'Wicked' Adds NYRP Benefit Evening Performance 10/7

The Broadway musical Wicked has added a special benefit performance to its playing schedule on Sunday, October 7 at 8PM.  All proceeds from this performance will go to the non-profit New York Restoration Project to establish an ongoing maintenance fund for "The Friendship Garden," a community garden in upper Manhattan which is currently being restored.

Tickets for the benefit performance are $150, $250, $500; a portion of each ticket is tax-deductible.  To purchase, please call Ticketmaster at 212-307-4100 or 800-755-4000 or online at Ticketmaster.com.

Designed by Wicked associate set designer Edward Pierce, "The Friendship Garden" at West 150th Street and Amsterdam Avenue in upper Manhattan will officially open on Wicked Day, Sunday, October 28, at a public ceremony hosted by NYRP Founder and Chairperson Bette Midler.

"The Friendship Garden" will become a public green oasis in one of New York City's underserved neighborhoods.  The garden will feature elements inspired by Wicked, including a yellow brick road and likenesses of the musical's characters, as well as flexible space for use by the neighborhood and the New Heights Academy, a charter school adjacent to the garden.

NYRP strives to ensure that parks and open spaces in less privileged neighborhoods are the "Central Park" of those communities, where recreational, educational, and environmental programs become part of the fabric of the neighborhood. We bring these spaces back to life and give them back to the public, promoting a sense of ownership and civic pride in forgotten communities. NYRP is now one of the leading partners of the City of New York Department of Parks & Recreation.  For more information, please visit www.NYRP.org.

"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," explain press notes.

For more information on Wicked, please visit www.wickedthemusical.com. For more information on the New York Restoration Project, please visit www.NYRP.org. For more information on Wicked Day, please visit www.WickedDay.com.