<![CDATA[WICKED HEADLINES]]> http://www.wickedthemusical.co.uk Latest news from WICKED The Musical WEST END WICKED EXTENDS BOOKING INTO 2013 WEST END WICKED EXTENDS BOOKING INTO 2013 Matt Willis

HIT MUSICAL TO PERFORM THROUGHOUT THE OLYMPIC GAMES

Wicked, the smash hit West End musical now in its sixth spellbinding year at London's Apollo Victoria Theatre, is pleased to announce the opening of its 13th new booking period, with tickets now on sale until Saturday 27 April 2013.

Easily accessible at the heart of London's "Royal" district of Victoria, being 1 minute from London Victoria Mainline and Underground stations and a short walk from Victoria Coach Station, the "hugely popular show" (The Times) will perform throughout the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations (Saturday 2 June - Tuesday 5 June 2012), and the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, with an extra matinee added on Thursday 26 July 2012 at 2.30pm in place of the Friday 27 July 2012 evening performance.

2011 proved to be the hit musical's highest grossing year to date, continuing its pattern of year-on-year growth at the Box Office since opening. Also during this landmark year, Wicked welcomed its 4 millionth theatregoer, celebrated its 5th birthday and became one of the Top 20 longest-running West End musicals of all time.

Wicked continues to be the top choice of West End theatregoers having been voted Best Night Out (Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2011), Most Popular Show (Olivier Awards 2010) and Best West End Show (Whatsonstage.com Awards in both 2011 and 2010).

Wicked currently stars Rachel Tucker (Elphaba), Gina Beck (Glinda), Matt Willis (Fiyero), Desmond Barrit (The Wizard), Julie Legrand (Madame Morrible), Lillie Flynn (Nessarose), Christopher Howell (Doctor Dillamond), Adam Pettigrew (Boq), Nikki Davis-Jones (Standby Elphaba) and Chloe Taylor (Standby Glinda).

Based on the acclaimed novel by Gregory Maguire that re-imagined 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 girls who first meet as 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.

]]> 71wkd Monday 23 January 2012 12:00:00 GMT WINNERS ANNOUNCED FOR THE SECOND WICKED YOUNG WRITERS' AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED FOR THE SECOND WICKED YOUNG WRITERS' AWARD Wicked Young Writers' Award today announced its winners for 2011 at a prestigious ceremony hosted by Michael Morpurgo, best-selling author of War Horse and Chair Judge of the Award. The ceremony was also attended by Michael McCabe, Executive Producer of the hit musical Wicked, and Patron of the Award, HRH The Duchess of Cornwall.

The winning entrants had their stories performed by cast members at London's Apollo Victoria Theatre, home of the award-winning musical. The winners were revealed as: Yetunde Lanlehin, age 6 from London, Josie Reynolds, age 10 from Gwent, Louisa Cowell, age 13 from Chester, joint-winners Tariq Williams, age 14 from London, and Lauren Palmer, age 16 from Falkirk, and Naomi Lever, age 25, from Newcastle.

The long-running West End show launched the Award in 2010 to recognise excellence in writing, encourage creativity and help develop writing talent in young people between 5 and 25 years of age from across all backgrounds and areas of the UK. The judges for this year's award included William Fiennes, author and founder of literacy charity First Story, Michael McCabe, Executive Producer of Wicked, and former Children's Laureate and author of War Horse, Michael Morpurgo.

Michael Morpurgo commented: "As judges and writers we were struck by the high standard of the entries, but this year particularly among the older age-categories. Writers need to feel that what they have to say is important, and we were delighted to read so many pieces of writing that were so obviously close to the writer's own experience and voice. There is such a pleasure in hearing the author's voice come through the writing. All these winning pieces of writing were originally, expressed and deeply felt."

Wicked's Executive Producer Michael McCabe said: "Wicked is ultimately the story of a young person finding the confidence to freely express and stand up for oneself, so it has been hugely rewarding to have had so many young people across the country engage with these values through the Wicked Young Writers' Award."

Judges chose six winners from thousands of entries, with 45% boys and 55% girls entering theAward. The most popular topics across all age groups surrounded themes such as family issues, friendship and relationships, as well as conflict and terrorism. The shortlisted finalist entries from the 5-16 year old age categories have been published in an anthology celebrating the 2011 Wicked Young Writers' Award, sponsored by publisher Headline. Due to their more adult content, the shortlisted entries from the 17-25 year old age category have been published in an e-anthology downloadable from the Wicked Young Writers' Award website.

The Wicked Young Writers' Award has been working with the independent literacy charity, the National Literacy Trust. It is delighted to announce that in 2012 it will broaden this partnership to include joint events at literary festivals and conferences to highlight both reading and writing skills amongst young people. HRH The Duchess of Cornwall is Patron of the National Literacy Trust.

Entries for the 2012 Wicked Young Writers' Award are now open.]]> 70wkd Friday 9 December 2011 15:00:00 GMT WICKED NOMINATED 'BEST WEST END SHOW' AT THE WHATSONSTAGE.COM AWARDS 2012 THEATREGOERS NOMINATE WICKED 'BEST WEST END SHOW' Wicked, the smash hit musical that recently welcomed its 4 millionth theatregoer to London's Apollo Victoria Theatre, has been nominated
Best West End Show at the Whatsonstage.com Awards 2012. Wicked has previously won this award in both 2011 and 2010.

Wicked continues to be West End theatregoers' top choice having previously also won the 2010 Olivier Audience Award for Most Popular Show and the 2011 Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Night Out.

Voting is now open at: awards.whatsonstage.com/vote

Winners will be announced on Sunday 19 February 2012 at the West End's Prince of Wales Theatre. The Whatsonstage.com Awards are the only major prize-giving event in the UK decided entirely by the public.

The "hugely popular show" (The Times), which recently celebrated its landmark 5th birthday, is now one of the Top 20 longest-running West End musicals of all time.

Based on the acclaimed novel by Gregory Maguire that re-imagined 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 girls who first meet as 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 and is directed by Joe Mantello. Wicked is based on the novel, Wicked - The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, by Gregory Maguire.

Apollo Victoria Theatre, Wilton Road, London, SW1V 1LG]]> 69wkd Friday 2 December 2011 15:00:00 GMT THEATREGOERS VOTE WICKED LONDON'S 'BEST NIGHT OUT' AT THE 2011 EVENING STANDARD THEATRE AWARDS THEATREGOERS VOTE WICKED LONDON'S 'BEST NIGHT OUT' Wicked, the smash hit musical that recently welcomed its 4 millionth theatregoer to the Apollo Victoria Theatre, is honoured to have been named 'Best Night Out' at the prestigious Evening Standard Theatre Awards, presented last night (20 November 2011) at a star-studded ceremony at The Savoy in London.

Wicked continues to be theatregoers' top choice having previously won the 2010 Olivier Audience Award for 'Most Popular Show' and been voted London's 'Best West End Show' at the Whatsonstage.com Awards in both 2011 and 2010.

UK Executive Producer Michael McCabe commented: "We are incredibly honoured to have won the Evening Standard's very first public-voted category and would like to thank the readers for their generous support. Now in our sixth year, we continue to be indebted to the public and immensely grateful for their enthusiasm and championing of this phenomenal musical".

The "hugely popular show" (The Times), which recently celebrated its landmark 5th birthday, is now one of the Top 20 longest-running West End musicals of all time. ]]> 68wkd Monday 21 November 2011 10:00:00 GMT WICKED CONFIRMS FULL NEW CAST BEGINNING 12 DECEMBER 2011 WICKED CONFIRMS FULL NEW CAST BEGINNING 12 DECEMBER 2011 Wicked, the smash hit musical that recently celebrated its landmark 5th birthday at London's Apollo Victoria Theatre, is pleased to confirm its entire new cast.

