To mark the occasion, the trademark yellow masthead of the musical's Playbill cover has been printed green for the 7 PM performance; this marks the second time the Playbill banner has been changed to green (green Playbills were given out on Wicked's fifth anniversary) and the third time the yellow banner has been altered to honor a Broadway show.
The special Wicked Playbill includes a four-page insert and is available exclusively at the PlaybillStore.
The Broadway cast is currently headed by Lindsay Mendez as Elphaba, Alli Mauzey as Glinda, Derek Klena as Fiyero, Carol Kane as Madame Morrible, Tom McGowan as The Wizard, Catherine Charlebois as Nessarose, John Schiappa as Dr. Dillamond and Michael Wartella as Boq.
Read Playbill.com's Diva Talk feature celebrating a decade of actresses who have starred as Elphaba.
To celebrate the tenth anniversary, a new, two-disc deluxe edition of the original Broadway cast album of Wicked was released digitally Oct. 29. The VerveUMe deluxe edition, which includes bonus tracks and the single "Popular Song" by MIKA (featuring Ariana Grande), will arrive in stores Nov. 19. (A two-disc 5th Anniversary Edition cast album, featuring pop covers and tracks from international productions, was released in 2008.) The two-disc recording also includes deluxe packaging featuring the show's tenth anniversary artwork, and a bonus booklet with new, updated essays by composer/lyricist Schwartz and original novelist Maguire, whose book, "Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West," inspired the hit musical. Explore all the leading characters of Wicked in Playbill.com's Inside the Emerald City feature.
A 10th Anniversary Collector’s Edition vinyl of the original Broadway cast recording is also available at the Gershwin Theatre and online at WickedtheMusical.com. Visit the Playbillstore.com for our extensive collection of Wicked merchandise.
Wicked began previews on Broadway Oct. 8, 2003, with an official opening Oct. 30, 2003. The original cast included Tony winners Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth as, respectively, the green-faced, misunderstood Elphaba and the curly-locked Glinda.
Playbill recently interviewed Menzel and Chenoweth, who reflected on their first adventure into Oz.
Based on Gregory Maguire's novel, which turned every Oz myth inside out, Wicked explores the early life of the witches of Oz: Glinda and Elphaba. The two main characters meet at Shiz, a school where both hope to take up sorcery. Glinda is madly popular and Elphaba is, well, green. By a misunderstanding, they wind up roommates and, after an initial period of mutual loathing, begin to learn something about each other. Their life paths continue to intersect through a shared love, entry into the Emerald City and interaction with the Wizard himself. Eventually, their choices and convictions take them on widely different paths.
View Playbill.com's extensive photo archive celebrating ten years of Wicked on Broadway.
Wicked features a score by Stephen Schwartz, a book by Winnie Holzman, direction by Joe Mantello and musical staging by Wayne Cilento. The production also features scenic design by Eugene Lee, costume design by Susan Hilferty, lighting design by Kenneth Posner, sound design by Tony Meola, projections by Elaine J. McCarthy, wig and hair design by Tom Watson, music supervision and arrangements by Stephen Oremus, orchestrations by William David Brohn and dance arrangements by James Lynn Abbott.
Wicked won 2004 Tony Awards for Best Actress in a Musical (Menzel), Best Costume Design (Susan Hilferty) and Best Scenic Design (Eugene Lee).
The Gershwin Theatre is located in Manhattan at 222 West 51st Street. For more information visit wickedthemusical.com.
PHOTO ARCHIVE: Celebrating Wicked on Broadway
Megan Hilty in Wicked
Julia Murney in Wicked
Kendra Kassebaum in Wicked
Marcie Dodd in Wicked
Erin Mackey in Wicked
Jackie Burns in Wicked
Chandra Lee Schwartz in Wicked
Jenni Barber in Wicked
