Test your Elphaba knowledge!

So: Which Witch is Which? www.wickedthemusical.com, the Wicked Musical’s official website, has posted a cute Delta-sponsored quiz on Elphaba in her various incarnations through the different actresses who have put on the sunlight-allergic witch’s pointy hat through the years. Find the original here, or scroll below for a scaled-down version of the printout.

The quiz, “Defying Gravity,” is scanned online here, though it is, unfortunately, outdated, and it’s a great test of one’s own Wicked accument. Are you fan enough?
And if you’re looking to brush up on your knowledge, tickets in the new year for 2007 performances of Wicked all across the US are available online at StubHub.com even for those hard-to-find and sold-out shows–no need to get green with envy, just check out StubHub’s Wicked Tickets fan-based page for more info.

Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on December 31, 2006 - Post a comment

Wicked by the Numbers

Found this great compilation of interesting facts and stats on The Wizard of Oz and all its subsequent interpretations, including Wicked the Musical, on an indielondon.co.uk post by writer Jack Foley. Some highlights follow, and you can find his full article here.
-L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, his first book in the Oz series, had a full thirteen sequels written over a period of twenty years (I only knew about the first two!)

-Over a ton of dry ice is used every week to create the fog in Wicked.
-The American Film Institute voted the Wicked Witch of the West (later to become Gregory McGuire’s Elphaba) as the fourth greatest screen villain of all time, coming in behind Star Wars’s Darth Vader, Psycho’s Norman Bates, and Hannibal Lecter from Silence of the Lambs.

-The Broadway production of Wicked has sold out over one thousand performances, and over two million people have seen this production alone.

-It’s been Broadway’s top-selling show every single week for over two years!

Those are just some of the interesting tidbits and numbers that Mr. Foley has pulled together. Check out his site for the full story.

And tickets are always available on StubHub’s Wicked Tickets forum, where fans go to buy and sell tickets to the brand-new hundred-year-old story of the Wicked Witch of the West.

Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on December 30, 2006 - Post a comment

More Wicked Records

Wicked just keeps setting records in several ways.  The latest incredible statistic to come out is that the production has broken yet another weekly revenue record by raking in over $1.7 million during Thanksgiving week alone on Broadway.  The show’s unbelievalbe success has led to demand for performances all over the world, so if you haven’t yet seen Wicked, head to StubHub.com for Wicked tickets in your area.

Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on December 30, 2006 - Post a comment

Wicked’s Recognitions Keep Rolling In…

Wicked is a theater production that started as a success, but is becoming historical in nature.  The latest achievement by this unique musical regards the sales of its cast recordings.  Wicked’s cast recording has just been certified Platinum, which means that it has sold over one million copies.  This is a truly rare occurrence/achievement for a Broadway production, and just another reason to get your Wicked tickets today to see what all the fuss is about.

Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on December 29, 2006 - Post a comment

Inside Wicked the Musical @ the Apollo Victoria, London

Given the huge amount of interest in the London Apollo Victoria’s production of Wicked the Musical following Kerry Ellis’s ascension to the emerald throne of show lead character Elphaba (replacing Idina Menzel), I’ve done a little digging on the theater itself, and it turns out that they really know how to put on a show, from start to finish.

Aside from the brilliant reviews they’ve received as a whole–”The sets are spectacular, the costumes lavish and the performances, without exception, brilliant,” said Jack Foley of indielondon.co.uk (read his review here)–to Ellis’s bright future as predicted by BroadwayWorld.com’s story on her assumption of the role of Wicked’s Elphaba, the production runs straight out into the lobby and beyond. It’s set its roots in deep at the Apollo Victoria, with trappings in accordance with its size: it’s got… it’s got glitter. One peppy and pink-obsessed Londoner describes the scene so:

“The production has taken over the Apollo Victoria Theatre in London, and when I say taken over I mean it, there are several OZ Dust shops selling everything from fridge magnets to monkey! the programme is truly beautiful, but pricey and there are even special cocktails in the bar, the anticipationbefore the show is incredible.” Check out the the rest of this entry or visit her blog homepage.

