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!

Wicked Western Canada Tour closes in Vancouver, BC Canada and moved to Calgary, Alberta Canada.

Wicked has begun performances at Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium today June 29, 2011 and will close on Sunday July 17, 2011.

Wicked is a new musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz (Godspell, Pippin, Academy Award winner for Pocahontas and The Prince of Egypt) and book by Winnie Holzman (“My So Called Life,” “Once And Again” and “thirtysomething”) based on the best-selling 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire. Wicked is set to make its Calgary premiere at the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium starting June 29, 2011.

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.

Wicked is presented by Broadway Across Canada and is part of a five city tour in Western Canada including dates in Vancouver (June 1 – 26, 2011), Calgary (June 29 – July 17, 2011), Edmonton (July 20 – August 7, 2011), Saskatoon (August 10 – 21, 2011) and Winnipeg (August 24 – September 4, 2011).

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. 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 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 for better seats before they all go on sale. Use Code AFF$10 to Get $10 OFF on Orders over $350!

On Broadway, Wicked grossed $1,830,739 with 100% attendance rate for the week ending June 26, 2011. The 30 shows on the boards grossed $23,765,758, increasing nearly 4% from the previous week’s totals.

Below are the Top 13 Grosses for the week ending June 26, 2011.

1. Wicked – (GERSHWIN) $1,830,739
2. The Lion King – (MINSKOFF) $1,748,215
3. Spider-Man Turn Off The Dark – (FOXWOODS) $1,702,866
4. The Book Of Mormon – (EUGENE O’NEILL) $1,215,619
5. Mary Poppins – (NEW AMSTERDAM) $1,103,991
6. Jersey Boys – (AUGUST WILSON) $1,068,423
7. How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying – (AL HIRSCHFELD) $1,054,587
8. The Phantom of the Opera – (MAJESTIC) $1,006,430
9. Sister Act – (BROADWAY) $990,657
10. War Horse – (VIVIAN BEAUMONT) $960,285
11. Billy Elliot: The Musical – (IMPERIAL) $951,214
12. Mamma Mia! – (WINTER GARDEN) $892,334
13. Memphis – (SHUBERT) $864,550

{Via BroadwayWorld.com}

The Wicked national tour, visiting Washington for the first time since 2005, sounds first-rate. Cooper ably recalls Glinda’s originator, Kristin Chenoweth, in her comic timing for “Popular,” and she and Roscioli mesh expertly in their second act duet, “For Good.” Randy Danson’s Madame Morrible is as persuasive an inhabitant of that oleaginous part as you’re likely to encounter, and Colin Hanlon is a dashing presence as Fiyero, the romantic wedge between Elphaba and Glinda.

“Wicked,” with an infectiously pulsing score by Stephen Schwartz, is the environmentally and politically conscious back story of “The Wizard of Oz,” told from the points of view of one witch labeled good and the other wicked. But labels, the show informs us, are never to be trusted — one of the hardest truths to drum into high schoolers’ heads.

What accounts for the truly devotional impact of “Wicked”? People don’t just pay to see this show, which is making a return, summer-long visit to the Kennedy Center; they open their wallets as if it were their obligation to tithe for Elphaba and Glinda (and, of course, the musical’s savvy investors).

Eight years after its opening, it is still regularly Broadway’s top-grossing show. Last week, it took in $1.7 million in New York — the nearest empty seats were in a diner down the block. In the Kennedy Center Opera House, center orchestra seats for evening performances are selling for up to $250 each, and are going fast. The musical’s reach, measured in other terms: When “Glee’s” Kurt and Rachel traveled to show-choir nationals in New York, their dream-come-true moment was singing a “Wicked” tune on the Broadway stage.

Read the complete review at The Washington Post.

Wicked is currently playing on tour in Vancouver, BC Canada and Washington-DC.

Wicked will be returning to The Buell Theatre, Denver in April 2012. Denver Center Attractions has announced a high-spirited, award-winning season of Broadway hits headed to Denver, Colorado. The 2012 season includes the return of Wicked, the 2010 Best Musical Tony Award winner.

Wicked will be playing at The Buell Theatre from April 11 to May 20, 2012. Winner of 35 major awards, including a Grammy and three Tony Awards, Wicked is Broadway’s biggest blockbuster, a cultural phenomenon and was just named “the defining musical of the decade” by The New York Times.

Long before that girl from Kansas arrives in Munchkinland, two 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. How these two grow to become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good makes for “the most complete and completely satisfying new musical in a long time” (USA Today). Entertainment Weekly calls Wicked “the best musical of the decade.”

