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!

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}

Wicked Broadway musical opened at the Gershwin Theatre on 30 Oct 2003, following previews from 8 Oct 2003. Wicked is a standing production at New York, NY and extended its booking period through to 26 Aug 2012 for Gershwin Theatre performances.

Wicked currently features Jackie Burns (Elphaba), Chandra Lee Schwartz (Glinda), Tom McGowan (The Wizard), Kathy Fitzgerald (Madame Morrible), Richard H. Blake (Fiyero), Cristy Cand (Nessarose), Tom Flynn (Doctor Dillamond) and Etai Benshlomo (Boq).

The musical is directed by Joe Mantello, with choreography by James Lynn Abbott, scene design by Eugene Lee, costumes by Susan Hilferty, lighting by Kenneth Posner and sound by Tony Meola.

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 Witch.

Wicked has music & lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, book by Winnie Holzman, based on the novel by Gregory Maguire.

Buy Wicked Gershwin Theatre Tickets Online, Use Code AFF$10 to Get $10 off on Wicked New York NY Ticket Orders over $350!

Wicked Broadway remained #1 for the week ending October 16, 2011, grossing $1,675,421 and had a 99.7% attendance rate. The 26 shows on the boards grossed $21,328,673, climbing 8.1% from the previous week’s totals.

Below are the Top 13 Grosses from BroadwayWorld.com for the week ending October 16, 2011.

1. Wicked – (GERSHWIN) $1,675,421
2. The Lion King – (MINSKOFF) $1,669,563
3. Spider-Man Turn Off The Dark – (FOXWOODS) $1,574,705
4. The Book Of Mormon – (EUGENE O’NEILL) $1,333,950
5. Jersey Boys – (AUGUST WILSON) $1,068,613
6. Follies – (MARQUIS) $1,037,906
7. War Horse – (VIVIAN BEAUMONT) $990,180
8. How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying – (AL HIRSCHFELD) $988,154
9. The Phantom of the Opera – (MAJESTIC) $898,830
10. Priscilla Queen Of The Desert – (PALACE) $860,673
11. Anything Goes – (STEPHEN SONDHEIM) $850,308
12. Mamma Mia! – (WINTER GARDEN) $847,844
13. Billy Elliot: The Musical – (IMPERIAL) $814,662

{Via BroadwayWorld.com}

In honor of the eighth anniversary on Broadway, Wicked Musical will celebrate “Wicked Day” on Sunday, October 30 with a special, one-time only “Ultimate Encore Performance.” To celebrate its eighth anniversary on Broadway, the Stephen Schwartz-Winnie Holzman musical Wicked will host a month-long roster of activities and promotions throughout October.

The production is currently inviting fans of the musical to vote on their favorite song from the show, which will be performed by the current Broadway cast immediately following the Oct. 30 matinee. The one-time-only performance will also be available for viewing via Facebook that evening for Wicked fans across the globe. Please cast your vote for which song will be performed at www.facebook.com/Wickedthemusical.

Wicked fans in the New York area will also be treated to some Wicked-inspired events, including an event at Neiman Marcus; a weekend at the Bronx Zoo; a Tasti D-Lite special; and a special Wicked night out with Satya Jewelry. For more information on “Wicked Day” events, visit www.WickedDay.com.

Buy Wicked Gershwin Theatre Tickets Online, Use Code AFF$10 to Get $10 off on Orders over $350!

The Broadway musical Wicked has extended its booking period through to 1 Jul 2012. The musical opened at the Gershwin Theatre on 30 Oct 2003, following previews from 8 Oct 2003.

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 Witch.

Wicked currently features *Teal Wicks(Elphaba), **Katie Rose Clarke (Glinda), Tom McGowan (The Wizard), Kathy Fitzgerald (Madame Morrible), Richard H. Blake (Fiyero), Cristy Cand (Nessarose), Tom Flynn (Doctor Dillamond) and Etai Benshlomo (Boq). Jackie Burns as Elphaba from 27 Sep and Chandra Lee Schwartz as Glinda from 27 Sep.

Wicked has music & lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, book by Winnie Holzman, based on the novel by Gregory Maguire.

The musical is directed by Joe Mantello, with choreography by James Lynn Abbott, scene design by Eugene Lee, costumes by Susan Hilferty, lighting by Kenneth Posner and sound by Tony Meola.

