The critically acclaimed musical Wicked is getting back on the broom and heading to Birmingham, as it flies off on a tour of the UK and Ireland starting next year. Its open-ended run at London’s Apollo Victoria Theatre has already been seen by more than 11 million people, now in its 17th year. But will bring its magic and mystery elsewhere in the country shortly.
Based on the novel by Gregory Maguire, the West End phenomenon tells the untold story of the Witches of Oz. Wicked reveals the backstory of how two unlikely university friends become Glinda The Good and the Wicked Witch of the West, the beloved characters from L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
Don’t whip out the credit card just yet. Tickets for Birmingham Hippodrome won’t go on general sale until the March 9. But friends and patrons can but there’s on March 6 and groups of 10+ on March 8. Meanwhile the musical production won’t land until 2024, where it will set up for four weeks only from March 5 to April 7, 2024. Wicked sold nearly 170,000 tickets in its previous two celebrated visits to the city, in 2014 and 2018, however. So tickets will sell fast.
The cast for the UK and Ireland 2023-2025 tour is yet to be announced, however, the musical was made famous on Broadway in 2003 having featured a star-studded cast including Frozen‘s Idina Menzel as Elphaba, who also returned to play the role at London’s Apollo Victoria Theatre in 2006.
“We are proud to be bringing Wicked back to the magnificent Birmingham Hippodrome where incredible audiences greeted us during our last sold-out engagement,” said Michael McCabe, Wicked Executive Producer for the UK & Ireland. “We’re excited to have this opportunity to share once again the spectacle, magic and emotional story that has created unforgettable memories for audiences in Birmingham and all around the world.”
Elsewhere on the tour, Wicked will be heading to Edinburgh Playhouse, Bristol Hippodrome, Bradford Alhambra, Southampton Mayflower, Liverpool Empire, Dublin Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, Sunderland Empire, Cardiff Wales Millennium Centre and Manchester Palace Theatre.
This will be only the third time the production has travelled to theatres across the UK and the Republic of Ireland. Tickets for Wicked will be available here when they are released in the Spring.