The national tour of WICKED is set to land on the Civic Center’s Crouse-Hinds Theater’s stage for a three week engagement beginning January 13 to 31.

The show will also feature a “monster-size dragon with the wingspan of a Cessna 172 plane zipping around the stage” as reported in a story in Syracuse.com.

WICKED plays the Civic Center’s Crouse-Hinds Theatre from January 13 to 31, located at 411 Montgomery Street in Syracuse. For tickets and more information, please visit Ticketmaster.

The story on stage plucks its outline loosely from the dark book by Gregory Maguire, “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West,” which was published in 1995. Writer Winnie Holzman and composer-lyricist Stephen Schwartz took it from there and delivered the musical on Broadway in 2003. It went on to win three Tony Awards.

WICKED has “cast quite a spell” (Washington Post) throughout North America, breaking box office records in every city that it has played, including Toronto, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington, DC, Philadelphia and Boston to name a few. Called “a cultural phenomenon” by Variety and “the best musical of the decade” by Entertainment Weekly, WICKED continues to thrill audiences around the world. There are currently eight productions of WICKED worldwide, including two North American tours, a Broadway production, San Francisco production, London production, a Japanese-language production, a German-language production and an Australian production. A Dutch-language production of WICKED will open in 2011.

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BroadwayWorld just announced that Wicked’s production at London’s Apollo Victoria Theatre just enjoyed its highest grossing year to date – grossing £27,333,991 at the Box Office up 100,000 from last year (2008). The musical, which was named “Best Musical of the Decade” by Entertainment Weekly has grossed over £90 million at the UK Box Office since premiering in London in September 2006. The production celebrated 1,000 performance in February last year and 2 million customers in May 2009.

The women of Wicked in the UK – Dianne Pilkington and Alexia Khadime – were honored as Women of the Future at the annual Woman of the Future Awards. The production has been ’short-listed’ as Best West End Show by theatergoers voting online through the end of the month, at Whatsonstage.com (http://awards.whatsonstage.com). ”The public’s incredible enthusiasm and support for Wicked has swept us along on a huge wave of success since we opened in 2006. To see our business continuing to climb year-on-year is really incredible and we are enormously grateful to the millions of people who have bought tickets to date and especially to those who made 2009 our best year yet,” UK Executive Producer Michael McCabe said.

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“Wicked” opens at Philadelphia’s Academy of Music in Philadelphia on Wednesday (Playing January 6 to January 24, 2010), so if you haven’t seen the play that the New York Times has called “Broadway’s biggest blockbuster,” what are you waiting for? The show follows the story written by Gregory Maguire, of two classmates (and roommates) who end up becoming the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch in the film and story by L. Frank Baum, “The Wizard of Oz.” The play itself has won 26 major awards including three TOny Awards and a Grammy, and even earned the original Elphaba (the Wicked Witch of the West) a Tony Award for Best Actress the year it premiere (Idina Menzel). “Wicked has every piece of the Great American Musical, and even defines the genre in the current evolution. It is although thrillifying,” wrote the Philadelphia Inquirer. “If every musical had the brain, the heart and the courage of ‘Wicked,’ Broadway really would be a magical place,” said Time Magazine. “Remember the last time an original Broadway musical made you laugh, cry and think – in the right places and for the right reasons? ‘Wicked’ is the most complete, and completely satisfying, new musical I’ve come across in a long time. It’s a triumph!” wrote USA Today.

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WICKED Breaks Its Own Box Office Record To Become The Highest Grossing Show In Broadway History

For the third time in just six weeks, the Broadway smash WICKED has grossed over $2 million for one week of performances. For the week ending Sunday, November 29, the musical, now in its 7th year, grossed $2,086,135, and for the week ending December 27, the musical surpassed its own record, grossing $2,092,745. For the week ending January 3, 2010, the musical shattered the record once again, making Broadway history by taking in an unprecedented $2,125,740 and setting a new house record at the Gershwin Theatre.

Below are the Top 10 Grosses from BroadwayWorld.com for the week ending January 3, 2010.

Wicked $2,125,740
The Lion King $1,740,130
Billy Elliot: The Musical $1,663,895
West Side Story $1,485,158
Jersey Boys $1,440,456
Shrek The Musical $1,387,182
The Phantom of the Opera $1,374,875
Mary Poppins $1,323,699
Mama Mia! $1,315,354
HAIR $1,121,847

Additionally, 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.

