Broadway musical Wicked swoops into El Paso’s Plaza Theatre February 01, 2012. Wicked is the story of two witches, Elphaba, the unfortunate girl with the green skin, and the blonde and perfect Glinda. 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, and how these two unlikely friends grow to become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good.

The first weekend El Paso TXperformances are nearly sold out, and the prices for high-demand performances have gone up.

“When ‘Wicked’ leaves here on Feb. 12, it will be the new record holder for national touring Broadway productions in El Paso,” said Brian Crowe, assistant general manager of El Paso’s Convention and Visitors Bureau. “We’ve had a tremendous response and are looking for a very successful two-week run.”

Read the complete news {Via ElPasoInc.com}

Wicked musical runs through February 12 at El Paso Texasand tickets are selling like hot cakes. Buy Wicked El Paso TX Tickets today. Get $10 OFF on Wicked The Plaza Theatre Ticket Orders over $350! Use Code AFF$10.

Wicked the hit Broadway musical is playing Bass Concert Hall now through February 12. In 2009, the Tony Award-winning musical Wicked sold out in record time when it came to Austin. This spectacular show tells the story of the witches of Oz, before Dorothy showed up.

“The two witches, Anne Brummel and Tiffany Haas are so incredibly talented, and to see two young ladies carry a show that way is rare in the musical theater,” says David Nathan Perlow, who plays the role of Fiyero in this production.

“It is a story about accepting people for who they are on the inside, not being distracted by what you may see on the outside, and we can all relate to that I think,” says Perlow.

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Wicked extends booking period at London’s Apollo Victoria Theatre, Wicked London GL Tickets now on sale until Saturday 27 April 2013.

Wicked opened at the Apollo Victoria Theatre 27 Sep 2006, following previews from 7 Sep, and has since been seen by almost 4 million people and grossed in excess of £154 million at the UK Box Office.

Wicked will perform throughout the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations (Saturday 2 June – Tuesday 5 June 2012), and the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, with an extra matinee added on Thursday 26 July 2012 at 2.30pm in place of the Friday 27 July 2012 evening performance.

Apollo Victoria Theatre, 17 Wilton Road, London, SW1V 1LG – 1 minute from London Victoria Mainline and Underground Stations. 5 minute walk from Victoria Coach Station

Current Wicked London cast includes Rachel Tucker (Elphaba), Gina Beck (Glinda), Matt Willis (Fiyero), Desmond Barrit (The Wizard).

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Desi Oakley Debuts on Wicked Broadway for the “universal swing” role in the Broadway production of Wicked.

Desi Oakley, who grew up and attended school in Wichita, Kansas, started appearing on stage at age 8 with the Music Theatre of Wichita. Following high school, Oakley studied theater at the University of Michigan. According to Annie Thomson (Oakley’s mother), the school receives more than 5,000 applications annually. Only 20 students are accepted each year, 10 boys and 10 girls. The program is elite and regarded as one of the best musical theater schools in the nation.

“It’s really neat, a great accomplishment,” Annie Thomson said. “I know I just sound like a proud mom, but it’s a great thing for her. I wouldn’t be surprised if she keeps going for bigger and better things.”

During her career, Oakley has played the lead roles in Evita and The The Little Mermaid. After graduating from Michigan last year, she headed straight for the big show, Wicked Musical.

She was soon picked up by a casting agent, which led to her “universal swing” role in the Broadway production of Wicked. “My Broadway debut was the best night of my life,” Oakley said. “I had so much energy and adrenaline, I felt like I got shot out of a cannon.”

Being a “universal swing” means Oakley fills in for other actors both on the national tour and in New York. She has learned 16 different parts in the play — the roles of every female character in the cast. Currently in Jacksonville, Florida, on tour, Oakley says she could never see herself doing anything else.

“I’ve though a lot about it,” she said. “I can’t think of anything I would rather do. I love being confident in who I am. If you have the passion, nothing can stop you. And I personally feel like I have a duty to share the gifts I was given.”

Wicked is one of the most successful Broadway musicals of all time. Wicked musical has grossed nearly $2.5 billion and has been seen by 30 million people worldwide. Wicked is currently playing on tour in Los Angeles, CA and Jacksonville, FL. Buy Wicked Tour 2012 Tickets, Use Code AFF$10 to Get $10 OFF on Orders over $350!

Wicked is currently performing on tour in Los Angeles, CA and Jacksonville, FL. And the tour is next set to open at Austin’s Bass Concert Hall on January 25.

Below is an interview with Wicked’s Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Don Amendolia, by BroadwayWorld.

Wicked Don Amendolia

You have been with the tour as the Wonderful Wizard of Oz for two years. How has life on the road been treating you?
Life on the road has been terrific. It’s been great fun to see other cities, their museums, restaurants and of course happy audiences all across North America. A rare treat.

Do you feel that your interpretation or insight into the Wizard’s character has changed with your time in the role? How so?
While any actor hopes his insight into a character deepens with time while playing a role, I did my homework early on and I think my interpretation of the Wizard hasn’t changed too much. At least I hope not. There’s a big difference between embellishment and refinement. I hope I’ve refined him more.

