Wicked Playbill Will Go Green for Oct. 30 Anniversary Performance

By Andrew Gans
17 Oct 2008

Buy this Limited Collector's Edition
Buy this Limited Collector's Edition

To celebrate the fifth anniversary of the Broadway hit Wicked on Oct. 30, the trademark yellow masthead of the musical's Playbill cover will be printed green for one performance only.

The green Playbill banner will mark the first time in the publication's history that the color has been changed for a particular production.

In addition to audiences attending the Oct. 30 performance at the Gershwin Theatre, Wicked fans can also purchase the limited edition Playbill by visiting PlaybillStore.com. Pre-orders are currently being accepted for the commemorative Playbill — priced $11.95 — which ships the week of Nov. 3.

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. The cast is currently headed by Kerry Ellis as Elphaba and Kendra Kassebaum as Glinda.

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.

Wicked features a score by Stephen Schwartz, a book by Winnie Holzman, direction by Joe Mantello and musical staging by Wayne Cilento. The creative team also includes 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.

The Gershwin Theatre is located in Manhattan at 222 West 51st Street. For more information visit www.wickedthemusical.com.