And if you’re not quite prepared for a trans-atlantic theatergoing experience, StubHub has tickets to your nearest sold-out show, from other fans with one too many on their hands. Check out StubHub.com’s Wicked tickets fan forum to buy or sell tickets to your local show.

Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on December 28, 2006 - Post a comment

Wicked the Musical the Karaoke Party.

So a few weeks ago, I found a link on Britain’s Amazon.com to lyrics for Wicked the Musical, a wonderful little resource for those enthusiasts who wanted to take the extra step and put on their own production, of whatever size.

But I didn’t take into account that someone might have made a Wicked musical product even more accessible and entertaining than the source code, so to speak, for Wicked the Musical. And again, Amazon.com comes to the rescue.

The site is pushing the full kit, with on-screen lyrics and the show-original music at tempo and in key, and it looks great. However, there are two versions available, one published by Stage Star Records and the other by Pocket Songs. The Pocket Songs version is missing the two songs “Dear Old Shiz” and “I’m Not That Girl,” while the Pocket version lacks “No One Mourns the Wicked,” and “Something Bad.” Each makes up where the other fails, but I wouldn’t be buying two, so if you’re so inclined, be sure you’re choosing the right one based on your favorite songs. The Stage Star Records Karaoke CD for Wicked the Musical can be found here, and the Pocket Songs Karaoke CD for Wicked the Musical can be found here. (price is also a factor, with the Pocket Songs version $10 cheaper than the Stage Star Records version.)

So belt out your lungs, and when your vocal cords can’t take no more, the pros are playing the Wicked Musical in NY, Chicago, LA, and Toronto, and StubHub has tickets to them all on its Wicked Tickets fan forum, where Ozymandian fans buy and sell tickets.

Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on December 26, 2006 - Post a comment

Kerry Ellis now London Wicked’s Elphaba

 

 

Kerry Ellis, the popular English stage performer, is taking over Idina Menzel’s role as Elphaba in teh London production of teh musical Wicked, BroadwayWorld.com reported on December 20. The prinicpal cast is, then, Kerry Ellis as Elphaba, Helen Dallimore as Glinda, Adam Garcia as Fiyero, Miriam Margolyes as Madame Morrible, Nigel Planer as The Wizard, Martin Ball as Doctor Dillamond, James Gillan as Boq and Katie Rowley Jones as Nessarose. Read BroadwayWorld’s full article here.

Ellis’s credits include understudy work as Eliza Dolittle in My Fair Lady, Magic of the Musicals, and Merrily We Roll Along; her previous work has been impressive, but this role as Elphaba is tuned to be her breakout opportunity, given Wicked’s huge popularity and the potential for superstardom attendent to its leads.

A clipping from Martin Ball’s online diary on MySpace describes Ellis’s first attempt in the Wicked musical’s role as Elphaba: “Kerry is a wonderful Elphaba, with a beautiful, beautiful voice and a lovely quality on stage. As I watched (and heard!) her triumphant reception at the curtain call I felt a delicious feeling of anticipation: come New Year I’ll get to play this show with her for six and a half months! I am very pleased to be able to report that Wicked is in the best possible hands next year.” The backstory on this first appearance is supercharged backstage drama, and I suggest you give it a peek. It demonstrate’s Ms. Ellis’s ability to operate well under themost strenuous circumstances, which is a skill she’ll certainly need in the lead of London’s Wicked musical.

The changing of the green guard will take place with the changing of the year, on January 1st, and while many fans will surely be disappointed to see Idina Menzel leave the role that brought so many to London’s Apollo Victoria only as recently as this past September, they’re certainly in for a treat with Ellis under the Anarchist Elphaba’s green cape, needle-sharp hat, and burden of musical misanthropy.

Tickets for the American production (touring shows as well as permanent city productions) are available on StubHub’s Wicked tickets forum.

Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on December 23, 2006 - Post a comment

Bartering for Two Wicked Musical Tickets

News about Wicked the Musical apparently came into competition with the biggest-hyped popular event in the last month, the release of Sony’s Playstation 3, when one fan posted this high-end deal on an internet message board: he would trade a brand new Playstation 3 console for two tickets to the Wicked Musical and $700. For all… those… fans out there who want to play Wicked the Video Game. I kid, the closest one would come is Harry Potter. Maybe Wicked Games? I kid again, that’s Chris Isaac.

But the Playstation 3 console will apparently cost Sony between $800 and $900 to make in its initial run, sources are reporting about a Merril Lynch analysis. Pre-Orders were $899 at Barnes & Noble.com, although the price was expected to fall to about $500 quickly, meaning of course huge initial net losses for the company, which would have to make it up over the long term.

And that is one way of buying or selling one’s Wicked the Musical Tickets. StubHub’s Wicked Tickets forum is another… ah… safer way of doing it, without losing oneself a Playstation 3 or $700. But you do have to admire his willingness to think outside of the box.

Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on December 20, 2006 - Post a comment

Not to toot my own horn… musically… wicked the musically…


(nice!)

Okay, time for some interesting and self-reflexive news on Wicked the Musical. My StubHub blog, it would seem, is quickly becoming the definitive source of information in the blogosophere on Wicked the Musical. Crazy, no?

My first big hit occurred with the “Put on Your Own Wicked Production” post of December third. It peaked out, based on my searches, at #3 on blogsearch.google.com (a really great resource for independent news of any breed) under the search term “wicked the musical”. My following post from Dec. 6 (”Gregory McGuire’s Wicked Still a Bestseller!“) actually climbed up to #1 under the same search term and #2 under “wicked musical” on December 10. And, finally, my last two blogs have managed to make good on the growth and are, at the time of writing, numbers 1 and 3 under “wicked the musical,” and #3 under “wicked musical.”

That’s great news, because Google runs on cold numbers and the high ranking means that a lot of people are stopping by to see the news I’m pulling in from over the internet on the musical Wicked. And the reason none of my posts have been holding at number one is because of all the people contributing in their own blogs with information on the musical. The critics’ reviews are all fine and good, but the fans’ reviews that just do not stop coming are really the strength of the show. Nobody reads year-old NY Times articles. Unless they’re doing a search on “yellowcake” and “lies” and “orwellian”. Or checking out the backlist of Mr. Will Shortz’s brilliant crosswords. He really is a god.

But. I. Digress. On the note of populist theatergoing ethics, I might have a couple guests join us shortly, some fans whose blogs have certainly been something to look at. More to come.

Thanks for reading, everybody, and as always, fan-sold tickets are available on StubHub.com’s Wicked the Musical tickets forum, where hegemony-defying fans buy and sell tickets.

Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on December 18, 2006 - Post a comment

Grinch bumps Wicked!

Wicked’s position as top-grossing musical was taken on a short-term analysis this past week by the Christmas-favorite “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” Variety.com is reporting.

“… with a holiday musical in the top slot, Broadway is feeling the holiday cheer, as December tourism boosted grosses for most shows for Week 28 (Dec. 4-10). ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ jumped by more than $130,000, one of the largest bumps of the week. ‘The Vertical Hour’ did strong biz, playing to houses at 95% capacity (not including a spate of comps for latecoming press), while ‘Company’ broke the house record at the Barrymore.”
So it’s been an absolutely solid week for Broadway grosses, most likely as a result of Christmas holiday excursions and gift purchases–I have word I’m getting a ticked to an unnamed Broadway show for Christmas, and I also have word that I’m very excited to see which it is. With sales up across the board, tickets are going to be impossible to get (and walking through Rockefeller Center every day, I can tell you how many people are going to Radio City Music Hall on my lunch break…), so if you’re planning a holiday viewing of a Broadway musical generally, check out the StubHub Broadway Tickets blog, where you can get reviews on any number of musical and theatrical productions featured on StubHub.com.

And of course, with Wicked pulling down huge crowds as always, you can still find fan-sold tickets on our Wicked Tickets forum for that tight-packed theater show you’re trying to get into. Happy pre-holidays, all.

Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on December 17, 2006 - Post a comment


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