Wicked Returning to Detroit Michigan. Wicked broke box office records and sold out in a record time in 2006 and 2008. Wicked, Broadway’s biggest blockbuster, will be returning to Detroit Michigan with performances at the Detroit Opera House from Wednesday, December 7 thorugh Saturday, December 31 (New Year Eve). Tickets for the return engagement are on Sale Online.

“I’m thrilled to bring Wicked to Detroit once again,” said Alan Lichtenstein, Executive Director of Broadway in Detroit. “The national tour is of the same caliber as the Broadway production and overwhelmingly received by Detroit audiences. The producers of Wicked should be complimented for sending out such a high-quality show. ”

Long before Dorothy drops in, two other girls meet in the Land of Oz. One – born with emerald green skin – is smart, fiery and misunderstood. The other is beautiful, ambitious and very popular. Wicked tells the story of their remarkable odyssey, how these two unlikely friends grow to become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good.

Wicked Detroit Opera House Performance Times:
* Tuesday through Saturday at 8:00 p.m.
* Wednesday and Thursday matinees at 1:00 p.m.
* Saturday and Sunday matinee at 2:00 p.m.
* Sunday evening performances at 7:30 p.m.

Exceptions:
      No performances on Dec. 25
      On Dec. 31 at 6:30 p.m
      No evening performance on December 24
      No matinees on December 7, 14, 15
      Matinee on December 24 and 31 at 1:00 p.m.
      Special Monday evening show on Dec.26 at 8:00 p.m.

Wicked will be performing till December 31, 2011 at the Detroit Opera House, located at 1526 Broadway St, Detroit, MI 48226. Buy Wicked Detroit MI Tickets, Use Code AFF$10 to Get $10 OFF on Orders over $350!

The touring musical Wicked, now parked at the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium until Aug. 7, is a high flier.

Whether it’s the green-skinned Wicked Witch of the West levitating on her broomstick or Glinda the Good’s perky descent from the sky on a bubble machine, this is a show that floats on theatre magic.

Right from the start, Eugene Lee’s set grabs audience attention with some pretty jaw-dropping mechanical gizmos — a smoke-blowing dragon poised above the proscenium stage and a backdrop of timed cogs, wheels and gears that open and close like spells in a book of enchantment.

But the heart of Gregory Maguire’s story, a precursor to Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, lies with two young women that meet at sorcery school.

Elphaba is an intelligent, magically talented witch that smarts at being treated like a pariah by her peers because she has green skin. Her leading rival is Galinda, later known as Glinda, a vain, cosmetically-perfect gal constantly surrounded by adoring sycophants.

They end up as constantly bickering, unenthusiastic roommates. But over time the duo forges an ironclad friendship that withstands the greatest crisis Oz must face.

Through their contrasting personalities director Joe Mantello (Assassins) puts society under a microscope. He examines our preference to embrace image over substance and take the easy road over performing hard, noble acts.

But it’s the dark, power-hungry undertones of the Wizard’s attempt to silence dissenters in the Land of Oz that resonates sharply with the corrupt politicking within our own modern world.

Ultimately the three-hour musical challenges idealism versus reality, life versus death and friendship versus politics as Elphaba develops a sympathy for the oppressed. And it definitely confronts the certainties of love when both women fall for the same man, Fiyero, a playboy prince.

Stephen Schwartz’s heavily thematic music and lyrics, resembling more a film score than a traditional musical, soars with a certain majesty and beautifully illustrates the characters’ many moods.

In this coming-of-age story, both women undergo major personal discoveries. The multi-faceted Anne Brummel as Elphaba is a belter, a vocal powerhouse that stomps around the stage in heart-churning numbers such as I’m Not That Girl and Defying Gravity.

Equally balanced against Brummel’s robust personality is Natalie Daradich’s Glinda, a singer with a crystal soprano voice that outdoes herself in Popular. She is also a gifted comedienne that imbues her ditsy character with squeaks and coos yet morphs throughout the show into one of Emerald City’s great leaders.

David Nathan Perlow as Fiyero, the pampered campus stud is loaded with roguish charm and Michelle London’s Nessarose adds a controlling shrewish subtext.

Jody Gelb’s Madame Morrible, the school’s self-serving headmistress, is appropriately evil and Martin Moran’s Dr. Dillamond, the talking goat-professor compassionately personifies the oppressed.

