Today marks 100 days until the most awarded new blockbuster musical Wicked, one of the most successful shows in Broadway history, premieres in Melbourne as part of the 10th Anniversary Tour.
Wicked previews commence on Wednesday 7th May with opening night scheduled for 100 days from today: Saturday 10 May at the Regent Theatre, Melbourne. Composer Stephen Schwartz recently watched the Australian cast perform in New Zealand and described them as “the best since the original Broadway cast”.
Wicked stars Lucy Durack as Glinda and Jemma Rix as Elphaba, both reprising the roles which shot them to stardom during the original Australian tour. Joining the Wicked Company in his first musical theatre leading role is Steve Danielsen as Fiyero, while doyenne of stage and screen, Maggie Kirkpatrick returns as Madame Morrible. Playing Doctor Dillamond will be Glen Hogstrom, the role of Nessarose will be played by newcomer Emily Cascarino, while Edward Grey will play Boq.
Awe-inspiring and spectacular, Wicked is the untold story of the witches of Oz. Long before Dorothy dropped 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 enthralling story of two unlikely friends and how they became the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good.
The award-winning musical is currently playing in nine productions around the world: New York, London, Japan (Tokyo), South Korea (Seoul), Latin America (Mexico City), a UK tour, two concurrent North American national tours, and the Australian production playing in Manila, the Philippines.
Broadway’s #1 show for an unprecedented ten consecutive years, Wicked has been declared “A Cultural Phenomenon” by Variety and “The Best Musical of the Decade” by Entertainment Weekly. It has been seen by over 38 million people across the globe, grossing over $3.1 billion in worldwide box office. Over 2 million people have enjoyed the Australian production of Wicked and many more will get the chance to see it in 2014.
Wicked
Regent Theatre, Collins Street, Melbourne
Previews: 7 – 9 May 2014
Season from 10 May 2014
Bookings: 1300 111 011 or online at: www.ticketmaster.com.au
For more information, visit: www.wickedthemusical.com.au for details.
Image: by Jeff Busby