'Wicked' To Celebrate Third And Final Anniversary

After three years of sold-out shows, performing to an audience of over 2,000,000, WICKED remains the most "Popular" show in all of Oz and has changed Chicago "For Good."  Soon entering an unprecedented third and final year at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Oriental Theatre, the record-breaking Chicago company of WICKED is proud to celebrate another anniversary in the Windy City.  In honor of the occasion, WICKED/Chicago and Broadway In Chicago will again host a public celebration at The Great Lawn of Jay Pritzker Pavilion at Millennium Park (corner of Columbus Dr. and Randolph St.) on Tuesday, June 24 at 11:00 a.m.

WICKED's diverse supporters and enthusiasts will descend on Millennium Park's scenic Great Lawn and are invited to arrive 'GREEN-ified' – dressed as Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West.  The producers, in gratitude of Chicago's enthusiasm and support, have made arrangements for the first 365 "fully greenified and WICKED'ly dressed witches" to receive a pair of tickets to a future performance.

Everyone is welcome, whether you come dressed in costume or not, to join in the festivities, hosted by current cast members in the Chicago company.  The cast will lead a mesmerizing group sing-a-long of Defying Gravity, showing Chicagoans that "everyone deserves a chance to fly."  The WICKED good time will continue with the first-ever chance to learn the Elphie-Dance in Dancing Through Life.

Additionally, there will be a special drawing for $25 tickets to that evening's show that will also include a rare backstage tour following the show in celebration of WICKED's third and final Windy City birthday.

Reserve tickets for Behind the Emerald Curtain and the anniversary performance on Tuesday, June 24 and enjoy a short meet-and-greet with cast members following the tour.

Now in its final year at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Oriental Theatre, the event marks the third annual public celebration and Chicago's last chance to join in this annual fête for Chicago's beloved musical phenomenon.  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 of WICKED will be ending its legendary open run at the Ford Center for The Performing Arts, Oriental Theatre on January 25, 2009.  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.

Declared "A Cultural Phenomenon" by Variety, WICKED currently has productions in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, London, Tokyo, Stuttgart, Melbourne and on a North American tour.  Based on the novel by Gregory Maguire, WICKED has music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, and a book by Winnie Holzman.  The production is directed by Joe Mantello with musical staging by Wayne Cilento.  WICKED is produced by Marc Platt, Universal Pictures, The Araca Group, Jon B. Platt and David Stone.

The Chicago company of WICKED performs through January 25, 2009, at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Oriental Theatre (24 W. Randolph St).

For more information visit www.wickedthemusical.com/chicago