The worldwide phenomenon Wicked landed in Birmingham on Monday, not in a farmhouse, but in eleven semi trucks. The musical, based on Gregory Maguire’s best selling novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, has become worldwide box office magic, selling out shows around the globe. The company is one of two national tours, traveling fiftytwo weeks a year setting up and performing the show. “We’re like a family,” says Erica Norgaard, the company’s manager. The Tony award winning show takes about two and a half days to set up, including set construction, lights, sound, and costumes. The 30+ traveling crewmembers and approximately seventyfive locals began constructing the Clock of the Time Dragon, a key element of the storyline and set, on Monday and will finish the entire set just in time for a sound check and first performance on Wednesday night. The whirlwind setup will lead to eight performances a week at the BJCC Concert Hall from February 15-March 4, 2012. Some lucky viewers will get a chance to win their tickets each day of a performance with a ticket lottery. Patrons arriving in the BJCC Concert Hall lobby two and a half hours prior to show time will have their names placed in a lottery drum to be drawn thirty minutes later for a limited number of $25 orchestra seats. This lottery is available only in-person at the box office, with a limit of two tickets per person. Tickets are cash only for the lottery, and all persons submitting an entry form and/or receiving a winning ticket must have a valid photo ID.
See a tale from the Land of Oz set long before Dorothy arrived. The tale of Elphaba, the “wicked” witch and Glinda, the “good” witch are presented in their formative college years to show another side to these timeless characters and leave audiences delighted with a new twist on an old story. For tickets and information visit the BJCC Central Ticket Office (2100 Richard Arrington Jr. Blvd. N.), online at www.ticketmaster.com/wicked or call 1-800-745-3000.
WICKED begins performances February 15th through March 4th at the BJCC Concert Hall. Show times are Tue - Wed at 7:30pm | Thurs. & Fri at 8pm | Sat at 2pm & 8pm | Sun at 1pm & 6:30pm | Special Matinee Performance On Thurs., Feb.16th at 2pm.