Some of Wicked’s actors have stated they chose to develop their interpretation of their characters based solely upon the musical’s portrayals, as opposed to reading Gregory Maguire’s novels and drawing additional inspiration there. Have you read the Wicked novels, and if so, did you draw inspiration from them, or perhaps the Wizard of Oz film?
I had read Gregory Maguire’s amazing novel when it was first published, before it became a musical, so by the time I read the show script I was aware of how much my character differed from medium to medium. Over all, I tend to remember who the Wizard was from the movie; more of a snake-oil salesman, carnival shaman who’s trying to hold on to his accidental world. He’s not a bad man, he’s just not a very good Wizard.

How has your experience in Wicked compared to other stage productions?
Honestly, there is no comparison to other shows. Wicked is now a worldwide phenomenon that has touched millions in ways I can only guess at. It’s been a singular experience in every way.

The Wizard, as portrayed in Wicked, is somewhat blinded by power, though a sentimental man who unknowingly wrongs one of his own. If the Wizard knew of this relation from the beginning, how do you think it would have impacted the outcome of Oz’s history?
Power is more seductive than anything else to the Wizard and at its core, absolute power corrupts absolutely. He may be a sentimental man but by the time Elphaba comes to Oz I think the Wizard is hip-deep in the panic that he may lose it all. He may regret it and hindsight is 20-20 but by then it’s too late. He is finally powerless to change anything.

Read the complete interview {Via BroadwayWorld.com}

Kristin Chenoweth will get a star-studded celebration at the Drama League Gala. Broadway favorites Cheyenne Jackson, Laura Benanti and Joel Grey are among the stars who will head to the Pierre Hotel on February 6 to help the Drama League honor Tony winner Kristin Chenoweth at their 28th annual gala, A Musical Celebration of Broadway. The evening’s all-star tribute, directed by Evan Pappas, will support the Drama League’s famed Directors Project.

In addition to Grey, Jackson and Benanti, the evening’s guests will include Elaine Paige, Donna Murphy, Debra Monk, Andrew Lippa, Marlo Thomas, Brent Barrett, Carole Shelley, Josh Young, David Elder, Marni Nixon, Jason Graae, Eden Espinosa, Kevin Clash from Sesame Street, as well as original and current cast members from the Broadway musical Wicked.

The show will include selections from Chenoweth’s impressive resume, featuring numbers from Wicked, Glee, You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, Candide, Promises, Promises, Steel Pier, The Apple Tree, the TV adaptations of Annie and The Music Man and more.

Read the complete news {Via Broadway Buzz}

Wicked Musical Coming to El Paso’s Plaza Theatre Next Month, playing February 01 through February 12, 2012. Wicked is the story of two witches, Elphaba, the unfortunate girl with the green skin, and the blonde and perfect Glinda. 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, and how these two unlikely friends grow to become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good.

Based on the best-selling 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire, Wicked, winner of 35 major awards, including a Grammy® and three Tony® Awards, is the untold story of the witches of Oz. It is produced by Marc Platt, Universal Pictures, The Araca Group, Jon B. Platt and David Stone.

Wicked, the untold story of the witches of Oz, is directed by two-time Tony Award winner Joe Mantello (Take Me Out, Love! Valour! Compassion!, The Vagina Monologues) and features musical staging by Tony® Award winner Wayne Cilento (Aida, The Who’s Tommy, How To Succeed…).

Wicked will be performing in The Plaza Theatre El Paso from February 01 through February 12, 2012. Buy Wicked El Paso TX Tickets Online, Use Code AFF$10 to Get $10 OFF on Orders over $350!

In “The Wizard of Oz,” the Wicked Witch of the East, Nessarose, gets her five minutes – more like one minute – of fame when a young girl’s home fatally lands on her. The rest of the story proceeds to tell how Dorothy, a girl traveling through the land of Oz wearing the witch’s sparkly red shoes, attempts to find her way back home with the help of Glinda, the Good Witch of the North.

However, if there is one character from “The Wizard of Oz” who deserves a back story, it’s definitely not the young girl whose house gets blown away by a tornado. Instead, it is Elphaba (Mamie Parris), sister to the Wicked Witch of the East (Cristy Candler), who has a more compelling story to tell – one about a time where she wasn’t wicked at all.

The musical “Wicked” currently playing at the Pantages Theatre tells that story and continue through January 29, 2012. The show begins with the munchkins of Oz celebrating the death of Elphaba. The production does an extraordinary job in the storytelling and performance while also including just the right amount of comedy and wit in between. “Wicked” combines love, tragedy and ethics to create a story with a not-so-predictable happy ending.

As Glinda (Katie Rose Clarke) enters and celebrates with the rest of Oz, one of the munchkins questions whether she was once friends with the Wicked Witch. As the munchkins gasp in disbelief that someone would ask such a question, Glinda begins to tell the story of when she first crossed paths with the Wicked Witch – a time where she and Elphaba became good friends.

Each number the cast performed ended with a roaring applause from the audience while every joke, whether minor or major, was reciprocated with just the right amount of laughter echoing through the Pantages.

