DEFYING GRAVITY: Tony, Olivier & Grammy Award-Winning Musical WICKED Celebrates 15th Birthday In London’s West End

Composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz in London to celebrate landmark anniversary Tony, Olivier & Grammy Award-winning musical currently booking to Sunday 22 May 2022

Wicked, the West End and Broadway musical phenomenon that tells the incredible untold story of the Witches of Oz, tonight (28 September 2021) celebrates 15 years at London’s Apollo Victoria Theatre.  The award-winning production will play a celebratory performance attended by the composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz together with a host of former cast members. 

Composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz said “I'm thrilled to be in London and in the audience at the Apollo Victoria Theatre as Wicked celebrates its 15^th anniversary. The amazing emotion and euphoria from the audience on the night the show resumed performances on Broadway made clear to us all the magic that only the shared experience of live theatre can deliver. I am so excited to feel the response from London audiences, especially on this landmark occasion, and I very much hope the show will help drive a revitalized West End.” 

UK Executive Producer Michael McCabe said “On behalf of David Stone, Marc Platt, Universal Stage Productions and all of the producers, I would like to offer our heartfelt thanks to all of our exceptionally talented casts, musicians and production staff who have worked so tirelessly and passionately on Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman’s extraordinary musical since our London premiere in 2006. As we celebrate the incredible milestone of 15 years - as well as the reopening of theatres and return of live performances across the country – we also offer our deepest gratitude to our audiences who have so enthusiastically and unwaveringly supported and championed Wicked since our very first performance.”

Wicked has already been seen by almost 30,000 people across just the 13 performances it has played since resuming performances at the Apollo Victoria Theatre on 15 September 2021. The Broadway production, which will celebrate its 18^th Birthday next month, resumed performances the night prior, on 14 September 2021, and the North American Tour, which has to date been seen by more than 20 million people and toured for more than 1,000 weeks, resumed on 3 August 2021.

Over the past 15 years, Wicked has attained many accolades and achieved numerous milestones to become “one of the biggest hits of our age” (The Observer): 

• Already the 9^th longest-running West End musical of all time.
• Seen by more than 10 million people in London alone, and 60 million worldwide.
• Now the 5^th longest running musical currently playing in the West End (alongside Les Misérables, The Phantom of the Opera, Mamma Mia! and The Lion King).
• Since the London premiere, Wicked has also played two record-breaking tours of the UK & Ireland, collectively seen by nearly 2 million people.
• Wicked is the recipient of more than 100 international awards, including two Olivier Awards and 10 theatregoer voted WhatsOnStage Awards (including ‘Best Musical’ and three for ‘Best West End Show’).
• Gregory Maguire’s novel, Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, has, to date, sold more than 5 million copies worldwide.
• The Platinum-certified, Grammy Award-winning Original Broadway Cast recording has, to date, sold nearly 4 million copies.
• The production has nearly 2.3 million fans across its UK and US social channels.

The re-opening London cast features Laura Pick (Elphaba), Sophie Evans* (Glinda), Alistair Brammer (Fiyero), Kim Ismay (Madame Morrible), Andy Hockley (The Wizard), Carina Gillespie (Nessarose), Nicholas McLean (Boq), Simeon Truby (Doctor Dillamond),  Amy Webb (Standby for Elphaba), Charli Baptie** (Standby for Glinda), Meg Astin, Rebecca Botterill, Lauren Brooke, Grace Chapman***, Michael Colbourne, Conor Crown, Lewis Easter, Nolan Edwards, Joseph Fletcher, Fraser Fraser, Rebecca Gilliland, Lucie Horsfall, Nick Len, Will Lucas, Nicole Lupino, Stuart Maciver, Carl Man, Rhidian Marc, Jessica-Alice McCluskey, Stacey McGuire, Emmie Ray, Natalie Spriggs, Scott Sutcliffe, Genevieve Taylor, Samantha Thomas****, Grant Thresh, James Titchener, Libby Watts, Chiarina Woodall and Tom Woollaston. Cast subject to change.

*Maternity cover for Helen Woolf.  **Maternity cover for Lisa-Anne Wood.  ***Maternity cover for Maggie Lynne.   ****Maternity cover for Joanna Sawyer.

Tickets are currently on sale for all performances to Sunday 22 May 2022. Wicked plays Tuesday-Saturday evenings at 7.30pm with matinees on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday at 2.30pm. Visit Wicked The Musical for information and tickets.

