Wicked: The untold story of Oz

Did you know that there is an untold tale about the Witches of Oz? It is said that before Dorothy enters, there are two other girls who meet in the Land of Oz. They are Elphaba, born with emerald green skin, who is smart, fiery and misunderstood, and Glinda who is beautiful, ambitious and very popular. Elphaba has potent inner beauty, rallies for the underdog and has an immense talent for sorcery while Glinda is vulnerable and kind-hearted.

Their story is brought to life in Wicked which tells the odyssey of these two unlikely friends and how they become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good. Wicked is a brilliant re-imagining of the stories and characters created by L. Frank Baum in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

Filipino audiences will be dazzled soon when the Broadway musical phenomenon Wicked opens for a strictly-limited season at the Main Theater of the Cultural Center of the Philippines on Jan. 22, 2014.

Wicked is a winner of 50 major awards including a Grammy, three Tony awards and six Helpmann awards. The musical will celebrate its 10th anniversary on Broadway in  October. It is one of the most successful shows in theater history. It has been Broadway’s No. 1 show for nine consecutive years and has captivated over 37 million viewers worldwide over the last decade.

The musical has received rave reviews from critics. USA Today: “Remember the last time an original Broadway musical made you laugh, cry and think — in the right places and for the right reasons? Wicked is the most complete, and completely satisfying, new musical I’ve come across in a long time. It is a triumph!” Time Magazine: “If every musical had the brain, the heart and the courage of the Wicked, Broadway really would be a magical place.” The Sydney Morning Herald: “Wicked captures the lavishness, frenzy and big-belting tunes of Broadway. It is a seductive, big-budget, glossy entertainment which whips up emotions in big broad theatrical strokes.”

Wicked is a dazzling display of glitz, glamour and spellbinding effects. It takes pride of its 200 costumes designed by Tony award winner Susan Hilferty and a set created by Tony award winner Eugene Lee which features moving parts and spectacular flying effects.

Wicked is based on the novel by Gregory Maguire. The musical extravaganza features music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz (Godspell, Pippin, Academy award winner for Pocahontas and The Prince of Egypt) and a book by Winnie Holzman (My So-Called Life, Once and Again and Thirtysomething). The production features musical staging by Wayne Cliento and is directed by Lisa Leguillou, based on the original direction by Joe Mantello. 

Aside from Broadway, Wicked also enthralled audiences in Chicago, London, Los Angeles, Japan, Germany, Australia and San Francisco.

Now, Manila audiences will soon experience performances by world-class Australian entertainers Jemma Rix and Suzie Mathers who play Elphaba and Glinda, respectively. Rix earned a Helpmann nomination in 2011 for Best Leading Actress in a Musical for her role as Elphaba, while Mathers was nominated as Best Newcomer at the 2009 Sydney Theater Awards.

Joining them in Wicked are Jay Laga’aia, Maggie Kirkpatrick, Steve Danielsen, Glen Hogstrom, Emily Cascarino and Edward Grey.

“As Wicked prepares to celebrate its 10th anniversary on Broadway, we are very excited to add Manila to the long list of international cities that have welcomed the show,” enthused Wicked producers Marc Platt and David Stone. “We trust that audiences there will embrace and celebrate its powerful storytelling and universal themes as warmly as those in North America, the UK, Japan, Germany, Holland and Australia.”

Meanwhile, producer James Cundall, CEO of Lunchbox Theatrical Productions and presenter of Wicked in Manila, said, “It is a privilege to present Wicked in Manila. It is a unique musical created for 21st Century audiences, which I know will warm the hearts of Filipino theatre-goers.” Lunchbox Theatrical Productions has brought to Manila a number of major productions like Cats, The Phantom of the Opera and Mamma Mia!.

“When Wicked premiered in Singapore in 2011, a lot of Filipinos flew there to catch the show, and that’s a good indicator of how ready local theater audiences are for Wicked to cast its spell in Manila,” shared Bambi Rivera-Verzo, executive producer of Concertus Manila.

The Philippine season of Wicked is produced by Marc Platt, David Stone, Universal Pictures, The Araca Group, Jon B. Platt and John Frost. It is presented by Lunchbox Theatrical Productions, David Atkins Enterprises, 105.9 Radio High and Concertus in association with Wicked Worldwide. Its presenting sponsors are Smart Infinity and Visa. Other major sponsors are Diamond Hotel and OOCL.

Ticket prices are P7,000 (Emerald); P5,800 (A Reserve); P4,500 (B Reserve); P3,500 (C Reserve); P2,250 (D Reserve); and P1,750 (E Reserve).

You can call Ticketworld booking line at 891-9999. For more information, you can visit www.wickedthemusical.com.ph, www.facebook.com/wickedmanila, www.ticketworld.com.ph, www.fecebook.com/ticketworldinc, and www. facebook.com/ConcertusManila