The stage production was also very impressive, with smooth transitions between scenes and performances.

Clarke does an amazing job as Glinda, an overconfident, popular and spoiled girl who always gets her way. From her exaggerated movement on stage to her knack for using a lot of made-up words, Clarke had a stage presence that kept the audience wondering what she was going to do or say next.

Parris also does a spectacular job in playing just the opposite of Clarke, a green (literally) character who has no friends and is blamed by her father for why her sister has to be in a wheelchair for the rest of her life.

As the plot carries the audience through Glinda and Elphaba’s time as students, roommates and friends, “Wicked,” includes frequent references to “The Wizard of Oz” – telling a back story of how the Cowardly Lion, Tin Man and Scarecrow all came about.

The musical reveals many ideas that would have never been evident just by watching “The Wizard of Oz.” “Wicked,” at some points in the musical, makes audiences who have grown up with the “The Wizard of Oz” story feel cheated and mislead about “the wonderful wizard” as well as the wicked and good witches, but at the same time happy to finally know the truth.

Read the complete story {Via DailyBruin.com}

Wicked will be performing in Los Angeles CA through January 29, 2012. Buy Wicked Pantages Theatre Tickets Online. Use Code AFF$10 to Get $10 OFF on Wicked Los Angeles CA Tickets Orders over $350!

Wicked is currently performing at Times Union Ctr Perf Arts Moran Theater and continue through Sunday, January 22, 2012. Wicked, the latest offering from the Artist Series in Jacksonville, is a technically lavish, expertly performed production of the immensely entertaining and hugely popular show that has been running on Broadway since 2003.

Anne Brummel (left) as Elphaba and Tiffany Haas as Glinda in Wicked Musical at the Times-Union Center's Moran Theater

It provides a clever backstory to Elphaba, the mean and green Wicked Witch of the West played by Margaret Hamilton in the iconic 1939 movie “The Wizard of Oz” but has never been a critical darling. But the characters are fascinating and the plot dovetails satisfyingly with the familiar story we know from the movie. Dorothy’s trip to Oz coincides with the last half of the second act and while she is never seen on stage, she is referenced in several scenes.

The story centers on Elphaba, a young woman born with green skin and mysterious powers, a permanent outsider who strikes unlikely alliances at school with the dazzlingly popular Glinda (soon to be the good witch) and the dashingly irresponsible Fiyero. When she learns that the animals of Oz, once treated as equals to humans, are being oppressed, Elphaba becomes an unlikely animal-rights advocate and a social outcast.

The touring version now at the Moran Theater in The Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts works wonderfully well. Anne Brummel makes a fierce Elphaba and Tiffany Haas a bubbly, self-absorbed Glinda. Don Amendolia is expert as the humbug Wizard and Timothy Britten Parker makes a terrific goatman as Dr. Dillamond.

The sets, costumes and special effects are dazzling as Glinda flies around in her bubble and Elphaba on her broom, while the Wizard’s mechanical head roars and belches smoke.

Read the complete review {Via Jacksonville.com}

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Broadway rang in more than a billion for the 2011 calendar year, with “Wicked” once again claiming the title of the year’s top grosser. Though the 2010 chart was dominated by long-running successes, In the year 2011, two big-earning newbies — “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” and “The Book of Mormon” – show potential for longer runs.

The $1.08 billion total reps the cume from the 52-week period ending Dec. 25. (Next year will be one of the calendar’s periodic 53-week seshes.) The 2011 tally is up by some $44 million over the prior frame — no surprise, given rising ticket prices and increasing prominence of premium-ticket sales. Attendance, on the other hand, just barely showed an uptick — by about 25,000 theatergoers to 12.13 million.

Last year saw longtime top dog “Wicked” unseated multiple times from its habitual perch by both “Lion King” and “Spider-Man.” Still, “Wicked” finished first often enough to maintain its status as the highest-grossing Broadway show for the eighth year in a row, the only production ever to do so. “The Phantom of the Opera” also has been a top annual grosser for eight years, but those years weren’t consecutive.

For its part, “Lion King” can tout its unusually strong B.O. performance heading into its 15th year on Broadway. The show’s holiday-week tally of $2.4 million was its best ever on the Rialto; the same frame saw the tuner break house records in Las Vegas and on the road as well.

It was “Spider-Man” that provided the biggest shakeup in the year-end charts, overcoming much-publicized tech troubles and nasty reviews to gross $69 million for the year. There’s no guarantee the show will continue to maintain that momentum for another year, but given the $2.9 million tally logged by the musical for the week ending Jan. 1, it’s clear producers know how take advantage of high-demand periods.

There’s also “Book of Mormon,” with a $51 million total that placed it right behind the $52.3 million belted out by “Jersey Boys.” The Broadway edition of “Mormon” likely won’t approach the pile of money earned by “Wicked” or “Lion King” because of its venue’s substantially smaller seating capacity, but the strength of those figures suggest the Tony winner could be adding to the Broadway pot for a considerable while.

Read the complete news {Via Variety.com}