When they were formerly The Gordon Frost Organisation, Wicked was arguably one of the heavy hitters for the company, enjoying multiple successful seasons over the years and making actors including Jemma Rix and Lucy Durack become familiar names to many young musical theatre afficionados, such as myself. In a statement between Crossroads Live Australia together the NSW Minister for Tourism, Universal Pictures, The Araca Group, Jon B. Platt and David Stone – it was this morning announced that Wicked will be returning to the Sydney Lyric Theatre in August 2023.
As we are still approximately 10 months out from the show’s opening, ticketing information is not yet known. However those after priority tickets are encouraged to sign up for the waitlist on the official Wicked the Musical Australian website.
Based on the novel by Gregory Maguire and an alternate retelling and prequel to the events of The Wizard of Oz, Wicked features music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, and a book by Winnie Holzman. The production features musical staging by Wayne Cilento with original direction by Joe Mantello.
The story starts some time before Dorothy “dropped in”, telling the story of two young women who meet in the land of Oz. One born with emerald-green skin is smart, fiery, misunderstood and possessing an extraordinary talent. The other is bubbly, blonde, ambitious and exceptionally popular. They become rivals, then friends… until the world decides to call one “good” and the other one “wicked.”
Expect to hear more about this season in the coming months, including cast, ticket sale dates, and perhaps other legs in a potential Australian tour.
Wicked is being produced in Australia by John Frost for Crossroads Live Australia, Marc Platt, Universal Pictures, The Araca Group, Jon B. Platt and David Stone. Statements from key stakeholders around this production can be found below: