SO MUCH HAPPENED BEFORE DOROTHY DROPPED IN
Wicked, Broadway’s biggest blockbuster, comes to the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center in the 2008/09 season
BY STEPHEN SCHWARTZ AND WINNIE HOLZMAN
BASED ON THE NOVEL BY GREGORY MAGUIRE
MUSICAL STAGING BY WAYNE CILENTO
DIRECTED BY JOE MANTELLO
Appleton, WI (April 11, 2007) - Wicked is a new musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz (Godspell, Pippin, Academy Award® winner for “Pocahontas” and “The Prince of Egypt”) and book by Winnie Holzman (“My So-Called Life,” “Once and Again” and “thirtysomething”) based on the best-selling 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire. Wicked is set to make its Wisconsin premiere at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center during the Center’s 2008/09 season.
“This is very exciting news for us at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center and for those in the community who have been clamoring for us to bring Wicked to the Center,” says Susan Stockton, president of the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center. “This musical is so popular and we know that people can’t wait to see it. We are thrilled to have secured this engagement.” Wicked’s exact run dates and times will be revealed in the 2008/09 season announcement. Tickets for Wicked are not on sale, and season ticket holders and groups will have the first opportunity in 2008 to purchase tickets for this special and limited multi-week engagement.
The musical is directed by 2003 and 2004 Tony Award® winner Joe Mantello (Take Me Out, Assassins, Love! Valour! Compassion!, The Vagina Monologues, Glengarry Glenn Ross) and features musical staging by Tony Award® winner Wayne Cilento (Aida, The Who’s Tommy, How To Succeed…). Wicked, winner of 15 major awards, including a Grammy® and three Tony Awards®, is the untold story of the witches of Oz. It is produced by Marc Platt, Universal Pictures, The Araca Group, Jon B. Platt and David Stone.
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 features set design by Tony Award®-winning Eugene Lee (Ragtime, Show Boat, Candide, Sweeney Todd), costume design by Tony® winner Susan Hilferty (Into the Woods, Assassins), lighting design by Tony® nominee Kenneth Posner (Hairspray) and sound design by Tony Meola (The Lion King and the recent Man of La Mancha). Stephen Oremus is the show’s music director. Orchestrations are by William David Brohn, with dance arrangements by James Lynn Abbott.
The national tour of Wicked has “cast quite a spell” (Washington Post) throughout North America. It opened at Toronto’s Canon Theatre on Tuesday, March 8, 2005 and sold out a seven-week run. Wicked has continued to break box office records and sell out multiple-week engagements in Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and Boston to name a few.
Wicked, “Broadway’s biggest blockbuster” (The New York Times) began performances in New York on Wednesday, October 8, 2003 at The Gershwin Theatre and continues to be the top-grossing show on Broadway. Wicked is “good enough to run for a decade or two,” proclaims The Wall Street Journal. It’s “a cultural phenomenon,” exclaims Variety. “If every musical had the brain, the heart and the courage of Wicked, Broadway really would be a magical place,” states Time Magazine.
The Chicago company of Wicked took the stage on Friday, June 24, 2005 at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Oriental Theatre, and London’s West End production opened at the Apollo Victoria Theatre on September 27, 2006. Most recently, the Los Angeles production of Wicked started performances at the Pantages Theatre on February 10, 2007.
Grammy® Award-winning cast recording available on Decca Broadway. For more information about Wicked log on to wickedthemusicaltour.com.
Photos of Wicked can be found in the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center’s online media resource room.
ABOUT M&I BANK BROADWAY ACROSS AMERICA — FOX CITIES
M&I Bank Broadway Across America — Fox Cities, exclusively at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center, is presented in partnership with Broadway Across America. The Fox Cities Performing Arts Center, located in downtown Appleton, Wisconsin, is a gathering place for the community and a state-of-the-art venue for performing arts. Additional information is available at foxcitiespac.com.
ABOUT BROADWAY ACROSS AMERICA
Broadway Across America presents first-rate touring Broadway shows, family productions and other live theatrical events throughout a network of over 40 North American cities. A leader in subscription series programs and group ticketing, Broadway Across America is dedicated to creating memorable and accessible experiences for all guests, selling over 5 million tickets to over 3,000 performances each year. Broadway Across America is a division of Live Nation (NYSE: LYV), the world’s leading live entertainment company creating superior experiences for artists and fans. For more information or to purchase tickets through an authorized agent go to broadwayacrossamerica.com.
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