Visit our new blog with Podcasts of Wicked composer Stephen Schwartz: www.theschwartzscene.com/blog/
Wicked Poster
The London Wicked poster is available along with other Wicked merchandise. Please click on this banner and search for WICKED.
The hit musical WICKED, at London's Apollo Victoria Theatre, has dominated the Whatsonstage.com Theatregoers' Choice Awards 2007, winning 4 awards: Best New Musical, Best Set Design (Eugene Lee), Best Supporting Actress in a Musical (Miriam Margolyes) and Best Actress in a Musical (Idina Menzel) Over 12,000 members of the theatregoing public cast their online votes with WICKED winning all of its nominated categories. The musical averaged over 51% of the total votes cast in its nominated categories and also won more awards than any other production.
"On behalf of my colleagues Marc Platt and David Stone and everyone at Universal, I'd like to thank all the theatregoers who voted for Wicked and to offer my personal congratulations to Stephen Schwartz, Winnie Holzman and our superbly talented London cast...." Michael McCabe, Executive Producer
Whatsonstage.com is the UK's biggest performing arts website and this year celebrates its 10th birthday. The Whatsonstage.com Theatregoers' Choice Awards are now in their fifth year.
Wicked's creatives were nominated for 4 Olivier awards: director, sets, lighting, and costumes.
Older news:
Wicked took part in the prestigious Royal Variety Performance on Monday 4th December at the London Coliseum in the presence of Their Royal Highnesses, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall. Idina menzel, Helen Dallimore and the company of WICKED were among the performers. The 78th Royal Variety Performance is an annual charity event in aid of the Entertainment Artistes' Benevolent Fund and will be broadcast by BBC One in December.
Announced October 30, 2006:
The new musical WICKED has become London's top grossing musical, with record-breaking attendance figures and ticket sales. WICKED set a new Box Office record during previews at the Apollo Victoria Theatre and has continued to set new ones ever since. Last week (ending 28 October 2006), WICKED grossed over three quarters of a million pounds (£761,125) at the Box Office, higher than any other West End show currently running and the highest weekly 8 performance Box Office gross in West End theatre history. Over 18,000 people attended the show.
Since its first public performance on 7 September 2006, WICKED has already been seen by over 130,000 people, averaging just over 95% attendance in its 2304-seat theatre.
Since opening night (27 September 2006), the weekly Box Office gross has been higher than any other West End show. For the month of October (4 weeks) WICKED has grossed nearly £2.5 million.
Based on the best-selling novel by Gregory Maguire, WICKED tells the untold story of the Witches of Oz, and how one came to be called 'good' and the other 'wicked.'
WICKED stars Idina Menzel as Elphaba, Helen Dallimore as Glinda, Adam Garcia as Fiyero, Miriam Margolyes as Madame Morrible, Nigel Planer as The Wizard, Martin Ball as Doctor Dillamond, James Gillan as Boq and Katie Rowley Jones as Nessarose. From January 2007 the role of Elphaba will be played by Kerry Ellis.
Watch for another Wicked Day in October 2007
Photo: Idina Menzel who plays Elphaba, and Helen Dallimore who plays
Wicked and Idina Menzel fans will enjoy the photos and video clips now available on the official site: www.wickedthemusical.co.uk/sightsvideo.php
September 27th, 2006, Wicked opened officially in London. See our Wicked Clips and Photos page for photos of Wicked and London, followed by a link to an online video of opening night party interviews of Idina, Helen, Adam, Miriam, Nigel, and others, along with clips of the show.
Highlights from Reviews: : "Joe Mantello's production expertly marshals this remarkable kaleidoscope of magical shocks, surprises and sensations. Wicked works like a dream."--This is London
"It's a strong, family orientated musical and delves out an array of heartfelt messages too. The unlikely friendship between the Good Witch and the Wicked one has a never-ending curiosity for all ages and both sexes, which should therefore see audiences packing the theatre for years."--BroadwayWorld.com UK reporter
"Idina Menzel shows why the producers brought her over from America to reprise the central role of Elphaba in this production, her powerful yet effortless vocal talents raising many a whoop in the first night audience. Helen Dallimore, also making her West End debut, is a fine foil for Menzel during their duets and endows Glinda with an endearing Sloane-y dappiness that thrives during the chirpy 'Galindafication' song 'Popular'. Miriam Margolyes is almost unrecognisable, and almost steals the show, as press secretary with a dark side Madame Morrible, Nigel Planer oozes Barnum-esque bravado as the impotent Wizard and Adam Garcia remains casually laid back while wearing tight white breeches as love interest Fiyero." --www.officiallondontheatre.co.uk
Read our review Opening Night September 27th London 2006: One Short Day in the Capital City: Wicked review.