Wicked has music and lyrics by the legendary composer Stephen Schwartz (whose enduringly popular musical Godspell celebrates the 50^th Anniversary of its London premiere at the Roundhouse on 17 November 2021) and is written by Winnie Holzman, creator of the landmark American television series My So-Called Life. It is based on Gregory Maguire’s multi-million-copy bestseller, Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West.

Wicked imagines a beguiling backstory and future possibilities to the lives of L. Frank Baum’s beloved characters from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and reveals the decisions and events that shape the destinies of two unlikely university friends on their journey to becoming Glinda The Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.

Wicked has music and lyrics by multi-Oscar, Golden Globe and Grammy Award winner Stephen Schwartz (Godspell, Pippin, The Prince of Egypt; 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 written by Winnie Holzman. Musical staging is by Tony Award-winner Wayne Cilento with direction 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.

Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire is published in the UK by Headline (the book is recommended for readers aged 16+). Wicked: The Grimmerie, a behind-the-scenes look at the musical by David Cote, is published in the UK by Hyperion.

The Apollo Victoria Theatre, Wilton Road, London SW1V 1LG

For audience protocols please visit ATG Tickets.

Keep up-to-date with Wicked The Musical on the Official website, Facebook: /WickedUK, Twitter: @WickedUK and Instagram: @WickedUK

The Grammy Award-winning Original Broadway Cast recording on Decca Broadway

The Rubens at the Palace is the official hotel partner of Wicked London.

Artwork ©WLPL 2021. All rights reserved

Worldwide
Wicked, “the long-running blockbuster musical” (Time Out London), has now been seen by 60 million people around the world. Winner of over 100 major international awards, the original production has already been performed in over 130 cities in 16 countries (United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Japan, Germany, The Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, The Philippines, Mexico, Brazil, China and Switzerland) and has also been translated from its original English into six other languages: Japanese, German, Dutch, Spanish, Korean and Portuguese.

Broadway
The Tony Award-winning original Broadway production has now played almost 7,000 performances at the Gershwin Theatre, where it premiered on 30 October 2003 (with previews from 8 October 2003). As it approaches its 18^th Anniversary next month, Wicked is now the 5^th longest running Broadway show of all time (having surpassed the original landmark run of Les Misérables). Seen by nearly 12 million people on Broadway alone, the multi record-breaking production has been acclaimed as “a magical Broadway musical with brains, heart and courage” (Time Magazine) and “a complete triumph that makes you laugh, cry and think” (USA Today).

London
Wicked premiered in the West End on 27 September 2006 (with previews from 7 September 2006) and has now played almost 6,000 performances at the Apollo Victoria Theatre and been seen by an incredible 10 million people in London alone. Already the 9^th longest-running West End musical of all time, the multi record-breaking London production has been hailed as “a devilishly clever spin on The Wizard of Oz” (The Daily Telegraph); “one of the West End’s true modern classics” (Metro) and “the biggest thing in musicals since The Phantom of the Opera opened” (The Times).

Creative Team
Wicked has music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, a book by Winnie Holzman and is based on the novel by Gregory Maguire. It is directed by Joe Mantello, with musical staging by Wayne Cilento. Scenic design is by Eugene Lee, costumes by Susan Hilferty, lighting by Kenneth Posner, sound by Tony Meola, projection designs by Elaine J. McCarthy and Hair and Wig designs by Tom Watson. Music arrangements are by Alex Lacamoire and Stephen Oremus, with dance arrangements by James Lynn Abbott, orchestrations by William David Brohn and musical supervision by Stephen Oremus.

The Story
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 re-imagines 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. A publishing phenomenon, it was to be the first in a series of fourteen Oz-themed stories and subsequently also the inspiration for countless adaptations, most famously the 1939 Hollywood musical version, The Wizard of Oz.

Wicked tells the incredible untold story of an unlikely but profound friendship between two young women who first meet as sorcery students at Shiz University: the blonde and very popular Glinda and a misunderstood green girl named Elphaba. Following an encounter with The Wizard, their friendship reaches a crossroads, and their lives take very different paths. Glinda’s unflinching desire for popularity sees her seduced by power while Elphaba’s determination to remain true to herself, and to those around her, will have unexpected and shocking consequences for her future. Their extraordinary adventures in Oz will ultimately see them fulfil their destinies as Glinda The Good and the Wicked Witch of the West. Enter a world rich with imagination and allegory and discover the surprising ‘true’ story of the Witches of Oz….

