WICKED CELEBRATES 10 YEARS IN THE WEST END TONIGHT: UK & IRELAND TOUR RETURNS IN 2018.
WICKED,
the West End musical phenomenon that tells the incredible untold
story of the Witches of Oz, celebrates an extraordinary 10 years at
London’s Apollo Victoria Theatre tonight (Tuesday
27 September 2016).
Over the past decade, Wicked
has attained many accolades and achieved numerous milestones to
become “one
of the most popular West End musicals ever”
(London Evening Standard).
Already the 8th longest running show currently playing in the West End.
• On
Saturday
12th
November 2016 at 2:30pm,
Wicked
will become the 18th
longest running show in West End theatre history, surpassing the run
of the original production of Miss
Saigon
at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane.
• One
of only three Broadway transfers in West End theatre history to ever
run 10 years or more (the two others being Disney’s The
Lion King
and the 1997 revival of Chicago).
• Already
seen by nearly 8 million people in London alone, the production has
employed over
1600
people,
as well as multiple contractors and companies, since its London
premiere.
• First show in West End history to gross over £1,000,000 in single week (week-ending Saturday 1 January 2011). The production has gone on to break this record on many subsequent occasions, most recently during week-ending Saturday 2 January 2016.
• First show in West End history to gross over £1,000,000 in single week (week-ending Saturday 1 January 2011). The production has gone on to break this record on many subsequent occasions, most recently during week-ending Saturday 2 January 2016.
• Almost
£1
million raised
for charity through its FOR GOOD programme and many other charitable
endeavours, including the planting of over nearly
35,000
new
trees
in support of The Woodland Trust.
• Launched in 2010 with the National Literacy Trust, the Wicked Young Writer Awards, spearheaded by Michael Morpurgo and Patron HRH The Duchess of Cornwall, has inspired the writing of over 25,000 original stories from young people across the UK. www.wickedyoungwriterawards.com
• Winner of 2 Olivier Audience Awards, 9 WhatsOnStage Awards (including ‘Best New Musical’ and ‘Best West End Show’), a Visit London Gold Award, an Evening Standard Theatre Award and over 100 awards worldwide.
In
celebration of Wicked’s
10th
birthday, theatre owner ATG has invested in the complete
refurbishment of the Apollo Victoria Theatre auditorium and Front of
House areas. All seats and carpets have been replaced with designs
replicated from the original design of the Grade II* listed venue
that first opened its doors, as the New Victoria Cinema, in 1930.
Executive
Producer (UK) Michael
McCabe
said: “On
behalf of Marc Platt, David Stone, Universal Stage Productions and
all of the producers, I would like to offer our heartfelt thanks to
all of our casts, musicians and production staff who have worked so
tirelessly, and with such diligence and dedication, in helping to
achieve this incredible milestone. It continues to be an absolute
privilege to work with so many exceptionally talented individuals and
companies and we couldn’t be more proud of, and grateful to, every
single one of you. And to our audiences, who have so passionately
supported and championed Wicked over the past decade, we offer our
deepest gratitude.”
Wicked
currently stars
Rachel Tucker
(Elphaba),
Suzie
Mathers
(Glinda),
Oliver
Savile
(Fiyero),
Anita
Dobson
(Madame
Morrible),
Mark
Curry
(The
Wizard),
Martin
Ball
(Doctor
Dillamond),
Katie
Rowley Jones
(Nessarose),
Idriss
Kargbo (Boq),
Alice
Fearn
(Standby for Elphaba)
and Carina
Gillespie
(Standby for Glinda).
Please
note that
Rachel Tucker,
Anita
Dobson
and Katie
Rowley Jones
appear until Saturday 28 January 2017 only.
From
Monday
30 January 2017,
international Wicked
star Willemijn
Verkaik
will return to play Elphaba
(a role she has previously played to great acclaim in Germany,
Holland, on Broadway and in the West End); Sue
Kelvin will
return to play Madame
Morrible
and Sarah
McNicholas
will join the company to play Nessarose.
Based
on the international best-selling novel by Gregory
Maguire
that ingeniously re-imagines the stories and characters created by L.
Frank Baum
in ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz’, Wicked
tells the incredible untold story of an unlikely but profound
friendship between two sorcery students. Their extraordinary
adventures in Oz will ultimately see them fulfil their destinies as
Glinda
The Good
and the Wicked
Witch of the West.
Wicked
has
music and lyrics by multi Grammy®
and
Academy®
Award-winner Stephen
Schwartz
(Godspell;
Disney’s Pocahontas,
The
Hunchback of Notre Dame and
Enchanted)
and is based on the novel ‘Wicked:
The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West’
by Gregory
Maguire
and adapted for the stage by Winnie
Holzman.
Musical
staging is by Tony®
Award-winner Wayne
Cilento and
the production is directed by two-time Tony®
Award-winner Joe
Mantello.
Wicked
is produced by Marc
Platt,
Universal
Stage Productions,
The
Araca Group,
Jon
B. Platt
and David
Stone.
Executive
Producer (UK) Michael
McCabe.
Through
its FOR
GOOD
programme and other charitable endeavours, Wicked
is proud to currently support the remarkable work of the following UK
charities: Anti-Bullying
Alliance
(ABA); the Cybersmile
Foundation;
the Helen
Bamber Foundation;
the Rainbow
Trust Children's Charity;
Stonewall's
‘Education For All’ campaign; The
Woodland Trust
and the National
Literacy Trust.
Further information can be found at www.WickedForGood.co.uk
NOW
BOOKING TO SATURDAY 4
NOVEMBER 2017
Apollo
Victoria Theatre, Wilton Road, London, SW1V 1LG
Official
UK website:
www.WickedTheMusical.co.uk