TV: WICKED's 5th: THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD NOT TAKEN

WICKED celebrated it's 5th Anniversary on Broadway, October 30th, 2008. The blockbuster musical hosted several special events and promotions throughout the month of October in honor of turning five years old! BWW TV was there for all the "celebration throughout Oz"!

In THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD NOT TAKEN, WICKED composer/lyricist Stephen Schwartz and book writer Winnie Holzman shared scenes and songs from early drafts of the hit show. Featuring never-before-seen material, as well as songs cut during the show's development and pre-Broadway engagement, the one-night-only event told the story of WICKED the way it's never been told before and illuminated the various paths the writers took in creating what has become one of the most popular Broadway musicals.

Highlights included THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD NOT TAKEN, a one-night-only benefit performance featuring songs and scenes cut from early drafts of the musical, as well as having two of New York's most recognizable landmarks going green in honor of the show's 5th anniversary: on October 27th, the Empire State Building glowed green for the night and for the October 30th performance, Playbill's trademark yellow banner was specially printed green, the first time in the publication's history that it has altered its masthead.

Several events with Wicked author Gregory Maguire, composer/lyricist Stephen Schwartz and book writer Winnie Holzman, as well as Wicked producers Marc Platt and David Stone, were scheduled, including the release of a "Deluxe Package" CD of the Original Cast Recording, featuring a bonus disc with international and pop recordings of Wicked's most popular songs.

Additionally, the musical celebrated its annual Wicked Day anniversary landmark in Chicago, Los Angeles, and Atlanta, where the national tour will be playing, as well as internationally in London, Stuttgart, Tokyo, and Melbourne.

Winner of 20 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 Witch.

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.

Marking the anniversary of the hit musical's opening, Wicked Day has been held on the last Sunday of October since 2003 as a special celebration for the community and the show's fans. Last year, the Producers of Wicked chose to do something "For Good" by partnering with the non-profit New York Restoration Project and restoring a public community garden at West 150th Street and Amsterdam Avenue in upper Manhattan. NYRP Founder and Chairwoman Bette Midler hosted the opening ceremony of "The Friendship Garden," which featured a performance by the cast and a free block party for the community and Wicked fans.