5 Things You Don’t Know About Wicked

Broadway comes to Boise next week when Wicked hits the Morrison Center, and there are at least five things we bet you don't know about the show.

It's one of the most popular musicals of all time that would not have happened if two people had not met on a boat ride in Hawaii!

The website BroadwayShowTickets offers some hidden facts about Wicked, and some of them are pretty fascinating.  The musical is based on Gregory Maguire’s novel about the “true” history of the witches of Oz and it might not have happened without a chance meeting in Hawaii.  A singer planted the seed with the right person who brought it to life.

5 Things You Don't Know About Wicked, according to Broadway Show Tickets:

1.  Composer-lyricist Stephen Schwartz first learned of Wicked while he was on vacation in Hawaii. Singer Holly Near was also a passenger on the boat and mentioned the novel.  Gregory Maguire had already signed over the rights to Universal for a live-action feature and Schwartz convinced him that his stage version would be the right fit.

2.  Wicked got mixed reviews from the critics at first, but went on to become one of Broadway’s most popular and top grossing shows with several billion dollars in revenue, and counting.  Those harsh critics may have changed their minds by now.

3.   The Wicked Witch is not named in the original L. Frank Baum novel. Gregory Maguire invented the name for her in his book using Baum’s initial — L.F.B. — Elphaba.

4.  How did they get the green?  It's not foundation.  Instead, the emerald makeup that they use for Elphaba is eyeshadow!  A whole bunch of it.  It's MAC’s landscape Green eyeshadow and they used wide makeup brushes to cover all of that space.

5.  To put on the show each night, the electronics department uses enough power to supply about 12 homes. The scenery on set weighs about 175,000 pounds and crews have to haul that to each location and set it up.  And they use 250 pounds of dry ice to create all the drama.

There are other hidden facts HERE that can help prep you for the show next week.

Wicked opens at the Morrison Center for the Performing Arts Wednesday, March 6, and the run extends through Sunday, March 17.  Ticket info is at Ticketmaster.com and prices range from $49 to $179.  There are several matinees during the run, along with the evening shows.  Have fun my pretties!