Auckland to Become "The Emerald City"

Auckland to Become "The Emerald City"

Tomorrow evening (September 18), Auckland’s entertainment precinct will be bathed in emerald green light to celebrate the arrival of the Broadway musical WICKED in New Zealand’s Emerald City.

Jay Laga’aia, in costume as the Wizard, and Mayor Len Brown, will jointly push the plunger at exactly 7pm which will bathe the Auckland Town Hall, the Aotea Centre and Aotea Square and The Civic theatre in green light -- the colour of the Emerald City of Oz.

The producers of WICKED would like to invite members of the media and public to witness this colourful event that will take place on main steps of the Aotea Centre. We would like everyone in place by 6.45pm.

Winner of over 50 major awards including the Grammy Award and three Tony Awards, WICKED is the untold story of the witches of Oz. 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.

John Frost, Co-Producer of WICKED, said, “We are delighted to be adding a touch of green to New Zealand’s very own Emerald City. WICKED is like no other show that I have worked on before, the fan base for and support for this show worldwide is quite a phenomenon, and looking at the support we have received already in Auckland I think we are off to a great start here. We thank Auckland for such a warm welcome.

“The defining musical of the decade.” The New York Times

Currently in its 10th year on Broadway, WICKED’s North American and International companies have cumulatively grossed over US$2.9 billion and been seen by nearly 36 million people worldwide. Since opening at the Gershwin Theatre on Broadway in October 2003, WICKED has regularly broken box office records, consistently grossing more than $US1.8 million a week. In the week between Christmas and New Year, 2012, it grossed a chart-topping $2.95 million, the highest grossing week in Broadway history.

In London, WICKED had the highest weekly gross in West End history (a record WICKED also holds on Broadway, as well as a North American weekly touring record in both the United States and Canada), and in Tokyo and Stuttgart it again set new box office records. During its three year tour of Australia, WICKED was seen by over 1.5 million people – which is equivalent to more than 1 in 20 Australians.

“A breathtaking success story of a magnitude that North America has not witnessed since the peak years of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA.” Washington Post

Based on the novel by Gregory Maguire, WICKED features music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz (Godspell, Pippin, Academy Award-winner for Pocahontas and The Prince of Egypt) and a book by Winnie Holzman (My So Called Life, Once and Again and thirtysomething). The production features musical staging by Wayne Cilento and is directed by Lisa Leguillou, based on the original direction by Joe Mantello.

ENDS

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