Wicked’s newest milestone

 The multi-award winning smash hit musical Wicked marks yet another milestone on Saturday 7th May, when it celebrates its 1000th performance in Australia. 

The multi-award winning smash hit musical Wicked marks yet another milestone on Saturday 7th May, when it celebrates its 1000th performance in Australia. Wicked is currently playing at the Festival Centre in Adelaide, and has also enjoyed phenomenally successful seasons in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. “It is almost three years to the day since it began rehearsals, and from the very first performance we knew Wicked was something special,” said John Frost, Australian Co-Producer of Wicked. “I am thrilled that this wonderful show has reached the rare milestone of 1000 shows, and has been enjoyed by 1.4 million people in Australia. Right from the start this show has been an overwhelming hit. Audiences have been captivated by the soaring ballads, the spectacular sets, costumes and lighting, and been drawn into the emotional richness of this beautiful story.”   Eleven of the original cast members are still performing in Wicked, including Lucy Durack (pictured right as Glinda), Jemma Rix (initially standby and now playing the role of Elphaba) and Maggie Kirkpatrick (Madam Morrible). There are also 11 original crew members who have been with the show since the beginning.  Lucy Durack can’t quite believe she has been with Wicked for 1000 shows, “I feel very proud to be an original cast member. I also feel an enormous sense of gratitude to be a part of Wicked and humbled to belong to something that Australia has taken to its heart and supported with such fervour. Audiences have really embraced musical theatre in the past few years and I feel lucky to have experienced that first hand.”  The show has grossed over $125 million in ticket sales in Australia. It made an economic impact of $126 million in Victoria during the 13 month season at the Regent Theatre, making it arguably the most successful musical ever staged in Melbourne. In October 2009 Wicked smashed the box office record at Sydney’s Capitol Theatre grossing $1,473,775.70 in one week.  Wicked, the untold story of the Witches of Oz, 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), moves to Perth’s Burswood Theatre in June.