[lunalunaris]

von Bianca am 14. Mai 2007, 19:38

Endlich steht es fest: Wicked kommt im Mai 2008 ins Regent Theatre in Melbourne.

Pop the corks: Wicked set for confirmation
Sunday, May 13, 10:05pm AEST.

After years of rumours and speculation, it seems now certain that one of the world's most popular musicals, Wicked, will open at the Regent Theatre in Melbourne this time next year.

The Herald Sun reports that the production will be officially confirmed by Victorian Premier Steve Bracks this week, signalling the Government is heavily involved in the venture.

Bracks is currently in London and it seems likely he will announce the production from there. It is believed the show will have an $18 million budget and will be produced by John Frost.

Seven News is also reporting that Bracks will make the announcement this week.

Wicked tells the back story to the much-loved children's classic The Wizard of Oz with particular focus on the story's witches.

The show opened on Broadway in 2003 and became a music theatre phenomenon and created new music theatre anthems such as For Good and the show's defining number, Defying Gravity, which closes the first act.

The forthcoming Australian production is expected to star Helen Dallimore (pictured above with Idina Menzel in the West End production of Wicked).

Quelle: http://www.aussietheatre.com/news.htm

Yay, wieder eins mehr!!! :D

[lunalunaris]

von Urs am 17. Mai 2007, 14:05

Melbourne, Australia will be home to a new production of the smash musical Wicked, which will open at Melbourne's Regent Theatre in July 2008.

This will be the fourth international production of Wicked. A London production opened in September 2006 at the Apollo Victoria Theatre, and Wicked is scheduled to begin performances in June in Tokyo, Japan and in November in Stuttgart, Germany. These productions will join the four current North American companies of Wicked: in New York City on Broadway at the Gershwin Theater, in Chicago at the Ford Center for Performing Arts/Oriental Theatre, in Los Angeles at the Pantages Theatre, and on National Tour.

Producer David Stone announced, "We're delighted that Melbourne will be the home for the fourth international production of Wicked. We're looking forward to working with John Frost and the Gordon/Frost Organization and know that Australian audiences will be just as enchanted by Wicked as the audiences are in America and England."

Casting details for the Melbourne company will be announced at a later date.

Based on the novel by Gregory Maguire, the show has music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and book by Winnie Holzman. It 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.

Winner of 15 major awards including the Grammy Award and three Tony Awards, Wicked "is the untold story of the witches of Oz. 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," as described in press notes.

Wicked features set design by Tony Award winner Eugene Lee, costume design by Tony Award winner Susan Hilferty, lighting design by Kenneth Posner and sound design by Tony Meola. The orchestrations are by William David Brohn, with dance arrangements by James Lynn Abbott.

The Grammy Award-winning original cast recording is available on Decca Broadway.

For more information, visit http://www.wickedthemusical.com .

http://www.broadwayworld.com/viewcolumn.cfm?colid=18400

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http://www.wickedthemusical.com.au/

[lunalunaris]

Melbourne: Dallimore noch immer nicht offziell
von Urs am 10. Juli 2007, 09:21

Ein interessanter Artikel über Wicked Australien (wichtiges fett):

Will Helen Dallimore play Glinda once more?

Australian actress Helen Dallimore is preparing for her final two weeks in the West End production of the smash hit musical Wicked, and everyone back home has just one question: will she play the role in Australia?

Wicked is one year away from making its debut down under and speculation is growing that 35-year-old Dallimore will play the role that was famously originated by Kristen Chenoweth on Broadway.

It is known that Dallimore is considering an offer from producers to be pre-cast in the show, which will play an open-ended run at Melbourne's Regent Theatre and will be one of the most expensive musicals ever staged here.

"She expressed interest in coming back to Australia to do the lead but it's far from a deal being done," producer John Frost said at the show's media launch recently.

AussieTheatre.com understands that Dallimore may have opportunities in London that could prevent her from playing he role in Australia. If that happens, it is likely that a general audition process will be used to cast the role.

Wicked opened on Broadway in 2003 and despite mixed reviews, became a theatrical phenomenon and is still playing to capacity audiences at every performance. The show opened in London last year and in a major Australian coup, Dallimore was handed the coveted role of Glinda.

Dallimore has various film, theatre and TV credits in Australia, having starred in the world premiere production of the musical The Republic of Myopia as well as Sydney Theatre Company's play The Unlikely Prospect of Happiness.

Wicked features music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman, and is loosely based on the best selling novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Macguire. The musical tells the “back story” to The Wizard of Oz, focusing on Glinda (the good witch) and Elphaba (the wicked witch of the west) and their unlikely friendship that developed long before Dorothy dropped in.

The musical features stirring contemporary musical theatre ballads such as I’m Not That Girl and For Good, as well as the song’s defining number, Defying Gravity.

The role of Elphaba - originated on Broadway by Idina Menzel - is expected to be one of the most hotly contested roles ever seen in Australian musical theatre. The role is not expected to be pre-cast.

Auditions for Wicked are likely to be held in January and February next year, and composer Stephen Schwartz will be present, AussieTheatre.com understands.

The show starts an advertising campaign next month, the beginning of what is expected to be a saturation of publicity and marketing in an effort to ensure strong box office takings when tickets go on sale, and to familiarise the Australian public with a show that is generally not well known outside of theatre circles.

Wicked opens next July. Dallimore plays her final performance in the London production on July 14.

http://www.aussietheatre.com/news.htm

[lunalunaris]

Übrige Cast angekündigt
von Shenaz am 12. Februar 2008, 10:15

More Wicked casting announced
Tuesday, February 12, 1:01pm AEDST.

Rob Guest, Anthony Callea, Rob Mills and Maggie Kirkpatrick will star in the Australian production of Wicked that opens at the Regent Theatre in Melbourne in July.

Guest will play the Wizard, Callea (pictured) is Boq, Mills is Fiyero and Kirkpatrick will play Madame Morrible.

They join previously announced cast members Amanda Harrison (Elphaba) and Lucy Durack (Glinda) as well as Penny McNamee, who will play Nessa.

Also announced today was a $1 million sponsorship with ANZ, the biggest “presenting sponsor” deal in Australian theatre history.

“This is a terrific day in what will be, I’m sure, the very, very long history of Wicked in Australia,” said producer John Frost.

“I’m thrilled that the New York creative team who conducted the auditions with me have chosen Australian Idol’s standout stars – Rob Mills and Anthony Callea – both now firmly in the front ranks of our entertainers.

“Rob Guest is one of Australian music theatre’s most popular and enduring performers – he played the Phantom in The Phantom Of The Opera for a record seven years in Australia and New Zealand.

“And Maggie Kirkpatrick is one of our best loved stars. As The Freak in Prisoner, she remains a legendary, cult figure to television audiences internationally, but Maggie is also a renowned stage performer.”

Frost confirmed that rehearsals for the Australia production will begin on May 12 ahead of July 12 opening night.

Quelle