Wicked

About the musical

The Wicked musical tells the tale of the two witches of Oz before Dorothy dropped in on them in the classic MGM musical The Wizard of Oz. Find out how Elphaba and Glinda met and became the Wicked Witch and the Good Witch respectively, and how they succeeded in defeating the tyrannical Wizard of Oz. This is a tale of social exclusion, courage and love, told with magic, fantasy and wonderful music. A number of songs from the show have been hits in their own right, including “Defying Gravity”.

At 23 years of age, Feline Andersson makes her debut as the Wicked Witch of the West, Elphaba. The Good Witch Glinda is played by Anna Salonen, who has previously appeared in the musical Oliver! at the Göteborg Opera. The Gothenburg production will be the largest ever, with an expanded orchestra, large ensemble and breathtaking scenery.

The production is directed by Samuel Harjanne. The Finn has directed a long list of major musicals in England, Estonia and Finland, several in collaboration with choreographer Gunilla Olsson Karlsson. Conductor and musical director Bjorn Dobbelaere has performed the same tasks for several major musical productions at the Göteborg Opera. Set and costume designer takis has built a magical Oz that shifts between fairy tale and threatening, futuristic surveillance society.

Wicked is celebrating its 20th anniversary, and is one of the world’s most popular musicals. The original Broadway production premiered in 2003 and has since played for 7,000 performances. The show opened in London’s West End three years later.

Creative

Music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz. Book by Winnie Holzman. Based on the novel by Gregory Maguire.
Direction Samuel Harjanne. Originally produced on Broadway by Marc Platt, David Stone and Universal Stage Productions. Original Broadway production directed by Joe Mantello. Presented by arrangement with Music Theatre International. Performed in Swedish, with a new translation by Calle Norlén.