Something "Popular" This Way Comes...Again: Wicked Returns

That screeching sound you hear from off in the distance could be flying monkeys, or it could be the unrestrained vocal delight of gaggles of young girls that one of their favorite musicals of the past decade is dropping its house on Chicago again. Yes Aunty Em, Wicked is back.

For eight weeks only, from December 1 through January 23, the latest national touring incarnation of the Wizard of Oz prequel will play at the Cadillac Palace Theatre in downtown Chicago. Says producer David Stone, "We are absolutely thrilled to return to Chicago and play Wicked at the Cadillac Palace Theatre. For nearly four years, the Oriental Theatre was our home, but it is about much more than a building. It is really the city of Chicago and its audiences that are Wicked's home. And of course, there's no place like home."

The Chicago production of Wicked, the (very much told) story of the witches of Oz, originally opened at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Oriental Theatre in June 2005. It played 1,500 performances and was seen by over 3 million people from all 50 states, 2 U.S. Territories, and 20 foreign countries before it finally closed three and a half years later, in January 2009, establishing Broadway In Chicago as the premier purveyor of regional sit-down productions of Broadway hits. It also grossed well over $200 million, making it the most financially successful theatrical production in Chicago history. Take that, Shear Madness.

Based on the novel of the same name by Gregory Maguire, Wicked was written by Stephen Schwartz (music and lyrics) and Winnie Holzman (book), and was the hit show of the 2003 Broadway season, winning a Grammy Award and three Tonys (though it was beaten for Best Musical by Avenue Q). For those few sorry individuals unfamiliar with the story, Wicked tells the tale of a young man named Anakin Skywalker, who is taken under the wing of Obi-Wan Kenobi to become a Jedi before a fall to the dark side turns him into Darth Vader woman named Elphaba, who is taken under the wing of Glinda the Good Witch before a falling-out turns her into the Wicked Witch of the West. It made a star of Kristin Chenoweth, the original Glinda on Broadway, and features the hit songs "Popular", "Loathing", and "Defying Gravity." It continues to be performed in the U.S. and all over the world, including Japanese and German language productions, an Australian production, and a Dutch language production that will open in 2011.

Wicked opens December 1 at the Cadillac Palace Theatre, 151 W. Randolph, in downtown Chicago. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased by visting ticketmaster.com.

Also, for a complete list of Broadway In Chicago shows, visit our Broadway shows in Chicago page.

Luke Heiden
Contributing Writer