From Monday 12 December 2011, the "hugely popular show" (The Times) will star:

Rachel Tucker (Elphaba), Gina Beck (Glinda), Matt Willis (Fiyero), Desmond Barrit (The Wizard), Julie Legrand (Madame Morrible), Lillie Flynn (Nessarose), Christopher Howell (Doctor Dillamond), Adam Pettigrew (Boq), Nikki Davis-Jones (Standby Elphaba), Chloe Taylor (Standby Glinda), Ashley Andrews, Gemma Atkins, Alex Louize Bird, Oliver Brenin, Kieran Brown, Andrew Bryant, Sophie Carmen-Jones, Nicholas Collier, Aileen Donohoe, Enobong Essien, Harry Francis, Emma Green, Chloe Hart, Jacqueline Hughes, Robert Jones, Sophie Linder-Lee, Bonnie Parker, Sean Parkins, Soeli Parry, Michelle Pentecost, David Rudin, Charlotte Scott, SamTaylor, Paulo Teixeira, Hannah Toy, Matt Turner and Oliver Watton.

Now one of the 10 longest running musicals currently playing in the West End and one of the 20 longest running West End musicals of all time, Wicked has twice been voted by theatregoers as London's 'Best West End Show' (Whatsonstage.com Awards in 2011 and 2010) and won the 2010 Olivier Award for 'Most Popular Show'.

Based on the acclaimed novel by Gregory Maguire that re-imagined 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 girls who first meet as 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 and is directed by Joe Mantello. Wicked is based on the novel, Wicked - The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, by Gregory Maguire.

Apollo Victoria Theatre, Wilton Road, London, SW1V 1LG]]> 67wkd Monday 3 October 2011 13:00:00 GMT WEST END SENSATION WICKED CELEBRATES LANDMARK 5TH BIRTHDAY - TUESDAY 27 SEPTEMBER 2011 WEST END SENSATION WICKED CELEBRATES LANDMARK 5TH BIRTHDAY Wicked, the smash hit musical that tells the untold story of the Witches of Oz, will celebrate its landmark 5th birthday on Tuesday 27 September 2011 at London's Apollo Victoria Theatre.

Acclaimed as "a phenomenon" (Sky News) and "the biggest thing in musicals since The Phantom of the Opera opened" (The Times), Wicked has become one of the West End's most popular and successful musicals of all time, breaking countless Box Office records and winning multiple awards since its West End premiere in 2006. Amongst the production's many notable accomplishments are:
  • Grossing an incredible £145 million at the UK Box Office to date.
  • Being the first, and so far only, West End show to gross over £1 million in a single week - taking £1,002,885 during w/c 27 December 2010.
  • Sustaining unprecedented year-on-year financial growth at the Box Office. The show is currently £2 million up on the same period in 2010.
  • Playing over 2000 performances, with standing ovations at every performance, and attracting almost 4 million theatregoers to date. The 4 millionth theatregoer is currently forecast to attend in November 2011.
  • Being twice voted by theatregoers as London's 'Best West End Show' (Whatsonstage.com Awards in 2011 and 2010) and winner of the 2010 Oliver Audience Award for 'Most Popular Show'.
  • Now being one of the 10 longest running musicals currently playing in the West End and one of the 20 longest running West End musicals of all time.
  • Developing ongoing relationships with national charities (including The Ben Cohen StandUp Foundation, The Woodland Trust, St John Ambulance and Mousetrap Theatre Projects) through its FOR GOOD programme, which champions and supports a range of causes born out of the themes of the show. The musical also created the WICKED Young Writers' Award in 2010, chaired by author Michael Morpurgo with patronage from HRH The Duchess of Cornwall.


UK Executive Producer Michael McCabe commented: "This is an incredible landmark for all of us involved in Wicked and we couldn't be more delighted to have become such a popular, long-running hit. We are also proud that our continued success has enabled us to support so many charitable projects though our on-going 'For Good' programme. Our heartfelt thanks go to every single person who is part of this extraordinary production and to the millions of theatregoers who have been so supportive of the show since our very first performance five years ago."

]]> 66wkd Monday 26 September 2011 13:00:00 GMT GINA BECK AND MATT WILLIS TO JOIN CAST FROM MONDAY 12 DECEMBER 2011. DESMOND BARRIT RETURNS TO PLAY ‘THE WIZARD’ GINA BECK AND MATT WILLIS TO JOIN CAST FROM 12 DECEMBER 2011 Gina Beck & Matt Willis
Wicked, the smash hit musical that tells the untold story of the Witches of Oz, is pleased to announce that Gina Beck and Matt Willis will join the cast on Monday 12 December 2011 to star as Glinda and Fiyero respectively. Desmond Barrit is returning to the show to play The Wizard. They will be joined by Lillie Flynn (Nessarose), Christopher Howell (Doctor Dillamond) and Adam Pettigrew (Boq).

Gina Beck (Glinda) recently finished a two-year season starring as 'Christine Daaé' in Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera at London's Her Majesty's Theatre. She made her West End debut in 2006 as 'Cosette' in Les Misérables at the Queens Theatre and recently performed in the 25th Anniversary Concert at The O2. Gina is currently starring in The Belle's Stratagem at the Southwark Playhouse.

Matt Willis (Fiyero) first shot to fame as a member of the chart-topping, BRIT award-winning band Busted. In 2006 he won the popular ITV show I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!. He has subsequently made countless TV appearances, many alongside his wife, presenter Emma Willis. Having originally trained at the Sylvia Young Theatre School, Matt returned to his theatre roots in 2010, to make his West End debut as 'Nick Hurley' in Flashdance. He most recently starred as 'Chuck' in the UK national tour of Footloose.

Desmond Barrit (The Wizard) originally starred in Wicked in 2008/09. The Olivier award-winning RSC and National Theatre actor has just finished playing 'Falstaff', directed by Sir Peter Hall, to great acclaim.

Gina Beck (Glinda), Matt Willis (Fiyero), Desmond Barrit (The Wizard), Lillie Flynn (Nessarose), Christopher Howell (Doctor Dillamond) and Adam Pettigrew (Boq) will join current Wicked stars Rachel Tucker (Elphaba) and Julie Legrand (Madame Morrible) from Monday 12 December 2011.

Wicked recently played its 2000th performance and will celebrate its landmark 5th birthday on Tuesday 27 September 2011. The "hugely popular musical" (The Times) has now been seen by almost 4 million people since its West End premiere in 2006.

Acclaimed as "the hit musical with brains, heart and courage" (The Sunday Telegraph), Wicked has won multiple awards including the 2010 Olivier Award for Most Popular Show and the Whatsonstage.com Award for Best West End Show in both 2011 and 2010.
]]> 65wkd Wed, 14 September 2011 12:00:00 GMT RACHEL TUCKER EXTENDS TO PLAY ‘ELPHABA’ INTO 2012 RACHEL TUCKER EXTENDS TO PLAY ‘ELPHABA’ INTO 2012 Rachel Tucker

Wicked, the smash hit musical that tells the untold story of the Witches of Oz, is pleased to announce that Rachel Tucker will continue in her acclaimed starring role as Elphaba into 2012. Julie Legrand (Madame Morrible), Nikki Davis-Jones (Standby Elphaba) and Chloe Taylor (Standby Glinda) are also all continuing in their roles.

UK Executive Producer Michael McCabe commented: “Since first joining our cast in March 2010, Rachel has thrilled audiences and critics alike with her powerful and passionate performance as Elphaba. We are all absolutely thrilled that Rachel has now decided to continue leading the company with her extraordinary professionalism and great dedication to the role - we couldn't be more proud of her success“.

Louise Dearman (Glinda), Mark Evans (Fiyero), Clive Carter (The Wizard), Julian Forsyth (Dr Dillamond), Zoe Rainey (Nessarose) and Ben Stott (Boq) will all play their final performances on Saturday 10 December 2011.