The production is now booking through 1 Jul 2012 at Gershwin Theatre. Buy Wicked Gershwin Theatre Tickets Online. Use Code AFF$10 to Get $10 OFF on Wicked New York NY Ticket Orders over $350!

Tom McGowan, who received a Tony nomination for his performance in the original Broadway production of La Bête, will join the cast of Wicked Broadway Musical Starting May 03, 2011.

Tom McGowan joins a cast which includes Teal Wicks as Elphaba, Katie Rose Clarke as Glinda, Kathy Fitzgerald as Madame Morrible, Richard H. Blake as Fiyero, Etai BenShlomo as Boq, Jenny Fellner as Nessarose, and Tom Flynn as Dr. Dillamond.

Tom McGowan has appeared on Broadway in Chicago and Ivanov and Off-Broadway in The Food Chain (Obie Award), The Winter’s Tale and Coriolanus.

Wicked explores the early life of the witches of Oz: Glinda and Elphaba. The two main characters meet at Shiz, a school where both hope to take up sorcery. Glinda is madly popular and Elphaba is, well, green. By a misunderstanding, they wind up roommates and, after an initial period of mutual loathing, begin to learn something about each other. Their life paths continue to intersect through a shared love, entry into the Emerald City and interaction with the Wizard himself.

Wicked is a standing production at the Gershwin Theatre. Buy Wicked New York Broadway Tickets Online.

Broadway box offices were busy places last week – 11 musicals made more than $1 million of which Wicked was Big seller again.

The Broadway League said Monday that total grosses for the week ending Sunday soared to $28.9 million, up from $23.8 million the week before.

The numbers, boosted by vacationers, did not even need “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark,” which was on hiatus.

Making the millionaire’s club were perennial big sellers “Wicked,” “Mary Poppins,” “Jersey Boys,” “The Addams Family,” “The Phantom of the Opera,” “Billy Elliot,” “Mamma Mia!” and “The Lion King.” Two new hot tickets were “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,” “The Book of Mormon” and the outgoing “American Idiot.”

Richard H. Blake will assume the role of Fiyero in the Broadway company of Wicked, performing at the Gershwin Theatre, beginning Tuesday, March 29. He will replace Kyle Dean Massey, who plays his final performance on Sunday, March 27.

Based on Gregory Maguire’s novel of the same name, Wicked tells the untold story of the witches of Oz, and how they grew to become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good. The musical features a score by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman. The production is directed by Joe Mantello, with musical staging by Wayne Cilento.

The current cast also includes Teal Wicks as Elphaba, Katie Rose Clarke as Glinda, Kathy Fitzgerald as Madame Morrible, P.J. Benjamin as The Wizard, Etai BenShlomo as Boq, Jenny Fellner as Nessarose, and Tom Flynn as Dr. Dillamond.

Blake previously played his role on the national tour of Wicked. His many Broadway credits include Legally Blonde, The Wedding Singer, Hairspray, Aida, Saturday Night Fever, and Rent.

Wicked is the Standing Productions in New York Broadway – Gershwin Theatre. Buy Wicked Gershwin Theatre Tickets Online.

On Broadway, Wicked grossed $1,526,036 and had a 97.4% attendance rate for the week ending February 20, 2011 and was 0.5% more than the last week. Wicked reported increase over the previous week’s box office. Last week’s biggest earning show on Broadway wasn’t “Wicked” or “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark.” It was an old show (Lion King) that can still roar. The 22 shows on the boards grossed $16,930,141, 10.77% more than that of the previous week.

Below are the Top 10 Grosses for the week ending February 20, 2011.

1. The Lion King – (MINSKOFF) $1,534,779
2. Wicked – (GERSHWIN) $1,526,036
3. Spider-Man Turn Off The Dark – (FOXWOODS) $1,476,828
4. American Idiot – (ST. JAMES) $1,144,030
5. The Merchant Of Venice – (BROADHURST) $1,125,273
6. Jersey Boys – (AUGUST WILSON) $986,328
7. The Addams Family – (LUNT-FONTANNE) $949,966
8. Billy Elliot: The Musical – (IMPERIAL) $873,024
9. Mary Poppins – (NEW AMSTERDAM) $870,028
10. MAMMA MIA! – (WINTER GARDEN) $764,201

{Via BroadwayWorld.com}