Winnie Holtzman

Wicked is back in Chicago. The first time it played here, it ran for more than three and a half years. Directed by Joe Mantello, musical staging (choreography) by Wayne Cilento and a stunning set by Eugene Lee along with the lighting by Kenneth Posner once again transports the audience back to Oz and the audience still loves it. Before entering the Nederlander Theatre, someone within the organization was handing out green I've Seen Wicked (fill in the blank) Times! The numbers I saw ranged from 0 to 21.

This week on Bagels and Broadway, New York media personality, Valerie Smaldone, welcomes award-winning writer of Tootsie, Robert Horn, Tony winner, Cady Huffman, and writer-director Will Nunziata to her weekly interview and commentary show, airing every Saturday at 9am on AM970.

There are good reasons Valerie Smaldone,  a 5x Billboard Award winning broadcaster, held the record for #1 personality in the New York Radio market, and her warm, mellifluous voice is only one of them

HEIST!, the new musical comedy about an enterprising team of thieves who attempt the biggest con Broadway has ever seen, will make its world premiere this summer, in a limited sneak peek preview engagement beginning Thursday, August 9th and continuing through Sunday, September 2nd only

Wicked: The Untold Story of the Witches of Oz is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and book by Winnie Holzman. It is based on the 1995 Gregory Maguire novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, an alternative telling of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz and L. Frank Baum's classic 1900 story The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The musical is told from the perspective of the witches of the Land of Oz; its plot begins before and continues after Dorothy's arrival in Oz from Kansas and includes several references to the 1939 film and Baum's novel. Wicked tells the story of two unlikely friends, Elphaba (the Wicked Witch of the West) and Glinda, who struggle through opposing personalities and viewpoints, rivalry over the same love-interest, reactions to the Wizard's corrupt government, and, ultimately, Elphaba's public fall from grace.

Seattle Public Theater (SPT) is proud to host The Hats We Wear: A Night of One-Acts, a series of plays exploring the different paths we take in life and where they might lead us. This play festival is produced by S3 Productions, a trio of high-school students from SPT's youth ensemble.

Anne Brummel and Tiffany Haas, the two actresses playing Elphaba and Glinda in the national tour of Wicked - which will be calling Nashville's Tennessee Performing Arts Center's Andrew Jackson Hall home October 19-November 6 - might be advised to keep an eye cast over their talented shoulders on lookout for Delaney Amatrudo and Katelyn Fiorini, two Nashville actresses and Wicked superfans, each of whom has her sights on claiming one of the two iconic roles sometime, somewhere in the future.

Whatsonstage.com reported several West End extensions today, including the blockbuster musicals Wicked and Jersey Boys and plays The 39 Steps and Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap.

On December 13th and 14th a special celebration will be taking place to honor beloved musical theater composer Stephen Schwartz, whose current musical WICKED is the most successful of all time. The Festival of New American Musicals with co-directors and producers, Debi and Asher Lewis, will premiere a new and original musical revue, 7TH & SCHWARTZ, highlighting songs from many Stephen Schwartz shows including Wicked, Pippin, Godspell, Children of Eden and more. The show's cast is comprised of professional adult actors and local performing arts students from our neighborhood schools, and will take place at the Thousand Oaks High School Performing Arts Center.

On December 13th and 14th a special celebration will be taking place to honor beloved musical theater composer Stephen Schwartz, whose current musical WICKED is the most successful of all time. The Festival of New American Musicals with co-directors and producers, Debi and Asher Lewis, will premiere a new and original musical revue, 7TH & SCHWARTZ, highlighting songs from many Stephen Schwartz shows including Wicked, Pippin, Godspell, Children of Eden and more. The show's cast is comprised of professional adult actors and local performing arts students from our neighborhood schools, and will take place at the Thousand Oaks High School Performing Arts Center.

Universal Pictures has re-contracted Marc Platt for five years, keeping Marc Platt Prods. on the lot through late 2012.

On Sunday, December 3rd, 2006, tickets for London's record-breaking musical Wicked at the Apollo Victoria Theatre will go on sale for all performances until Saturday, June 30th, 2007

Wicked, Avenue Q, Caroline or Change, Evita and Spamalot join a long list of musical productions opening in 2006..

After announcing return engagements to Toronto and Denver, the smash touring production of Wicked will play Houston and Dallas for second stints in 2007

The national tour of Wicked will play an extra engagement in Seattle from September 20th through October 1st, 2006

The North American tour of Wicked, starring Stephanie J. Block and Kendra Kassebaum, will head back to engagments in Denver and Toronto next year and in 2007

The national tour of Wicked has sold out its Denver run, which will last from September 16th through October 2nd; rush lottery will be available, however

Ben Vereen and Gene Weygandt, the respective Wizards of Broadway and Chicago, will switch cities from August 30th through September 4th