Wicked to Launch Second National Tour in March 2009

By Andrew Gans
May 22, 2008

A second national tour of the international hit musical Wicked will kick off March 7, 2009, at the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall in Fort Myers, FL.

The Stephen Schwartz-Winnie Holzman musical will play through March 29 at the Florida venue before arriving in Birmingham, Jacksonville, Norfolk, Indianapolis and Memphis.

In a statement Wicked producer Marc Platt said, "Theatregoers across North America have embraced Wicked, creating an overwhelming demand for tickets and a wildly successful 1st North American Tour. The upcoming launch of this 2nd touring company will allow us to bring Wicked to markets which we have not yet been able to visit, as well as return to cities which have been asking for a second (or third) engagements."

The current tour itinerary follows:
March 7-29, 2009 at the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall in Fort Myers
April 3-19 at the BJCC Concert Hall in Birmingham
April 23-May 10 at the Times Union Center in Jacksonville
May 13-31 at the Chrysler Hall in Norfolk
June 3-21 at the Murat Centre in Indianapolis
June 24-July 12 at the Orpheum Theatre in Memphis

Additional cities and casting will be announced at a later date.

The first national tour of Wicked will next visit the Auditorium Theatre in Rochester, May 28-June 15.

Additional cities for the first national tour follow:
June 18-July 13, 2008 at Shea's Performing Arts Center in Buffalo
July 16-August 10 at the Wharton Center in East Lansing
Aug. 13-31 at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa
Sept. 3-Oct. 5 at the Benedum Center in Pittsburgh
Oct. 8-Nov. 2 at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta
Nov. 5-Dec. 7 at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis
Dec. 10, 2008-Jan. 4, 2009 at the Opera House in Detroit
Jan. 7-Feb. 1, 2009 at the Kentucky Center in Louisville
Feb. 4-March 1 at Fox Cities Performing Arts Center in Appleton
March 4-April 5 at the Keller Auditorium in Portland
April 8-May 3 at the Capitol Theatre in Salt Lake City
May 6-31 at the Orpheum Theatre in Omaha
June 3-28 at the Majestic Theatre in San Antonio
July 1-26 at the Gammage Auditorium in Tempe

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.

For more information visit www.wickedthemusical.com.