Wicked (musical)

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Wicked
Broadway Poster
MusicStephen Schwartz
LyricsStephen Schwartz
BookWinnie Holzman
BasisGregory Maguire's novel Wicked
Productions2003 Broadway
2005 North American tour
2005 Chicago
2006 West End
2007 Los Angeles
2007 Tokyo
2007 Stuttgart
AwardsDrama Desk Outstanding Musical
Drama Desk Outstanding Book
Drama Desk Outstanding Lyrics
Grammy for Best Cast Album

Wicked is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a libretto by Winnie Holzman. The story is 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 the Land of Oz.

Wicked tells the story of Elphaba, the future Wicked Witch of the West and her relationship with Glinda, the Good Witch of the North. 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 mostly prior to Dorothy's arrival from Kansas, and also includes several references to well-known scenes and dialogue in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz.

The musical debuted on Broadway on October 30, 2003. It is produced by Universal Pictures and directed by Joe Mantello, with musical staging by Wayne Cilento. Its original stars were Kristin Chenoweth as Glinda, Idina Menzel as Elphaba, and Joel Grey as the Wizard.[1] 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, Tokyo, and Stuttgart, along with a North American tour that has visited over 30 cities in Canada and the United States.[2]

Wicked has broken box office records around the world, holding weekly-gross-takings records in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and London, and the record for biggest opening in the West End (£100,000 in the first hour on sale).[3] The West End production has played to more than 800,000 people, and the North American tour has been seen by over two million patrons.[4] The show was nominated for ten 2004 Tony Awards, winning those for Best Actress, Scenic Design and Costume Design. It also won six Drama Desk Awards.

Development

Stephen Schwartz discovered the 1995 Maguire novel while on holiday and immediately realized its potential for dramatic adaptation.[5] Schwartz met Maguire in Connecticut in 1998 and persuaded him to release the rights for a stage production.[6]

Schwartz considered how best to condense the novel's complicated plot into a sensible script.[6] 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.[7] While the draft followed Maguire's idea of retelling the story of the 1900 children's book 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."[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] In addition to this change in focus, changes include Fiyero's appearance as the scarecrow, Elphaba's survival at the end, Nessarose's being wheelchair-bound instead of armless, and Doctor Dillamond not being murdered.[10]

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,[11] 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 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 he had assembled a full cast, and the show was prepared for a public production.[11]

Tryout and Broadway production

On May 28 2003, Wicked opened for a pre-Broadway tryout at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco.[12] The cast included Kristin Chenoweth as Glinda, Idina Menzel as Elphaba, Robert Morse as the Wizard, Norbert Leo Butz as Fiyero and Carole Shelley as Madame Morrible.[11] Stephanie J. Block also served as an ensemble member and understudy for Elphaba.[13] 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.[11] 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."[11] The trial run closed on June 29 and extensive retooling for Broadway began.[11] 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.[11]

The Broadway production began previews at the George Gershwin Theatre on October 8, 2003, and officially opened on October 30.[1] Most of the production team and original cast members remained when the show opened on Broadway, but Morse was replaced by Joel Grey, who was billed over the title.[11] Other notable actors who have performed in the Broadway production of Wicked include Jennifer Laura Thompson, Megan Hilty, Kate Reinders, Kendra Kassebaum, and Annaleigh Ashford as Glinda; Shoshana Bean, Eden Espinosa, Ana Gasteyer, Julia Murney, and Stephanie J. Block as Elphaba; Kristoffer Cusick, Taye Diggs, Joey McIntyre, David Ayers, and Sebastian Arcelus as Fiyero; George Hearn, Ben Vereen, and David Garrison as the Wizard; Jenna Leigh Green as Nessarose; Robb Sapp as Boq; and Rue McClanahan, Carol Kane, and Miriam Margolyes as Madame Morrible.

Synopsis

File:04c.jpg
Glinda (Kristin Chenoweth) (Broadway)

Act I

The citizens of Oz celebrate the death of the Wicked Witch of the West, outside of the Wizard's Palace. Glinda descends in her gleaming bubble to confirm the circumstances of the Witch's melting ("No One Mourns the Wicked").

