Before Dorothy, before the flying house, and before the yellow brick road, there was Elphaba and Galinda. Born with emerald-green skin, Elphaba is smart, fiery, misunderstood and possesses extraordinary talent. When circumstances force her to room with the bubbly blonde and exceptionally popular, Galinda, their initial rivalry turns into the unlikeliest of friendships. From the first electrifying note to the final breathtaking moment, Wicked tells the story of Oz that you've never heard.
It's too soon to tell whether Schwartz's score for Wicked, which opened Thursday at the Gershwin Theatre, will prove as enduring. But it's safe to say that this is the most complete, and completely satisfying, new musical I've come across in a long time. The triumph is not Schwartz's alone. Adapted from a Gregory Maguire novel, Wicked offers a post-feminist, socially conscious reinterpretation of the story of Oz's Wicked Witch of the West. Though that may sound like a recipe for pretentious pedantry, writer Winnie Holzman, whose TV credits include thirtysomething and My So-Called Life, provides a libretto that juggles winning irreverence with thoughtfulness and heart.
It's not easy being green. Or blonde, for that matter. Those are just two of the many lessons to be learned from this big, murky new Broadway musical. But maybe the most salient pointer is that it ain't easy being a Broadway musical. A strenuous effort to be all things to all people tends to weigh down this lumbering, overstuffed $14 million production. 'Wicked' is stridently earnest one minute, self-mocking the next; a fantastical allegory about the perils of fascism in one scene, a Nickelodeon special about the importance of inner beauty in another. There are flying monkeys, flying witches and flying scenery, but the musical itself truly soars only on rare occasions, usually when one of its two marvelously talented leading ladies, Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel, unleashes the kind of vocal magic that needs no supernatural or even technical assistance.
Digital Lottery
Price: $54.00
Where: https://lottery.broadwaydirect.com/show/wicked
When: For matinee performances, the lottery will open the day before at 10am and close the day before at 4PM. Winners will then be notified and will have 1 hour to purchase the tickets by credit card online. The e-ticket will then be emailed to the winner’s email address. For evening performances, the lottery will open the day before at 8PM and close the day of the performance at 11AM. Winners will then be notified and will have 1 hour to purchase the tickets by credit card online. The e-ticket will then be emailed to the winner’s email address.
Limit: 2 per customer
Information: Seats may be located in any section of the theater. While every effort will be made to seat pairs together with a full view, there is a chance that pairs may be split up and that your seat may have a partial view of the stage.
In-Person Lottery
Price: $30
How: A limited number of tickets will be sold via an in-person lottery.
Where: In the Gershwin Theatre breezeway
Limit: 2 tickets per customer
Information: 26 tickets are available for each performance. Payment must be in cash.
2001 | New York |
Reading New York |
2002 | New York |
Workshop New York |
2003 | San Francisco (Regional) |
World Premiere San Francisco (Regional) |
2003 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
2005 | US Tour |
1st National Tour US Tour |
2005 | Chicago |
Chicago Production Chicago |
2007 | Los Angeles |
Los Angeles Production Los Angeles |
2007 |
Original German Production |
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2008 |
Australian Production |
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2009 | US Tour |
2nd National Tour US Tour |
2021 | West End |
Original London Production West End |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2023 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Long-Running Broadway Show | Wicked |
2016 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Long-Running Broadway Show | Wicked |
2015 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Long-Running Broadway Show | Wicked |
2014 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Long-Running Broadway Show | Wicked |
2013 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Long-Running Broadway Show | Wicked |
2012 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Long-Running Broadway Show | Wicked |
2011 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Long-Running Broadway Show | Wicked |
2004 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Book of a Musical | Winnie Holzman |
2004 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Costume Design | Susan Hilferty |
2004 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Direction of a Musical | Joe Mantello |
2004 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Leading Actress in a Musical | Idina Menzel |
2004 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Lighting Design | Kenneth Posner |
2004 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Musical | Wicked |
2004 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Orchestrations | William David Brohn |
2004 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Original Score | Stephen Schwartz |
2004 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Scenic Design | Eugene Lee |
2004 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Production of a Musical | 0 |
2004 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Actress in a Musical | Idina Menzel |
2004 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Broadway Musical | 0 |
2004 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Costume Design | Susan Hilferty |
2004 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Costume Design | Susan Hilferty |
2004 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Director of a Musical | Joe Mantello |
2004 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical | Joel Grey |
2004 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | Carole Shelley |
2004 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Set Design | Eugene Lee |
2004 | Tony Awards | Best Book of a Musical | Winnie Holzman |
2004 | Tony Awards | Best Book of a Musical | Nick Enright |
2004 | Tony Awards | Best Book of a Musical | Martin Sherman |
2004 | Tony Awards | Best Choreography | Wayne Cilento |
2004 | Tony Awards | Best Costume Design | Susan Hilferty |
2004 | Tony Awards | Best Lighting Design | Kenneth Posner |
2004 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | David Stone |
2004 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Marc Platt |
2004 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Universal Pictures |
2004 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | The Araca Group |
2004 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Jon B. Platt |
2004 | Tony Awards | Best Orchestrations | William David Brohn |
2004 | Tony Awards | Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre | Stephen Schwartz |
2004 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical | Idina Menzel |
2004 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical | Kristin Chenoweth |
2004 | Tony Awards | Best Scenic Design | Eugene Lee |
2003 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Actress - Musical | Kristin Chenoweth |
2003 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Actress - Musical | Idina Menzel |
2003 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Book of a Musical | Winnie Holzman |
2003 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Costume Design | Susan Hilferty |
2003 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Director - Musical | Joe Mantello |
2003 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Lighting Design | Kenneth Posner |
2003 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Lyrics | Stephen Schwartz |
2003 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Musical | Wicked |
2003 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Orhcestrations | William David Brohn |
2003 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Set Designs - Musical | Eugene Lee |
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