Overview
What's better than catching one of Broadway's biggest hits of the 21st century right here in Melbourne during its latest Australian run, and being whisked off to the Land of Oz in the process? Catching Wicked at the Regent Theatre for just $20. The production opens its next Victorian stint on Saturday, March 2, and it's dubbing that night a preview where folks lucky enough to click their ruby slippers together three times to get tickets can head along for cheap.
No red-hued shoes are actually required among the audience, nor bumping of heels. But, because this is a one-night-only special price to start Wicked's 2024 Melbourne season, it does require nabbing your seat in person at the Regent Theatre box office. You can't hop online for this deal, and it's a first come-first served affair — so lining up early when tickets go on sale for the 7.30pm show is recommended.
That date: Wednesday, February 7, with the $20 passes on offer from 8am. Each customer can only purchase two tickets, and you'll need to show valid ID while you're making the transaction (and dreaming about defying gravity, of course).
After premiering in Sydney, Wicked is set to play the Victorian capital until at least Sunday, May 12, 2024 — the last date that tickets are available for at the time of writing. The overall production just marked its 20th anniversary, after composer Stephen Schwartz and playwright Winnie Holzman took a book inspired by The Wizard of Oz, put it to music and turned it into a smash.
Indeed, even if you haven't seen the show before, including on its past Aussie run from 2008–11, then you've likely heard of it. Following the Land of Oz's witches — telling their untold true tale is the musical's whole angle, in fact — Wicked has notched up more awards than you can fit in a hefty cauldron over the years. That spans three Tonys from ten nominations, a Grammy, an Olivier Award and six Drama Desk Awards.
Also huge: its worldwide footprint, playing in 16 countries around the globe since its 2003 debut. And, when it makes its way to the Regent Theatre for its second stop on its current Aussie run, it'll do so after enchanting itself into fourth place in the list of longest-running Broadway shows ever — even surpassing Cats.
Story-wise, Wicked starts before The Wizard of Oz and continues its narrative after Dorothy Gale lands, adapting Gregory Maguire's 1995 novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. The text itself has sold 5.5 million copies, five million of those since the musical first opened.
Here, before Dorothy blows in, two other women meet in the Land of Oz: Elphaba and Galinda. One will later be known as the Wicked Witch of the West, while the other will become Glinda the Good Witch. Exactly why that happens, and how, and the pair's relationship from rivals to unlikely friends to grappling with their new labels, fuels the show's tale.
The production is taking to the stage again before the in-the-works two-part film adaptation starring Cynthia Erivo (Pinocchio) as Elphaba and Ariana Grande (Don't Look Up) as Galinda, and directed by Jon M Chu (In the Heights, Crazy Rich Asians), is due to start reaching cinemas at the end of 2024.
Wicked will play Melbourne's Regent Theatre from Saturday, March 2. For $20 tickets to the preview show that night, head to the Regent Theatre box office from 8am on Wednesday, February 7. For other tickets and further details, visit the production's website.
Images: Jeff Busby.