Wicked recently celebrated its landmark 2000th performance at the Apollo Victoria Theatre. This “hugely popular musical“ (The Times) has now been seen by almost 4 million people and grossed in excess of £135 million at the UK Box Office since its West End premiere in 2006.

Acclaimed as “the hit musical with brains, heart and courage“ (The Sunday Telegraph) Wicked has won multiple awards including the 2010 Olivier Award for Most Popular Show and the Whatsonstage.com Award for Best West End Show in both 2011 and 2010.

Wicked has music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, a book by Winnie Holzman and is directed by Joe Mantello. Wicked is based on the novel, Wicked - The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, by Gregory Maguire.

]]> 64wkd Mon, 1 August 2011 12:00:00 GMT WICKED EXTENDS BOOKING THROUGH THE LONDON 2012 OLYMPICS WICKED EXTENDS BOOKING TO OCTOBER 2012 TICKETS NOW ON SALE UNTIL 27 OCTOBER 2012
THE HIT MUSICAL CELEBRATES ITS 2000TH PERFORMANCE 2 JULY 2011

Wicked, the smash hit musical that tells the untold story of the Witches of Oz, is pleased to announce the opening of its 12th new booking period, with tickets now on sale until 27 October 2012 at London’s Apollo Victoria Theatre. The new booking period encompasses both The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Celebrations in June 2012 and the London Olympic and Paralympic Games in July and August 2012.

Wicked will celebrate its landmark 2000th performance this Saturday, 2 July 2011 at 2.30pm. The "hugely popular musical" (The Times) has now been seen by almost 4 million people and grossed in excess of £135 million at the UK Box Office since its West End premiere in 2006.

Acclaimed as “the hit musical with brains, heart and courage” (The Sunday Telegraph) WICKED has won multiple awards including the 2010 Olivier Award for Most Popular Show, the Whatsonstage.com Award for Best West End Show in both 2011 and 2010 and a Visit London People's Choice Award in 2009.

Based on the acclaimed novel by Gregory Maguire that re-imagined 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 girls who first meet as 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 currently stars Rachel Tucker (Elphaba), Louise Dearman (Glinda), Mark Evans (Fiyero), Julie Legrand (Madame Morrible), Clive Carter (The Wizard), Julian Forsyth (Dr Dillamond), Zoe Rainey (Nessarose), Ben Stott (Boq), Nikki Davis-Jones (Standby Elphaba) and Chloe Taylor (Standby Glinda).

Cast subject to change from Monday 12 December 2011.]]> 63wkd Mon, 4 July 2011 17:00:00 GMT WEST END MUSICAL WICKED ANNOUNCES SECOND YEAR OF WICKED YOUNG WRITERS’ AWARD, AN EDUCATIONAL AWARD SPEARHEADED BY MICHAEL MORPURGO WICKED ANNOUNCES 2ND YEAR OF WICKED YOUNG WRITERS’ AWARD Wicked is proud to announce the second year of its hugely successful WICKED Young Writers' Award. The Award recognises excellence in writing, encourages creativity, and helps develop literacy and writing talent in young people between the ages of 5 and 25 years old.

Inspired by the production's roots within Gregory Maguire's acclaimed novel, the Award is championed by Patron Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall and spearheaded by bestselling author and former Children's Laureate Michael Morpurgo. Assisting with the judging process will be Michael McCabe, Executive Producer of Wicked, and William Fiennes, co-founder of First Story, an organisation that supports and inspires creativity, literacy and talent in schools by arranging for authors to run long-term writing workshops in challenging secondary schools in the UK.

Michael McCabe said in a statement: "Following the huge success of 2010's inaugural year, it is with great pride that we are again able to use the production's important messages of choices, values and consequences to help enhance young peoples' engagement with creative writing."

Michael Morpurgo praised the scheme: "I am delighted to be involved in the WICKED Young Writers' Award for its second year. We had thousands of entries last year with some wonderful and original writing. Again, my fellow judges and I will be looking for stories and poems that are written from the heart and passionately felt, where young people have written for themselves to develop their own style and voice. Here's hoping for another amazing year!"

Wicked star Louise Dearman (Glinda) voiced her excitement at being asked to be the spokesperson of the Award on behalf of the cast: "Performing a reading at the winners' ceremony last year was a real privilege, so I jumped at the chance to get involved earlier and help to energise and inspire young people to enter"

Young people can submit entries until Sunday 31 July 2011. A shortlist of 100 finalists will be announced in the Autumn, followed by a special winners' showcase at London's Apollo Victoria Theatre, home of the award-winning musical.

Get involved at WickedYoungWriters.com ]]> 62wkd Thu, 31 Mar 2011 16:30:00 GMT THE PUBLIC VOTES WICKED “BEST WEST END SHOW” FOR A SECOND YEAR RUNNING PUBLIC VOTES WICKED “BEST WEST END SHOW” FOR 2nd YEAR Wicked London's 'Best West End Show' for a second year running at the Whatsonstage.com Awards. The 2011 award, presented at a star-studded ceremony in the West End, also honoured Rachel Tucker who won 'Best Takeover In a Role' for her acclaimed performance as Elphaba in the long-running hit musical. Wicked was previously named 'Best West End Show' at the 2010 Awards. The production has now won 8 Whatsonstage.com Awards since opening in 2006.

Executive Producer Michael McCabe said: "We are hugely honoured that the public has chosen WICKED as London's 'Best West End Show' for the second year running. We would like to thank everyone who voted and also acknowledge the commitment and talent of everyone involved in delivering such high-quality performances of WICKED night after night. We also send congratulations to Rachel Tucker on her much deserved win for her passionate and powerful performance as Elphaba".

Winner of the 2010 Olivier Award for 'Most Popular Show', the 2010 and 2011 Whatsonstage.com Award for 'Best West End Show', the 2010 BroadwayWorld.com UK Award for 'Best Long-Running Show' and the 2009 Visit London Award for 'Best Family Fun', Wicked has now played over 1800 performances and grossed in excess of £125 million at the UK Box Office since its West End premiere in 2006. ]]> 61wkd Tue, 22 Feb 2011 16:30:00 GMT WICKED SETS NEW BOX OFFICE RECORD WITH A SINGLE WEEK GROSS OF OVER £1 MILLION, CROWNING A RECORD-BREAKING 2010 WICKED GAINS HIGHEST SINGLE-WEEK GROSS IN WEST END HISTORY Wicked, the smash hit musical, celebrated a new West End Box Office milestone last week (w/c 27 December 2010) grossing an incredible £1,002,885, the highest single-week gross in London theatre history. Over 20,000 theatregoers attended 9 performances of the "hugely popular musical" (The Times).

In 2010, Wicked continued to sustain year-on-year growth at the Box Office, grossing in excess of £30 million (up over £3 million on 2009). Over 800,000 people attended performances across the year.

Now in its 5th year, Wicked has played almost 1800 performances, been seen by over 3 million theatregoers and taken in excess of £121 million at the UK Box Office since its West End premiere at the Apollo Victoria Theatre in 2006.

Executive Producer Michael McCabe said in a statement: "2010 proved to be an extraordinary year for Wicked. As well as enjoying our highest grossing year to date and achieving the amazing milestone of a £1million grossing week, we also won several prestigious awards, raised funds for The Woodland Trust and the St John Ambulance 'Teach the Difference' project and we were enormously proud to launch the Wicked Young Writers' Award with the support of Michael Morpurgo and our Patron, HRH The Duchess of Cornwall. Our grateful thanks go to everyone who continues to support both the show and our many charitable projects".

