West End's WICKED Extends Through April 2016

WICKED, the classic West End musical that tells the incredible untold story of the Witches of Oz, is delighted to announce the opening of its 19th new booking period, on Monday 2 February 2015 at 10am, with 500,000 new tickets going on sale for performances until Saturday 30 April 2016.

Recently acclaimed as "one of the greatest musicals of our time" (Daily Mail) and "the hugely clever, insanely popular riff on the witches from The Wizard of Oz" (The Times), the spectacular musical phenomenon is now the 10th longest-running show in the West End, has been seen by more than 6 million people in London alone and recently played its landmark3500th performance.

Wicked is also the first stage production ever to be Good Housekeeping Reader Recommended, with over 90% approval ratings for the story, music, visual experience and staging. See Notes for Editors for more information.

While continuing its open-ended West End run, the spectacular, multi record-breaking UK & Ireland Tour has already sold over1 million tickets since its premiere in Manchester in September 2013. The tour will conclude in July 2015, with a return to the Greater Manchester area (to The Lowry in Salford), following engagements in Plymouth (where it is currently playing),Bristol, Sunderland and Aberdeen.

Around the world, Wicked has been seen by 45 million people in 13 countries and won 100 international awards. The original Broadway production remains "Broadway's biggest blockbuster" (The New York Times) after more than 11 years at the Gershwin Theatre.

From 2 February 2015, the London production stars Emma Hatton (Elphaba), Savannah Stevenson (Glinda), Jeremy Taylor(Fiyero), Liza Sadovy (Madame Morrible), Martyn Ellis (The Wizard), Philip Childs (Doctor Dillamond), Sam Lupton (Boq),Katie Rowley Jones (Nessarose), Natalie Andreou (Standby for Elphaba) and Sophie Linder-Lee (Standby for Glinda).

Based on the international best-selling novel by Gregory Maguire that ingeniously re-imagined the stories and characters created by L. Frank Baum in 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz', Wicked tells the incredible untold story of an unlikely but profound friendship between two sorcery students. Their extraordinary adventures in Oz will ultimately see them fulfil their destinies asGlinda The Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.

Wicked has music and lyrics by multi GRAMMY® and Academy Award® winner Stephen Schwartz, a book by Winnie Holzman, musical staging by Wayne Cilento and is directed by two-time Tony Award® winner and Olivier Award nominee Joe Mantello. Wicked is based on the novel 'Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West' by Gregory Maguire.

Wicked is produced by: Marc Platt, Universal Stage Productions, The Araca Group, Jon B. Platt and

David Stone. Executive Producer (UK): Michael McCabe.

Apollo Victoria Theatre, Wilton Road, London, SW1V 1LG

1 minute from London Victoria Mainline and Underground Stations.

Official UK website: www.WickedTheMusical.co.uk

UK Press Contacts: Jo Allan, James Lever or Alona Fogel for Jo Allan PR

TEL: +44 (0) 20 7520 9392 EMAIL: jo@joallanpr.com, james@joallanpr.com, alona@joallanpr.com

LISTINGS INFORMATION

BOOKING NOW EXTENDED TO SATURDAY 30 APRIL 2016

Apollo Victoria Theatre, Wilton Road, London, SW1V 1LG

The theatre is 1 minute from London Victoria Mainline and Underground Stations

Official UK website: www.WickedTheMusical.co.uk

Box Office and 24Hour Credit Card Bookings:

ATG Tickets 0844 871 3001 / www.ATGTickets.com

A £3.00 ATG Tickets processing fee per transaction applies for online and telephone bookings. An up to £2.75 per ticket ATG Tickets booking fee is included in the ticket price.

No booking fees or transaction charges for tickets booked in person at the Box Office

Box Office Opening Hours: Monday - Saturday 10.00am - 7.45pm

Ticket prices: from £17.25 - £97.75 plus transaction fee

A £3.00 ATG Tickets processing fee per transaction applies for online and telephone bookings. An up to £2.75 per ticket ATG Tickets booking fee is included in the ticket price.

Group Sales (10 tickets or more): Group Line 020 7420 9700

No booking or processing fees for group bookings of 10 or more. Sales subject to terms and conditions.

Day Seats: £29.50 - twenty-four front row Stalls seats released daily at 10.00am at the Box Office.

Students: Best available seats £29.50 from 10.00am at Monday-Friday 7.30pm and Wednesday & Saturday 2.30pm at the Box Office with student ID. Subject to availability. One ticket per ID.

Standby Concessions: Best available seats £29.50 from 6pm at Monday-Friday 7.30pm performances and from 12 noon at Wednesday and Saturday 2.30pm performances at the Box Office for Senior Citizens, Jobseekers, Equity, BECTU and MU members and registered disabled. Subject to availability. One ticket per ID.

All ticket prices include a £1.50 Theatre Restoration Levy.