Authors
Stephen Schwartz (Music & Lyrics) is the recipient of three Academy Awards, four Grammy Awards, a Golden Globe and the Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award for his commitment to serving artists and new talent. He is also a six-time Tony Award nominee and the recipient of sixteen Lifetime Achievement honours. Stephen is best known for his many successful stage musicals, including Wicked; The Prince of Egypt, Pippin and Godspell (which is now celebrating its landmark 50^th anniversary) as well as for his song-writing collaborations with Alan Menken on films including Disney’s Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Enchanted and its forthcoming sequel Disenchanted. For DreamWorks Animation, he wrote both music and lyrics for The Prince of Egypt. He was just 23 when Godspell premiered in New York and 28 when, in 1976, he achieved the rare distinction of having three shows running simultaneously on Broadway (Godspell, Pippin and The Magic Show).

Winnie Holzman (Book) is best known as the creator of the landmark American television series My So-Called Life (1994), which was named by TIME Magazine as one of the ‘100 Best TV Shows of All-Time’ and starred Claire Danes. Winnie has written extensively for television, including multiple episodes of the internationally popular television series thirtysomething. For Wicked, Winnie received a 2004 Tony Award nomination and a Drama Desk Award. She is a graduate of Princeton University and the NYU Musical Theatre Program and a member of the Dramatists Guild.

Gregory Maguire (Author of the original novel) is best known for his ‘Wicked Years’ series of novels, which includes the multi-million international best seller Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West (1995) on which the musical Wicked is based and which he wrote while living in London. The acclaimed American fantasy novelist has also written extensively for children, including his debut novel, The Lightning Time (1978). His most recent adult novels include: After Alice (2015), which was inspired by Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Hiddensee: A Tale of the Once and Future Nutcracker (2017).

Listings Information 
Book with confidence – exchange with ease: If any ticket holder, or anyone in their party, is unable to travel, feels unwell or needs to self-isolate, they can request to exchange their tickets, free of charge, up to 24 hours before the performance. In the event of a performance cancellation, for whatever reason, all ticketholders will be entitled to a free exchange, a credit voucher or full refund.

Now Booking to Sunday 22 May 2022

Groups and Travel Trade booking to Sunday 27 November 2022

The Apollo Victoria Theatre, Wilton Road, London, SW1V 1LG

The theatre is one minute from London Victoria Mainline and Underground Stations.

Performance Times

Evenings Tuesday-Saturday 7.30pm

Matinees Wednesday*, Saturday & Sunday 2.30pm (*first Wednesday matinee 27 October 2021)

The performance lasts approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes including one 20-minute interval.

The schedule is subject to change.

Access performances: 

• Captioned – Friday 12 November 2021 at 7:30pm
• Captioned –Saturday 19 March 2022 at 2:30pm
• Audio Described – Saturday 18 December 2021 at 2:30pm
• Audio Described – Wednesday 13 April 2022 at 7:30pm
• Sign Language Interpreted - Saturday 22 January 2022 at 2:30pm
• Sign Language Interpreted – Friday 13 May 2022 at 7:30pm

BOOK ONLINE NOW

Telephone bookings: ATG Tickets 0844 871 3001

(Calls cost 7p per minute, plus your phone company’s access charge)

The Box Office opens for in-person bookings on performance days at 12 noon.

Ticket prices: from £19.50

An ATG Tickets booking fee of up to £2.75 may apply to bookings made online and by telephone. A one-off ATG Tickets £3.00 transaction fee may also be added to each booking made online and by telephone. All ticket prices include a £1.75 Theatre Restoration Levy.

Group Sales (10+ tickets): Group Line 020 7206 1174

No booking or transaction fees for group bookings of 10 or more. Sales subject to availability + terms and conditions.

Wicked Front Row: Every Wednesday at 10am, 24 Front Row seats will be released in advance for all performances in the following week (Tuesday-Sunday), priced at £29.50 with no additional fees.

TodayTix Daily Dozen: The Daily Dozen offers a limited number of digital day seats released on every performance day at 10am, exclusively via the TodayTix App. Tickets are priced at £29.50 with no additional fees.

The producers cannot guarantee the appearance of any particular artist, which is always subject to illness, injury and statutory holiday entitlement.

Please note that loud noises, flashing lights, smoke effects and strobe lighting feature in the production.