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The hit Broadway musical Wicked return to Washington, DC after breaking box office records at the Kennedy Center (The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 2700 F Street, NW Washington, DC 20566) and selling out in record time in 2005. It’s been many years since Wicked first wowed audiences at the Kennedy Center, and its wasting no time making amends with a two-month stand. Don’t miss Wicked at the Kennedy Center, is here for a limited 10-week engagement.

The show opened Wednesday, June 15th night and will run through Sunday, August 21 at the Kennedy Center Opera House. The “untold story of the witches of Oz,” has won three Tony Awards and a Grammy among 35 major honors.

The cast features Dee Roscioli as Elphaba, Amanda Jane Cooper as Glinda. “Wicked” has broken box office records in every city it has played, including Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Philadelphia and Boston.

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According to TicketNews’ exclusive weekly events rankings, Wicked was the hottest selling event on the secondary market for the week ending Sunday, June 12. Power scoring a 3.88, the popular Broadway production made it back to the leader position after a five week absence.

In Top Theater, “Wicked” led the list with a solid power score of 20.99, followed closely behind by “The Book of Mormon” (two, 16.79). At three was Les Miserables (6.06), “Jersey Boys” took four (4.92) and “War Horse” finished the week at five (4.73). Yet another Cirque production made it beyond the Vegas rankings, with Alegria in at six (3.55), followed by Billy Elliot (seven, 2.94), “Lion King” (eight, 2.67), Cirque’s “Zarkana” (nine, 2.67), and West Side Story (ten, 2.60).

Top Theater Events For The Week Ending 6/12/2011:

1. Wicked Tickets, Score 20.99
2. The Book Of Mormon Tickets, Score 16.79
3. Les Miserables Tickets, Score 6.06
4. Jersey Boys Tickets, Score 4.92
5. War Horse Tickets, Score 4.73
6. Cirque Du Soleil – Alegria Tickets, Score 3.55
7. Billy Elliot Tickets, Score 2.94
8. Lion King Tickets, Score 2.67
9. Cirque Du Soleil – Zarkana Tickets, Score 2.67
10. West Side Story Tickets, Score 2.60

{Via TicketNews.com}

Joe Mantello’s stage production of Wicked is a suspenseful story about appearances versus reality, and doing the right thing as opposed to what is popular.

Wicked is currently performing at Queen Elizabeth Theatre and playing thru Sunday, June 26, 2011.

Wicked is the untold story of the witches of Oz “long before Dorothy dropped in.”

Elphaba (Anne Brummel) and Glinda (Natalie Daradich) form an unlikely friendship on their journey to becoming the Wicked Witch of the West, and Glinda the Good. Elphalba is gregarious, gifted, and green, while Glinda is pretty, petty, and popular. The two friends come to a collision course as they fall in love with the same man (Fiyero, played with easy charm by David Nathan Perlow) and find themselves on the opposite sides of a political struggle.

At the show’s opening, the elaborate set lit up with an enormous dragon that stretched the width of the stage, and Glinda the Good gliding down in an enormous silver bubble.

It’s present day, the wicked witch has been melted (not a spoiler if you’ve seen the Wizard of Oz) and Glinda has some questions to answer.

The story then jumps back in time to how Glinda and Elphaba first met, before either was born, then slowly forward to present day: moving through schools, the Emerald City, the palace of the Wizard of Oz, and the hideaway where Elphalba organizes a rebellion against the corrupt government.

The stage design is breathtaking, with large mechanical props, flying monkeys dangling from wires, alternating indoor and outdoor sets of schools, dorms, parks, and dungeons. With flying monkeys, wizards and witchcraft, talking goats, the set recreates the universe from Maguire’s book.

The animals are a key part of the Wicked drama: highly intelligent creatures, the animals in Oz are capable of speech and have no human masters or owners. Authorities, however, are working to robbing the animals of their speech capability and spreading the idea that animals are to be kept in cages.

Brummel is convincing as Elphalba, defiantly defending the animals in Oz, even as her activities lead her to be ostracized as the “wicked” witch of the West. Daradich was excellent as Glinda, who struggles with her desire to support her friend yet also keep her social status and popularity. Audiences are kept on edge whether Glinda help her friend, or continue being “good” merely in the eyes of the public.

Fans of the book may be disappointed to see that the musical often deviates from the original story. Some of the basic plot points remain in tact, but the political edge has disappeared, the characters are far more light-hearted. The relationships between the characters and their histories have been altered or mixed up, and wraps up with a crowd-pleasing ending — Glinda and Elphalba are happily reunited, with Glinda becoming the new ruler of Oz. It’s a big departure from the original story, which shows Elphalba’s near-certain death at Dorothy’s hands.

{Via VancouverObserver.com}

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