WICKED Bids Farewell to PlayhouseSquare, 12/31

One of Cleveland's most popular musicals, WICKED, will return to PlayhouseSquare November 18 - December 13, 2009 as part of the U.S. Bank Star Performance Series at PlayhouseSquare. Tickets for the return engagement go on sale to the public Friday, August 21.

With music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz (Godspell, Pippin, Academy Award-winner for Pocahontas and The Prince of Egypt) and book by Winnie Holzman ("My So Called Life," "Once And Again" and "thirtysomething"), WICKED, the untold story of the witches of Oz, is directed by two-time Tony Award winner Joe Mantello (Take Me Out, Love! Valour! Compassion!, The Vagina Monologues, 9 to 5) and features musical staging by Tony® Award winner Wayne Cilento (Aida, The Who's Tommy, How To Succeed...).

Based on the best-selling 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire, WICKED, winner of 20 major awards, including a Grammy® and three Tony® Awards, is the untold story of the witches of Oz. It is produced by Marc Platt, Universal Pictures, The Araca Group, Jon B. Platt and David Stone.

WICKED will play November 18 through December 13 in the State Theatre at PlayhouseSquare. Performances are Tuesday - Friday evenings at 8:00 p.m., Saturdays at 2:00 and 8:00 p.m., and Sundays at 1:00 and 6:30 p.m. A special 2:00 p.m. matinee will be held on Thursday, November 19. There will be no performances on Thursday, November 26 (Thanksgiving). Ticket prices range from $25 to $130, and will be on sale to the public August 21 at The PlayhouseSquare Ticket Office (1519 Euclid Avenue in downtown Cleveland), online at playhousesquare.org or by calling 216-241-6000. Group orders for 15 or more may be placed by calling 216-664-6050.

The PlayhouseSquare Community Engagement & Education Department is hosting a special Teen Night following the Saturday, December 5th evening performance. Admission to Teen Night is free with a ticket from the show. Teens (14-19) can enjoy pizza, a DJ, karaoke and an opportunity to meet members of the cast. Promotion code TEEN should be used when ordering tickets to the show.

The Cleveland return engagement of WICKED is part of U.S. Bank Star Performance Series at PlayhouseSquare.

"PlayhouseSquare is among the first cities in the country to present the tour of Wicked for a third time," said Gina Vernaci, Vice President of Theatricals. "Once again, Cleveland is deservingly at the forefront as this spectacular musical returns to the State Theatre."

Long before Dorothy drops in, two other girls meet in the Land of Oz. One - born with emerald-green skin - is smart, fiery and misunderstood. The other is beautiful, ambitious and very popular. WICKED tells the story of their remarkable odyssey, and how these two unlikely friends grow to become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch.

WICKED has "cast quite a spell" (Washington Post) throughout North America, breaking box office records in every city that it has played, including Toronto, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington, DC, Philadelphia and Boston to name a few.

Called "one of the most successful shows in Broadway history" by The New York Times and "a phenomenon that keeps growing" by the Los Angeles Times, WICKED continues to thrill audiences around the world. There are currently eight productions of WICKED worldwide, including two North American tours, a Broadway production, San Francisco production, London production, a Japanese-language production, a German-language production and Australian production. A Dutch-language production of WICKED will open in 2011.

WICKED features set design by Tony® Award winner EuGene Lee (Ragtime, Show Boat, Candide, Sweeney Todd), costume design by Tony® winner Susan Hilferty (Into the Woods, Assassins), lighting design by Tony® nominee Kenneth Posner (Hairspray) and sound design by Tony Meola (The Lion King and the recent Man of La Mancha). Stephen Oremus is the show's musical director. Orchestrations are by William David Brohn, with dance arrangements by James Lynn Abbott.

Grammy Award-Winning Cast recording available on Decca Broadway. For more information about WICKED log on to www.wickedthemusical.com.

Casting for the forthcoming national tour stop will be announced at a later date.