Wicked May Be London-Bound

By Andrew Gans
12 Dec 2005

The hit musical Wicked, which is currently playing to capacity audiences on Broadway, in Chicago and around the country, may be headed to London.

Variety reports that the Stephen Schwartz musical about the friendship between a pair of unlikely witches is "aiming for a late-September bow" at the Apollo Victoria Theatre, the theatre that will house the upcoming limited engagement of Billy Joel's Movin' Out. There has, however, been no official announcement about a London Wicked engagement.

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, with a book by Winnie Holzman, began previews on Broadway Oct. 8, 2003, with an official opening Oct. 30, 2003. The Broadway company — directed by Joe Mantello — continues to play the Gershwin Theatre. Tickets are available by calling (212) 307-4100 or by visiting www.ticketmaster.com.