The scene then shifts to the birth, years earlier, of the green-skinned Elphaba Thropp, who will later become the Wicked Witch of the West. Elphaba, the daughter of the governor of Munchkinland, suffers an unhappy childhood, facing discrimination because of her skin color and being raised by only her father. At Shiz University, Galinda Upland first encounters Elphaba ("Dear Old Shiz"). In a moment of anger, as she is told she will be rooming with the spoiled and popular Galinda, Elphaba – whose father sent her to the university to care for her disabled sister Nessarose – accidentally reveals an innate magical talent. This impresses Madame Morrible, the "headshiztress" of Shiz, who notes that Elphaba's talents may be of use to the Wizard of Oz. She promises to ask him for an audience, and to instruct Elphaba personally in the art of sorcery, taking no other students ("The Wizard and I"). Galinda (who had been hoping to be admitted to Madame Morrible's sorcery seminar) is horrified, and takes an immediate dislike to Elphaba. Elphaba also dislikes Galinda, and they each lament that they have no choice but to room together ("What Is This Feeling?").

Doctor Dillamond, a goat and Shiz university's only AnimalNote professor, is teaching history class when it is interrupted by an anti-Animal slogan on the back of his blackboard, apparently written in blood: "Animals should be seen not heard." After dismissing the class, he confides in Elphaba that 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").

File:Picture22-med.jpg
Elphaba (Kerry Ellis) & Glinda (Dianne Pilkington) (London)

Fiyero organizes a party at a local ballroom. Galinda, while preparing for the dance, discovers a black pointed hat in a box and gives it to Elphaba as a 'present'. Galinda convinces a munchkin student named Boq to take Nessarose, Elphaba's wheelchair bound sister, to the party. Nessarose has a crush on Boq and is overjoyed to be invited. At the dance, Galinda is surprised by the appearance of Madame Morrible, who gives her a training wand and tells her that Elphaba has insisted she be included in the sorcery seminar. Elphaba arrives wearing the hat Galinda had given her, only to be ridiculed. Defiant, she proceeds to dance alone and without musical accompaniment. Fiyero is impressed that Elphaba does not seem to care what anyone thinks of her, but Galinda realizes that this is not true. Feeling guilty, she joins Elphaba on the dance floor, marking the start of a new friendship between the two. After the dance, Galinda and Elphaba talk in their room. Elphaba confides that her father hates her because of her green skin and had forced her mother to eat milk flowers to ensure that Nessarose was not born the same, causing Nessarose to be born early, crippling her and killing their mother. Galinda comforts Elphaba, and moved by a desire to help her new friend, Galinda decides to give Elphaba a makeover and to make her popular ("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 Elphaba 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. Galinda complains to Elphaba privately that Fiyero's affections toward her seem to be waning. Fiyero has brought flowers for Elphaba as a going away present, and seems to be more interested in her than he is in Galinda. In an attempt to impress Fiyero, Galinda announces that she will change her name to "Glinda" in honor of Doctor Dillamond's persistent mispronunciation. Fiyero does not appear to notice and, feeling bad for Glinda, Elphaba invites her along to see the Wizard.

File:Stephdg2005otc.jpg
Elphaba (Stephanie J. Block) singing "Defying Gravity" (U.S. national tour)

After a day of sightseeing in the Emerald City ("One Short Day"), Elphaba and Glinda meet the Wizard. Eschewing 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").

Act II

Several 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. Nessarose, now the governor following their father's death, criticizes Elphaba for not using magic to help her to overcome her disability. To assuage her feelings of guilt, Elphaba enchants Nessarose's jeweled shoes, enabling her to walk. Boq, Nessarose's servant, is summoned and reveals that his affection for Nessarose was put on and that his heart lies with Glinda. Furious, Nessarose miscasts a spell from the Grimmerie, causing Boq's heart to shrink. While Elphaba attempts to save him, Nessarose 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, Nessarose lays the blame on Elphaba.

File:Wicked2006newcast27.jpg
Elphaba (Eden Espinosa) and Nessarose (Jenna Leigh Green) (Broadway)

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 Doctor Dillamond among the monkeys, Elphaba rejects his offer and attempts to escape, running into Fiyero in the process. 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 Nessarose.

In a dark forest, Fiyero and Elphaba express their mutual 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 after Dorothy's house has landed on Nessarose, killing her. 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 where Elphaba has fled. At one of Fiyero's family's castles, 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").

File:Kate & Ana.jpg
Glinda (Kate Reinders) and Elphaba (Ana Gasteyer) part (Chicago)

Meanwhile, Boq and the citizens of Oz 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 throws a bucket of water on Elphaba (there had been previous rumours of Elphaba's allergy to water). Elphaba collapses to the ground, and only her hat, robe and green elixir are left behind. It is then revealed that the Wizard is actually Elphaba's father. Glinda tells the Wizard to leave Oz in his balloon, and sends Morrible to prison, before preparing to address the citizens of Oz, returning to the opening scene of the show.