In 2010, theatregoers named Wicked London's 'Most Popular Show' (Laurence Olivier Awards), 'Best West End Show' (Whatsonstage.com Awards) and 'Best Long-Running West End Show' (Broadwayworld.com UK Awards). The musical has won over 35 major awards around the world. ]]> 60wkd Tue, 4 Jan 2011 15:30:00 GMT WICKED NOMINATED "BEST WEST END SHOW" AT THE WHATSONSTAGE.COM AWARDS 2011 WICKED NOMINATED "BEST WEST END SHOW" Wicked, the "hugely popular musical" (The Times) at London's Apollo Victoria Theatre, has been nominated 'Best West End Show' at the Whatsonstage.com Awards 2011.

Stars Rachel Tucker and Lee Mead have both been nominated for 'Best Takeover in a Role' for their acclaimed performances as 'Elphaba' and 'Fiyero' respectably in the hit musical. Wicked previously won the award for 'Best West End Show' in 2010.

CLICK HERE to vote now!

Winners will be announced on Sunday 20 February 2011 at the West End's Prince of Wales Theatre. The Whatsonstage.com Awards are the only major UK theatre prize-giving event decided entirely by the public.

Winner of the 2010 Laurence Olivier Award for 'Most Popular Show', the Whatsonstage.com Award for 'Best West End Show' and the BroadwayWorld.com UK Award for 'Best Long-Running West End Show', Wicked has now played over 1750 performances and grossed in excess of £118 million at the UK Box Office since its West End premiere in 2006. ]]> 59wkd Wed, 3 Dec 2010 16:00:00 GMT WICKED CONFIRMS FULL NEW CAST FROM 7 FEBRUARY 2011 WICKED CONFIRMS FULL NEW CAST FROM 7 FEBRUARY 2011 ZOË RAINEY, BEN STOTT & CHLOE TAYLOR JOIN MARK EVANS

Wicked, the long-running hit musical at London's Apollo Victoria Theatre, is pleased to announce its entire new company to begin performances on Monday 7 February 2011:

Joining the previously announced Mark Evans (Fiyero) are: Zoë Rainey ('Amber Von Tussle' in Hairspray at the Shaftesbury Theatre) as Nessarose, Ben Stott ('Jack' in Sondheim's Into The Woods at the Open Air Theatre, Regent's Park) as Boq, and Chloe Taylor (WICKED, 2009) as Standby Glinda.

From 7 February 2011, WICKED will star Rachel Tucker (Elphaba), Louise Dearman (Glinda), Mark Evans (Fiyero), Julie Legrand (Madame Morrible), Clive Carter (The Wizard), Julian Forsyth (Dr Dillamond), Zoë Rainey (Nessarose), Ben Stott (Boq), Nikki Davis-Jones (Standby Elphaba), Chloe Taylor (Standby Glinda), Gemma Atkins, Alex Louize Bird, Andrew Bryant, Gareth Chart, Joe Colasanti, Nicholas Collier, Aileen Donohoe, Emma Green, Antony Hansen, Jacqueline Hughes, Daniel Jones, Jasmine Kerr, Sophie Linder-Lee, Saori Oda, Sean Parkins, Soeli Parry, Michelle Pentecost, Paul Saunders, Charlotte Scott, Niall Sheehy, Tommy Sherlock, Thomas Sutcliffe, Sam Taylor, Jennifer Tierney, Hannah Toy and Matt Turner.

Winner of the 2010 Laurence Olivier Award for 'Most Popular Show', the Whatsonstage.com Award for 'Best West End Show' and the BroadwayWorld.com UK Award for 'Best Long-Running West End Show', Wicked has now played over 1750 performances and grossed in excess of £118 million at the UK Box Office since its West End premiere in 2006. ]]> 58wkd Wed, 1 Dec 2010 16:00:00 GMT MARK EVANS TO STAR AS FIYERO FROM 7 FEBRUARY 2011 MARK EVANS TO STAR AS FIYERO FROM 7 FEBRUARY 2011 Mark Evans

Wicked, the long-running hit musical at London's Apollo Victoria Theatre, is pleased to announce that former cast member Mark Evans will return to the show on Monday 7 February 2011 in the starring role of Fiyero opposite Rachel Tucker (Elphaba) and Louise Dearman (Glinda).

Since March 2010, Mark Evans has been starring as 'Curly' in a major UK tour of Oklahoma! with Marti Webb. In 2009, he was a finalist in Eurovision - Your Country Needs You (BBC1) and is shortly to begin filming a new Children's series for Welsh television. His other credits include: 'Troy Bolton' in High School Musical at the Hammersmith Apollo, 'Brad Majors' in the UK tour of The Rocky Horror Show and 'Caleb' in the UK tour of Seven Brides For Seven Brothers. Mark was a member of the 2007/08 London cast of Wicked. To find out more about Mark Evans visit: www.markevansonline.co.uk

From 7 February 2011, Wicked will star Rachel Tucker (Elphaba), Louise Dearman (Glinda), Mark Evans (Fiyero), Julie Legrand (Madame Morrible), Clive Carter (The Wizard), and Julian Forsyth (Dr Dillamond).

Winner of the 2010 Laurence Olivier Award for 'Most Popular Show', the Whatsonstage.com Award for 'Best West End Show' and the BroadwayWorld.com UK Award for 'Best Long-Running West End Show', Wicked has now played over 1700 performances and grossed in excess of £117 million at the UK Box Office since its West End premiere in 2006.

]]> 57wkd Thurs, 25 Nov 2010 13:00:00 GMT THEATREGOERS VOTE <i>WICKED</i>: ‘BEST LONG-RUNNING WEST END SHOW’ WICKED VOTED ‘BEST LONG-RUNNING WEST END SHOW’ Wicked, the smash hit musical that tells the incredible untold story of the Witches of Oz, has been voted 'Best Long-Running West End Show' at the BroadwayWorld.com UK Awards. The Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables came second and third respectively.

Earlier this year, the hit musical was also voted 'Most Popular Show' at the Laurence Olivier Awards and 'Best West End Show' at the Whatsonstage.com Awards. To date the "hugely popular show" (The Times) has won over 35 major awards around the world.

Wicked has now played over 1700 performances and grossed in excess of £115 million at the Apollo Victoria Theatre since its West End premiere in 2006. Now in its 5th hit year, over 3 million theatregoers have already seen the multi award-winning show. ]]> 56wkd Mon, 22 Nov 2010 09:00:00 GMT WICKED MAKES WEST END HISTORY WICKED MAKES WEST END HISTORY WICKED MAKES WEST END HISTORY WITH HIGHEST EVER
WEEKLY GROSS: £923,612 FOR WEEK-ENDING 30 OCTOBER 2010.
RACHEL TUCKER AND LOUISE DEARMAN EXTEND CONTRACTS.

Wicked, the long-running hit musical, made West End Theatre history last week with the highest ever recorded weekly gross. For week-ending 30 October 2010, the "hugely popular musical" (The Times) earned an extraordinary £923,612 at the Box Office. Over 20,000 people attended 9 performances of the musical at London's Apollo Victoria Theatre.

Wicked has now played over 1700 performances and grossed in excess of £115 million at the UK Box Office since its West End premiere in 2006. Now in its 5th year, over 3 million theatregoers have already seen the multi award-winning show.

Wicked stars Rachel Tucker (Elphaba) and Louise Dearman (Glinda) have both extended their contracts and will now continue in their acclaimed roles until 10 December 2011. Also continuing in their roles are Julie Legrand (Madame Morrible), Clive Carter (The Wizard), Julian Forsyth (Dr Dillamond) and Nikki Davis-Jones (Standby Elphaba).

Lee Mead (Fiyero), Cassandra Compton (Nessarose), George Ure (Boq) and original London cast member Sarah Earnshaw (Standby Glinda) will all depart on 5 February 2011.

