doctor Dillamond and Eddy Rioseco as Boq as original principal cast members.

Notable replacements have included Eden Espinosa as Elphaba, Lee Wilkof and Tom McGowan as the Wizard, and Patty Duke as Madame Morrible.

The production has played to broad critical acclaim and has been seen by over 1.0 million people through April 2010, according to Best Of Broadway. The show averaged grosses of over $1 million per week in its first year, according to Variety Magazine, and has grossed over $75 million through April 2010.

The production will close on September 5, 2010, after 672 performances and 12 previews. Former Wicked cast members, Marcie Dodd and Alli Mauzey, have joined to close the production as Elphaba and Glinda respectively.

Osaka, Japan (2009-Present)

Performances began in Osaka on October 11, 2009 at the Osaka Shiki Theater, Japan. The original cast featured Ebata Masae as Elphaba and Tomada Asako as Glinda.

Oberhausen, Germany (2010-Present)

Previews began at the Metronom Theater am CentrO, Oberhausen, Germany on March 5, 2010, with an opening night of March 8. The cast features Willemijn Verkaik as Elphaba and Joana Fee Wurz as Glinda. They are joined by Barbara Raugnegger as Madame Morrible, Mathias Edenborn as Fiyero, Janine Tippl as Nessarose, Ben Darmanin as Boq, Thomas Wissmann as Doctor Dillamond, and Carlo Lauber as the Wizard. During previews, the role of Elphaba was played by Roberta Valentini, due to Verkaik's involvement with a prior project.

Sydney, Australia (2009-2010)

Previews began at the Capitol Theatre in Sydney on September 5, 2009 with the official opening on September 12, 2009. Many of the Melbourne cast transferred, including Amanda Harrison as Elphaba, Lucy Durack as Glinda, Rob Mills as Fiyero, Bert Newton as the Wizard, Maggie Kirkpatrick as Madame Morrible, Rodney Dobson as Doctor Dillamond, Penny McNamee as Nessarose, and Melbourne understudy James Smith taking over as Boq. The production broke the record for highest grossing musical at the Capitol Theatre, beating other blockbuster musicals such as The Lion King, Billy Elliot, and Miss Saigon.

Jemma Rix again filled in as Elphaba during October/December 2009 due to Harrison's ongoing health problems. Jennifer DiNoia, from the Chicago and Broadway productions, served as a temporary standby for the role. In December 2009, Australian theatre actress Pippa Grandison stepped into the role, alternating with Rix. On February 9, 2010 Harrison announced that she would not return to the production, so Rix and Grandison began to share the role on a permanent basis. Patrice Tipoki replaced Grandison, after she left the show in May 2010.

Other notable cast replacements have included Tim Campbell as Fiyero.

It was recently announced that the production will close on September 26, 2010, after playing to sell-out audiences for over one year.

The production is due to transfer to the QPAC Lyric Theatre in Brisbane, for a limited 12-week run, beginning January 2011. From there it will transfer to Adelaide, beginning April 2011.

Previous Productions

Chicago (2005-2009; 2010-2011)

Ford Centre-Oriental Theatre

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 continued to set records, becoming the longest running Broadway musical in Chicago history, and is considered a key part of the booming Chicago theatre scene. The limited engagement from April 29 to June 12, 2005 with the original touring cast was extended to an open-ended run.

The original Chicago cast included Ana Gasteyer as Elphaba, Kate Reinders as Glinda, Rondi Reed as Madame Morrible, Kristoffer Cusick as Fiyero, Telly Leung as Boq, Heidi Kettenring as Nessarose and Gene Weygandt as the Wizard. Notable Chicago cast replacements have included Kristy Cates, Dee Roscioli, and Lisa Brescia as Elphaba; Erin Mackey, Kate Fahrner, and Annaleigh Ashford as Glinda; Brad Bass as Fiyero; Carole Shelley and Barbara Robertson as Madame Morrible; David Garrison as the Wizard; and Timothy Britten Parker and William Youmans as Doctor Dillamond.

During the 2007 Christmas holiday season, the production broke its own Chicago box office record with a gross $1,418,363.24 for the week ending December 30, 2007. 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." The Chicago production played its 1,000th performance on November 14, 2007. Wicked played to more than 2 million visitors in Chicago with a gross of over $200 million, making it the highest grossing show in Chicago history by June 2007.

The production closed on January 25, 2009 after over 1,500 performances.

The first national touring production of the show will soon make a return stop to Chicago for a limited engagement from December 1, 2010 through January 23, 2011.

