Wicked the musical perofrming at the Fabulous Fox Theatre currently through July 11, 2010.

The blockbuster musical, a prequel to the Wizard of Oz, tells the story of the Wicked Witch and the Good Witch of Oz before Dorothy arrived. It is based on the novel of the same name by Gregory Maguire.

The musical has had enormous success in its seven years on Broadway. It has grossed nearly $1.8 billion worldwide and won 35 prominent awards, including a Grammy Award, three Tony Awards, and six Drama Desk Awards.

This marks Wicked’s third engagement at the Fox. The show’s previous runs in St. Louis broke box office records in both 2005 and 2007.

The month long run at the Fox expects to be just as successful. With a phenomenal cast including Vicki Noon and Natalie Darardich as the Elphaba and Glinda, and the direction of the show’s Tony Award winning director, Joe Mantello, the show once again promises to deliver.

Behind the scenes, the crew arrived Monday to set up for the show. The two-and-a-half day process of unloading the 14 trucks carrying the set, costumes, and props involves the work of a 120 person team.

The show runs from June 16-July 11. Buy Wicked Fabulous Fox Theatre-St. Louis MO Tickets. Save $10 on Ticket Orders Over $350! Code AFF$10

Under the lights, they danced. They twirled and snapped and stomped until beads of sweat slid off their chins.

“Five, six, seven, eight! Left, two, three, four!” shouted Jeremy McQueen, a featured dancer in Wicked, currently at Fair Park Music Hall through June 27.

McQueen and Sterling Masters, who plays the mother of the Green Witch, taught about 80 people some wicked dance moves Saturday at the Majestic Theatre. For nearly two hours, the pair glided across the stage and entranced onlookers.

The contemporary music blasting onstage was a sharp contrast to the ruby-colored velvet seats and towering chandeliers of the historic theater. The likes of John Wayne, Mae West and Bing Crosby have performed at the Majestic, and some of the workshop participants were inspired by the history there, convinced that music and dancing connects people.

Alex Sutherland, a 15-year-old from Carrollton with curly red hair and amber eyes, wants to be a cast member of Wicked one day. When she first stepped onto the old stage, she thought it was kind of “creepy.”

“But it’s an honor to dance where famous people have stepped,” she said.

McQueen warned the group that in performing arts, nothing is fresh.

“Everything we consider new today isn’t new at all,” he said, snapping his fingers for effect.

One young Dallas woman has dreamed for several years of taking pointers from professionals. When she lived in Mexico City, Ana Larranaga danced in a theater company and fell in love with Wicked.

Yesterday, the 17-year-old twirled and tapped next to her heroes.

“When I’m on the stage, I feel openness,” she said of dancing. “Throughout the years, theater can change, but it always will connect us.”

Two hours after she entered the “creepy” halls of the Majestic, Sutherland was even more inspired to continue her career in dance.

“I love moving my body in different ways and expressing emotion and telling stories,” she said. “And this just makes me want to be in the show even more.”
{ Via Dallas News}

Wicked Stage Review by Jeff Ritter, from the-trades.com

Read the review below:

I’ve been privileged to see Grease and Avenue Q at the Fabulous Fox Theatre this year, and enjoyed them both. But I wasn’t terribly surprised in either case — I’ve seen “Grease” with John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John on TV more than a few times and I had heard many of the songs from Avenue Q long before I saw the show a couple of years ago. The second time around was still a blast, but the real pleasure was watching the reactions of the stunned newcomers who had no idea what they were in for.

Tonight I was one of those folks, a first time visitor to the land of Oz brought to life on the grand stage. I highly enjoyed the show and can honestly say I’ll never watch the Julie Garland film the same way ever again.

The national tour of Wicked features Natalie Daradich as Glinda the Good and Vicki Noon as Elphaba, the infamous Wicked Witch of the West. Daradich was excellent, with a strong, clear and high voice, and terrific comic timing. I truly wasn’t expecting Glinda to be laugh-out-loud funny! Vicki Noon was regrettably replaced halfway through tonight’s performance, with Anne Brummel taking over the role of the tragically misunderstood green-skinned witch. Both were wonderful as Elphaba, and the character’s serious, often dour demeanor contrasted nicely with Glinda’s bubbly cheerfulness. Brummel’s lower octaves carried her pathos nicely.

It was great not having any preconceived notions about the musical, because I did not see the “odd couple” aspect coming at all. I never would have thought Glinda and Elphaba were ever friends from the 1939 film. From the opening scenes that find the young sorceresses arriving at a school younger audiences will think of as Hogwarts, to the touching dramatic turns in life and love by the end of the first act, I found myself drawn into Oz like never before, finding ways to dovetail the live performance with my movie memories. Brummel thankfully didn’t overuse the witchy Margaret Hamilton cackle, and Daradich at times was so playful I had to remind myself how prim and proper Billie Burke’s Glinda was. After being vilified in Act One, Elphaba and Glinda fill in the blanks about what was going on in Oz while the movie cameras followed Dorothy and Toto in Act Two.

“Wicked” is at The Fox Theatre through July 11, 2010. Buy now and Save $10 on Wicked Fabulous Fox Theatre-St. Louis MO Ticket Orders Over $350! Code AFF$10.