Winner of 35 major awards, including the Laurence Olivier Award for 'Most Popular Show' and the Whatsonstage.com Award for 'Best West End Show', Wicked tells the incredible untold story of the Witches of Oz. ]]> 55wkd Fri, 4 Nov 2010 09:00:00 GMT THE HIT MUSICAL WICKED FLIES INTO ITS 5th PHENOMENAL YEAR WICKED FLIES INTO 5th PHENOMENAL YEAR BOOKING EXTENDED TO 29 OCTOBER 2011

WELCOMES 3 MILLIONTH THEATREGOER

WICKED, the "West End phenomenon" (The Sunday Telegraph) that tells the untold story of the Witches of Oz, flies into its 5th year this month at London's Apollo Victoria Theatre where it continues to experience year-on-year financial growth at the Box Office:

A 10th new booking period is being added, with tickets going on sale this Monday (6 September 2010) to Saturday 29 October 2011.

WICKED welcomed its 3 millionth theatregoer at the evening performance on Wednesday 4 August 2010.

2010 is set to be the show's highest grossing year to date with this past summer alone (1 June-28 August2010) up in excess of £1 million on the same period in 2009.

Acclaimed as "one of the biggest hits of our age" (The Observer) and winner of the Laurence Olivier Award for 'Most Popular Show' and the Whatsonstage.com Award for 'Best West End Show', WICKED has now played over 1650 performances and grossed in excess of £110 million at the UK Box Office since its West End premiere in 2006.

Find out about the WICKED Young Writers' Award at www.WickedYoungWriters.com

WICKED proudly supports the Anti-Bullying Alliance and St John Ambulance.

Gregory Maguire's Wicked is published in the UK by Headline Review

GRAMMY® award-winning Original Broadway Cast recording on Decca Broadway ]]> 54wkd Fri, 3 Sep 2010 09:00:00 GMT WICKED REACHES NEW BOX OFFICE MILESTONE WICKED REACHES NEW BOX OFFICE MILESTONE WICKED GROSSES £100 MILLION AT THE UK BOX OFFICE

WICKED, London's "hugely popular musical" (The Times) that tells the untold story of the Witches of Oz, has reached a major new Box Office milestone with an incredible gross to date of #100 million at the Apollo Victoria Theatre. The production has played over 1500 performances since its West End premiere in September 2006.

Executive Producer Michael McCabe said: "This is an incredible milestone for us to have reached. Fantastic word-of-mouth from our audiences continues to produce sustained growth at the Box Office and we are very proud that the extraordinary momentum we have experienced since opening in 2006 has now achieved matured sales of £100 million. We are greatly indebted to everyone who works on the show and especially to those whose passion and care ensures that we deliver such high quality performances for our audiences to enjoy".

The long-running hit musical has recently been acclaimed as "one of the biggest hits of our age" (The Observer, March 2010) and "the biggest thing in musicals since The Phantom of the Opera opened 24 years ago" (The Times, March 2010).

Voted London's 'Most Popular Show' (2010 Laurence Olivier Awards) and 'Best West End Show' (2010 Whatsonstage.com Awards), WICKED is also playing in North America (4 productions), Germany, Japan and Australia.

WICKED stars: Rachel Tucker (Elphaba), Louise Dearman (Glinda), Lee Mead (Fiyero), Julie Legrand (Madame Morrible), Clive Carter (The Wizard), Cassandra Compton (Nessarose), Julian Forsyth (Doctor Dillamond), George Ure (Boq), Nikki Davis-Jones (Elphaba Standby) and Sarah Earnshaw (Glinda Standby). Cast subject to change from 7 February 2011.

WICKED has music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, a book by Winnie Holzman and is directed by Joe Mantello. WICKED is based on the novel, Wicked - The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, by Gregory Maguire. ]]> 53wkd Fri, 18 Jun 2010 09:00:00 GMT WICKED YOUNG WRITERS' AWARD ANNOUNCES HRH THE DUCHESS OF CORNWALL AS PATRON WICKED YOUNG WRITERS' AWARD ANNOUNCES HRH THE DUCHESS OF CORNWALL AS PATRON WICKED Young Writers' Award is proud to announce Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cornwall as its patron from April 2010. Launched in February of this year, the Award aims to recognise excellence in writing, encourage creativity, and help develop writing talent in young people from across all backgrounds and areas of the UK.

Michael McCabe, Executive Producer of WICKED, said in a statement: "it is an honour and a privilege to be welcoming HRH The Duchess of Cornwall as patron of the WICKED Young Writers' Award. We are greatly encouraged by Her Royal Highness's commitment to the Award for its inaugural year, and look forward to her supporting our shared interest in energising young people's engagement with reading and writing"

Bestselling author and former Children's Laureate Michael Morpurgo will chair the WICKED Young Writers' Award judging panel, supported by Gregory Maguire, author of the acclaimed novel that inspired the musical. Michael Morpurgo said: "I hope the award will bring the passion and energy of WICKED's amazing theatrical show and its ability to reach across age-ranges and backgrounds, to young people and their writing. With the encouragement of their teachers and families and the excitement of this kind of challenge, we will see original and creative writing coming through from children of all backgrounds and abilities. Let's hope that many, many young people will be encouraged to begin their own storytelling journeys".

The WICKED Young Writers' Award is sponsored by the publisher Headline who will celebrate the Award by publishing an anthology of winning entries to be sold exclusively through Amazon.co.uk. Winners will also be invited to a special autumn ceremony held at London's Apollo Victoria Theatre, where WICKED is currently being performed.

The Award is separated into five categories between the ages of 5-25years and allows young people from across the UK and Northern Ireland to enter a piece of writing on a theme or subject of their choice. Young people are free to submit entries written at home or at school, and teachers will also be encouraged to enter writing on behalf of their pupils through a schools' entry form and online Teachers' Resource featuring exclusive video tips for inspiring and encouraging writing in the classroom. The final date for entries is Saturday 31 July 2010.

Schools and individuals can download entry forms and find tips on entering the WICKED Young Writers' Award at www.WickedYoungWriters.com]]> 52wkd Mon, 10 May 2010 09:00:00 GMT NEW CAST OPENS TO RAVE REVIEWS NEW CAST OPENS TO RAVE REVIEWS WICKED, London's "hugely popular musical" (The Times), celebrated the arrival of its brand new cast, headed by Rachel Tucker, Louise Dearman and Lee Mead, at a star-studded performance and party on Tuesday 18 May.

The new company has won universal acclaim:

  "...With its amazing new cast, it's no wonder that WICKED is still LONDON'S No.1 SHOW!..."
Steve Allen, LBC 97.3FM

"...WICKED ROCKS! The new cast are absolutely phenomenal and the show is better than ever..."
Vicki Blight, Absolute Radio

"...London's hottest hit just got even hotter with an amazing new cast. Wicked is a fantastic night out, YOU'LL BE SPELLBOUND!..."
Jamie Crick, Classic FM

".....WICKED is still looking and sounding spectacular with its dynamic new cast. Rachel Tucker is a powerhouse Elphaba, Louise Dearman just perfect as Glinda and Lee Mead makes a dashing Fiyero. With its remarkable set of songs, now familiar to the 'Glee' generation, WICKED is still A MUSICAL EXPERIENCE YOU ABSOLUTELY SHOULD NOT MISS...."
Paul Phear, Magic 105.4FM

"....If I'm not careful, I'll turn into an incurable Wickimaniac! The fact is that WICKED always was, and always will be, nothing less than A MAGICAL MUSICAL MASTERPIECE that gets right under your skin - and the spellbinding new cast ensure that it's as fresh (and as green) as the day it opened...."
Roger Foss, LBC 97.3FM

