To celebrate the second
anniversary of the Broadway blockbuster Wicked,
an entire week-long series of events will be held leading up to the
anniversary on Sunday, October 30th. The events will include a "Wicked
Day" Block Party; the Z100 "Be Wicked" Singing Contest; and signings of
the new Wicked coffee table book, The Grimmerie,
at Borders Books at the Time Warner Center and at the NBC Experience
Store at Rockefeller Plaza.
Throughout the week and in honor of "Wicked Day," the semi-finals
for the Z100 "Be Wicked" Singing Contest, hosted by Macy's and
sponsored by ELLEgirl, Rocawear, Macy's, Decca Records and the
Renaissance Times Square Hotel, will be held at various locations in
the tri-state area, including Staten Island, NY; Garden City, NY;
Paramus, NJ; White Plains, NY; and in Manhattan. Finalists will be
chosen at each event and will then participate at the finals in New
York City (on "Wicked Day"). The finals will be judged by Wicked stars
Shoshana Bean and Megan Hilty, Miss USA Chelsea Cooley, Wicked casting
director Bernie Telsey and other special guests. The Grand Prize will
be "The Ultimate WickedParty Package" in which the winner plus 3
guests will receive free tickets to Wicked, dinner, limo, hotel
accommodations, Wicked merchandise and an exclusive backstage tour.
Participants and winner(s) of the contest must be US residents of at least 18-years
old. A parent or guardian of any participant who is a minor must sign a
release on behalf of the minor to be eligible to receive a prize, but
sponsors reserve the right to refuse to award a prize to or on behalf
of any minor. Only one (1) entry per person, one (1) prize per
household for the contest (visit www.wicked-week.com for more on eligibilty and limitations).
On Monday evening, October 24 at 5 PM at Borders Books at the Time
Warner Center, 10 Columbus Circle, there will be a signing of Wicked:
The Grimmerie, the new Wicked coffee table book. The hardcover book is written by Time Out New York
theatre editor
David Cote and offers fans a behind-the-curtains peek at the musical,
profiles of the cast and creative team, and inside stories, with
full-color photographs by Broadway photographer Joan Marcus. Cote,
Marcus, and members of the Wickedcast and creative team
will be in attendance at the signing.
There will be an additional signing of Wicked: The Grimmerie on
Friday, October 28 at 4 PM at the NBC Experience Store, 49th Street and
Rockefeller Plaza. Cote, Marcus and
members of the Wickedcast and creative team will be in attendance.
The week's activities all lead up to the "Wicked Day" Block Party,
to be held on the actual anniversary, Sunday, October 30th. From 10 AM
to 1PM, in front of the Gershwin Theatre (West 51st Street, between
Broadway and Eighth Avenue), the blow-out bash will offer
face-painting, games, food and refreshments, and feature the finals of
the "Be Wicked" Singing Contest. Sponsored by Z100, ELLEgirl and
Rocawear, the Block Party will take place rain or shine.
In addition, every day from October 24 through October 30, free candy
from the Sweet Shop at the NBC Experience Store will be offered
to patrons that bring in theirWickedticket stub (dated for
performances October 24-30).
Wicked currently breaks house
records at the Gershwin Theatre (222 West 51st Street) with box office
receipts of over $1.2 million per week. Based on the novel by Gregory
Maguire, Wicked has music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by
Winnie Holzman. Directed by Joe Mantello, with musical staging by Wayne
Cilento, Wickedcurrently stars Shoshana Bean, Megan Hilty, Rue
McClanahan, David Ayers and Ben Vereen as the Wizard."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.
Wickedtells 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," according to press notes.
The performance schedule for Wickedat the Gershwin Theatre (222
W. 51st St.) is Tuesday evenings at 7 PM; Wednesday through Saturday
evenings at 8 PM; matinees on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 2 PM; Sundays
at 3 PM. The scale of prices is $50 - $100. Tickets are available
through Ticketmaster, 212-307-4100 (or you may visit
www.ticketmaster.com) or at the Gershwin Theatre box office. For more
information and for a complete schedule of events (including dates for the Be Wickedsinging contest), visit www.wickedthemusical.com.