Wicked (musical) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Wicked |
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| The Untold Story of the Witches of Oz | |
Official poster of the original Broadway production
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| Music | Stephen Schwartz |
| Lyrics | Stephen Schwartz |
| Book | Winnie Holzman |
| Basis | Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire |
| Productions | 2003 San Francisco (tryout) 2003 Broadway 2005 1st U.S. tour 2006 West End 2009 2nd U.S. tour 2013 1st UK/Ireland tour 2017 2nd UK/Ireland tour 2023 3rd UK/Ireland Tour Multiple international productions (see below) |
| Awards | Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Musical Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Book of a Musical Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Broadway Musical Drama League Award for Distinguished Production of a Musical |
Wicked is a super popular musical that first opened in 2003. It has amazing music and songs by Stephen Schwartz. The story, called the "book," was written by Winnie Holzman.
This musical is based on a 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire called Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. That book, in turn, was inspired by L. Frank Baum's classic 1900 story, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and the famous 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz.
Contents
What is Wicked About?
Wicked tells a new version of the classic Oz story. It focuses on the witches of the Land of Oz. The musical's plot starts even before Dorothy Gale arrives in Oz from Kansas.
The story is about two very different friends: Elphaba and Galinda. Elphaba later becomes the Wicked Witch of the West. Galinda changes her name to Glinda the Good Witch. Their friendship faces many challenges. They have opposite personalities and different ideas about things. They even like the same person!
Their relationship also struggles because of the Wizard's unfair government. Elphaba eventually becomes an animal activist. This leads to her becoming known as the "Wicked Witch."
How Wicked Began
The very first production of Wicked was a big success. It was put together by Universal Stage Productions. Other important people involved were Marc Platt, Jon B. Platt, and David Stone. Joe Mantello directed the show, and Wayne Cilento created the dances.
Before it opened on Broadway, Wicked had some test performances. These tryouts happened at San Francisco's Curran Theatre in May and June 2003. The show then officially opened on Broadway in October 2003. It has been playing at the Gershwin Theatre ever since.
The original stars were amazing! Idina Menzel played Elphaba, and Kristin Chenoweth played Glinda. Joel Grey took on the role of the Wizard. The Broadway production won three Tony Awards and seven Drama Desk Awards. The album of the original cast singing the songs even won a Grammy Award!
On October 28, 2019, Wicked reached a huge milestone. It had its 6,681st performance. This meant it passed Les Misérables to become Broadway's fifth-longest running show. A typical performance of Wicked lasts about two hours and 30 minutes, including a short break.
Wicked's Global Success
The Broadway show was so popular that it led to many other productions around the world. There's a very long-running show in London's West End. Wicked has broken box-office records in many cities. These include Los Angeles, Chicago, St. Louis, and London.
In one week, ending January 2, 2011, the London, Broadway, and both North American touring shows all broke their own records. They earned the most money ever in a single week! In the last week of 2013, the Broadway show broke this record again, making $3.2 million.
In 2016, Wicked earned over $1 billion in total on Broadway. It joined only two other shows, The Phantom of the Opera and The Lion King, in reaching this huge amount. By 2017, Wicked became Broadway's second-highest earning musical, right behind The Lion King. Wicked has been performed in 16 different countries and is still going strong!
Wicked on the Big Screen
A movie version of Wicked is currently being made! It will be split into two parts. Jon M. Chu is directing the films. Cynthia Erivo will play Elphaba, and Ariana Grande will play Glinda. Jonathan Bailey will be Fiyero.
The first movie is planned to come out on Christmas Day in 2024. The second part will follow about a year later.
Songs from Wicked
The musical has many memorable songs that help tell the story.
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Note: The song "The Wicked Witch of the East" is not on the official cast recording. The creators felt it had too much talking and would give away parts of the story to people who hadn't seen the show yet.
Special TV Shows for Wicked
In October 2018, NBC aired a special TV show. It was called A Very Wicked Halloween: Celebrating 15 Years on Broadway. The original stars, Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, hosted it. Many famous singers performed songs from Wicked. These included Ariana Grande, Pentatonix, Adam Lambert, and others. The current Broadway cast also performed. The show was directed by Glenn Weiss.
Another Wicked concert special aired on PBS on August 29, 2021. This one was also hosted by Chenoweth and Menzel. It featured a new group of talented performers. They sang many of the musical numbers. Some of these stars were Rita Moreno, Cynthia Erivo, and Ariana DeBose.
Images for kids
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Wicked composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz
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The Curran Theatre in San Francisco, where Wicked made its debut
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The original Broadway production has been at the Gershwin Theatre since its opening in 2003.
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A sit-down production of Wicked ran at the Orpheum Theatre in San Francisco, California for more than a year.
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Since its opening, the London production has played at the Apollo Victoria Theatre
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Touring cast members in the curtain call at a show in Omaha, Nebraska
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Playing at the Oriental Theatre for more than three years, the Chicago production continually broke box-office records.
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The Los Angeles production played at the Pantages Theatre for almost two years, grossing more than $145 million.
See also
In Spanish: Wicked para niños
