The Wicked Witch flies back into the Playhouse

WICKED returns to The Playhouse next week having proved one of the most popular productions to tour to the Greenside Place venue in recent years.

Helen Woolf as Glinda

The musical, based on the acclaimed, best-selling novel by Gregory Maguire that ingeniously re-imagines the stories and characters created by L Frank Baum in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Wicked tells the untold story of an unlikely but profound friendship between two sorcery students, Elphaba and Glinda.

Their extraordinary adventures in Oz will ultimately see them fulfil their destinies as Glinda The Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.

WICKED IN NUMBERS

The last time it was here in 2014/5, Wicked was seen by more than 175,000 people, the equivalent of one in three of the local population.

Once again, The Playhouse will be the only Scottish date on the musical’s current UK & Ireland Tour.

Thirteen articulated lorries will make the 300-mile journey from Birmingham to Edinburgh , transporting the show’s sets, props and costumes.

When they arrive later this week, a backstage team of 60 will work for 3 days to build the production and prepare the theatre for the first performance on Tuesday 8 May.

This includes creating an area behind the stage known as the Wardrobe Village, which will house the show’s 350 costumes, 140 wigs, 244 pairs of shoes, 110 hats, 125 pairs of gloves and 30 prosthetic masks.

On stage, one of the first things audiences will see as they enter the auditorium is a giant mechanical dragon, which will hang 7.5 metres above the stage with a wingspan of 11 metres.

It takes 100 people, on stage and behind the scenes, to deliver each and every performance of this spectacular production.

Elphaba’s Wicked Witch dress uses 40 yards of fabric and the skirt alone takes three weeks to construct.

There are nearly 50 layers of gathered ruffles in the skirt, which is made from 45 different fabrics.

Glinda’s Bubble Dress is made up of 45 petals, each of which takes three days to bead, and a day and a half to hand sequin.

There are 20 types of sequins and almost 100,000 sequins used in this one costume.

Some 2000 metres of ribbon are used in the Emerald City costumes.

Wicked, Playhouse, Greenside Place, Tuesday 8 May-Saturday 9 June, 7.30pm (matinee 2.30pm), £20.50-£92.50, 0844-871 3014