Witches of Oz - Wicked in LA!!

Los Angeles July 17, 2006 – The producers of WICKED are pleased to announce that Los Angeles will be home to a new production of WICKED!

LOS ANGELES PRODUCTION OF
“WICKED”
ANNOUNCED FOR PANTAGES THEATRE

Performances begin February 9, 2007
Tickets available to Broadway/L.A. subscribers and groups

Los Angeles July 17, 2006 – The producers of WICKED are pleased to announce that Los Angeles will be home to a new production of WICKED, the smash hit musical that the New York Times just called, “one of the most successful shows in Broadway history.” WICKED, which was developed, written and had its earliest readings and workshops in Los Angeles, will begin performances at the Pantages Theatre beginning February 9, 2007 (official press opening date will be announced). At present, tickets are only available to subscribers of Broadway/L.A. by calling 866-755-2929 or, for groups of fifteen (15) or more, by calling 866-755-3075 (or visit www.broadwayla.org).

The new production of WICKED is being mounted specifically for Southern California and will feature a new company with many principal roles being cast in Los Angeles. Casting details for the new Los Angeles company of WICKED will be announced at a later date.

Based on the novel by Gregory Maguire, WICKED has music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and book by Winnie Holzman. It is directed by Joe Mantello, with musical staging by Wayne Cilento. WICKED is produced by Marc Platt, Universal Pictures, The Araca Group, Jon B. Platt and David Stone.

Producer Marc Platt said, “The reception to WICKED in Los Angeles during its sold-out seven-week run in the summer of 2005 exceeded our wildest expectations. The enthusiasm generated by the audiences at the Pantages Theatre – just a few short miles away from my offices at Universal Studios where WICKED was created – was unlike the response in any other city that the show has played. It was during that run that we began to formulate the plan for a company of the show just for Los Angeles.”

Producer David Stone said, “After watching the excitement for WICKED at the Pantages last year, we felt that there would be a wide audience base in Southern California for a Los Angeles company. We are planning to make Los Angeles a home for WICKED as long as the public’s demand for our show will allow.”

Martin Wiviott, General Manager of Broadway/L.A. said, “Since WICKED played here last summer, we have been inundated with requests for when the show might return. It has been one of the most popular musicals not just to ever play at the Pantages, but to have ever been performed in Los Angeles. We are thrilled that the producers of WICKED have chosen the Pantages for its home in Los Angeles, and we are looking forward to a long run in Hollywood.”

WICKED, by far the highest grossing show on Broadway and across the country, currently has three companies in North America: on Broadway; on a National Tour; and in a separate, open-ended engagement at Chicago’s Ford Center for Performing Arts/Oriental Theatre. When the Los Angeles production begins in February, there will be four North American companies of WICKED running concurrently. A London production begins performances at the Apollo Victoria Theatre in September.

WICKED and Los Angeles

Producer Marc Platt calls the upcoming Los Angeles production, “a very exciting homecoming for WICKED.” WICKED began ten years ago when Platt was president of production at Universal Pictures. He had begun developing a film based on Gregory Maguire’s novel.

At the same time, Broadway composer/lyricist Stephen Schwartz was introduced to the novel. His friend, author and Angeleno Winnie Holzman, coincidentally bought a copy of the novel and called her agent and asked how she could get the rights. Schwartz met with Platt to talk to him about doing WICKED as a movie. They quickly realized that the story might be better served as a Broadway musical.

Beginning in 1999, Schwartz, Holzman and Platt met together for a year at Platt’s offices at Universal, working out the story beat-for-beat. Then Schwartz went off to do the music and Holzman went off to write the first draft of the book.

The first reading, of just the first act, was in spring of 2000 at the Coronet Theatre. Work and readings continued in Los Angeles, and in February 2001, the first reading of the entire book and score was held. At that time, producer David Stone, director Joe Mantello and the rest of the creative team came on board. They began a year-and-a-half schedule of readings and workshops, primarily at Universal Studios.

About WICKED

On May 28, 2003, WICKED had the first preview of its out-of-town tryout at San Francisco’s Curran Theatre, where the show set box office records. Since having its official Broadway opening at the Gershwin Theatre on October 30, 2003, WICKED has been sold out at virtually every performance, breaking house records with box office receipts of over $1.3 million per week. It has been called “Broadway’s biggest blockbuster” by the New York Timesand “a cultural phenomenon” by Variety. The Washington Post said WICKED is, “a breathtaking success story, of a magnitude the theater has not witnessed since the peak years of The Phantom of the Opera."

Winner of 15 major awards including the Grammy Award and three Tony Awards, WICKED is the untold story of the witches of Oz. Long before Dorothy drops in, two other girls meet in the land of Oz. One, born with emerald-green skin, is smart, fiery and misunderstood. The other is beautiful, ambitious and very popular. WICKED tells the story of their remarkable odyssey, how these two unlikely friends grow to become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch.

WICKED features set design by Tony Award winner Eugene Lee, costume design by Tony Award winner Susan Hilferty, lighting design by Kenneth Posner and sound design by Tony Meola. The orchestrations are by William David Brohn, with dance arrangements by James Lynn Abbott.
WICKED will begin performances at the Pantages Theatre (6233 Hollywood Boulevard) beginning February 9, 2007 (official press opening date will be announced). The scale of ticket prices is $25 to $88. The performances schedule will be: Tuesday through Saturday evenings at 8 PM; Saturdays at 2 PM; and Sundays at 1 PM and 6:30 PM. At present, tickets are only available to subscribers of Broadway/L.A. by calling 866-755-2929 or, for groups of fifteen (15) or more, by calling 866-755-3075 (or visit www.broadwayla.org).