How did the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz become so wicked? The Wicked musical answers that question. The musical, with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and book by Winnie Holzman, takes place in the land of Oz before Dorothy’s arrival. Show The show is about two young witches: Elphaba, whose skin is green, and Glinda, who is blonde and beautiful. They dislike each other at first but soon form an unlikely bond. The musical follows them from their girlhood friendship and explains how Elphaba became the Wicked Witch and Glinda became the Good Witch. Wicked may be based on The Wizard of Oz and the Gregory Maguire novel Wicked, but the musical has become its own cultural phenomenon due to its moving portrayal of female friendship and its memorable songs, from “Defying Gravity” to “For Good.” Not to mention the special effects, from Glinda’s descent from the sky in a sea of bubbles, to Elphaba flying on her broomstick. Wicked is not just a fresh story about two well-known characters, it’s also a spectacular megamusical. Come on down to the Ozdust Ballroom and learn more about Wicked, with characters, running time, songs, and behind-the-scenes history of how the show was made. Get Wicked tickets on New York Theatre Guide. What is Wicked about?Wicked is based on the 1995 Gregory Maguire novel, Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. The book is a revisionist take on The Wizard of Oz, both the L. Frank Baum novel and the Judy Garland-led film. In the musical, which takes place before Dorothy Gale arrives in Oz, the young wicked witch, named Elphaba, is an outcast because of her atypical green skin. She meets a young Galinda (later Glinda) while studying magic at Shiz University. In contrast to Elphaba, Glinda is blonde and conventionally beautiful. The two get paired as roommates and are initially enemies, but they eventually become best friends. The two are driven apart when Elphaba discovers that the man behind the curtain, the Wonderful Wizard of Oz, is actually a fraud. The Wizard wants to turn the talking, intelligent animals of Oz into unintelligible beasts. Elphaba’s discovery of the corruption in Oz, and her fight against it, gets her painted as a Wicked Witch, as the citizens of Oz are convinced to stand by the Wizard. Elphaba's crusade also tests Glinda and Elphaba’s friendship, as Glinda is torn between following the rules in Oz or standing by her friend. Wicked is about female friendship, discrimination, governmental corruption, and the musical shows how the iconic characters in The Wizard of Oz (not just the witches, but the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion, too) came to be.
The company of Wicked. (Photo credit: Joan Marcus) Wicked is currently running at the Gershwin Theatre, located at 222 West 51st Street, between Broadway and Ninth Avenue. The Gershwin Theatre is named after famed composers George and Ira Gershwin. It is the largest theatre on Broadway, with 1,933 seats. How long is Wicked?Wicked runs 2 hours and 45 minutes with one 15-minute intermission. This is a standard running time for a Broadway musical. It’s recommended that you eat before the show. What days is Wicked playing?Wicked plays eight performances a week at the Gershwin Theatre. The show typically runs Tuesday to Sunday, and sometimes there are two performances on Saturday, as well as either Wednesday or Sunday depending on the week. Wicked is dark on Monday. For the complete weekly performance schedule and up-to-date show times, please visit the Wicked page to learn more. When did Wicked premiere?Wicked began in 1996, when Stephen Schwartz was on vacation in Hawaii with his friend, songwriter John Bucchino. There Bucchino recommended that Schwarz read Gregory Maguire’s book Wicked. Schwartz did just that. He immediately fell in love with the idea of a musical about the Wicked Witch of the West and called his agent to get the rights to the book. Unfortunately, Maguire had sold the adaptation rights to the book to Universal Pictures, who wanted to make a film. However, Schwartz eventually succeeded, and the hit musical was born.
Lindsay Heather Pearce as Elphaba in Wicked. (Photo credit: Joan Marcus) Wicked features music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman. Schwartz is a prolific stage and screen composer. On stage, his musicals include Pippin and Godspell. Schwartz is also known for writing the songs for the Disney films Pocahontas and The Hunchback of Notre Dame, as well as the DreamWorks animated film The Prince of Egypt (Schwartz has also adapted the latter two into stage musicals). Schwartz has won one Tony Award, three Academy Awards, and one Golden Globe Award. Winnie Holzman is a screenwriter who received an Emmy nomination for the ABC teen series My So-Called Life. Her other television writing credit is on Once and Again. Aside from Wicked, Holzman has written one other musical, Birds of Paradise, which was produced off Broadway in 1987. Wicked charactersThe two lead characters of Wicked are Elphaba and Glinda, but the cast includes many other memorable characters, including some all-new names among the classic Wizard of Oz characters. Below are the main characters in the show and notable people who have played them.
Brittney Johnson as Glinda in Wicked. She is the first Black woman to play the role full-time on Broadway. (Photo credit: Joan Marcus) From “Defying Gravity” to "Popular," Wicked is full of show-stopping anthems that even casual theatre fans will recognize. From upbeat songs like "Dancing Through Life" to emotional ballads like "For Good," the Wicked songs cover emotions from hope to loss to love in one short show. Here are all the songs you'll hear when you see Wicked on Broadway. Act One
Act Two
Michael McCormick as the Wizard in Wicked. (Photo credit: Joan Marcus) Like Glinda herself, Wicked is very popular. Below are some of the awards that Wicked has won.
Major productions of WickedSince its premiere in 2003 on Broadway, Wicked has been dancing through life around the world. Here are some of the notable productions of Wicked, with some behind-the-scenes facts.
Onscreen adaptations of WickedA film adaptation has been in the works since 2004 with Universal Pictures. In February 2021, Jon M. Chu, who directed the In the Heights film, signed on to direct the Wicked film. In November 2021, the two lead cast members were announced: Tony Award winner Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Grammy winner Ariana Grande as Glinda. Production is set to begin on Wicked in summer 2022 in the U.K. Idina Menzel said in an interview that she and Kristin Chenoweth were now too old to play the characters they created.
Sharon Sachs as Madame Morrible in Wicked. (Photo credit: Joan Marcus) From how to get Elphaba’s iconic green makeup to how Wicked is different from the novel on which it’s based, here are some facts about Wicked that every Ozian should know.
How to get Wicked ticketsIf you are a fan of The Wizard of Oz or want to see a moving musical about female friendship, Wicked will leave you changed for good. Whether by broomstick, flying monkey, or a walk on the yellow brick road, get to the Gershwin to see one of Broadway's biggest blockbusters of the 21st century. Wicked tickets are available now. Get tickets to Wicked on New York Theatre Guide today. |