Press Releases

May 18, 2007

Contact:
Dale B. Stark
Public Relations Manager
Civic Center of Greater Des Moines
(515) 246-2363 : desk
(515) 770-3253 : cell
dstark@civiccenter.org
 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

SO MUCH HAPPENED BEFORE DOROTHY DROPPED IN

COMING TO DES MOINES IN 2008-2009
2007-2008 Season Ticket holders will have the first opportunity
to guarantee their seats to WICKED, Broadway’s biggest blockbuster,
when they renew seats for 2008-2009

BY STEPHEN SCHWARTZ AND WINNIE HOLZMAN
BASED ON THE NOVEL BY GREGORY MAGUIRE
MUSICAL STAGING BY WAYNE CILENTO DIRECTED BY JOE MANTELLO

DES MOINES, Iowa – WICKED is a new musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz (Godspell, Pippin, 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 will make its Iowa premiere as part of the 2008-2009 Betts Broadway Series.

The musical is directed by 2003 and 2004 Tony Award winner Joe Mantello (Take Me Out, Assassins, Love! Valour! Cmpassion!, The Vagina Monologues, Glengarry Glenn Ross) and features musical staging by Tony Award winner Wayne Cilento (Aida, The Who’s Tommy, How To Succeed…). WICKED, winner of 15 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 (Into the Woods, Assassins), lighting design by Tony nominee® Kenneth Posner (Hairspray) and sound design by Tony Meola (The Lion King and the recent 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.

The national tour of WICKED has “cast quite a spell” (Washington Post) throughout North America. It opened at Toronto’s Canon Theatre on Tuesday, March 8, 2005 and sold out a seven-week run. WICKED has continued to break box office records and sell out multiple-week engagements in Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington, DC, Philadelphia and Boston to name a few.

WICKED, “Broadway’s biggest blockbuster” (The New York Times) began performances in New York on Wednesday, October 8, 2003 at The Gershwin Theatre and continues to be the top-grossing show on Broadway. WICKED is “good enough to run for a decade or two,” proclaims The Wall Street Journal. It’s “a cultural phenomenon,” exclaims Variety. “If every musical had the brain, the heart and the courage of WICKED, Broadway really would be a magical place,” states Time Magazine. |

The Chicago company of WICKED took the stage on Friday, June 24, 2005 at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Oriental Theatre, and London’s West End production opened at the Apollo Victoria Theatre on September 27, 2006. The Los Angeles production of WICKED started performances at the Pantages Theatre on February 10, 2007.

The Grammy Award-Winning Cast recording is available on Decca Broadway. For more information about WICKED log on to www.WickedTheMusicalTour.com.

The Civic Center of Greater Des Moines is a private not-for-profit corporation celebrating 27 years of presenting the performing arts to Iowa and the surrounding states.  It is the presenter of major Broadway and educational touring companies, performers and groups, and is the performing home of many local and regional groups, including the Des Moines Symphony and StageWest.  All performances of the Broadway Series are supported by Betts Auto Campus. 

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