National Pink Day takes place on 23 June every year, when everyone is encouraged to wear something pink on this particular day – it is a day of celebrating everything the colour represents.
Since “Pink goes good with Green” – WICKED is joining National Pink Day (today). At the two shows at Melbourne’s Regent Theatre this afternoon, audiences are invited to celebrate and dress up in pink, with a chance to win “best dressed” and a photo with Glinda. A few lucky seat prize winners will also be announced after the show.
WICKED has been casting its spell over Melbourne since March, with ecstatic capacity audiences, five star critical reviews and jubilant praise on social media. Twenty years since celebrating its premiere on Broadway, WICKED remains one of the most successful and popular musicals in the world.
It has won over 100 major awards including the Grammy Award, the Olivier Award, six Helpmann Awards, three Tony Awards® and six Drama Desk Awards. Over 65 million people worldwide have seen this spectacular phenomenon.
The stellar Australian cast is led by Courtney Monsma as Glinda, the bubbly popular girl who becomes “Glinda the Good” and Sheridan Adams as Elphaba, the girl born with emerald-green skin who grows up to become the “Wicked Witch of the West.”
They are joined by Robyn Nevin who plays Madame Morrible, Simon Burke is the Wizard, Liam Head plays Fiyero, Adam Murphy is Dr Dillamond, Shewit Belay plays Nessarose, Kurtis Papadinis is Boq and Zoe Coppinger is the Elphaba Standby.
The talented group of performers comprising the WICKED ensemble and swings includes Christian Ambesi, Conor Bann-Murray, Brittany Carter, Olivia Castagna, Eli Cooper, Matt Cranleigh, Joseph Donovan, Sage Douglas, Bayley John Edmends, Todd Jacobsson, Rohan Khanna, Andrew Kroenert, Elisha Zion Lee, Jordan Malone, Emily Monsma, Matilda Moran, Jackson Reedman, Amelia Sanzo, Edward Smith, Ksenia Teliatnikova, Lucas Van Rhijn, Jessica Vellucci, Mietta White and Jun Woodfield.
Long before Dorothy dropped in, two other young women meet in the land of Oz. One, born with emerald-green skin, is smart, fiery, misunderstood and possessing an extraordinary talent. The other is bubbly, blonde, ambitious and exceptionally popular. They become rivals, then friends… until the world decides to call one “good” and the other one “wicked.”
Based on the novel by Gregory Maguire, WICKED has music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman. The production features musical staging by Wayne Cilento with original direction by Joe Mantello and is produced in Australia by John Frost for Crossroads Live Australia, Marc Platt, Universal Pictures, The Araca Group, Jon B. Platt and David Stone.
WICKED continues at Melbourne’s Regent Theatre until 25 August, before heading to the Lyric Theatre – QPAC, Brisbane in September and Crown Theatre Perth in December 2024. For more information, visit: www.wickedthemusical.com.au for details.
Image: Courtney Monsma as Glinda and Sheridan Adams as Elphaba in WICKED – photo by Jeff Busby