“Wicked” celebrates one-year anniversary at London’s West End

The Broadway hit musical “Wicked,” which originated in 2003 and has now spread worldwide, just celebrated its one-year anniversary of performances Sept. 7 at London’s Apollo Victoria Theatre in the West End, according to a Sept. 6 article published on BroadwayWorld.com. The musical, written by Stephen Schwartz and based on the novel by Gregory Maguire, has made waves throughout the U.S. since its debut and set off a chain reaction with a national tour, placing casts in Chicago, Los Angeles and New York. Already the show, which has been seen by more than 800,000 Londoners, has already grossed more than £28 million at the box office in just 52 weeks, bringing in more than £540,000 per week.

The Apollo Theatre’s cast consists of Kerry Ellis as Elphaba, Diane Pilkington as Glinda, Oliver Thompsett as Fiyero and Nigel Planner as The Wizard. Ellis, the co-star of the show, is most well-known for her role of Fantine in the musical “Les Miserables” and her performance as Ellen in the national tour of “Miss Saigon.” Her role in “Wicked” is one that consists of being the misunderstood Wicked Witch of the West. Elphaba, who meets Glinda, the Good Witch of the East, in boarding school when the two are paired as unlikely roommates, is consumed with jealousy over Glinda’s natural good looks and popularity. The two are tied to each other when they fall for the same love interest and then journey off together to Emerald City. What leads to their eventual animosity for each other is revealed in this stunning tale, which takes place in the Land of Oz - long before Dorothy and Toto decided to drop in. For those who haven’t seen this high-energy musical, make sure to snag Wicked tickets for the entire family at Stubhub.com.

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