Wicked - Birmingham Hippodrome Theatre - 9th July - 6th September 2014

Birmingham Hippodrome Theatre

WICKED

SEEN BY 42 MILLION WORLDWIDE AND NOW WICKED FLIES IN TO BIRMINGHAM

PERFORMANCES FROM WEDNESDAY 9 JULY UNTIL SATURDAY 6 SEPTEMBER

WICKED, the global musical phenomenon that tells the incredible untold story of the Witches of Oz, arrives in Birmingham tomorrow evening (Wednesday 9 July) to begin its strictly limited nine week summer engagement at the Hippodrome.

Executive Producer Michael McCabe said: “We are delighted to be bringing this spectacular production of Wicked to one of the most glorious theatres in the country. We look forward to what looks certain to be a very successful summer season in the city.”

Chief Executive of Birmingham Hippodrome, Stuart Griffiths said: "We are thrilled that Wicked opens at Birmingham Hippodrome tomorrow for a dazzling nine week season. We look forward to welcoming theatregoers over the summer for what is one of the most popular musicals of all time.” 

This spectacular production of “this thrillingly entertaining show” (Manchester Evening News) has broken countless Box Office records and already received multiple five star reviews across England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland.

The award-winning London production continues its open-ended run at the Apollo Victoria Theatre, where it is now the 10^th longest running show in the West End. Around the world, Wicked has already been seen by 42 million people in 13 countries, and won 100 international awards.

In a brilliantly witty re-imagining of 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 has music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, a book by Winnie Holzman, musical staging by Wayne Cilento and is directed by two-time Tony Award® winner Joe Mantello. Wicked is based on the novel, ‘Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West’, by Gregory Maguire.

Wicked is produced by: Marc Platt, Universal Stage Productions, The Araca Group, Jon B. Platt and David Stone. Executive Producer (UK):Michael McCabe.

Official UK website: www.WickedTheMusical.co.uk

Birmingham Hippodrome

Hurst Street

Southside

Birmingham

B5 4TB

PUBLIC BOOKING NOW OPEN AS FOLLOWS:

IN PERSON: AT THE BIRMINGHAM HIPPODROME BOX OFFICE

TELEPHONE BOOKINGS: 0844 338 5000*

BOOK ONLINE: www.birminghamhippodrome.com*

*5% transaction charge applies (excl. cash sales in person) plus £1 postage. Phone calls from 5p per minute. Prices and discounting subject to change.

Groups: 0844 338 7000 (Mon-Fri, 10.00am-6pm)

Access line: 0844 338 5000

Performance Times:

Monday-Saturday 7.30pm, Matinees Wednesday at 2.00pm & Saturday 2.30pm

Extra matinees added Thursday 14 & Thursday 28 August 2014 at 2.00pm

Ticket Prices:

Monday-Thursday: £55, £50, £45, £40, £33, £25

Friday & Saturday: £60, £55, £50, £45, £38, £30

For best ticket availability, choose Monday-Thursday performances.

The musical runs approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes (including an interval) and is suitable for a general audience. As a guide to parents and guardians, it is recommended for ages 7+. All persons entering the theatre, regardless of age, must have a ticket. Children under 3 years of age will not be admitted

Gregory Maguire’s ‘Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West’ is published by Headline.

The book is recommended for readers aged 16+

The GRAMMY® award-winning Original Broadway Cast recording on DECCA BROADWAY

Malmaison is the Official Hotel Partner of the Wicked Tour www.malmaison.com

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 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 LONDON

The London production premiered on 27 September 2006 (with previews from 7 September) and has now been seen by over 5.5 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 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. 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 asGlinda The Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.

Experience this unforgettable, award-winning musical and discover that you’ve not been told the whole story about the Land of Oz.