"Wicked" has earned more than $1 billion at the Broadway box office over 12-and-a-half years, making it the fastest Broadway production to ever reach the milestone number. The musical, inspired by the Gregory Maguire novel, "Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West," opened on October 2003 at the Gershwin Theatre.
"Wicked" joins the "The Lion King" and "The Phantom of the Opera" as the only shows to surpass $1 billion on Broadway. The Stephen Schwartz-Winnie Holzman musical is the 10th longest running show in Broadway history. It knocked "Rent" down to 11th place last month.
The show has become a global success as well, grossing nearly $4 billion worldwide and nearly 50 million people having seen it. "Wicked" has been performed in more than 100 cities in 14 countries including the U.S., Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Japan, Germany, Holland, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, The Philippines, Mexico and Brazil. It's also been translated into six different languages: Japanese, German, Dutch, Spanish, Korean and Portuguese.
Tony-winning actress Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth originated the roles of Elphaba (the Wicked Witch of the West) and Glinda in the alternate telling of L. Frank Baum's novel, "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz," as well as the 1939 movie, "The Wizard of Oz." The original cast also featured legendary Broadway performer Joel Grey as The Wizard.
The original Broadway production of "Wicked" was nominated for 10 Tony Awards in 2004. Menzel won for her role as Elphaba and picked up awards for Best Scenic Design and Best Costume Design. It notably lost Best Book, Original Score and Best Musical to "Avenue Q." The original cast recording also received the Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album in 2005.
The current Broadway production of "Wicked" now stars Rachel Tucker as Elphaba, Carrie St. Louis as Glinda and Peter Scolari as The Wizard. The show is also performing on its national tour, on London's West End and in Brazil.
The Broadway production features a backstage show called "Behind the Emerald Curtain" that takes visitors on a 90-minute behind-the-scenes tour to see the props, masks, costumes and sets used in the show. It also includes a question-and-answer session with the cast members.
