Press Release TH HIT MUSICAL WICKED NOW THE 10 LONGEST RUNNING SHOW IN THE WEST END WINNER OF 100 INTERNATIONAL AWARDS WICKED, the award-winning musical that tells the incredible untold story of the Witches of Oz, is currently in its 8th year at London’s Apollo Victoria Theatre and is now the 10th longest running show in the West End. Acclaimed as “one of the most popular West End musicals ever" (Evening Standard), the London production of the global musical phenomenon has already been seen by over 6 million people since its premiere in September 2006 and played over 3000 performances. Around the world, Wicked has been seen by 42 million people in 13 countries and won an incredible 100 international awards. The original Broadway production remains “Broadway’s biggest blockbuster” (The New York Times) after more than a decade at the Gershwin Theatre. The London production currently stars Kerry Ellis (Elphaba)*, Savannah Stevenson (Glinda), Jeremy Taylor (Fiyero), Sue Kelvin (Madame Morrible), Martyn Ellis (The Wizard), Paul Clarkson (Doctor Dillamond), Sam Lupton (Boq), Katie Rowley Jones (Nessarose), Emma Hatton (Standby Elphaba) and Sophie Linder-Lee (Standby Glinda). *Kerry Ellis appears from 4 August-25 October 2014. Cast subject to change. While continuing its open-ended London run, a spectacular new production is also touring the UK until the summer of 2015. “This thrillingly entertaining show” (Manchester Evening News) has broken countless Box Office records and won multiple five star reviews across England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. Wicked has music and lyrics by multi GRAMMY® and Academy Award® winner Stephen Schwartz, a book by Winnie Holzman, musical staging by Wayne Cilento and is directed by two-time Tony Award® winner and Olivier Award nominee Joe Mantello. Wicked is based on the international best-selling novel ‘Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West’ by Gregory Maguire. Based on novel by Gregory Maguire that ingeniously re-imagined 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 is produced by: Marc Platt, Universal Stage Productions, The Araca Group, Jon B. Platt and David Stone. Executive Producer (UK): Michael McCabe. Apollo Victoria Theatre, Wilton Road, London, SW1V 1LG 1 minute from London Victoria Mainline and Underground Stations. Official UK website: www.WickedTheMusical.co.uk Wicked spearheads and supports a range of good causes born out of the themes of the award-winning musical. Discover more at: www.WickedForGood.co.uk UK Press Contacts: Jo Allan and Alona Fogel for Jo Allan PR TEL: +44 (0) 20 7520 9392 EMAIL: [email protected], [email protected] LISTINGS INFORMATION NOW BOOKING TO SATURDAY 25 APRIL 2015 Apollo Victoria Theatre, Wilton Road, London, SW1V 1LG The theatre is 1 minute from London Victoria Mainline and Underground Stations Official UK website: www.WickedTheMusical.co.uk Box Office and 24 Hour Credit Card Bookings: ATG Tickets 0844 871 3001 / www.ATGTickets.com (up to £2.75 per ticket service charge and £3.00 processing fee per transaction). No booking fees or transaction charges for tickets booked in person at the Box Office Group Sales (10 tickets or more): Groupline 020 7420 9700 (no booking or processing fees for group bookings of 10 or more). Performance Times: Monday-Saturday 7.30pm Matinees Wednesday & Saturday 2.30pm Running time: 2 hours and 45 minutes including a 20 minute interval Extra shows now on sale: 21 & 28 August, 22, 23, 29 & 30 December 2014, 19 February & 9 April 2015, all at 2.30pm Christmas 2014/15 performance schedule: Monday 22 December – 2.30pm & 7.30pm Tuesday 23 December – 2.30pm & 7:30pm Wednesday 24 December – 2:30pm Thursday 25 December – no performance Friday 26 December - 7.30pm Saturday 27 December - 2.30pm & 7.30pm Monday 29 December – 2:30pm & 7:30pm Tuesday 30 December – 2.30pm & 7.30pm Wednesday 31 December - 2.30pm Thursday 1 January - 7.30pm Friday 2 January – 7.30pm Saturday 3 January - 2.30pm & 7.30pm Ticket prices: In person at the Box Office: tickets from £15.00 at every performance: Monday-Friday 7.30pm, Wednesday & Saturday 2.30pm: £15.00, £25.00, £30.00, £35.00, £45.00, £55.00, £65.00 Saturday Evenings & Peak Weeks*: £15.00, £25, £30.00, £35.00, £45.00, £55.00, £67.50 For the best seat locations, choose Premium Seats: £90.00/£95.00 Online & Telephone Bookings: Open 24 Hours (a £3.00 per booking transaction fee also applies): Monday-Friday 7.30pm, Wednesday & Saturday 2.30pm: £17.25, £27.25, £32.75, £37.75, £47.75, £57.75, £67.75 Saturday Evenings & Peak Weeks*: £17.25, £27.25, £32.75, £37.75, £47.75, £57.75, £70.25 For the best seat locations, choose Premium Seats: £92.75/£97.75 *Contact the Box Office for more information about Peak Weeks. All ticket prices include a £1.50 Theatre Restoration Levy. Day Seats: £29.50 - twenty-four front row Stalls seats released daily at 10.00am at the Box Office. Students: Best available seats £29.50 from 10.00am at Monday-Friday 7.30pm and Wednesday & Saturday 2.30pm at the Box Office with student ID. Subject to availability. One ticket per ID. Standby Concessions: Best available seats £29.50 from 6pm at Monday-Friday 7.30pm performances and from 12 noon at Wednesday and Saturday 2.30pm performances at the Box Office for Senior Citizens, Jobseekers, Equity, BECTU and MU members and registered disabled. Subject to availability. One ticket per ID. WICKED Wicked has music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, a book by Winnie Holzman, scenic design by Eugene Lee, costumes by Susan Hilferty, lighting by Kenneth Posner, sound by Tony Meola, projection designs by Elaine J McCarthy, Hair and Wig designs by Tom Watson, music arrangements by Alex Lacamoire and Stephen Oremus, dance arrangements by James Lynn Abbott, orchestrations by William David Brohn, musical supervision by Stephen Oremus, musical staging by Wayne Cilento and is directed by Joe Mantello. WICKED LONDON The London production premiered on 27 September 2006 (with previews from 7 September) and has now been seen by over 6 million people. Wicked has been hailed as “the biggest thing in musicals since The Phantom of the Opera opened” (The Times), “one of the biggest hits of our age” (The Observer) and “one of the most popular West End musicals ever" (London Evening Standard). Wicked continues to be the top choice of West End theatregoers having been voted Most Popular Show (Olivier Awards), Best Night Out (Evening Standard Theatre Awards), Best West End Show (Whatsonstage Awards in both 2011 and 2010) and Best Family Fun (Visit London Awards). WICKED UK & IRELAND TOUR The UK & Ireland Tour premiered in Manchester on 17 September 2013 (with previews from 12 September). This spectacular production has already broken Box Office records and been acclaimed as “so magical it defies belief” (Irish Daily Mail), “quite simply, the best musical I’ve ever seen” (Yorkshire Evening Post), “an evening of wall-to-wall musical perfection” (Sale & Altrincham Messenger), and “truly is a global phenomenon, and it deserves to be - the music is irresistibly catchy, the lyrics a perfect blend of poetry and wit and the plot, based on the novel by Gregory Maguire, is remarkably clever” (Huddersfield Daily Examiner). The show has already won multiple 5 star reviews across England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. Critics also acclaimed the high quality of the production: “rest assured that this first touring production maintains the spectacular staging, costume design and magic of the original” (Manchester Evening News); “the production values are incredible - this is every bit the West End show” (The Public Reviews) and “this incarnation of the West End smash flew in and totally ripped up the rule book that states touring shows should somehow be second rate to London or Broadway. This interpretation is truly phenomenal” (Daily Record, Glasgow). WICKED WORLDWIDE Wicked has already been seen by 42 million people worldwide and grossed in excess of $3.4 billion at the Box Office. It has won 100 international awards. The global musical phenomenon has been performed in over 100 cities in 13 countries around the world (United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Japan, Germany, Holland, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, The Philippines and Mexico) and has been translated into five languages: Japanese, German, Dutch, Spanish, and Korean. The original Broadway production remains “Broadway’s biggest blockbuster” (The New York Times) after more than a decade at the Gershwin Theatre. Wicked has been recognised as “the best musical of the decade” (Entertainment Weekly), “the defining musical of the decade” (The New York Times), “a cultural phenomenon” (Variety) and “a breathtaking success story of a magnitude not witnessed since the peak years of The Phantom of the Opera” (The Washington Post). WICKED – THE STORY If you think you know the Wicked Witch of the West, think again... When Dorothy famously triumphed over the Wicked Witch, we only ever heard one side of the story. Gregory Maguire’s “outstanding novel” (The Independent), ‘Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West’, ingeniously and wittily re-imagined the Land of Oz, creating a parallel universe to the familiar story written by L. Frank Baum and first published as ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz’ in 1900. Wicked tells the incredible untold story of an unlikely but profound friendship between two girls who first meet as sorcery students at Shiz University: the blonde and very popular Glinda and a misunderstood green girl named Elphaba.