For more review comments see the London cast page
Be sure to sign up for our free newsletter: Wicked London Update newsletter.
Wicked fans have been flocking to the early preview performances, and encouraging the new cast with their applause. "This wasn't like theatre; it was like a rock concert," reports cast member Martin Ball about the first performance. "I've simply never known anything like it."
In other news, the original Broadway cast album has been re-released with the UK artwork for distribution in the UK. It is still not known whether there will be a new album made with the original London cast.
Photo: The giant, smoke-breathing, mechanical 'Time Dragon' now spreads its huge wings 25 feet above the stage of London's Apollo Victoria Theatre as, underneath, preparations are well underway for the arrival of the 'spectacular' (Evening Standard) new musical
Wicked cast member Martin Ball offers an authorized blog - Wicked diary online. www.wicked.lastminuteliving.com/
On March 23rd, the Broadway company of Wicked celebrated the 1000th performance. According to the Internet Broadway Database, only 99 shows in Broadway history have reached this mark. Pictured here with the celebration cake is composer-lyricist Stephen Schwartz. Three of his Broadway musicals have made it over 1000 peformances (Wicked, Pippin, and The Magic Show.) For more photos and details see the US site Musicalschwartz.com/wicked-success.htm. Photo is by Ben Strothmann for BroadwayWorld.com. Please respect his copyright.
Wicked opened on Broadway October 30th, 2003 and has been breaking records ever since. It has been the number one hit on Broadway for over 100 weeks. The Wicked CD quickly made gold record status and won the cast album Grammy Award for 2004. Read about Wicked's history.
Wicked - Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical - Idina Menzel
Wicked - Best Costume Design - Susan Hilferty
Wicked - Best Scene Design - Eugene Lee.
Following the Tony Awards, the producers of Wicked added an eight-week block of tickets and subsequently sold more than $1 million in tickets by noon. "We're going to be here for a long time," says producer David Stone.
Wicked topped the nominations counts for all Broadway shows with a total of 10, including nominations for:
The Tonys are given by the American Theater Wing for Broadway shows only, and are considered the most prestigious of the awards. Tony voters are a mix of professionals from all areas of theater and include all Dramatist Guild Council Members (including Stephen Schwartz).
Drama Desk Awards. The Drama Desk is an organization of theatre critics, editors and reporters. A commitee nominates candidates and shows from both On and Off-Broadway productions. The winners are determined by the 140 voting members of the Drama Desk. See www.dramadesk.com.
Wicked garnered the most nominations and awards of any show this season.
Wicked's final awards announced May 16:
Nominations included:
Outer Critics Circle Awards are given for both On and Off-Broadway productions by critics and writers from outside New York. Wicked received 10 nominations and took four awards, leading all other shows. Wicked won for Outstanding Broadway Musical, Outstanding direction of a musical - Joe Mantello, Outstanding set design - Eugene Lee, and Oustanding costume design, Susan Hilferty. Playbill article on winners
Playbill.com article about nominations
The Drama League includes Broadway and Off Broadway but only awards productions and performers - no design, or writing awards. This is an organization you can join. Visit Dramaleague.org [new browser window]. Only one performer, whether from a musical or play, is honored each year. Nominations for Wicked 2004 include
The prestigious EDDYs [new browser window] pay tribute to those whose work has made an impact in the entertainment industry. The editors of Entertainment Design select the winners with an eye toward true excellence in technical and design-related fields.
Susan Hilferty and the entire costume team won the Eddy Award - for Wicked's Costumes. Entertainment Design [new browser window]
Copyright © 2006–2007 Carol de Giere, webmaster for this independent site for the musical theatre show Wicked West End London
wickedwestend.co.uk
Carol's Wicked UK Site. Carol is also webmaster for the official fan site for Wicked's composer Stephen Schwartz