Wicked a Welcome Addition in East Lansing

East Lansing readily welcomes Wicked as it comes to town this July and August.  The businesses in the area normally see a dramatic drop off in business when the students from Michigan State University go home for the summer. For local businesses, Wicked could be just the ticket to bring customers to them.  With East Lansing being the closest option to see the show for people from all over Michigan, Indiana and Ohio, it is sure to bring in large crowds.

The businesses have a reason to predict such results.  When Wicked came to town last year, it broke the ticket sale box office records as Wharton Center.  Officials from the Center predict between $15 million and $20 million to be spent in the town because of the show.  The slow local economy isn’t a concern for this show either.  Wharton Public Relations Manager Bob Hoffman says that although people aren’t spending as much, they are saving for special events like Wicked.

Wicked is the story of the witches of OZ before the movie The Wizard of Oz.  None of the witches have been labeled good or evil yet, and the story follows one witch, Elphaba, on the circumstances that led to her being labeled as the Wicked Witch.  Get your Wicked tickets from StubHub.com.

Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on June 30, 2008 - Post a comment

Menzel Tour Gets Reviewed

Idina Menzel has taken her singing talent that made her famous as Elphaba in Wicked to stage, and her performance is already attracting attention.  She has begun the tour of her new album, I Stand, and fans are getting to see a whole new side of Menzel. In her concert, Menzel sang many great ballads and even took time to answer questions from fans on stage.  The reviewer from the New York Times compared her to Diana Ross with more power. She finished her concert with a song from Wicked, “Defying Gravity.”

Menzel won a Tony Award for her portrayal of Elphaba in Wicked.  Wicked is set in Oz in the years before Dorothy and Toto drop in.  Glinda is not yet labeled good, and Elphaba is not yet wicked.  The two young witches head to magic school, but Elphaba isn’t as popular because of her green skin.  She tries to do the right thing, but a series of events go awry and she is soon seen as an evil force by those she once considered her friends. This award-winning musical captivates audiences where ever it lands. Don’t miss your chance to see it near you and get your Wicked tickets from StubHub.com.

Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on June 27, 2008 - Post a comment

Wicked Cast Dressed to Kill

Wicked has been called a lot of things like a hit, phenomenal, breathtaking, but one person on set wants audience members to call it something else: couture. Wicked’s costume designer, Susan Hilferty, works tirelessly to make sure that each outfit is exquisitely made. She decided not to use the original Wizard of Oz costuming as an inspiration and instead turned to the time period the original book was authored, 1900. She took the style of that time period and added creativity and a whimsical air and made costumes that won her a Tony Award for Best Costume Design.

Hilferty also created a new way of costuming for Wicked, bucking the convention that everyone but the stars are in similar outfits. While stars Elphaba and Glinda wear somewhat plain clothing, the background characters are dressed flamboyantly. There are few matching or similar outfits save identical roles like the palace guards and flying monkeys. The result is a show that gives the audience a sense of grandeur in every scene. No detail was overlooked including bringing in specific shoe, wig and sunglass designers. Even the actors are chosen to fit into a specific costume. Don’t miss the award winning production and get your Wicked tickets from StubHub.com.

Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on June 26, 2008 - Post a comment

Reed Returns as Madame Morrible

Before the Chicago production of Wicked closes, it will get back a favorite cast member. Rondi Reed comes back to the role she originated for the Chicago cast, Madame Morrible.  Reed left the production to play Aunt Mattie Fae in August: Osage County on Broadway.  The role gave her a Tony Award in 2008, but she is back to lend her talents to the praised Chicago Wicked production.

Reed is no stranger to Chicago.  She has appeared in 51 different productions for the famous Steppenwolf Theater in Chicago.   Her credits there include David Copperfield, Man From Nebraska, The Grapes of Wrath, Cat On A Hot Tin Roof and Born Yesterday.  She has also been in films like Jungle 2 Jungle and The Astronaut’s Wife.  Her TV appearances include A Streetcar Named Desire, Seinfeld and Home Improvement.

Having Reed back on cast will add an extra something to an already amazing production. Wicked is a unique musical because it creates sympathy for the villain of an already well-loved story, The Wizard of Oz.  In Wicked, the witches go to magic school and have not been deemed good or evil yet.  The eventual Wicked Witch, Elphaba, is a misunderstood character who gets labeled through unfortunate events.  See this award-winning show with Wicked Tickets from StubHub.com.

Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on June 25, 2008 - Post a comment

Aaron Tveit Joins Wicked Cast

Up-and-coming Broadway star Aaron Tveit will take on the role of Fiyero today in the Broadway production of Wicked. He will be starring alongside Kendra Kassebaum as Glinda, Kerry Ellis as Elphaba, Jayne Houdyshell as Madame Morrible and Lenny Wolpe as The Wizard along with many more stars.

Tveit made his Broadway debut in Hairspray playing Link Larkin after playing the same role in the touring show. He was most recently in the off-Broadway production of Next to Normal and has also been in a similar production of Rent. Other theater credits include The Three Musketeers and Calvin Berger.

Tveit is from Middletown, New York and grew up as an athlete, actor and singer. Unlike others in the same position, Tveit never had to deal with choosing between his interests. Some of his credits in high school included West Side Story. Although he had a business school scholarship, Tveit went to Ithaca College where he first majored in vocal performance and then in theater. He met a director there, which led to his roles in Rent and Next to Normal. Don’t miss this young star as he performs in the Tony Award-winning Wicked. Get all your Wicked tickets from StubHub.com.

Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on June 24, 2008 - Post a comment

Tickets Hot in Minneapolis

Minneapolis sure keeps up on what’s hot on Broadway. When tickets went on sale for the Wicked production there, ticket hopefuls lined up as early as 2 a.m. to secure a spot. The tickets went on sale at 8 a.m. on Thursday and people were clamoring for a chance at them. The last time the Tony Award-winning musical made a stop here, the tickets told out in a mere three hours. As WCCO reports, some patrons in line were coming back to see the show for the second time while others were first-timers. The way theater-goers rage about the show, it is no wonder it is such a hot ticket. WCCO quotes one fan as saying, “The ending is so fabulous. You won’t believe it. You’ll go, that’s the rest of the story!”

Wicked is set in the land of Oz before the Wizard of OZ movie begins. None of the witches are yet good or wicked, and both Glinda and Elphaba (eventually the Wicked Witch) are attending magic school. The story makes audience members understand the motivation behind Elphaba’s actions and why she became the witch she is in the Wizard of Oz. Although the tickets are tough to get, you can get your Wicked tickets from StubHub.com.

Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on June 23, 2008 - Post a comment

Rochester Loved Wicked

Wicked recently finished its three-week run in Rochester, New York, but it left a lasting impression while there.  In fact, it broke the local box-office record for a touring Broadway show by having 22 of its 24 performances sold out.  While in Rochester, close to 60,000 people saw the show.  The new record tops the one previously set last year by Spamalot.  When officials broke down the attendance, 57 % of attendees were from the county Rochester is in.  Not only was Rochester impressed with the show, but people from all over drove to make it to this Tony Award-winning show.

Wicked takes place in Oz years before Dorothy and Toto began their adventure there.  Glinda the good witch and Elphaba the wicked witch are attending the same magic school.  Elphaba has not yet been labeled “wicked” at the beginning, but the show chronicles how unfortunate events and misunderstandings led to the situation Dorothy finds herself in later.  The show has garnered praise both as a traveling show and a Broadway staple.  Don’t miss your chance to see this show near your or the next time you are visiting one of its permanent venues.  Get your Wicked tickets from StubHub.com.

Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on June 20, 2008 - Post a comment

Chicago Gets Free Taste of Wicked

Although Wicked is leaving the Chicago stage very soon, audiences have another chance to hear the show’s amazing music.  The Chicago cast will be performing at this year’s Taste of Chicago on Monday, June 30.  Although they will not be acting out the entire play, the cast will sing selections from the Tony-award winning musical.  Along with Wicked, there will also be performers from Jersey Boys, Legally Blonde The Musical, A Chorus Line, Grease and Dirty Dancing.  Jersey Boys currently has a show in Chicago, but the others are coming to Chicago either in September of for the 2009 season. The show will be at 6 p.m. at the Petrillo Music Shell in Grant Park.  The best part about the concert is that admission is absolutely free.

Wicked has been captivating audiences both in Chicago and anywhere else it is playing.  It tells the story of the witches of Oz before the Wizard of Oz takes place.  The witches have not yet been labeled good and wicked and are attending magic school together.  The story is unique because it fleshes out the motivation behind the Wicked Witch’s villainous behavior.  Don’t miss your opportunity to see the entire show and get your Wicked tickets from StubHub.com

Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on June 19, 2008 - Post a comment

Cobb Ready For Wicked

One of Atlanta’s newest and most amazing theaters, the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, will be welcoming Wicked briefly this fall from October 28 to November 2.  The Broadway series the Cobb is welcoming also includes Hairspray and Spamalot.  Wicked, Hairspray and Spamalot are all Tony Award-winning shows and Broadway favorites.

The Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre is a state-of-the-art facility that has a 2,750 seat theater, a 10,000 square foot ballroom and a beautiful terrace and courtyard.  The centre is easily accessible from the highway, making it easy for those from Atlanta and out-of-towners alike.

Wicked tells the story of Oz before Dorothy and Toto landed there.  Audiences get to meet Glinda and Elphaba before they became the witches they were in the Wizard of Oz.  The two meet at magic school where Glinda is popular and Elphaba struggles because she is different from everyone with her green skin.  From the amazing sets to the incredible costuming, Wicked has something for the whole family.  The music has won a Grammy and features songs like “No One Mourns the Wicked,” “No Good Deed” and “For Good.” Don’t miss the musical that has everyone talking!  Get your Wicked tickets at StubHub.com.

Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on June 18, 2008 - Post a comment

Elphaba From Across the Pond

The Broadway version of the Tony Award-winning musical Wicked will welcome a new star to its cast. Kerry Ellis played the part of Elphaba in the London production and now comes to New York for the same part. She will be the first Brit to play the part in the New York cast. The cast welcomes another member back to her role as Madame Morrible, Jayne Houdyshell. Both will be in the roles starting on June 17.

Besides being in Wicked, Ellis has also been in productions of Les Miserables, Miss Saigon, My Fair Lady and We Will Rock You to name a few. She is also working on a solo album. Houdyshell comes from the show Well, where she was nominated for a Tony Award. She also has many theater credits to her name including Fighting Words, The Pain and the Itch and Much Ado About Nothing. Her movie credits include Garden State, Changing Lanes and Maid in Manhattan.

Both performers will bring something special to the already-amazing show. Ellis’s role as Elphaba is one of the most loved characters in recent musicals. She is the villain in the Wizard of Oz, but Wicked helps audiences see there are reasons behind her demeanor. Make sure to see it yourself and get your Wicked tickets from Stubhub.com.

Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on June 17, 2008 - Post a comment


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