Los Angeles (2007-2009)

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 another production – representatives from the Broadway, Chicago, and touring productions made up most of the original cast, with Eden Espinosa and Megan Hilty as Elphaba and Glinda, respectively. Other original cast members included Carol Kane as Madame Morrible, Timothy Britten Parker as Doctor Dillamond, Jenna Leigh Green as Nessarose, Adam Wylie as Boq, Kristoffer Cusick as Fiyero, and John Rubinstein as the Wizard.

In the week ending 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, which had set the record in June 2003 at the same theatre. In the week ended December 30, 2007, Wicked set a new box office record of $1,949,968 in Los Angeles. During the week ending January 4, 2009, Wicked again set the Los Angeles single week record with a gross of $2,579,944.50 with nine performances. During the final week of the run, Wicked again played at capacity, grossing $2,291,511.50, breaking its own record for a regular eight-performance week. The average weekly gross during the show's run at the Pantages was over $1,450,000 per week. In the end the production grossed over $145 million and was seen by more than 1.8 million patrons.

The production closed on January 11, 2009 after 791 performances and 12 previews. Notable replacements included Caissie Levy and Teal Wicks as Elphaba; Erin Mackey as Glinda; Jo Anne Worley as Madame Morrible; David Garrison as the Wizard; and Marcie Dodd as Nessarose.

Tokyo, Japan (2007-2009)

Wicked opened its first non-English production in Tokyo, Japan, on June 17, 2007. The original cast featured Numao Miyuki as Glinda and Hamada Megumi as Elphaba. The Shiki Theatre Company at the Dentsu Shiki Theatre "Umi" produces it. The production closed on September 6, 2009 and transferred to Osaka.

Stuttgart, Germany (2007-2010)

Wicked: Die Hexen von Oz (Wicked: The Witches of Oz) began previews on November 1, 2007, and opened November 15, at the Palladium Theater in Stuttgart. Willemijn Verkaik and Lucy Scherer headlined the production as Elphaba and Glinda. They were joined by Mark Seibert as Fiyero, Angelika Wedekind as Madame Morrible, Nicole Radeschnig as Nessarose, Stefan Stara as Boq, Michael Gunther as Doctor Dillamond, and Carlo Lauber as the Wizard. A recording featuring the original cast was released on December 7, 2007. The production closed on January 29, 2010 and transferred to Oberhausen.

Melbourne, Australia (2008-2009)

An Australian production of Wicked officially opened on July 12, 2008 with previews commencing June 27 at the Regent Theatre in Melbourne, Australia. Australians Amanda Harrison and Lucy Durack play Elphaba and Glinda respectively. They are joined by Maggie Kirkpatrick as Madame Morrible, Rob Guest as The Wizard, Rob Mills as Fiyero, Anthony Callea as Boq and Penny McNamee as Nessarose. The Australian production has also broken box-office records, selling 24,750 tickets in just three hours during pre-sales and grossing over $1.3 million worth in ticket sales on the first business day after its official opening. On April 27, 2009, the production passed the milestone of 500,000 patrons.

Rob Guest (The Wizard) died suddenly on October 2, 2008 after suffering a stroke the previous day. After Guest's passing, Rodney Dobson (Doctor Dillamond) played the Wizard with Anton Berezin (Witch's Father) taking over his role, until Bert Newton stepped in as Guest's replacement, which allowed Dobson and Berezin to return to their original roles. In summer 2009, Carmen Cusack, from the 1st National tour and Chicago companies of Wicked, made her Australian debut as the temporary standby for Elphaba, as Jemma Rix (regular standby) was playing the role full time due to Amanda Harrison's (Elphaba) extended leave. Harrison later returned to the role after a two month absence.

John Frost, the Melbourne producer, stated that the show would remain in Melbourne throughout 2009. However, the Melbourne production closed on August 9, 2009, after 464 performances, and the show transferred to Sydney.

Upcoming Productions

Finland (2010-)

A brand new production, which will will be notable for not being a replica of the original Broadway staging, will begin performances in Helsinki, Finland on August 24, 2010 at the City Theatre, with an opening night set for September 17. Hans Berndtsson is director. Book and lyrics will souly remain, with the exception of a few changes, and the costumes and setting will change extensively.

Maria Ylipää will star as Elphaba, with Anna-Maija Tuokko as Glinda. They will be joined by Tuukka Leppänen as Fiyero, Ursula Salo as Madame Morrible, Vuokko Hovatta as Nessarose, Antti Lang as Boq, Heikki Sankari as Doctor Dillamond and Eero Saarinen as the Wizard. The second non-replicated production is set to open in Denmark early 2011.

Australian Tour (2011-)

The Sydney production will transfer to the QPAC Lyric Theatre in Brisbane for a limited run where it will launch its Australain Tour, beginning January 2011 . After its run in Brisbane, the production will open in April 2011 in Adelaide.