Meanwhile, Fiyero, whom Elphaba had turned into the Scarecrow with her spell to prevent his suffering from the torture, opens a trap door in the castle. Elphaba, very much alive, emerges, and the two are 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 Glinda celebrates with the citizens of Oz ("Finale").

Principal roles

Character[14] Voice[14] Description
Elphaba mezzo soprano An intelligent, misunderstood girl with green skin and shunned because of her appearance, she finds a friend in Glinda and falls in love with Fiyero. Her pro-Animal motives and her 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 in 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 baritone The illegitimate dictator of Oz appears fatherly and brands himself a "sentimental man," but he is secretly the driving force behind the oppression of Oz's Animals.
Madame Morrible contralto The power-hungry headmistress of Shiz University is revealed to be working in collaboration with the Wizard of Oz. Morrible has a magical talent for controlling the weather.
Fiyero tenor A handsome Winkie prince with a "scandalacious" reputation, who is attracted to Galinda. Fiyero is initially 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 on Elphaba, is also embarrassed by her sister. She develops an obsessive attachment to Boq while at Shiz. After becoming the governor of Munchkinland, she abuses her authority to keep him near her, earning 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 is unable to tell her his true feelings. Eventually he is 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 is fond of him, but he is taken away from Shiz after the Wizard decrees that Animals are no longer permitted to teach. Doctor Dillamond eventually loses his ability to speak.

Music

Wicked Overture
The first 22 bars of the Act I Overture.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

The score of Wicked is heavily thematic, bearing in some senses more resemblance to a film score than a musical's score.[15] 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,[15] in which Elphaba and Galinda had espoused their mutual loathing.

Two musical themes in Wicked run throughout the score. Although Schwartz rarely reuses motifs or melodies from earlier works,[15] the first – Elphaba's theme – came from The Survival of St. Joan, on which he worked as musical director.[15] "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.[15] 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".[15] 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.[15]

Schwartz uses the "Unlimited" 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'".[15] 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.[16] 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.[15]


Musical numbers

Response

Critical reception

The Broadway production opened on October 30, 2003, to mixed reviews from theatre critics.[17][18] 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".[19][20] 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 [though], and that's what counts."[21]

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).[22] 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".[23]

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.[24] 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.[25] In the same year, the show won six Drama Desk Awards out of eleven nominations, including in the Book, Director and Costume Design categories.[26][27] The West End production was nominated for four Laurence Olivier Awards in 2007 but did not win any.[28]

Financial success

With a $14 million capitalization, the Broadway production earned back its entire initial investment by December 21, 2004.[11] In its first year it grossed more than $56 million.[29] 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.[30] 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.[31] Wicked broke its own record in the week ending November 26, 2006, when it grossed a total of $1,715,155.[32] 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 grossed a collective $11.2 million.[33]

The Broadway company of Wicked celebrated its 1,000th performance on March 23, 2006.[34] The touring company reached 1,000 performances on August 15, 2007,[35] while the Chicago company celebrated its 1,000th show on November 4th, 2007.[36]

Although West End theatres do not publish audited weekly grosses,[37] 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.[38][39] 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.[39] The show has consistently been one of the two highest-grossing shows in the West End.[39]

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.[40][41] The production itself has been featured in episodes of television programs, including Brothers & Sisters and The War at Home.[42] 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.[43] In a later episode ("Something Wicked This Way Comes"), Betty goes to see Wicked on a date and accidentally stops the show.[44] 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.[45]

Behind the Emerald Curtain

The success of the Broadway production has lead to the development of an auxiliary show, Behind the Emerald Curtain. Created by Sean McCourt and Hannah Jeffrey, two members of the original Broadway ensemble, the show features a sixty minute behind-the-scenes tour of the props, masks, costumes and sets, led by cast members, who also take part in a question-and-answer session.[46] Behind the Emerald Curtain accompanies the productions on Broadway and in Chicago and Los Angeles.[47]

Other productions

See also: Wicked (musical) cast lists
North American tour

Wicked launched its first national tour in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in March, 2005. Since then it has visited numerous cities throughout North America.[11] The original touring cast included Kendra Kassebaum as Glinda, Stephanie J. Block as Elphaba, Derrick Williams as Fiyero, Jenna Leigh Green as Nessarose, Carol Kane as Madame Morrible, Timothy Britten Parker as Doctor Dillamond and David Garrison as the Wizard. Notable replacements have included Kristy Cates, Eden Espinosa, Julia Murney, Shoshana Bean and Victoria Matlock as Elphaba; Megan Hilty as Glinda; Sebastian Arcelus and Cliffton Hall as Fiyero; Carole Shelley and Alma Cuervo as Madame Morrible; 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.[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] The touring company celebrated its 1,000th performance on August 15, 2007 in Philadelphia.[35] 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.[48]

