Nothing says New York City like Broadway! With so many options, visitors and New Yorkers have the wickedly difficult task of deciding which Broadway production to see. Thankfully, the Broadway success
Wicked New York has been entertaining audiences since it opened in the Big Apple on October 30, 2003. Wicked briefly opened for a pre-Broadway tryout from May to June of 2003 in San Francisco, California, and after a few musical edits and book details rewritten, Wicked New York was born!
The Gershwin Theater has been home to Wicked New York since its Broadway debut. Wicked New York opened to mixed reviews from critics, but rave reviews from the actresses who played Glinda the Good Witch and Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West. Despite the early lackluster opinions, word-of-mouth and increased ticket sales proved that
Wicked New York would soon be a staple in New York's theater district. Winner of three Tony Awards and Time Magazine's acclaim that Wicked is “the best musical of the year,” Wicked surely knows how to bring in audiences.
Wicked – The Story
Wicked is touted as the story of what happened in the Land of Oz before Dorothy dropped in. Wicked is produced with music and lyrics by acclaimed composer Stephen Schwartz and is based on the 1995 best-selling book
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by novelist Gregory Maguire. This untold story of the Witches of Oz sparkles with charm, suspense, dazzling costumes and special effects.
Wicked New York started in 2003 with Idina Menzel, of 'Rent' fame as Elphaba and Kristin Chenoweth as Galinda (soon changed to Glinda), with Joel Grey as the Wizard of Oz. Wicked New York currently stars Marcie Dodd as Elphaba, Alli Muazey as Glinda, and P.J. Benjamin as The Wizard.
Produced by Universal Pictures, Wicked New York soon proved to be a favorite among patrons despite some panned reviews.
Wicked New York tells the story of the emerald-green skinned Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West and the beautiful and popular, Glinda the Good Witch. Their unlikely friendship grows and evolves them into two different women – one good and one 'wicked.'
The Wicked New York Experience
The entire production of Wicked has broken box office records internationally, with the record of the largest opening in the London production (£100,000 in the first hour). The award nominations from the Grammy's, People's Choice and Tony's (to name a few) are impressive and rightly-so. The North American tour alone has been seen by over 4 million audiences. Since its national tour in 2005, Wicked has broken records in every city it has toured, from San Diego to Toronto.
Wicked New York has spared no expense on every aspect of the production. Wicked New York would not be the same if it weren't for the costumes, flying sequences, sets and prosthetic make-up. The visual effects and mastery only add to the wonderfully 'wicked' way Wicked New York and the Wizard of Oz story are linked.
Wicked New York ticket prices are reasonable for $51.25 for a rear mezzanine seat Tuesday through Thursday to $131.25 for orchestra seats on Saturday evening. Matinees run for Wicked New York Wednesdays and Saturdays at 2 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. Wicked New York runs approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes, with a 15 minute intermission. Wicked New York is on an open-ended run and tickets are being sold until September 13, 2009.
For the ultimate Wicked New York experience, Wicked New York has partnered with The Time Hotel, which sits one block from Gershwin Theater on 49th Street between Broadway and Eighth Avenue. New York is the destination of choice for most visitors who love Broadway productions. Wicked New York is sure not to disappoint.