The musical, which was recently called “the defining musical of the decade” by The New York Times, currently has eight productions across the globe: in New York, San Francisco, London, Stuttgart, Osaka, Sydney, and on two concurrent North American National Tours. WICKED has amassed over $1.7 billion globally in ticket sales and has been seen by over 21 million people worldwide in its 7-year history.

Winner of 26 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.

Declared “The Best Musical of the Decade” by Entertainment Weekly and “A Cultural Phenomenon” by Variety, WICKED is based on the novel by Gregory Maguire, 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.

The musical currently stars Dee Roscioli as Elphaba, Erin Mackey as Glinda, Kevin Kern as Fiyero, Rondi Reed as Madame Morrible, P.J. Benjamin as The Wizard, Alex Brightman as Boq, Michelle Federer as Nessarose, and Timothy Britten Parker as Dr. Dillamond.

Find Great Seats for best prices through WickedTheMusicalTicketsOnline.com. For more information, visit www.wickedthemusical.com. WICKED is performing at the Gershwin Theatre, 222 West 51st Street, between Broadway and 8th Avenue.

Wicked remains one of Broadway’s most popular musicals, and features some of the most creative storytelling on Broadway. Taking its cue from the novel by Gregory Maguire, the Broadway musical re-invents the familiar world of Oz (as in Dorothy and The Wizard). Wicked is really the story about the relationship between two young women who will grow up to become Glinda The Good Witch, called Galinda Upland, and the Wicked Witch of The West, known in the musical as Elphaba. While this is a clever premise in itself, the musical goes a step further by not only entertaining, but also getting the audience to reconsider long-held beliefs about these two mythic figures. Young or old, we all know where the story of where these witches will end up, and that makes this musical all the more rewarding for showing us how it might have begun. What makes Wicked such a tremendous Broadway success is that it is a genuinely engaging story, exceptionally entertaining for adults as well as children. In addition to this, Wicked is actually thought-provoking, in the best way possible.

With award-winning costumes by Susan Hilferty, and scenic design by Eugene Lee, the show successfully re-introduces us in a fresh way to once-familiar characters, and a fictional world that most audiences have an association with today. The unique story of Wicked and its fresh perspective is echoed in the music and lyrics of Stephen Schwartz , which ring out with imagination and a pop-sensibility. As a Broadway musical, Wicked offers a tremendous assortment of interesting characters, creative and imaginative ideas, captivating visual effects, and uniquely dramatic moments. It isn’t easy being green, just ask Elphaba, and Wicked actually succeeds in getting us to care about these characters in an entirely different way. To say that Wicked is Broadway magic is absolutely cliche, but that word “magic” is also absolutely appropriate given this Broadway musical’s ability to tell a story that truly touches the heart, dazzles the eye, delights the ear, and stirs the mind. Magic, yes indeed. Though it may not be for the very young, for those 8 and above.or 108 and below, the show is perfect Broadway magic that you will not forget.

The million dollar streak hasn’t finished with “Wicked” just yet – though they broke the record just a few weeks ago for garnering the most gross in a week’s time on Broadway, the national tour is doing just as well as it travels through the States this year, as “Wicked” time in Cleveland equally pulled out all the stops. More than 93,000 Ohioans paid nearly $7 million to see the Broadway show during its four week run, reports Cleveland.com, the third time this magical show had visited this northern Ohio city. In total, Cleveland has earned the musical that is adapted from Gregory Maguire’s best selling novel $19.3 million in ticket sales for New York producers, a feat of sorts in this economic state. The first time the Wicked Witches of Oz flew through the stages in Cleveland was in 2006, followed by another appearance in 2008 and again during the past four weeks in 2009, having left on Sunday. The Playhouse Square earned just as much business, as did the surrounding neighborhoods, according to a Clevevland State University study, which additionally stated that local works and businessess ancillary to the theater were earning just as much as “Wicked” producers.

As for the woman who was thrown out last week? Kathleen Holmes, 50, was released from jail on a $2,500 bond on charge of felony assault after having a fit during the performance.

