WICKED Defies Gravity in Charlotte
First Broadway Tour to Resume Performances Following Pandemic Shutdown Completes Successful 4-week Run, Welcomes over 70,000 Guests and Breaks Box Office Record
Oct 4, 2021 / Press Releases
October 4, 2021 (Charlotte, NC) – The Broadway sensation WICKED, the first Broadway tour in the U.S. to resume performances following the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown, flew out of Ovens Auditorium on Sunday, October 3, completing a successful 32-performance run presented by Blumenthal Performing Arts (BPA). The 4-week engagement of WICKED was seen by more than 70,000 patrons. The final week of performances marked the highest grossing week for a show ever presented by BPA at Ovens Auditorium.
The WICKED Tour next plays the Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts in Greensboro from October 6–24. WICKED will be the inaugural Broadway touring production at this new facility in the Triad.
“We had high hopes for WICKED as the first show to reopen in our theaters at full capacity, but the experience exceeded our expectations,” said Blumenthal CEO Tom Gabbard. “Our audiences went above and beyond in adhering to the mandatory mask policy and the wildly successful engagement showed us what we suspected all along: that audiences are ready and eager to get back in the theater to experience the electricity of live performance once again.”
Based on a statistical analysis by The Broadway League, the New York City–based national trade association for the Broadway industry, the local economic impact of this year’s engagement of WICKED in Charlotte can be estimated at over $16.7 million. This estimate includes economic impact generated by patrons, tourism, hotels, dining at local restaurants, parking and more. It includes the cost of local supplies and local labor involved in the production. The production also employed nearly 100 local stagehands, hair and wardrobe professionals, musicians and merchandise sellers.
The Broadway sensation WICKED looks at what happened in the Land of Oz…but from a different angle. Long before Dorothy arrives, there is another young woman, born with emerald-green skin, who is smart, fiery, misunderstood, and possessing an extraordinary talent. When she meets a bubbly blonde who is exceptionally popular, their initial rivalry turns into the unlikeliest of friendships…until the world decides to call one “good,” and the other one “wicked.”
With a thrilling score that includes the hits “Defying Gravity,” “Popular” and “For Good,” WICKED has been hailed by The New York Times as “the defining musical of the decade,” and by Time Magazine as “a magical Broadway musical with brains, heart, and courage.” NBC Nightly News calls the hit musical “the most successful Broadway show ever.”
Now the 5th longest running show in Broadway history, WICKED is the winner of over 100 international awards including the Grammy Award and three Tony Awards. Since opening in 2003, WICKED has been performed in over 100 cities in 16 countries around the world (U.S., Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Japan, Germany, Holland, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, The Philippines, Mexico, Brazil, Switzerland and China) and has thus far been translated into six languages: Japanese, German, Dutch, Spanish, Korean and Portuguese. WICKED has been seen by over 60 million people worldwide and has amassed over $5 billion in global sales.
Based on the novel by Gregory Maguire, WICKED has music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, and a book by Winnie Holzman. The production is directed by Tony Award winner Joe Mantello with musical staging by Tony Award winner Wayne Cilento. WICKED is produced by Marc Platt, Universal Stage Productions, The Araca Group, Jon B. Platt and David Stone.
For more information about WICKED, please visit www.WickedTheMusical.com.
Follow WICKED on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
*As a note to all calendar listing editors, the title of the show is WICKED (not WICKED: A New Musical or WICKED, the untold story of the witches of Oz).
CLICK HERE FOR APPROVED PHOTOS & VIDEO
# # #
ABOUT BLUMENTHAL PERFORMING ARTS
Blumenthal Performing Arts serves the Carolinas as a leading cultural, entertainment and education provider. For more information, call (704) 372-1000 or visit BlumenthalArts.org. Blumenthal Performing Arts receives operating support from the North Carolina Arts Council. Blumenthal Performing Arts is also supported by PNC Bank, sponsor of the PNC Broadway Lights.