Thursday, July 23, 2009

WICKED, the most anticipated musical production of the 2009 – 2010 season, flies into Wichita October 21 – November 8, for its premiere Kansas engagement. Tickets will go on sale to the public on Saturday, August 1; tickets will be exclusively available at the Wichita Tix box office, 225 West Douglas at 8:00 a.m. Beginning at 11 a.m., any remaining tickets will be available for purchase online at wichitatix.com or by calling the box office at 316.219.4849. There is an 8-ticket limit per patron.

Due to pre-existing sales to subscribers and groups, there is a limited inventory of WICKED tickets to start with. It is likely that the Wichita engagement will sell out in record time. Patrons are urged to purchase their tickets to WICKED early. The on sale event will feature hot air balloon rides provided by HAVNFUN…Hot Air Ballooning, games, breakfast, beverages and radio remotes provided by KZSN Kissin’ 102, B98 FM and Channel 963, WICKED merchandise and the chance for a lucky few to “fly to the head of the line” as well as a chance to win a hot air balloon ride for two.

WICKED has been seen by millions of people all around the world, but this Wichita engagement marks the first time it has been presented in Kansas. “The cultural and economic impact of WICKED will be significant,” said Kansas Governor Mark Parkinson, “It will employ hundreds of local theater professionals, generate hundreds of thousands of dollars in sales tax revenues and create an economic impact of millions of dollars. I want to thank Theater League, Inc. for bringing such a critically acclaimed work to the home of Dorothy and Toto.”

WICKED is a new musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz (Godspell, Pippin, Disney’s Enchanted, Academy Award winner for Pocahontas and The Prince of Egypt) and book by Winnie Holzman (“My So Called Life,” “Once And Again” and “thirtysomething”) based on the best-selling 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire. WICKED is set to make its Wichita premiere starting October 21.

The musical is directed by two-time Tony Award winner Joe Mantello (Take Me Out, Love! Valour! Compassion!, The Vagina Monologues, 9 to 5) and features musical staging by Tony® Award winner Wayne Cilento (Aida, The Who’s Tommy, How To Succeed…). WICKED, winner of 20 major awards, including a Grammy® Award and 3 Tony® Awards, is the untold story of the witches of Oz. It is produced by Marc Platt, Universal Pictures, The Araca Group, Jon B. Platt and David Stone.

Long before Dorothy drops in, two other girls meet in the land of Oz. One - born with emerald green skin - is smart, fiery and misunderstood. The other is beautiful, ambitious and very popular. WICKED tells the story of their remarkable odyssey, how these two unlikely friends grow to become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch.

WICKED features set design by Tony® Award winning Eugene Lee (Ragtime, Show Boat, Candide, Sweeney Todd), costume design by Tony® winner Susan Hilferty (Spring Awakening, Into the Woods, Assassins), lighting design by Tony nominee® Kenneth Posner (Tony® Award winner for The Coast of Utopia, Hairspray) and sound design by Tony Meola (The Lion King, Man of La Mancha). Stephen Oremus is the show’s music director. Orchestrations are by William David Brohn, with dance arrangements by James Lynn Abbott.

WICKED has “cast quite a spell” (Washington Post) throughout North America, breaking box office records in every city that it has played, including Toronto, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington, DC, Philadelphia and Boston to name a few.

Called “one of the most successful shows in Broadway history” by The New York Times and “a phenomenon that keeps growing” by the Los Angeles Times, WICKED continues to thrill audiences around the world. There are currently eight productions of WICKED worldwide, including two North American tours, a Broadway production, San Francisco production, London production, a Japanese-language production, a German-language production and Australian production. A Dutch-language production of WICKED will open in 2011.

WICKED Performance dates at Century II Concert Hall are as follows:

Wednesday, October 21 @ 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, October 22 @ 2:00 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.
Friday, October 23 @ 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, October 24 @ 2:00 p.m. & 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, October 25 @ 2:00 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, October 27 @ 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, October 28 @ 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, October 29 @ 7:30 p.m.
Friday, October 30 @ 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, October 31 @ 2:00 p.m. & 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, November 1 @ 2:00 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, November 3 @ 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, November 4 @ 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, November 5 @ 7:30 p.m.
Friday, November 6 @ 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, November 7 @ 2:00 p.m. & 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, November 8 @ 2:00 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.

Tickets start at $57 and will be available at the Wichita Tix box office beginning at 8:00 a.m. Saturday, August 1 and then online at wichitatix.com, or by calling 316.219.4849 beginning at 11:00 a.m. For more information on WICKED and the rest of the 2009-10 Broadway Series at Century II Concert Hall visit theaterleague.com. For groups of 20 or more, call 866.31.GROUP.