Whilst rumours have abounded that some West End productions would close during the Olympics, Wicked has announced it has no intentions to make major adjustments as a result of the games in July and August. However, it has cancelled the evening performance on 27 July to avoid coinciding with the Opening Ceremony. An extra matinee performance has been scheduled for the day before.

The current cast of Wicked includes Rachel Tucker as Elphaba, Gina Beck as Glinda, Matt Willis as Fiyero, Desmond Barrit as the Wizard, Julie Legrand as Madame Morrible, Lillie Flynn as Nessarose, Christopher Howell as Doctor Dillamond, and Adam Pettigrew as Boq. The production won the 2010 Olivier Audience Award for Most Popular Show.

Wicked joins Mamma Mia!, which also announced its intentions to run into April 2013 after its transfer to the Novello Theatre in September.

Have you seen the show yet? What do you think of this news? Leave your comments in the box below.

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Whilst The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and its beloved film adaptation are geared towards children, Wicked is decidedly aimed at adults. This Oz is not a glossy enchanted land but a totalitarian state run by the malevolent and all-powerful Wizard of Oz. The novel contains modern political themes, as various factions in Oz compete for power. Most notably, the Animals of Oz, who can speak and act as humans do, are fighting for equal rights, and Elphaba joins their cause. Despite being enemies in the original children’s book, in Wicked, Elphaba and Galinda (later Glinda) are good friends who study magic together, before Glinda becomes a more prominent sorceress in the Emerald City. Elphaba is shown to be a proponent of civil rights, freedom, and justice, a far cry from her depiction in The Wizard of Oz.

Surprisingly, Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, first published in 1900, is seen by many to be a political allegory as well, depicting the American political landscape at the turn of the century. Dorothy’s companions can be viewed as depictions of various political groups, who to date had failed to come together to protect their common interests, with the Scarecrow representing farmers, the Tin Man symbolising industrial workers, and the Coward Lion seen as a parody of William Jennings Bryan, a prominent politician and leader of the Populist movement. Baum was the J.K. Rowling of his day, with Oz being the best-selling children’s book for more than two years in a row. After thousands of children wrote to him demanding a sequel, he published The Marvelous Land of Oz in 1904 and wrote three additional Oz stories before declaring that 1911′s The Emerald City of Oz would be the last, as Oz had lost contact with the rest of the world. Children again refused to accept this, and he relented, publishing a new Oz book each year from 1913 until his death in 1919. Ruth Plumly Thompson then inherited the task of keeping Oz’s history alive, writing an additional 21 sequels.

The Wizard of Oz reached new heights of popularity when it was made into a film starring Judy Garland in 1939. The film was a financial and critical success, and it continues to rank in critics’ listings of the top 10 films of all-time. Maguire cleverly plays on the differences between the original book and the film. Whilst in the book, Dorothy’s shoes are silver, the film changed them to ruby slippers to take better advantage of the new Technicolor process. To avoid choosing one version of the story over the other, Maguire makes no reference to their colour, instead referring to their shine and rarity. One key detail that he takes from the film is the Wicked Witch’s green skin, a characteristic that does not appear in Baum’s original novel.

After scoring a best-selling hit with Wicked, Maguire wrote three sequels. Son of a Witch follows the adventures of Elphaba’s son, Liir, A Lion Among Men tells the story of Oz’s civil wars through the eyes of the Cowardly Lion, and Out of Oz, the last in the series, chronicles Glinda’s life under house arrest, the Cowardly Lion on the run from the law, and Dorothy’s return to Oz. After being adapted into a hit musical, Wicked is currently being developed as a film, with original Broadway stars, Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenowith, rumoured to be reprising their roles. In addition, ABC has teamed up with Salma Hayek’s production company to produce a non-musical TV miniseries based on the books.

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A prequel to the classic story by L. Frank Baum, The Wizard of Oz, Wicked at first seems an unlikely tale about the Wicked Witch of the West, Elphaba, and the Good Witch of the North – Glinda. Written as a novel in 1995 by Gregory Maguire, the story traces the youth of the polar-opposite witches whilst they are roommates at university studying sorcery. Due to its themes of friendship and self-consciousness about appearance, the show has won over the hearts of many teenagers as well as appealing to people from all walks of life through its incredible visual effects and powerful songs.