Film Adaptation

Marc Platt has stated that a film adaption of the musical is in the works, but he and Stephen Schwartz are waiting for the right time.

Music

The score of Wicked is heavily thematic, bearing in some senses more resemblance to a film score than a traditional musical score. While many musicals' scores develop new motifs and melodies for each song with little overlap, Schwartz integrated a handful of leitmotifs throughout the production. Some of these motifs indicate irony – for example, when Galinda presents Elphaba with a "ghastly" hat in "Dancing through Life", the score reprises a theme from "What Is This Feeling?" a few scenes earlier, in which Elphaba and Glinda had espoused their mutual loathing.

Two musical themes in Wicked run throughout the score. Although Schwartz rarely reuses motifs or melodies from earlier works, the first – Elphaba's theme – came from The Survival of St. Joan, on which he worked as musical director. "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. The chord progression that he first penned in 1971 became a major theme of the show's orchestration. By changing the instruments that carry the motif in each instance, Schwartz enables the same melody to convey 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". When played by the piano with some electric bass in "As Long As You're Mine", however, the same chord progression becomes the basis for a romantic duet. And with new lyrics and an altered bridge, the theme forms the core of the song "No One Mourns the Wicked" and its reprises.

Schwartz uses the "Unlimited"/"I'm limited" theme as 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 numbers. In a tribute to Harold Arlen, who 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'". Schwartz further obscured the motif's origin by setting it in a minor key in most instances. This also creates contrast in the songs in which it forms a part, for example in "Defying Gravity", which is written primarily in the key of D-flat major. In "The Wicked Witch of the East", however, when Elphaba finally uses her powers to let her sister walk, the "Unlimited" theme is played in a major key.

Musical numbers

Act I

• No One Mourns the Wicked – Glinda, Witch's Father, Witch's Mother, Lover, Midwife and Citizens
• Dear Old Shiz – Galinda and Students
• The Wizard and I – Madame Morrible and Elphaba
• What is this Feeling? – Galinda, Elphaba and Students
• Something Bad – Doctor 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

Act II

• No One Mourns the Wicked (reprise) – Citizens
• Thank Goodness – Glinda, Madame Morrible and Citizens
• The Wicked Witch of the East – Nessarose, Elphaba, 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 (Tin Man) and Citizens
• For Good – Elphaba and Glinda
• Finale – Company

Recordings

See also: Wicked (musical album)

A cast recording of the original Broadway production was released on December 16, 2003, by Universal Music. All of the songs featured on stage are present on the recording with the exception of "The Wizard and I (Reprise)" and "The Wicked Witch of the East". The short reprise of "No One Mourns the Wicked" that opens Act II is attached to the beginning of "Thank Goodness". The music was arranged by Stephen Oremus, who was also the conductor and musical director, and James Lynn Abbott, with orchestrations by William David Brohn. The recording received the Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album in 2005 and was certified platinum by the RIAA on November 30, 2006.

A German recording of the Stuttgart production was released on December 7, 2007, featuring a track listing and arrangements identical to those of the Broadway recording.

Although a London cast recording has been discussed, none has been recorded. It has also been noted that if a West End recording were to be released, Elphaba would be played by Kerry Ellis, the original London standby, rather than Idina Menzel who originated the part both on Broadway and in the West End.

The Japanese cast recording was released on July 23, 2008, featuring the Original Tokyo cast.

A fifth-anniversary special edition of the original Broadway cast recording was released on October 28, 2008, with a bonus CD including tracks from the Japanese and German cast recordings, "Making Good" - a song later replaced by "The Wizard and I" - sung by Stephanie J. Block with Schwartz at the Piano, "I'm Not That Girl" by Kerry Ellis and Brian May, Menzel's dance mix of "Defying Gravity", and "For Good" sung by LeAnn Rimes and Delta Goodrem.

Critical reception

The Broadway production opened on October 30, 2003, to mixed reviews from theatre critics. While Menzel and Chenoweth received nearly unanimous praise for their performances as Elphaba and Glinda, the plot was derided as "muddled," and the sound quality in the massive Gershwin Theatre as "smearing." Both USA Today and Time Magazine gave the Broadway production of Wicked a good review. Richard Zoglin of Time said, "[I]f every musical had a brain, a heart and the courage of Wicked, Broadway really would be a magical place." Elysa Gardner of USA Today said that "this is the most complete, and completely satisfying, new musical I've come across in a long time."

Despite these mixed reviews, interest in Wicked spread quickly by word-of-mouth, leading to record-breaking success at the box office, as described below. Speaking to The Arizona Republic in 2006, Schwartz commented, "What can I say? Reviews are reviews.... I know we divided the critics. We didn't divide the audience, and that's what counts."

The West End production opened to a similarly ambivalent, if slightly more upbeat, critical reception. Although The Daily Telegraph described it as "at times ... a bit of a mess," it praised Holzman's script, described Kenneth Posner's lighting design as "magical" and lauded Menzel and Helen Dallimore (as Glinda). The Guardian gave it three out of five stars and remarked on the competence of all the lead actors; however, it also 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".

Awards

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

Wicked was nominated for ten 2004 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Book, Best Orchestration and twice for Best Leading Actress, for Menzel and Chenoweth. Menzel won the Best Actress award, and the show also won the Tony Awards for Best Scenic Design and Best Costume design, notably losing Best Book, Score and ultimately Best Musical to Avenue Q. In the same year, the show won six Drama Desk Awards out of eleven nominations, including in the Book, Director and Costume Design categories. The West End production was nominated for four Laurence Olivier Awards in 2007 but did not win any. At the 2010 Laurence Olivier Awards Wicked London won the Audience Award for Most Popular Show. While not technically an "award", the character of Elphaba was named 79th on Entertainment Weekly's list of The 100 Greatest Characters of the Past 20 Years.

Financial success

With a $14 million capitalization, the Broadway production earned back its initial investment by December 21, 2004. In its first year, it grossed more than $56 million. The production has been playing to capacity crowds for almost every recent performance (the "Sold Out" sign is nailed to the theater) and grosses more than a million dollars every week, according to reports published by Playbill. 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. Wicked broke its own record in the week ending November 26, 2006, when it grossed a total of $1,715,155. It surpassed this 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 in St. Louis ($2,291,608), as the seven worldwide productions of the show grossed a collective $11.2 million.

For the week ending November 29, 2009 Wicked became the first Broadway show in history to gross over $2 million for one week of performances, with a gross of $2,086,135. Wicked set another Broadway box office record, grossing $2,092,745 the week ending December 27, 2009, breaking its own record set one month earlier during Thanksgiving week. It broke this record with a gross of $2,125,740 for the week ending January 3, 2010. The show's three other North American productions broke house records in San Francisco ($1,485,692), Providence ($1,793,764), and Schenectady ($1,657,139), bringing the musical's one-week North American box office gross to $7,062,335. Wicked has held the #1 spot for Broadway grosses for the past 77 weeks, and was named the Best Musical of the Decade by Entertainment Weekly magazine.

Although West End theatres do not publish audited weekly grosses, 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. On June 23, 2008, the producers reported that over 1.4 million people had seen the London production since its opening, grossing over £50 million. The same reports stated that the show has consistently been one of the two highest-grossing shows in the West End.

The Broadway company of Wicked celebrated its 1,000th performance on March 23, 2006. Several of the other productions have also reached the landmark figure, including the North American touring company on 15 August 2007, the Chicago company on November 14, 2007, and the West End company on 14 February 2009..

As of May 23, 2010, the show is the 18th longest-running Broadway show, taking over from My Fair Lady.

Popular culture

The extraordinary success of Wicked has made several of the songs popular and resulted in 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. The Broadway production has been featured in episodes of television programs, including Brothers & Sisters and The War at Home.

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. In a later episode ("Something Wicked This Way Comes"), Betty goes to see Wicked on a date and accidentally stops the show. 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.

"Defying Gravity" was covered in the TV series Glee in the "Wheels" episode, which aired November 11, 2009, in which two of the characters - one female, one male - competed for a lead role by singing the song. The 2009 musical Shrek the Musical parodies the show's Act I finale with "What's Up, Duloc?"; Lord Farquaad reenacts Wicked's "Defying Gravity" by proclaiming "No one's gonna bring me down" followed by the legato belt while atop his castle. The musician and actor John Barrowman has been singing a version of The Wizard And I on his 2008 UK tour, with adapted lyrics referring to his Doctor Who and Torchwood character Jack's affection for The Doctor. A clip of the song "Popular" plays in the 2009 movie Zombieland.

In the second episode of the ABC show "Huge" one of the characters wears a "Shiz University" athletic Dept t shirt.

Behind the Emerald Curtain

The success of the Broadway production has led to the development of an auxiliary show - Behind the Emerald Curtain - created by Sean McCourt and Anthony Galde, two previous cast members of the Broadway production. The show features a ninety minute behind-the-scenes tour of the props, masks, costumes and sets used in the show, and includes a question-and-answer session with the cast members who lead the tour. The tour also features in the San Francisco production.

External links

• Official production sites
  • North America
  • London
  • Osaka
  • Oberhausen
  • Sydney
  • Behind the Emerald Curtain
• Cast lists for all productions at Wikia
• ​Wicked​ at the Internet Broadway Database
• Wicked at MusicalSchwartz.com, the official Stephen Schwartz fan site
• Wicked at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre January 2011