Wicked FAQ: Everything you need to know about the hit London musical

The book for Wicked was written by Winnie Holzman and is based on Gregory Maguire's 1995 bestseller, Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. The musical features music and lyrics by three-time Grammy and Academy Award winner Stephen Schwartz, a prominent musical theatre composer and lyricist who is also known for scoring such feature-length animated films as The Prince of Egypt (1998), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), and Pocahontas (1995).

Wicked is playing in London at the Apollo Victoria Theatre. The venue is located near Victoria Station at 17 Wilton Road, London, SW1V 1LG, UK.

Wicked is a prequel, midquel and sequel to the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz all in one and begins before Dorothy arrives by tornado with her faithful dog Toto to the Land of Oz. Packed with a kaleidoscope of spell-binding surprises, shocks, and spectacular musical numbers, Wicked follows our famed green protagonist Elphaba (the Wicked Witch of the West) as she attends Shiz University. She forms an unlikely friendship with Glinda (the Good Witch), who takes her under her wing and shows her the ropes on how to be popular. But soon Elphaba and Glinda's friendship is in tatters when they react differently to the news that the Wizard's corrupt government is attempting to remove speech from animals; forcing Elphaba to go into hiding. 

Wicked The Musical is lighter in tone and focuses on feel-good energy and positivity. The original source material, on the other hand, is not so fun or forgiving. As a matter of fact, many find Gregory Maguire's Wicked: Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West to be relentlessly dark and depressing. The book explores issues not found in the musical, including Elphaba's terrible childhood, and kills off many characters in order to drive home the fact that Oz has an incredibly corrupt government.

London's Wicked musical running time is about 2 hours and 45 minutes including an interval.

A Wicked movie has already received the 'emerald' green light and is set to be released by Universal Pictures sometime in the near future. The film adaptation was originally meant to open in cinemas on 22 December 2021, but the release date has now been pushed back due to the coronavirus pandemic in order to make for Sing 2, which was already delayed once to make way for Minions: Rise of Guru.

Wicked received its world premiere at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco on 28 May 2003. After its tryout run in California, the musical transferred to New York and made its Broadway premiere in October 2003 at the Gershwin Theatre. Following a North American tour in 2005, Wicked crossed the pond to the UK and opened for previews in the West End on 7 September 2006 at London's Apollo Victoria Theatre, where it has been running ever since. The official London premiere of Wicked took place on 27 September 2006.

The West End premiere production of Wicked featured musical theatre sensation Idina Menzel (Frozen, Rent), who reprised her role as Elphaba from the original Broadway run. Other original London cast members included Adam Garcia as Fiyero, Helen Dallimore as Glinda, James Gillan as Boq, Katie Rowley Jones as Nessarose, Martin Ball as Doctor Dillamond, Miriam Margolyes as Madame Morrible, and Nigel Planer as the Wizard.

The complete Wicked musical song list includes the Act I songs "No One Mourns The Wicked", "Dear Old Shiz", "The Wizard and I", "What Is This Feeling?", "Something Bad", "Dancing Through Life", "Popular", "I'm Not That Girl", "One Short Day", "A Sentimental Man", and "Defying Gravity" and the Act II songs "Thank Goodness", "The Wicked Witch Of The East", "Wonderful", "I'm Not That Girl (reprise)", "As Long As You're Mine", "No Good Deed", "March Of The Witch Hunters", "For Good", and "Finale."

Wicked musical Apollo Victoria Theatre tickets can be purchased through London Theatre Direct using our safe and secure booking system. Cheap Wicked tickets are now available from as low as £27.

• Food for thought: “Are people born wicked, or is wickedness trust upon them?”
• To help you cope with the hard times: “It's just life, so keep dancing through.”
• On materialism: “I know you don't want to hear this but someone has to say it! You are out of control! I mean they're just shoes... let it go!”
• On following your dreams: “Some things I cannot change, but 'til I try I'll never know.”

Wicked in London does have an age restriction and is suitable for ages 3 and up only. Children under 3 years of age will NOT be admitted into the theatre and children under 16 years of age must be accompanied by an adult or legal guardian. Babes in arms are not permitted.

There have been rumours of a Wicked home video release but so far a DVD, Blu-ray or VOD release date has yet to be confirmed for the musical. 

While the show does not contain any foul language, sexual references, or violence, Wicked does contain some scary moments, which is why the musical is best suited for children ages 7 and up and children under 3 years of age are not allowed into the auditorium.

London Wicked matinee performances begin at 2.30pm on Wednesdays and Saturdays and finish at about 5.15pm. Evening performances of Wicked at the Apollo Victoria start at 7.30pm and finish at around 10.15pm.