Wicked Celebrates Second Chicago Anniversary, June 21

After two years of sold-out shows and performing to an audience of over 2,000,000 (representing all 50 states and countries as far away as Japan and Australia), the record-breaking Chicago company of Wicked will celebrate its second anniversary in the Windy City.  In honor of the occasion, the Chicago company and Broadway In Chicago will again host a public celebration at Water Tower Square Park (corner of Michigan & Pearson) on Thursday, June 21 at 12:00 p.m.

"Wicked's many diverse supporters and enthusiasts will descend on the historic Water Tower park and are invited to arrive 'greenified' – dressed as Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West.  The first 365 witches in attendance – Wicked'ly dressed and fully greenified – will be honored with a special gift compliments of the Chicago company.  The producers, in gratitude of Chicago's enthusiasm and support for Wicked, have made arrangements for the first 365 'witches' to receive a pair of tickets to a future performance."

Festivities will be hosted by cast members, including Chicago's own Elphaba Dee Roscioli – they will also lead the crowd in a group sing-a-long of "Defying Gravity."

The event marks the second annual public celebration for the blockbuster musical in Chicago.  Last year's gathering welcomed over a thousand Wicked enthusiasts to the park and a complete spectrum of greenified "witches" from Elphabas young and old, male and female alike.

The Chicago company is now playing in an open-run at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Oriental Theatre, 24 West Randolph Street.  Breaking multiple box office records since opening in June, 2005 and playing to packed audiences from across the world night after night, the production is the top grossing show in Chicago theatre history.

Based on the novel by Gregory Maguire, Wicked has music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman.  Directed by Joe Mantello, with musical staging by Wayne Cilento, the show is currently presented in Chicago, on Broadway at the Gershwin Theatre, on a national tour, in Los Angeles at the Pantages Theatre, and in London at the Apollo Victoria 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, how these two unlikely friends grow to become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch."

The musical is produced by Marc Platt, Universal Pictures, The Araca Group, Jon B. Platt and David Stone.

For more information, visit www.wickedthemusical.com/chicago.