2005 Chicago production
File:20070825 Oriental Theatre.JPG
The Oriental Theatre, Chicago, where Wicked has played over 1,000 performances

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 Broadway musical in Chicago history,[36] and is considered a key part of the booming Chicago theatre scene.[49] The limited engagement from April 29–June 122005 with the original touring cast was extended to an open-ended run.[50]

During the Chicago run, the 2005 touring cast has been gradually replaced by local actors.[51] The original Chicago cast included Ana Gasteyer as Elphaba, Kate Reinders as Glinda, Rondi Reed as Madame Morrible, Kristoffer Cusick as Fiyero, and Gene Weygandt as the Wizard of Oz.[51] Notable Chicago cast replacements have included Kristy Cates and Dee Roscioli as Elphaba; Erin Mackey as Glinda; Ben Vereen and David Garrison as the Wizard; Brad Bass as Fiyero; Timothy Britten Parker as Doctor Dillamond; and Carole Shelley as Madame Morrible. The Chicago Tribune reported that the production is scheduled to close in January 2009.[52]

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 302007.[53] 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."[54] The Chicago production played its 1,000th performance on November 14, 2007.[55] Wicked has now played to more than 2 million visitors in Chicago with a gross of over $140 million, making it the highest grossing show in Chicago history by June 2007.[55][56]

The Apollo Victoria Theatre, the home of Wicked in London
Original London West End production

The first international production of Wicked previewed 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.[57] Other original London cast members included Australian Helen Dallimore as Glinda, Miriam Margolyes as Madame Morrible, Martin Ball as Doctor Dillamond, Adam Garcia as Fiyero, and Nigel Planer as the Wizard. Replacements have included Kerry Ellis as Elphaba, Dianne Pilkington as Glinda, and Susie Blake as Madame Morrible.

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 US/Canada tour, most of these changes were later incorporated into all productions of Wicked.[58]

2006 Universal Studios Japan (Osaka) mini-version

The theme park Universal Studios Japan in Osaka, Japan presents 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 four times a day, with several actresses sharing each role. This version is performed mostly in Japanese, with portions in English.[59]

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 another production – 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, respectively.[60] Other original cast members included Carol Kane as Madame Morrible, Timothy Britten Parker as Doctor Dillamond, Jenna Leigh Green as Nessarose, Kristoffer Cusick as Fiyero, and John Rubinstein as the Wizard. Replacements have included Caissie Levy as Elphaba and Jo Anne Worley as Madame Morrible.

In 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, which had set the record in June 2003 at the same theatre.[61] In the week ended December 30, 2007, Wicked set a new box office record of $1,949,968 in Los Angeles.[48]

2007-2008 international productions

Wicked opened its first non-English production in Tokyo, Japan on June 17, 2007, with previews starting on June 15, 2007. Numao Miyuki and Hamada Megumi played Glinda and Elphaba in the original Tokyo production. The Shiki Theatre Company at the Dentsu Shiki Theatre "Umi" produces it. The production has a Japanese and Chinese cast and is performed entirely in Japanese.[59]

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, and Mark Seibert plays Fiyero. Wicked has become one of Germany's top musicals. [62] A recording of this production was released on December 7, 2007.

An open-ended Australian production of Wicked is scheduled to open on July 9, 2008, with previews commencing June 27, at the Regent Theatre in Melbourne, Australia.[63][64] Australians Amanda Harrison and Lucy Durack will play Elphaba and Glinda, respectively, joining Maggie Kirkpatrick as Madame Morrible and Australian Idol finalists Rob Mills (Fiyero) and Anthony Callea (Boq).[65]

Recordings

See also: Wicked (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".[66] The music was arranged by Stephen Oremus, who was also the conductor and director, and James Lynn Abbott, with orchestrations by William David Brohn.[66] The recording received the Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album in 2005[67] and was certified platinum by the RIAA on November 30, 2006.[68]

Idina Menzel released a remixed studio recording of "Defying Gravity" in May 2007, which became a Top 5 hit on the Billboard Dance Chart.[69]

Former Wicked star Julia Murney recorded an acoustic version of "I'm Not That Girl" on a recent album.

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.[70] Although a London cast recording has been discussed, none has been recorded.[71]

Notes

  • ^Animal – When capitalised, "Animal" is used throughout the musical and Maguire's novel to refer to talking creatures. When begun with a lower-case letter, "animal" refers to creatures who have lost the ability of speech.

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External links

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