Wicked has outlasted all of the other shows that opened the same year at the West End, proving to be a mighty success and an asset to the West End, despite those first reviews. Having received numerous awards and taking bookings until October 2012, Wicked looks set to continue to be a permanent fixture at the Apollo Victoria.

Have you seen Wicked at the Apollo Victoria Theatre in London? What do you like about the green-tinged show about insecurity, freedom of speech and friendship? Post comments and reviews in the box below!

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Creative Team

The music and lyrics in Wicked are by Stephen Schwartz, the musical theatre legend behind Godspell, Pippin, and The Baker’s Wife. He is also known for his long career writing music for films, including the Academy Award-winning song “When You Believe” from The Prince of Egypt. The book is written by Winnie Holzman, and the production is directed by Joe Mantello, who also helmed Broadway productions of Take Me Out and Assassins.

Show Lengths and Times

Performances of Wicked take place at the Apollo Victoria Theatre every evening from Monday to Saturday at 7.30pm. There is an additional matinee performance on both Wednesday and Saturday at 2.30pm. There are no performances on Sundays. The musical lasts for approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes. Evening performances end at approximately 10:15pm, and you can expect to leave the theatre by around 10:30pm, while matinees finish at approximately 5:15pm, and you can expect to leave the venue by 5:30pm.

Synopsis and Song List

The musical begins in sorcery school where two young students, Elphaba and Galinda, are thrown together in a tumultuous relationship that will span ambition, morality, love and eventually friendship. At first, bubbly Galinda clashes with down-to-earth Elphaba, a conflict further complicated by the fact they both begin to have feelings for Fiyero, a Winkie prince. However, they both realise their powers as sorceresses and work together to fight the oppressive regime of the Wizard, who is slowly but surely stripping away the rights of Animals. As Elphaba’s power threatens the establishment, she must decide if she is willing to risk everything to save Oz.

Act I

• “No One Mourns the Wicked” – Glinda and Citizens of Oz
• “Dear Old Shiz” – Students and Glinda
• “The Wizard and I” – Madame Morrible and Elphaba
• “What is this Feeling?” – Glinda, Elphaba and Students
• “Something Bad” – Doctor Dillamond and Elphaba
• “Dancing Through Life” – Fiyero, Glinda, Boq, Nessarose, Elphaba and Students
• “Popular” – Glinda
• “I’m Not That Girl” – Elphaba
• “One Short Day” – Elphaba, Glinda and Citizens of the Emerald City
• “A Sentimental Man” – The Wizard
• “Defying Gravity” – Glinda, Elphaba, Guards and Citizens of Oz

Act II

• “No One Mourns the Wicked” (reprise) – Citizens of Oz
• “Thank Goodness” – Glinda, Madame Morrible and Citizens of Oz
• “The Wicked Witch of the East” – Elphaba, Nessarose and Boq
• “Wonderful” – The Wizard and Elphaba
• “I’m Not That Girl” (reprise) – Glinda
• “As Long as You’re Mine” – Elphaba and Fiyero
• “No Good Deed” – Elphaba
• “March of the Witch Hunters” – Boq and Citizens of Oz
• “For Good” – Glinda and Elphaba
• “Finale” – All

Critics’ Reviews

“Wicked is spectacular, vibrant, full of big showstopping songs and funny, but it’s also touching and comes with a strong message about standing up for what you believe in and being comfortable in your own skin…whether it’s green or not.” Katherine Redmond, indieLONDON

“With its Cirque du Soleil-like production values, it’s nothing less than a glittering cartoon bubble of a show.” Mark Shenton, BBC News

“It’s wicked! Wicked genuinely took my breath away, giving me the lift-descending tummy swoops that only a true musical can.” Nicola Christie, The Independent  

“Winnie Holzman’s script keeps the gags coming as it cleverly subverts the film that spawned it.” Charles Spencer, The Telegraph

Videos

To see the spectacle brought to life, make sure you watch the videos below – we’ve picked them out especially to give you a flavour of Wicked at home! The official trailer for the 2 show: Get the lowdown on the London production from its stars and a host of other celebrities at a media night:

Official Tickets

To buy official tickets for Wicked, use the search form at the upper-left hand corner of this page.

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