Wicked Review...Fun Facts....Lottery for tickets....etc....etc....

This past Thursday night, with thanks to Omaha Performing Arts, I got the extraordinary opportunity to see Wicked.  I had heard SO much about it....well...that it was an unbelievable Broadway show, but I didn't know what it was about.  I really didn't know what to expect.

 I was pleasantly surprised.  My FAVORITE movie of ALL time....ever since I was a little girl, has been Wizard of Oz.  I knew that it had something to do with that, but I wasn't sure what.  This was SO neat to see how they tied it all in.  I am not sure I can ever watch the Wizard of Oz in the same light again though!  

If you have no idea what it is about, basically it is the story of the Wicked Witch and the Good Witch of Oz.  How it all came about.  Once you see the show, you can kind of understand why she was as bad as she was, and you kind of feel bad for her!  

It was truly an incredible show!  The music was spectacular.  The cast was spot on....no problems.  The sound was great, the location of our seats were wonderful...of course, I honestly don't think there is a bad seat in the Orpheum.

If you haven't seen Wicked yet, I would absolutely suggest it to you!  Even if you don't like shows like this, I have no doubt that you will truly love this!

Here are some cool facts about Wicked I thought you might enjoy!

FUN FACTS ABOUT WICKED

(Note:  all facts are for Broadway, unless otherwise indicated)

• We use 250 pounds of dry ice per show on Broadway; we’ll probably use 200 pounds per show on the road.
• The electrics department uses enough power to supply approximately twelve houses.  Including the sound and automation departments, the total would increase to eighteen houses.
• We use 8-10 miles of cable in the electrics department on Broadway; we’ll probably use 4-5 miles of cable on the road.
• 1,000 feet of steel cable have been used to restring the flying monkey wings during year one of the Broadway run.
• The carpentry department on Broadway has about 175,000 pounds of scenery, and uses about five miles of cable to automate it.
• The dragon’s eyes are red LED bulbs that never burn out.
• The dragon’s wingspan is the same as a Cessna 172.
• The “life casts” for the animal masks take 2-3 hours, and the person loses most of their senses (smell, sight, hearing, speech) during that time.
• The show has 90 wigs, using 70 during any given show.  All are made of human hair, and made individually for each actor, using their own hairline in the front.
• During the first big “quick change”, 17 actors change from the mob to students in 1.5 minutes (including costumes, wigs and shoes)
• There are 179 different types and finishes of leather used in shoes, gloves, hats and costume trim for WICKED.

 OMAHA LOTTERY!!!!!

PERFORMANCES BEGIN WEDNESDAY, MAY 7 AT OMAHA’S ORPHEUM THEATER
A day-of-performance lottery for a limited number of orchestra seats will be held for WICKED, which is returning to Omaha’s Orpheum Theater with performances from Wednesday, May 7 through Sunday, May 25. Two and one-half hours prior to each performance, people who present themselves at the Orpheum Theater box office, 409 S. 16th St., Omaha, Neb., will have their names placed in a lottery drum; 30 minutes later, names will be drawn for a limited number of orchestra seats at $25 each, cash only. This lottery is available only in-person at the box office, with a limit of two tickets per person. Lottery participants must have a valid photo ID when submitting their entry form and, if chosen, when purchasing tickets.

WICKED has been declared “A Cultural Phenomenon” by Variety and “The Best Musical of the Decade” by Entertainment Weekly. WICKED currently has nine productions around the world, in New York, London, Japan (Tokyo), Australia (Australasian Tour), South Korea (Seoul), Latin America (Mexico City), a U.K. Tour (Dublin), and two concurrent North American National Tours. Since its New York premiere a decade ago, WICKED has grossed over $3.3 billion worldwide and has been seen by over 40 million across the globe. WICKED has been performed in over 100 cities in 13 countries around the world (U.S., Canada, England, Ireland, Japan, Germany, Holland, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, The Philippines, and Mexico) and has thus far been translated into five languages: Japanese, German, Dutch, Spanish, and Korean.

Winner of over 50 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.

Good seats are still available. Tickets for WICKED start at $35 online at TicketOmaha.com; by phone at 402.345.0606 or at the Ticket Omaha box office in the Holland Performing Arts Center, 13th and Douglas streets, Omaha, Neb. Groups of 15 or more may purchase tickets by calling 402.661.8516 or toll-free at 866.434.8587.

Ticket Omaha is the official ticket outlet for all performances of WICKED. **
WICKED performances at Omaha’s Orpheum Theater, 409 S. 16th St., are Wednesday, May 7 through Sunday, May 25 as follows:

WEEK OF MAY 7:
Wednesday, May 7 at 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, May 8 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. (7:30 p.m. performance is Press Night) Friday, May 9 at 8:00 p.m.
Saturday. May 10 at 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.

WEEK OF MAY 11:
Sunday, May 11 at 1:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Tuesday, May 13 at 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, May 14 at 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, May 15 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, May 16 at 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, May 17 at 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.

WEEK OF MAY 18:
Sunday, May 18 at 1:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.
Tuesday, May 20 at 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, May 21 at 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, May 22 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Friday, May 23 at 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, May 24 at 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, May 25 at 1:30 p.m. (no evening performance on this date)