Kenneth Posner’s striking light design, Tony Meola’s complex sound design and Susan Hilferty’s elegant costumes also get a special nod for artistic expression.

Complete Review {Via St. Albert Gazette}

See Wicked at Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium performing through Sunday, August 07. Buy Wicked Edmonton Alberta Canada Tickets, Use Code AFF$10 to Get $10 OFF on Orders over $350!

First Lady Michelle Obama, and her daughters Sasha and Malia, spent the evening of Friday, July 15 in the Presidential Box at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC catching a performance of the ever ‘popular’ musical Wicked. But that was not the first time the three have seen Broadway’s biggest blockbuster. Michelle and her daughters first saw the musical in its sit-down engagement in their hometown of Chicago in 2007, and then again in 2008 before the family moved to Washington, DC.

Winner of 35 major awards including the Grammy Award and three Tony Awards, Wicked is the untold story of the witches of Oz. Long before Dorothy drops in, two other girls meet in the land of Oz. One, born with emerald-green skin, is smart, fiery and misunderstood. The other is beautiful, ambitious and very popular. Wicked tells the story of their remarkable odyssey, how these two unlikely friends grow to become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good.

The cast of the national tour is currently headed by Dee Roscioli as Elphaba, Amanda Jane Cooper as Glinda, Randy Danson as Madame Morrible and Mark Jacoby as the Wizard.

Declared “A Cultural Phenomenon” by Variety and “The Best Musical of the Decade” by Entertainment Weekly, Wicked currently has 7 productions: New York, London, Japan, Germany, two concurrent North American National Tours, and an Australian tour. Based on the novel by Gregory Maguire, Wicked has music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, and a book by Winnie Holzman. The production is directed by Joe Mantello with musical staging by Wayne Cilento. Wicked is produced by Marc Platt, Universal Pictures, The Araca Group, Jon B. Platt and David Stone.

{Via BroadwayWorld.com}

Wicked is currently playing the Kennedy Center Opera House through Sunday, August 21.

See The Best Musical of the Decade – Wicked Musical
See Wicked at Kennedy Center Opera House performing through Sunday, August 21. Buy Wicked Washington DC Tickets, Use Code AFF$10 to Get $10 OFF on Orders over $350!

Wicked is Touring Western Canada starting June 1st 2011, completes in Vancouver and Calgary, moving to Edmonton to start performances from July 20 through August 07, 2011.

Wicked tells the backstory of the Wicked Witch of the West and poses the question; are people born evil or are they victims of circumstance? Your answer might change after watching this incredible musical that blends beautiful costumes, catchy music and splendid acting and intricate details.

Catch the show as you follow along with the “wicked witch” Elphaba and the “white witch” Glinda and learn all of the dirty little secrets of the yellow brick road. With other colourful characters along the way, the audience is treated to a mischeviously delightful time. Audiences will be able to piece together pieces of the original Wizard of Oz while learning why the Tin Man doesn’t have a heart and why the lion is so scared. And don’t forget about the Scarecrow…

Wicked also spurs some laughs and the show is coming hot off the news that its now the highest-grossing broadway musical in Canada — ever!

Wicked runs until August 07, 2011 at the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium. Buy Wicked Edmonton, Alberta Canada Tickets Online, Use Code AFF$10 to Get $10 off on Orders over $350!

Wicked is performing at the Kennedy Center Opera House from June 15 to August 21, 2011.

Wicked is delightful, and the current production at the Kennedy Center compelling even the most cynical among us to look past the hollow political subplots and schlocky jokes and just enjoy what’s essentially a heartfelt paean to being an outsider.

The Broadway mega-hit, with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and book by Winnie Holzman, is based on Gregory Maguire’s book of the same name, which filters The Wizard of Oz from the perspective of the Wicked Witch of the West. Whatever her ugly black wardrobe and entourage of sinister flying monkeys might have you believe, said Wicked Witch was once Elphaba, a neglected teenager whose father rejected her (green skin is apparently an impediment to paternal bonding), but whose scary exterior belies a tender heart and an enviable ability to perform magic.

Dee Roscioli, who has performed Elphaba more times than any other actress, is almost flawless in the role, managing to portray the character’s wounded core with just enough complexity to avoid cliché.

