Marcus Center For The Performing Arts Offers Lottery Seats For WICKED 7/14-8/8

A day-of-performance lottery for a limited number of orchestra seats will be held daily for WICKED, which will be performing from July 14- August 8 at the Marcus Center. Each day, 2½ hours prior to show time people who present themselves at the Marcus Center Box Office will have their names placed in a lottery drum and then thirty minutes later, names will be drawn for a limited number of orchestra seats at $25 each, cash only. This lottery is available only in-person at the box office, with a limit of two tickets per person. Must be 8 years of age or older to enter.

WICKED is a new musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz (Godspell, Pippin, Disney's Enchanted, Academy Award winner for Pocahontas and The Prince of Egypt) and book by Winnie Holzman ("My So Called Life," "Once And Again" and "thirtysomething") based on the 1995 best-selling novel by Gregory Maguire. The musical is directed by two-time Tony Award winner Joe Mantello (Take Me Out, Love! Valour! Compassion!, The Vagina Monologues) and features musical staging by Tony Award winner Wayne Cilento (Aida, The Who's Tommy, How To Succeed...). WICKED, the untold story of the witches of Oz, is produced by Marc Platt, Universal Pictures, The Araca Group, Jon B. Platt and David Stone.

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, how these two unlikely friends grow to become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good.

WICKED features set design by Tony Award winning Eugene Lee (Ragtime, Show Boat, Candide, Sweeney Todd), costume design by Tony winner Susan Hilferty (Spring Awakening, Into the Woods, Assassins), lighting design by Tony nominee Kenneth Posner (Tony Award winner for The Coast of Utopia, Hairspray) and sound design by Tony Meola (The Lion King). Stephen Oremus is the show's music director. Orchestrations are by William David Brohn, with dance arrangements by James Lynn Abbott.

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 "a cultural phenomenon" by Variety and just named "the defining musical of the decade" by The New York 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 begins July 14 and runs through August 8. Performances are Tuesday thru Thursday evenings at 7:30 p.m., Friday at 8:00 p.m., Saturday at 2:00 and 8:00 p.m. and Sunday at 1:00 and 6:30 p.m. A special matinee will take place on Thursday, July 15 at 2:00 pm. Best available seating remains for the special matinee performance on Thursday, July 15 at 2:00 p.m. and for performances during the last week of the run. To purchase tickets please contact the Marcus Center Box Office at (414) 273-7206 or online at MarcusCenter.org. Groups of 20 or more call (414) 273-7121 ext. 210.

ABOUT THE MARCUS CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
The Marcus Center for the Performing Arts is owned and partially funded by Milwaukee County. The Marcus Center has been the premier entertainment destination for Milwaukee and Wisconsin since 1969. It provides the setting for outstanding cultural experiences, where the arts come to life for current and future generations. Located in the heart of the Downtown Theater District, the Marcus Center is a community facility that offers live performance of opera, ballet, children's theater, symphony and first-class national touring productions. For more information on Broadway shows presented as part of Time Warner Cable Broadway at the Marcus Center Series, visit the Marcus Center website at www.MarcusCenter.org.

ABOUT Broadway Across America
Owned and operated by British theatre producer John Gore (CEO) and entertainment industry veteran Thomas B. McGrath (Chairman), Broadway Across America presents first-class touring musicals and plays across 40 North American cities. Under the supervision of Beth Williams (COO & Head of Production), Broadway Across America is also dedicated to the development and production of new and diverse theatre. Recent productions include Hair, West Side Story, Memphis and the West End production of Breakfast At Tiffany's. Upcoming Broadway productions include Promises, Promises, Million Dollar Quartet andMinsky's. Touring productions include Dreamgirls and Nickelodeon's Storytime Live. Please visit BroadwayAcrossAmerica.com.