"RACHEL TUCKER IS NOTHING SHORT OF BRILLIANT AS ELPHABA. She has a commanding stage presence and radiates star quality. She soared above the stage and brought the house down with one of the most powerful versions of Defying Gravity I've ever had the pleasure to witness. Her performance is not only powerfully sung but beautifully acted. Leading the cast of the West End's biggest musical is where Rachel Tucker truly belongs."
Katherine Redmond, Indielondon.co.uk

"... RACHEL TUCKER AND LOUISE DEARMAN SIZZLE WITH BRILLIANCE. I had a great night. Really uplifting..."
Paul Coia, Smooth Radio

"...LOUISE DEARMAN IS ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT. The show is extraordinary and its success is a great tribute to the West End. GO AGAIN AND AGAIN - IT'S INCREDIBLE..."
Andrew Pierce, LBC 97.3 FM

"LEE MEAD IS SIMPLY WICKED!"
The Sun 		 

WICKED now stars: Rachel Tucker (Elphaba), Louise Dearman (Glinda), Lee Mead (Fiyero), Julie Legrand (Madame Morrible), Clive Carter (The Wizard), Cassandra Compton (Nessarose), Julian Forsyth (Doctor Dillamond), George Ure (Boq), Nikki Davis-Jones (Elphaba Standby) and Sarah Earnshaw (Glinda Standby). Cast subject to change from 7 February 2011.

]]> 51wkd Mon, 10 May 2010 09:00:00 GMT WICKED PROUDLY WELCOMES LEE MEAD WICKED PROUDLY WELCOMES LEE MEAD WICKED, recently voted London's 'Most Popular Show' (2010 Laurence Olivier Awards) and 'Best West End Show' (2010 Whatsonstage.com Awards), welcomes LEE MEAD to the cast as Fiyero from today (10 May 2010).

The enormously popular winner of the BBC series Any Dream Will Do, LEE MEAD went on to the play the title role in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Adelphi Theatre to critical acclaim, winning the 2007 Variety Club Award for 'Outstanding New Talent'. He has just finished playing the title role in the hugely successful national tour of Oscar Wilde's Lord Arthur Savile's Crime.

WICKED now stars: Rachel Tucker (Elphaba), Louise Dearman (Glinda), Lee Mead (Fiyero), Julie Legrand (Madame Morrible), Clive Carter (The Wizard), Cassandra Compton (Nessarose), Julian Forsyth (Doctor Dillamond), George Ure (Boq), Nikki Davis-Jones (Elphaba Standby) and Sarah Earnshaw (Glinda Standby). Cast subject to change from 7 February 2011.

Recently acclaimed as "one of the biggest hits of our age" (The Observer, March 2010) and "the biggest thing in musicals since The Phantom of the Opera opened 24 years ago" (The Times, March 2010), WICKED celebrated its 1500th performance at London's Apollo Victoria Theatre on Friday 23 April 2010.]]> 50wkd Mon, 10 May 2010 09:00:00 GMT WICKED WELCOMES NEW CAST AND SETS BOX OFFICE RECORD WICKED WELCOMES NEW CAST AND SETS NEW BOX OFFICE RECORD WICKED, recently voted London's 'Most Popular Show' (2010 Laurence Olivier Awards) and 'Best West End Show' (2010 Whatsonstage.com Awards), welcomes its brand new London cast from tonight (29 March, 2010).

WICKED now stars: Rachel Tucker (Elphaba), Louise Dearman (Glinda), Lee Mead* (Fiyero), Julie Legrand (Madame Morrible), Clive Carter (The Wizard), Cassandra Compton (Nessarose), Julian Forsyth (Doctor Dillamond), George Ure (Boq), Nikki Davis-Jones (Elphaba Standby) and Sarah Earnshaw (Glinda Standby).

*Lee Mead will play Fiyero from Monday 10 May 2010. Until then the role will be played by Lewis Bradley. Cast subject to change from 7 February 2011.

Last week, WICKED also set a new Box Office record for highest grossing single performance of its entire run, taking an incredible £115,690 at the evening performance on Saturday 27 March 2010 (beating its own record of £114,060 for Monday 28 December 2009).

Recently acclaimed as "one of the biggest hits of our era" (The Observer, March 2010) and "the biggest thing in musicals since The Phantom of the Opera opened 24 years ago" (The Times, March 2010), WICKED has already been seen by almost 3 million theatregoers and grossed in excess of £95 million at the UK Box Office since its London premiere at the Apollo Victoria Theatre in September 2006.]]> 49wkd Mon, 22 Feb 2010 09:00:00 GMT WICKED WINS 2010 LAURENCE OLIVIER AWARD FOR ‘MOST POPULAR SHOW’ WICKED WINS 2010 LAURENCE OLIVIER AWARD WICKED, the international hit musical, has been voted London's 'Most Popular Show' at the 2010 Laurence Olivier Awards. The special Audience Award is the only Laurence Olivier Award to be decided on solely by the theatre-going public. More than 58,000 votes were cast.

Last month (14 February) the public also voted WICKED London's 'Best West End Show' at the 2010 Whatsonstage.com Awards. The musical has won over 35 awards around the world.

Executive Producer Michael McCabe said in a statement: "It is an incredible honour that the public have recognised WICKED as London's 'Most Popular Show'. We feel an enormous sense of validation for the passion and efforts of everybody involved in the show, as this award is a testament to the fact that three and a half years and almost 3 million people later, audiences still have the same enthusiasm and love for WICKED as when we first opened. A huge thank you to every single one of those people for their ongoing support and to the public for their votes".

The Audience Award was presented to WICKED on 21 March at the star-studded ceremony at London's Grosvenor House Hotel and accepted by Executive Producer Michael McCabe, together with the show's new stars Rachel Tucker and Louise Dearman. The four other shows that made the shortlist were Billy Elliot, The Phantom of the Opera, War Horse and We Will Rock You.

Recently acclaimed as "one of the biggest hits of our era" (The Observer, March 2010), WICKED has already been seen by almost 3 million theatregoers and grossed in excess of £95 million at the UK Box Office since its London premiere in September 2006. ]]> 48wkd Mon, 22 Feb 2010 09:00:00 GMT WICKED LAUNCHES YOUNG WRITERS AWARD WICKED LAUNCHES YOUNG WRITERS AWARD WICKED launches a groundbreaking new educational award today (Monday 22 February 2010) to recognise excellence in writing, encourage creativity and help develop writing talent in young people nationwide. Spearheaded by bestselling author and former Children's Laureate Michael Morpurgo, the WICKED Young Writers' Award is the first of its kind to seek entries from young writers between 5 and 25 years old across all backgrounds and areas of the UK.

Michael Morpurgo will be joined on the judging panel by Gregory Maguire, author of the acclaimed novel that inspired the musical that re-imagines the stories and characters created by L. Frank Baum in 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'. Michael Morpurgo said: 'I hope the award will bring the passion and energy of WICKED's amazing theatrical show and its ability to reach across age-ranges and backgrounds, to young people and their writing. With the encouragement of their teachers and families and the excitement of this kind of challenge, we will see original and creative writing coming through from children of all backgrounds and abilities. Let's hope that many, many young people will be encouraged to begin their own storytelling journeys'.

Entries for the WICKED Young Writers' Award will be sought from children across the UK and Northern Ireland who will then be separated into four categories in between the ages of 5-16: 5-7, 8-10, 11-13 and 14-16. An individual Gregory Maguire Award for 17-25 year-olds will encourage writing that, in the same style as Gregory Maguire's WICKED novels, takes a well-known story and examines it from a different perspective.