It’s almost impossible not to enjoy this show, with slick, seamless direction from Joe Mantello, spectacular songs, and the aura of a perennial hit. It’s wicked fun.

Buy Wicked Washington DC Tickets Online. Use Code AFF$10 to Get $10 OFF on Wicked Kennedy Center Opera House Ticket Orders over $350!

Wicked announced that tickets are now on sale up to Saturday October 27th next year. Wicked is set to continue its run in front of those on London, GL theatre.

The news comes after the musical passed its 2,000th landmark performance, which has entertained nearly four million people and generated more than £135 million at the box office.

During its time at the Apollo Victoria theatre, the production has picked up a number of prizes, including the 2010 Olivier Award for Most Popular Show and the Whatsonstage.com gong for Best West End Show in 2010 and 2011.

It is based on a novel by Gregory Maguire which tells the story of a friendship between two girls who meet up as sorcery students, with the pair going on to be Glinda The Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.

Wicked Cast Currently, Rachel Tucker (Elphaba), Louise Dearman (Glinda), Mark Evans (Fiyero) and Julie Legrand (Madame Morrible) are starring in the production.

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It’s flyaway time for the “Wicked Years” series. “Out of Oz,” the fourth and final volume of Gregory Maguire’s million-selling take on “The Wizard of Oz,” will come out on Nov. 1.

Publisher William Morrow announced Wednesday that “Out of Oz” will feature all sorts of magical mayhem, with the Emerald City plotting an attack on Munchkinland, while the Cowardly Lion runs for his life. Young Dorothy pops in for “something more than a cameo.”

Maguire’s “Wicked,” published in 1995, was adapted into the long-running Broadway musical of the same name. His other books include “Son of a Witch” and “A Lion Among Men.”

{Via Mercury News}

Wicked is currently playing on tour in Washington-DC and Calgary, Alberta Canada. Use Code AFF$10 to Get $10 OFF on Orders over $350!

The Carroll County Arts Council is planning a bus trip to see the musical “Wicked” at the Kennedy Center in Washington.

The musical is based on the novel, “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West,” by Gregory Maguire. The story is told from the perspective of the witches in the Land of Oz.

The Arts Council reserved a block of seats for the 7:30 p.m. Aug. 3 showing and is providing motor coach transportation to and from the show. The bus will depart from Westminster at 5 p.m. and return at 11:45 p.m. Tickets, which include transportation, are $135 or $130 for Carroll County Arts Council members.

For more information, visit www.carrollcountyartscouncil.org.

Wicked will play at Kennedy Center Opera House till August 21, 2011 in Washington-DC. Use Code AFF$10 to Get $10 OFF on Wicked Washington DC Ticket Orders over $350!

Wicked, which started it’s Western Canada tour in Vancouver and ran June 1 – June 26 at Vancouver’s Queen Elizabeth Theatre has once again shattered its own record. For the week ending June 26th, the musical grossed $2,030,245 CDN over 8 performances, making it thehighest-grossing week for a touring Broadway show in Canadian history.

The previous Canadian record, also held by Wicked was when it grossed $1,986,319CDN during the week-ending November 28, 2010 at the Canon Theatre in Toronto.

“Wicked is the highest grossing theatrical production that Broadway Across Canada has presented,” said Ronald Andrew, president of Broadway Across Canada. “We are so proud to have shared in the excitement Wicked brought to Vancouver and we are thrilled to have finally made this Broadway award winning musical accessible to so many local families and theatre lovers. Our heartfelt appreciation goes out to all our patrons who supported this wonderful production, and as well to Rae Ackerman and his professional team at the QET.”

As a part of the Western Canada tour, Wicked is now running in Caglary as part of a five city, fourteen week tour.

Calgary, AB June 29-July 17 Southern Jubilee Auditorium
Edmonton, AB July 20-August 7 Northern Jubilee Auditorium
Saskatoon, SK August 10-21 TCU Place
Winnipeg, MB August 24-September 4 Centennial Concert Hall

Wicked will be performing in Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium through Sunday July 17, 2011 before it moves to Edmonton, Alberta Canada. Buy Wicked Calgary Alberta Canada Tickets Online, Use Code AFF$10 to Get $10 OFF on Orders over $350!