EXCLUSIVE: Wicked musical to trial two-part stage show following movie success

Exclusive: Fan-favourite stage musical Wicked will trial an extended version on UK shores.

The move follows the major success of Jon M Chu’s big-screen adaptation, starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, which has been separated into two films.

The first was released last year and picked up two Oscars, while the second part, Wicked: For Good will arrive in cinemas this coming November.

On stage, the award-winning musical features music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, with a book by Winnie Holzman. Wayne Cilento handles musical staging, and Joe Mantello directs. It continues to play to audiences on Broadway and in the West End, where it is led by Emma Kingston as Elphaba and Zizi Strallen as Glinda.

Currently staged as a traditional two-act, single-show piece, from spring next year, the musical will extend to include extra scenes, numbers, and details from the films.

This will include the introduction of both Miss Coddle (played by Keala Settle in the movie) and Dulcibear (voiced by Sharon D Clarke). There will also be flashbacks to Elphaba and Nessa-Rose’s childhood, with young performers portraying the film’s scene-stealers.

In terms of cameo performances, a rotation of past Elphabas and Glindas will be invited to guest-star as “Wiz-O-Mania Super Stars” helping explain how Oz came to be, as well as the origins of the famed Grimmerie book during the “One Short Day” sequence.

On stage, Dr Dillamond will also be joined by real-life animal performers for act one number “Something Bad”, with the animal chorus taught the number during an intensive six-week rehearsal process. Fiyero’s talking horse Feldspur is set to be puppeteered by the team behind War Horse, while there are ambitious, nautical plans to allow Glinda to arrive at Shiz University on an actual boat.

Schwartz himself will cameo at every performance to deliver his “The Wizard will see you now” line from the film, while every audience member will be given green-tinted goggles to wear during the Emerald City scenes in order to get a true Oz-perience.

The changes will see audiences having to purchase tickets to two, two-act shows in order to see the full production – which will total six hours in length. There will be the option to see parts across consecutive evenings or both parts on a two-show day. It won’t be a dissimilar format to the West End’s Cursed Child production.

The Wicked franchise’s creative executive director Adrian Prilfool said today: “Audiences have been holding space for Wicked in a whole new way since the release of the award-winning first film. So we thought it only right that we added that same space to the stage production, giving theatregoers one long day in the Emerald City. And yes, we will be adding the extended riffs at the end of ‘Popular’.”

Further details are to be revealed in due course – including which productions will be affected.

The extended shows will begin on 1 April 2026, more commonly known as April Fool’s Day.