The Witches from WICKED Announce Extension of Hong Kong Season

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Madeleine Henry
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For immediate release The Witches from WICKED Announce Extension of Hong Kong Season Female stars of hit musical fly in to attend media launch (HONG KONG, 5 September 2016) The two female stars of

1 For immediate release The Witches from WICKED Announce Extension of Hong Kong Season Female stars of hit musical fly in to attend media launch (HONG KONG, 5 September 2016) The two female stars of the West End and Broadway musical phenomenon WICKED - Jacqueline Hughes (Elphaba) and Carly Anderson (Glinda), who through their extraordinary adventures in Oz ultimately fulfil their destinies as Glinda The Good and the Wicked Witch of the West - flew into Hong Kong to meet members of the media and announce an extension of the spectacular show s season. At a major press conference this afternoon at the Renaissance Hotel, the two performers explained that interest in the show is so strong an extra week has been added. Wicked will open at the Lyric Theatre, Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, from Thursday 8 December 2016 and will now run until 8 January During the event, they also cast their spell over the media with their exhilarating performance of The Wizard and I and For Good from the award-winning show. We are thrilled that the Wicked international tour will make its Hong Kong premiere later this year said Jacqueline Hughes and Carly Anderson. We re enormously proud of this production, which combines the size, spectacle and technical wizardy of the London show, with an intimacy that has made the storytelling more captivating than ever. Tickets for the newly added performances from 3 to 8 January are on sale tomorrow (6 September) to the public, available online at or by phone at Seats can also be obtained at all HK Ticketing or Tom Lee outlets in person. Due to the unprecedented demand for tickets to Wicked, the public is encouraged to act now to secure seats to the hottest musical coming to Hong Kong. Acclaimed as a wicked and wonderful vision of Oz (London Evening Standard), a magical story of friendship, love and growing up (OfficialLondonTheatre.com) and pure magic (Time Out London), Wicked is one of the world s most celebrated, spectacular and successful stage musicals of all time. The show is playing its 13th year on Broadway to packed houses, while at the Apollo Victoria Theatre in London s West End, Wicked celebrates its 10 th anniversary later this month. Around the world, Wicked has been seen by over 50 million people in 14 countries, and is the recipient of more than 100 major awards, including 3 Tony Awards and 6 Drama Desk Awards on Broadway, 2 Olivier Awards and 9 WhatsOnStage Awards in London, 6 Helpmann Awards in Australia and a Grammy Award.

2 Based on the 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 a popular blonde girl called Glinda and a misunderstood, green-skinned girl named Elphaba. Their extraordinary adventures in Oz will ultimately see them fulfil their destinies as Glinda The Good and the Wicked Witch of the West. Wicked features music and lyrics by multi Grammy and Academy Award-winner Stephen Schwartz (Godspell; Disney s Pocahontas and The Hunchback of Notre Dame), and is based on the novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire and adapted for the stage by Winnie Holzman. Musical staging is by Tony Award-winner Wayne Cilento and the production is directed by two-time Tony Award-winner Joe Mantello. Wicked is produced around the world by Marc Platt, Universal Stage Productions, The Araca Group, Jon B. Platt and David Stone. Executive Producer (UK/International Tour): Michael McCabe. The Hong Kong season is presented by Lunchbox Theatrical Productions and is proudly sponsored by American Express. Official Hotel is Renaissance Harbour View Hotel Hong Kong, Official Ocean Carrier is OOCL, Official Media Partner is South China Morning Post and Official Partner is Pacific Coffee. ONE OF THE GREATEST MUSICALS OF OUR TIME. Daily Mail, UK PREPARE FOR A RIOT OF COLOUR, DRAMA, MAGIC AND FUN IN THIS SPELLBINDING SHOW. - OfficialLondonTheatre.com, UK BROADWAY S BIGGEST BLOCKBUSTER. The New York Times, U.S. GUARANTEED TO DELIGHT, AMAZE, THRILL, DAZZLE AND TOUCH THE HEARTS OF THEATREGOERS OF ALL AGES. Toronto Star, Canada WICKED WILL ENTRANCE EVERY GENERATION IN WONDER, WIT AND SUSPENSE. Time Out London THE BIGGEST THING IN MUSICALS SINCE THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA The Times, UK

3 Ticketing Information Wicked Performance Dates: From 8 December 2016 to 8 January 2017 Venue: Lyric Theatre, Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts Show Dates Tuesday to Friday * Saturday Sunday Show Times 7:45pm 2:00pm & 7:45pm 1:00pm & 6:00pm * For 27 December, 2016 (Tuesday), there will be a matinee show at 2:00pm Standard Ticket Prices: $1,295 (Orchestra Package), $1,095 (VIP), $895 (A Reserve), $595 (B Reserve), $445 (C Reserve) Students or Family Packages** $945(VIP) / $745 (A Reserve) / $445 (B Reserve) Ticket prices are exclusive of HK Ticketing service charge and courier fees **A limited number of tickets for Full-Time Students and family packages (2 adults + 2 children aged under 18) are available in VIP, A and B Reserves for all performances (excluding Fri & Sat evenings). Wicked is suitable for a general audience and contains no profanities. As a guide to parents and guardians, it is recommended for ages 7+. All persons entering the theatre, regardless of age, must have a ticket. Children under 3 years of age will not be admitted. Please note that loud noises, flashing lights, smoke effects and strobe lighting feature in the production. Tickets can be purchased via all HK Ticketing outlets or by calling the HK Ticketing purchase hotline or website as follows: - HK Ticketing hotline: HK Ticketing website: - HK Ticketing outlets: K11 Select, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, The Academy s Landmark Heritage Campus-Bethanie, AsiaWorld-Expo, Fringe Club, Kowloon Bay International Trade & Exhibition Centre, and all Tom Lee Music outlets For more information, please visit For more updates, please visit International Tour website:

4 Notes for Editors WICKED WORLDWIDE A phenomenon that keeps growing (Los Angeles Times), Wicked has already been seen by over 50 million people around the world and is one of the most celebrated and successful musicals of all time. Winner of over 100 major awards, Wicked has already been performed in over 100 cities in 14 countries around the world (United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Japan, Germany, The Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, The Philippines, Mexico and Brazil) and has also been translated from its original English into Japanese, German, Dutch, Spanish, Korean and Portuguese. WICKED LONDON Already the 19 th longest-running show in West End theatre history, the London production premiered on 27 September 2006, and has already played over 4000 performances at the Apollo Victoria Theatre. Wicked has been hailed as one of the greatest musicals of our time (Daily Mail, UK); one of the biggest hits of our age (The Observer, UK); and one of the most popular West End musicals ever (London Evening Standard, UK). Wicked is the winner of the Olivier Audience Award (twice); the Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Night Out; a Visit London Gold Award; and nine What sonstage Awards including Best West End Show (twice) and Best Musical. Most recently, Wicked has been named as London s No.1 Long-Running Show by BritishTheatre.com, awarded a Certificate of Excellence by Trip Advisor, received a Critics Choice citation from The Times and is the first ever stage production to earn coveted Reader Recommendations from Good Housekeeping and Cosmopolitan magazines. WICKED BROADWAY The multi record-breaking original Broadway production remains Broadway s biggest blockbuster (The New York Times, U.S.) after 13 years and over 5000 performances at the Gershwin Theatre, where it premiered on 30 October Already the 10 th longest-running show in Broadway history, Wicked is also one of only three musicals in Broadway history to have grossed more than $1 billion (US) at the Box Office, the others being The Phantom of the Opera and The Lion King. The Star-Ledger raved: one of Broadway s must-see wonders, Wicked is a fabulous new Oz fable for the 21 st Century. WICKED CREATIVE TEAM Wicked has music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, a book by Winnie Holzman and is based on the acclaimed novel by Gregory Maguire. The production is directed by Joe Mantello, with musical staging by Wayne Cilento. Scenic design is by Eugene Lee, costumes by Susan Hilferty, lighting by Kenneth Posner, sound by Tony Meola, projection designs by Elaine J. McCarthy and Hair and Wig designs by Tom Watson. Music arrangements are by Alex Lacamoire and Stephen Oremus, with dance arrangements by James Lynn Abbott, orchestrations by William David Brohn and musical supervision by Stephen Oremus.

5 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. GregoryMaguire 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 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 musical and discover that you ve not been told the whole story about the Land of Oz. * * * The above press release is issued by Lunchbox Theatrical Productions Ltd. through PRO Marketing Services Company Limited To download images, press material and information on WICKED please visit: For further Information and interview requests, please contact: PRO Marketing Services Company Limited Catherine Cheung and Priscilla Lui Ph: (852) Mob: (852) info@propublicity.com

6 LUNCHBOX THEATRICAL PRODUCTIONS Presenter Founded in Hong Kong in 1992 by James Cundall, Lunchbox Theatrical Productions has established an unrivalled reputation for producing top quality international entertainment across five continents, and is now headquartered in the United Kingdom with companies in Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore and The Philippines. Productions include musicals such as Cats, The Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, Wicked, Mamma Mia, West Side Story and Chicago; spectaculars such as Riverdance and Cirque du Soleil s Alegria; boutique shows such as Stomp, Tap Dogs, Slava s Snowshow, Potted Potter, Circus Oz and Barry Humphries Farewell Tour Eat, Pray, Laugh! ; musical concerts including Thriller Live, The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Abba Mania; international artists Jamie Oliver, Rick Stein and Elaine Paige; plays such as The Woman in Black, The Mousetrap and The 39 Steps; children s shows Thomas the Tank Engine and Barney s Space Adventures; events such as Yorkshire s Winter Wonderland (an outdoor Christmas ice rink and funfair in York, UK) and The Last Night of the Proms for the Hong Kong Handover; and The Imperial Ice Stars productions of The Sleeping Beauty on Ice, Swan Lake on Ice, Cinderella on Ice and The Nutcracker on Ice. As well as producing this portfolio of shows, James Cundall spent the first five months of 2010 based in Shanghai, as Producer of the Outdoor Opening Ceremony of Expo 2010 Shanghai China, on behalf of David Atkins Enterprises. In addition to Wicked in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Manila, future productions for 2016 include Jeeves and Wooster in Perfect Nonsense in Hong Kong and Singapore; The Hunting of the Snark and Pep Bou s Bubble Magic in Hong Kong; Swan Lake on Ice and Sleeping Beauty on Ice in China; The Sound of Music in Australia; Singin in the Rain in Australia; Blue Man Group in Singapore, New Zealand and Manila; The Shaolin Warriors in New Zealand; The Bootleg Beatles in Singapore; Beyond the Barricade in New Zealand; and Priscilla Queen of the Desert in New Zealand. * * *

Another magical adventure from the genius behind Alice in Wonderland is coming to Hong Kong this September

For immediate release Another magical adventure from the genius behind Alice in Wonderland is coming to Hong Kong this September Based on Lewis Carroll s nonsense poem, this sparkling musical extravaganza