SOME of the cast members and production team of Wicked were in Leeds last week before embarking on their national tour which includes three and a half weeks at the Grand Theatre in Leeds from June 13 to July 7.

The question is, “Was the infamous Wicked Witch of the West really wicked, or the innocent victim of a corrupt regime”?

When Dorothy famously triumphed over the Wicked Witch in the Wizard of Oz productions, we only ever heard one side of the story. This musical tells the story of an unlikely but profound friendship between two young women who first meet as sorcery students at Shiz University; the blonde and very popular Glinda and the misunderstood green girl called Elphaba. Following a meeting with The Wizard, their friendship reaches a crossroads and their lives take very different paths.

Some interesting facts about this production:

• 53 million people around the world have seen Wicked

• It has won over 100 international awards

• It has been performed in 16 countries and 130 cities

• It has been running for 13 years in London and 15 years on Broadway

• Elphaba is named after the writer of The Wonderful World of Oz, L Frank Baum using his three initials (LFB).

• The fastest costume change is 48 seconds by Glinda

• There are a total of 1,818 different costumes in the show

• Glinda’s “Bubble Dress” contains 100,000 sequins and each petal takes 1½ days to make

• There are a total of 94 hats

• 2,000 metres of ribbon are used in the Emerald City costumes

• There are 40 yards of fabric in Elphaba’s “Wicked Witch Dress”

This promises to be an outstanding show and tickets are now on sale from the Grand Theatre Box Office. Ring 0844 848 2700 or book on line at www.leedsgrandtheatre.com.

by John Burland