Young people can enter pieces either written at home or at school on a theme or subject of their choice. Schools will be encouraged to enter writing on behalf of their pupils through an online Teachers' Resource and schools' entry form. Michael McCabe, Executive Producer of WICKED, said in a statement: 'Through sponsorship of a Young Writers' Award, I am extremely keen to be able to link the production's important messages of tolerance and unprejudiced thinking with a competition designed to stir the imaginations of young people across the country'

Twenty winners will be chosen from every category, with one overall winner then selected from each. All of the winners will be invited to a special autumn ceremony held at London's Apollo Victoria Theatre, where WICKED is currently being performed. Each of the winning entries will then be published in an anthology celebrating the 2010 WICKED Young Writers' Award. An overall winner from each of the categories will win tickets to see WICKED with their family and a writing master-class from one of the esteemed judges. The two schools that encourage the most entries will win books for their respective libraries. The final date for entries is Saturday 31 July 2010.

Schools and individuals can download entry forms and find tips on entering the WICKED Young Writers' Award at www.WickedYoungWriters.com ]]> 47wkd Mon, 22 Feb 2010 09:00:00 GMT THE PUBLIC VOTES WICKED ‘BEST WEST END SHOW’ WICKED VOTED LONDON'S ‘BEST WEST END SHOW’ WICKED London's "Best West End Show" at the 2010 Whatsonstage.com Awards. This special award, which asked the public to decide the best overall show from all the plays and musicals currently running in the West End, was presented in celebration of the Awards' 10th Anniversary.

This year, 46,000 theatregoers voted online and by text message across a range of categories. The other productions that made the initial shortlist of 10 in the "Best West End Show" category were Billy Elliot, Hairspray, Jersey Boys, Les Miserables, Mamma Mia!, The Lion King, The Phantom of the Opera, War Horse and We Will Rock You.

Executive Producer Michael McCabe said in a statement: "It has been an incredible year for West End theatre, and the productions that made the shortlist for this special award are proof of the diversity and quality that have helped maintain London as the world leader for live entertainment. We are therefore truly honoured that the public has chosen WICKED as London's 'Best West End Show', and our heartfelt thanks go to everyone who voted".

WICKED is also one of five West End productions to have been shortlisted for the special 2010 Laurence Olivier Audience Award, which is giving theatregoers the chance to vote for their favourite long-running London show. The other four shows are Billy Elliot, The Phantom of the Opera, War Horse and We Will Rock You. Voting is now underway and so CLICK HERE.

Winner of over 30 international theatre awards, this "hugely popular show" (The Times) is now in its fourth year at London's Apollo Victoria Theatre and has already been seen by over 2.5 million people and taken in excess of £90 million at the UK Box Office. WICKED was recently named 'Best Musical of the Decade' by Entertainment Weekly and "the defining musical of the decade" by The New York Times.

Official UK website: www.WickedTheMusical.co.uk

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

WICKED proudly supports Magic 105.4's Cash For Kids charity and the Anti-Bullying Alliance.]]> 46wkd Fri, 5 Feb 2010 14:30:00 GMT WICKED MAKES 2010 OLIVIER AWARD SHORTLIST FOR SPECIAL ‘AUDIENCE AWARD’ WICKED SHORTLISTED FOR SPECIAL LAURENCE OLIVER AWARD WICKED, London's smash hit musical, has been shortlisted for this years special Laurence Olivier Audience Award which is giving the public the chance to vote for their favourite long-running West End show.

Executive Producer Michael McCabe said in a statement: "We are hugely honoured to have been shortlisted for this very special Laurence Olivier Award and thank everyone for their nominations. Incredible word-of-mouth has propelled WICKED to become one of the West End's most enduring successes in recent years, and it has been through the enthusiasm and support of our audiences that we are now established as a long-running hit musical."

The shortlist of 5 shows also includes Billy Elliot, The Phantom of the Opera, War Horse and We Will Rock You. The winner of the special Laurence Olivier Audience Award for 'Most Popular Show' will be announced on 21 March 2010.

Click here to vote.

Winner of over 30 international theatre awards, this "hugely popular show" (The Times) is now in its fourth year at London's Apollo Victoria Theatre and has already been seen by over 2.5 million people and taken in excess of £90 million at the UK Box Office. ]]> 45wkd Fri, 5 Feb 2010 14:30:00 GMT THE HIT MUSICAL WICKED EXTENDS BOOKING - TICKETS NOW ON SALE TO 30 APRIL 2011 WICKED EXTENDS BOOKING TO 30 APRIL 2011 WICKED, London's "hugely popular musical" (The Times) that tells the untold story of the Witches of Oz, is pleased to announce the launch of its ninth new booking period, with all performances until Saturday 30 April 2011 now on sale.

The long-running hit musical also announces a series of extra matinee performances on the following dates: 18 February, 28 October, 20 December, 22 December, 23 December, 24 December, 28 December, 29 December and 31 December 2010, all at 2.30pm.

From Monday 29 March 2010, WICKED will star: Rachel Tucker (Elphaba), Louise Dearman (Glinda), Lee Mead* (Fiyero), Julie Legrand (Madame Morrible), Clive Carter (The Wizard), Cassandra Compton (Nessarose), Julian Forsyth (Doctor Dillamond), George Ure (Boq), Nikki Davis-Jones (Elphaba Standby) and Sarah Earnshaw (Glinda Standby).

* Subject to holidays and unforeseen circumstances, Lee Mead will play Fiyero from 10 May 2010 until 5 February 2011. From Monday 29 March 2010 until Saturday 8 May 2010, the role will be played by Lewis Bradley.

Recently named "Best Musical of the Decade" by Entertainment Weekly and "the defining musical of the decade" by The New York Times, the long-running hit has already been seen by over 2.5 million people in London and taken in excess of £90 million at the UK Box Office. Winner of over 30 international awards, this "cultural phenomenon" (Variety) is also playing in North America (4 productions), Germany, Japan and Australia.

WICKED has music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, a book by Winnie Holzman and is directed by Joe Mantello. WICKED is based on the novel, Wicked - The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, by Gregory Maguire.

Official UK website: www.WickedTheMusical.co.uk

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

WICKED proudly supports Magic 105.4's Cash For Kids charity and the Anti-Bullying Alliance.]]> 44wkd Fri, 5 Feb 2010 14:30:00 GMT LEE MEAD TO STAR AS 'FIYERO' IN WICKED FROM 10 MAY 2010 LEE MEAD TO JOIN NEW LONDON CAST OF WICKED FULL NEW LONDON CAST CONFIRMED FROM 29 MARCH 2010

WICKED, London's "hugely popular musical" (The Times) that tells the untold story of the Witches of Oz, is pleased to announce that Lee Mead is to play Fiyero at the Apollo Victoria Theatre from Monday 10 May 2010.

Lee Mead is currently playing the title role in Oscar Wilde's Lord Arthur Saville's Crime on UK tour until 24 April 2010. The enormously popular winner of the BBC series Any Dream Will Do, Lee went on to the play the title role in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Adelphi Theatre to critical acclaim, winning the 2007 Variety Club Award for 'Outstanding New Talent'.

Lee Mead said in a statement: "I'm really excited to be returning to the West End in this incredible musical. Fiyero is a fantastic part and I'm looking forward to joining Rachel Tucker, Louise Dearman and the brilliant new cast at the Apollo Victoria Theatre".

WICKED Executive Producer Michael McCabe said: "With a wealth of musical theatre experience already under his belt, Lee was, from the outset, the one to watch in the BBC's 'Any Dream Will Do'. His much deserved win and subsequent performance in 'Joseph...' proved that he was an outstandingly talented leading man. I am really delighted that he has now chosen to make his return to the West End as Fiyero in Wicked alongside the fantastic new cast that will take us into our fifth year".

Julie Legrand (Madame Morrible), Clive Carter (The Wizard), Cassandra Compton (Nessarose), Julian Forsyth (Doctor Dillamond), George Ure (Boq) and Nikki Davis-Jones (Elphaba Standby) also join the previously announced Rachel Tucker (Elphaba) and Louise Dearman (Glinda) as part of the new London cast from Monday 29 March 2010. Original London cast member Sarah Earnshaw continues as Glinda Standby.

