WICKED Goes On Sale 4/4 in Columbus

After breaking Columbus box office records in 2007 and 2010, WICKED, Broadway's biggest blockbuster, will return to the Ohio Theatre June 5-23. Tickets for the return engagement will go on sale to the public at 9am on Thursday, April 4.

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"), WICKED, the untold story of the witches of Oz, is directed by two-time Tony Award winner Joe Mantello (Take Me Out, Love! Valour! Compassion!, The Vagina Monologues) and features musical staging by Tony Award winner Wayne Cilento (Aida, The Who's Tommy, How To Succeed...).

"We are thrilled to have WICKED returning to Columbus," stated CAPA CEO Bill Conner. "The positive economic impact it has on this city and the extraordinary quality of the production make it a win-win for this community."

Based on the best-selling 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire, WICKED, winner of 35 major awards including a Grammy and three 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, and how these two unlikely friends grow to become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good.

WICKED has "cast quite a spell" (Washington Post) throughout North America, breaking box office records in every city it has played, including Toronto, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington, DC, Philadelphia, and Boston to name a few.

Called "a cultural phenomenon" by Variety, WICKED continues to thrill audiences around the world. There are currently seven productions of WICKED worldwide-New York, London, Japan, Holland, Australian/Asian Tour, and two concurrent North American National Tours.

WICKED features set design by Tony Award winner 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 (The Coast of Utopia, Hairspray), and sound design by Tony Meola (The Lion King). Stephen Oremus is the show's musical director. Orchestrations are by William David Brohn, with dance arrangements by James Lynn Abbott.

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

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