Performance Times:

Monday-Saturday 7.30pm

Matinees Wednesday & Saturday 2.30pm

Running time: 2 hours and 45 minutes including a 20minute interval

EXTRA SHOWS ADDED in 2015 and 2016 / TICKETS NOW ON SALE

Thursday 19 February, Thursday 9 April, Thursday 20 August, Thursday 27 August and Thursday 29 October 2015

Monday 21 December, Thursday 24 December, Monday 28 December and Thursday 31 December 2015

Thursday 18 February and Thursday 7 April 2016

All extra shows commence at 2.30pm

Christmas 2015/16 performance schedule:

Monday 21 December - 2.30pm & 7.30pm Monday 28 December - 2:30pm & 7:30pm

Tuesday 22 December - 7:30pm Tuesday 29 December - 7.30pm

Wednesday 23 December - 2:30pm & 7:30pm Wednesday 30 December - 2.30pm & 7:30pm

Thursday 24 December - 2:30pm Thursday 31 December - 2:30pm

Friday 25 December - No Performance Friday 1 January - 7.30pm

Saturday 26 December - 2.30pm & 7.30pm Saturday 2 January - 2.30pm & 7.30pm

WICKED

Wicked has music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, a book by Winnie Holzman, scenic design by Eugene Lee, costumes bySusan Hilferty, lighting by Kenneth Posner, sound by Tony Meola, projection designs by Elaine J. McCarthy, hair and wig designs by Tom Watson, music arrangements by Alex Lacamoire and Stephen Oremus, dance arrangements by James Lynn Abbott, orchestrations by William David Brohn, musical supervision by Stephen Oremus, musical staging by Wayne Cilento and is directed by Joe Mantello.

WICKED LONDON

Now the 10th longest-running show in the West End and the 13th longest-running musical in West End history, the London production premiered on 27 September 2006 (with previews from 7 September) and has already been seen by over 6 million people. Wicked has been hailed as "one of the greatest musicals of our time" (Daily Mail), "the biggest thing in musicals since The Phantom of the Opera opened" (The Times), "one of the biggest hits of our age" (The Observer), "the most popular show in the West End" (Time Out), "the hugely clever, insanely popular riff on the witches from The Wizard of Oz" (The Times) and "one of the most popular West End musicals ever" (London Evening Standard).

Wicked continues to be a top choice of West End theatregoers having been voted Most Popular Show (Olivier Audience Award), Best West End Show and Best New Musical (WhatsOnStage Awards), Best Night Out (Evening Standard Theatre Award) and Best Family Fun (Visit London People's Choice Award).

WICKED UK & IRELAND TOUR

The UK & Ireland Tour premiered in Manchester on 17 September 2013 (with previews from 12 September). This spectacular, multi record-breaking production has been acclaimed as "so magical it defies belief" (Daily Mail), "quite simply, the best musical I've ever seen" (Yorkshire Evening Post), "one of the all-time great musicals" (What's On Magazine)' "a production that ticks every box for sheer excellence and escapism" (Plymouth Herald), and "truly a global phenomenon, and it deserves to be - the music is irresistibly catchy, the lyrics a perfect blend of poetry and wit and the plot, based on the novel by Gregory Maguire, is remarkably clever" (Huddersfield Daily Examiner).

Critics also acclaimed the high quality of the production: "rest assured that this first touring production maintains the spectacular staging, costume design and magic of the original" (Manchester Evening News); "the production values are incredible - this is every bit the West End show" (The Public Reviews) and "this incarnation of the West End smash flew into town and totally ripped up the rule book that states touring shows should somehow be second rate to London or Broadway. This interpretation is truly phenomenal" (Daily Record, Glasgow).

WICKED WORLDWIDE

Wicked has already been seen by 45 million people worldwide and grossed in excess of $3.6 billion at the Box Office. It has won 100 international awards.

The global musical phenomenon has been performed in over 100 cities in 13 countries around the world (United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Japan, Germany, Holland, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, The Philippines and Mexico) and has been translated into five languages: Japanese, German, Dutch, Spanish, and Korean. The original Broadway production remains "Broadway's biggest blockbuster" (The New York Times) after more than 11 years at the Gershwin Theatre.

Wicked has been recognised as "the best musical of the decade" (Entertainment Weekly), "the defining musical of the decade" (The New York Times), "a cultural phenomenon" (Variety) and "a breathtaking success story of a magnitude not witnessed since the peak years of The Phantom of the Opera" (The Washington Post).

WICKED - THE STORY

If you think you know the Wicked Witch of the West, think again...

When Dorothy famously triumphed over the Wicked Witch, we only ever heard one side of the story. Gregory Maguire's "outstanding novel" (The Independent), 'Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West', ingeniously re-imagined the Land of Oz, creating a parallel universe to the familiar story written by

L. Frank Baum and first published as 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz' in 1900.

Wicked tells the incredible untold story of an unlikely but profound friendship between two girls who first meet as sorcery students at Shiz University: the blonde and very popular Glinda and a misunderstood green girl named Elphaba. Following an encounter with The Wizard, their friendship reaches a crossroads and their lives take very different paths.

Glinda's unflinching desire for popularity sees her seduced by power while Elphaba's determination to remain true to herself, and to those around her, will have unexpected and shocking consequences for her future. Their extraordinary adventures in Oz will ultimately see them fulfil their destinies as Glinda The Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.

Experience this unforgettable, award-winning musical and discover that you've not been told the whole story about the Land of Oz...

WICKED IS READER RECOMMENDED BY GOOD HOUSEKEEPING

Wicked is the first ever stage production to have been rated by the Good Housekeeping Reader Recommended Accreditation Scheme. Distinctive, trusted, authoritative and independent, the reader recommended scheme unites the trusted expertise of Good Housekeeping with the valued opinions of its readers.

One hundred and thirty six readers rated the musical, in line with the Good Housekeeping Institute (GHI) testing protocols. Having seen the show, a questionnaire (devised by the expert GHI team) was sent to the readers asking them to comment on the musical in four main areas: performance, overall acceptability, whether they were pleased they saw it, and whether they would recommend the musical to a friend.

The production passed in all categories, with over 90% approval ratings for the story, music, visual experience and staging, and was officially Reader Recommended in January 2015.