London's Wicked to Celebrate First Anniversary

By Andrew Gans
06 Sep 2007

Kerry Ellis in Wicked.
Kerry Ellis in Wicked.
Photo by Tristram Kenton

The London production of Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman's Wicked will celebrate its first anniversary in the West End Sept. 7.

The musical began previews at the Apollo Victoria Theatre Sept. 7, 2006, and officially opened Sept. 27 with a cast that boasted original Broadway star Idina Menzel as Elphaba and Australian actress Helen Dallimore as Glinda.

The West End company currently features Kerry Ellis as Elphaba, Dianne Pilkington as Glinda, Oliver Tompsett as Fiyero, Susie Blake as Madame Morrible, Nigel Planer as The Wizard, James Gillan as Boq, Andy Mace as Doctor Dillamond and Katie Rowley Jones as Nessarose.

The production, which grossed over £28 million at the box office in its first year, is now booking through Sept. 27, 2008.

In addition to the London production, Wicked can be seen on Broadway, in Chicago, in Los Angeles, in the U.S. national tour and in Tokyo. Productions in Stuttgart and Melbourne will open in, respectively, November 2007 and July 2008.

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.

The Apollo Victoria Theatre is located on Wilton Road in London. For more on Wicked call (0)870 594 9494 or visit www.wickedthemusical.co.uk.