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Katie Rose Clarke as Glinda

Katie Rose Clarke is a veteran of the “Wicked” stage, not only does the actress know the role like the back of her hand – as she spent two years performing the role of Glinda in the first national tour of the production – but now she’s back, re-rehearsing the lines, stage position and wardrobe changes as she returned January 14, 2010 for the production in Gershwin Theater. Clarke will join new actress Jenny Fellner as she takes over for the role of Nessarose, as well as Gershwin stage veterans Dee Roscioli as Elphaba, Tony Award winner Rondi Reed as Madame Morrible, P.J. Benjamin as The Wizard, Kevin Kern as Fiyero, Alex Brightman as Boq and Timothy Britten Parker as Dr. Dillamond. The previous castmates Eric Mackey (Glinda) and Michelle Federer (Nessarose) will take their roles through January 10th. Clarke made her Broadway debut with the show “The Light in the Piazza,” while Fellner premiered in Broadway’s “Mama Mia!” and “Pal Joey” revival.

The story features a score by Stephen Swartz, a book by Holzman, direction by Joe Mantello and musical staging by Wayne Cilento. The creative team includes scenic design by Eugene Lee, costume design by Susan Hilferty, lighting design by Kenneth Posner, sound design by Tony Meola, projections by Elaine J. McCarthy, wig and hair design by Tom Watson, music supervision and arrangements by Stephen Oremus, orchestrations by William David Brohn and dance arrangements by James Lynn Abbott.

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“Wicked” opens Wednesday and runs through Jan. 10 at the Providence Performing Arts Center, 220 Weybosset St., Providence. Tickets start at $53.

Who would have thought that in its sixth season on Broadway, “Wicked” would enjoy the biggest weekly box office gross in Broadway history? But that happened a couple of weeks ago — just over $2 million for eight performances. No one had ever broken the $2 million mark for a week before.

“In the film business,” said “Wicked” producer Marc Platt, “it’s what we call an Eight-to-Eighty. It’s a show that appeals to the broadest possible demographic.”

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Wicked” might not be a great musical, but it is a great night of theater.

Wicked Proctors Theatre Tickets

The national touring company of “Wicked” is at Proctors Theatre in Schenectady for a month-long run and the extravagant production shows why the musical that opened on Broadway in 2003 to less-than-enthusiastic critical views has turned into one of the most popular shows in Broadway history.

“Wicked” is entertaining, provocative and romantic. And, as if it needs more, it has an intriguing premise that forces you think differently about a cultural icon. It uses a beloved story — “The Wizard of Oz” — and turns it on its ear without being offensive to even the staunchest supporters of the original film. At the same time it mutes the darkness of Gregory McGuire’s novel, upon which this show is based, without causing its fans to rebel.

The genius of the show is that all this political intrigue and rebellion is counterbalanced by a couple of love stories. One causes conflict between Glinda, Elphaba and the handsome Fiyero. A case of unrequited love between the crippled Nessarose and the Munchkin Boq causes pain for both. Hard choices must be made and no one seems destined for happy-ever-after.

A lot of fun in the second act comes from seeing how beloved characters, like the Tin Man, the Scarecrow, the Cowardly Lion, and the flying monkeys, evolve through Elphaba’s magical powers. Also clever is discovering the reason for the Kansas tornado that brings Dorothy to Oz and why the magical shoes get their power.

The performances at the Thursday night press opening were impressive. Indeed, Elphaba was performed by Carrie Manolakos, the lead’s standby. If she’s an understudy, I can only imagine the skills of the normal lead, Marcie Dodd. Making the role her own, Manolakos plays Elphaba more vulnerable than dynamic. The approach costs some of her numbers their angry power, but it does make the character more sensitive and brings a tenderness to the romantic songs.

Helene Yorke is a delight as Glinda. It’s actually a more complex role than Elphaba as Glinda is both vain and vindictive as well as caring and brave. Yorke exploits the comical shallowness of the woman without negating her more valuable assets. And she sings enchantingly.

The tech is impressive, with most of the mood set by intense dramatic lighting. There are times where the lyrics of some songs are difficult to understand, but with some of the throwaway songs that’s no loss.

Maybe “Wicked” is a great show as well as great theater.

“Wicked” at Proctors Theatre, Schenectady. Through Jan. 3. Great Seats for Less. Save $20! First-Ever Coupon Codes!
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