Lee Mead plays Fiyero from Monday 10 May 2010. From Monday 29 March 2010 until Saturday 8 May 2010, the role will be played by Lewis Bradley.

From Monday 29 March 2010, WICKED will star: Rachel Tucker (Elphaba), Louise Dearman (Glinda), Lee Mead* (Fiyero), Julie Legrand (Madame Morrible), Clive Carter (The Wizard), Cassandra Compton (Nessarose), Julian Forsyth (Doctor Dillamond), George Ure (Boq), Nikki Davis-Jones (Elphaba Standby), Sarah Earnshaw (Glinda Standby), Alex Louize Bird, Lewis Bradley*, Gareth Chart, Joe Colasanti, Emma Green, Lauren James Ray, Shirley Jameson, Daniel Jones, Jasmine Kerr, Matt Krzan, Sophie Linder-Lee, Danny Mac, Lucy Newton, Sauri Oda, Sean Parkins, Soeli Parry, Michelle Pentecost, Paul Saunders, Niall Sheehy, Tommy Sherlock, Thomas Sutcliffe, Jennifer Tierney, Hannah Toy, Stevie Tate-Bauer, Jack Wilcox and Sam Wilmott.

*Lee Mead plays Fiyero from Monday 10 May 2010. From Monday 29 March 2010 until Saturday 8 May 2010, the role will be played by Lewis Bradley.

Recently named "Best Musical of the Decade" by Entertainment Weekly and "the defining musical of the decade" by The New York Times, the long-running hit has already been seen by over 2.5 million people in London and taken in excess of £90 million at the UK Box Office. Winner of over 30 international awards, this "cultural phenomenon" (Variety) is also playing in North America (4 productions), Germany, Japan and Australia.

WICKED has music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, a book by Winnie Holzman and is directed by Joe Mantello. WICKED is based on the novel, Wicked - The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, by Gregory Maguire.

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

WICKED proudly supports Magic 105.4's Cash For Kids charity and the Anti-Bullying Alliance.]]> 43wkd Fri, 15 Jan 2010 13:45:00 GMT WICKED ANNOUNCES NEW STARS FROM 29 MARCH 2010 WICKED ANNOUNCES NEW STARS FROM 29 MARCH 2010 RACHEL TUCKER AND LOUISE DEARMAN TO PLAY ELPHABA AND GLINDA

Recently acclaimed as "the defining musical of the decade" by The New York Times, the long-running hit West End musical WICKED, is pleased to welcome Rachel Tucker as Elphaba and Louise Dearman as Glinda who will lead the new cast from Monday 29 March 2010.

Belfast born Rachel Tucker (Elphaba) has most recently been co-presenting The Friday Show with Eamonn Holmes for BBC Northern Ireland. She has just finished playing Meat in the Queen/Ben Elton musical We Will Rock You at the Dominion Theatre and was a semi-finalist in the hugely popular BBC1 series I'd Do Anything.

Louise Dearman (Glinda) recently played Eva Peron in the UK national tour of Evita to great acclaim. In the West End she appeared in Guys and Dolls at the Piccadilly Theatre and starred as Sarah Brown in the subsequent UK national tour. She is about to finish playing the title role in Cinderella opposite Mickey Rooney for First Family Entertainment.

Current cast members Alexia Khadime (Elphaba) and Dianne Pilkington (Glinda) will play their final performances on Saturday 27 March 2010. Additional cast changes will be announced shortly.

Winner of over 30 international awards, the "West End phenomenon" (The Sunday Telegraph) is now in its fourth year at London's Apollo Victoria Theatre and has already been seen by over 2.5 million people and taken in excess of £90 million at the UK Box Office.

WICKED has music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, a book by Winnie Holzman and is directed by Joe Mantello. WICKED is based on the novel, Wicked - The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, by Gregory Maguire.

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

WICKED proudly supports Magic 105.4's Cash For Kids charity and the Anti-Bullying Alliance.]]> 42wkd Fri, 15 Jan 2010 13:45:00 GMT WICKED CELEBRATES RECORD-BREAKING 2009 WICKED CELEBRATES RECORD-BREAKING 2009 WICKED CELEBRATES HIGHEST GROSSING YEAR TO DATE

OVER £27 MILLION TAKEN AT THE BOX OFFICE IN 2009

Recently named "Best Musical of the Decade" by Entertainment Weekly and "the defining musical of the decade" by The New York Times, the hit musical WICKED at London's Apollo Victoria Theatre enjoyed its highest grossing year to date in 2009, grossing an incredible £27,333,991 at the Box Office (up almost £100,000 from 2008). The musical has taken in excess of £90 million at the UK Box Office since its London premiere in September 2006.

Now in its fourth year, "the hugely popular musical" (The Times) celebrated its 1000th performance on Saturday 14 February 2009 and welcomed its 2 millionth theatregoer on 11 May 2009. The production entered its fourth year on 27 September 2009.

Also in 2009, WICKED won the Visit London Award for Best Family Fun and has been short-listed as Best West End Show by theatregoers voting online until the end of January 2010 at Whatsonstage.com. The show's current leading ladies, Dianne Pilkington and Alexia Khadime, were honoured as Women of The Future at the annual Woman of the Future Awards and the musical, in partnership with Westfield London, set a new Guinness World Record for the world's largest Halloween gathering as part of its annual 'Wicked Day' celebrations.

UK Executive Producer Michael McCabe said "The public's incredible enthusiasm and support for Wicked has swept us along on a huge wave of success since we opened in 2006. To see our business continuing to climb year-on-year is really incredible and we are enormously grateful to the millions of people who have bought tickets to date and especially to those who made 2009 our best year yet".

Winner of over 30 international awards, productions of WICKED are currently playing in North America (4 productions), Germany, Japan and Australia.

WICKED has music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, a book by Winnie Holzman and is directed by Joe Mantello. WICKED is based on the novel, Wicked - The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, by Gregory Maguire.

Official UK website: www.WickedTheMusical.co.uk

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

WICKED proudly supports Magic 105.4's Cash For Kids charity and the Anti-Bullying Alliance. ]]> 41wkd Wed, 07 Jan 2010 12:00:00 GMT WICKED BROADWAY CELEBRATES HIGHEST GROSSING YEAR TO DATE WICKED BROADWAY CELEBRATES HIGHEST GROSS TO DATE WICKED BREAKS OWN RECORD FOR HIGHEST GROSSING BROADWAY SHOW

For the third time in just six weeks, the Broadway production of WICKED has grossed over $2 million for one week of performances. For the week ending Sunday 29 November, the musical, now in its 7th year on Broadway, grossed $2,086,135, and for the week ending December 27 the musical surpassed its own record grossing $2,092,745. For the week ending January 3, 2010, the musical shattered the record once again, making Broadway history by taking in an unprecedented $2,125,740 and setting a new house record at the Gershwin Theatre.

Additionally, the show's three other North American productions broke house records in San Francisco ($1,485,692), Providence ($1,793,764), and Schenectady ($1,657,139), bringing the musical's one-week North American box office gross to $7,062,335.

The musical, which was recently called "the defining musical of the decade" by The New York Times, currently has eight productions across the globe: in New York, San Francisco, London, Stuttgart, Osaka, Sydney, and on two concurrent North American National Tours. WICKED has amassed over $1.7 billion globally in ticket sales and has been seen by over 21 million people worldwide in its 7-year history.

Declared "The Best Musical of the Decade" by Entertainment Weekly and "A Cultural Phenomenon" by Variety, WICKED has music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, a book by Winnie Holzman and is directed by Joe Mantello. WICKED is based on the novel, Wicked - The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, by Gregory Maguire. ]]> 40wkd Wed, 07 Jan 2010 12:00:00 GMT