San Francisco Run of WICKED Will Close 9/5

The San Francisco production of the smash hit musical WICKED will play its final performance on Sunday, September 5, 2010, ending its record-breaking run at the Orpheum Theatre. Tickets are now on sale for all performances through September 5th. Upon closing, WICKED will have played 660 performances and 12 previews.

WICKED, "the San Francisco-born musical that has conquered the world" (San Francisco Chronicle), and which was recently called "the defining musical of the decade" by The New York Times, has already amassed over $1.8 billion globally in ticket sales and has been seen by over 23 million people worldwide. The show's enormous popularity was instantly apparent in San Francisco-immediately after it opened, WICKED broke the one-week San Francisco box office record with gross ticket sales of $1,459,610.50 surpassing the record previously held by The Phantom of the Opera. Over one million patrons have seen WICKED in San Francisco, and to date the production has grossed over $75 million.

Producer David Stone said, "Seven years ago, the first WICKED company came to San Francisco to develop this show and present the world premiere prior to Broadway. The entire creative team immersed themselves in the show's launch at the Curran Theatre. San Francisco embraced us then, made us feel welcome, and supported us as we did our work. We feel a special connection here in the Bay Area, and this extended engagement has allowed us to become an integral part of San Francisco. WICKED has had great success in every city it has played, but it is perhaps most gratifying to have had such a successful run in the city we call home."

"WICKED is truly an international phenomenon and it has been our great pleasure to have the show play its record-breaking engagement at The Orpheum Theatre," enthused SHN President Carole Shorenstein Hays. "WICKED's success and the way it has enthralled Bay Area audiences puts it alongside The Phantom of the Opera in our history of blockbuster engagements. We thank Marc Platt, David Stone and the entire WICKED family."

WICKED made its world premiere in San Francisco on May 28, 2003. From these Bay Area roots WICKED went on to become a world-wide phenomenon, winning 35 major awards including the Grammy Award and three Tony Awards and redefining theatrical popular culture.

WICKED then returned to San Francisco in August 2005 to play a limited six-week engagement that sold out every seat for every performance. On January 27, 2009, the show returned home to San Francisco to play this current extended Bay Area engagement.

Now in its seventh year on Broadway, WICKED currently has eight productions across the globe: in New York, San Francisco, London, Germany, Japan, Australia and two North American Tours.

Declared "The Best Musical of the Decade" by Entertainment Weekly and "A Cultural Phenomenon" by Variety, WICKED is based on the novel by Gregory Maguire, 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.

Tickets for WICKED are on sale through September 5 and range in price from $30 to $99. Tickets can be purchased online at shnsf.com and ticketmaster.com/wicked, through Ticketmaster Charge-By-Phone 415- 512-7770 and 800-982-2787, at all Ticketmaster Ticket Centers and at the Orpheum Theatre Box Office (1192 Market at 8th St., Mon-Sat 10 AM - 6PM).Premium packages are also available for all performances. Groups of 20 or more may order by calling Group Sales at (415) 551-2020.

WICKED PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE:
Tuesday - Saturday evenings at 8 PM
Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2 PM
Select Wednesday matinees at 2 PM and select Sunday evenings at 7:30 PM

For more information about WICKED at the Orpheum Theatre, please visit wickedthemusical.com/sf or shnsf.com. For information about WICKED world-wide, please visit wickedthemusical.com.