Columbus residents get ready for a wicked-good time.

Broadway Across America is bringing Wicked to the Ohio Theature for a 24-performance run from June 20-July 8. The show features direction from two-time Tony Award winner Joe Mantello, and is widely considered one of the best productions in recent history.

Wicked is the story of what happened before Dorothy showed up in Oz and how Glinda the Good Witch and the Wicked Witch of the West came to be.

Columbus, while a bustling city, is hardly what one would consider a prime destination for such a high profile show. It took a lot of luck for its eventual scheduling and arrival. 

According to Allison Thomas, Director of Public Relations for Broadway Across America Columbus, it’s a matter of everything lining up. She says they look at the schedules of touring shows and the schedule of local venues, and once they find a match, production begins.

Overall, local interest in the show has been very good, and ticket sales had to be moved up.

“The response has been amazing,” she says. “We expect a huge turnout, especially on May 3. Response has been huge, and we think it will continue to be huge… it touches people in a special way.”

The reasons behind the popularity of Wicked are numerous. For starters, the play is one of the more massive productions to come out of Broadway in a while. Beyond that, it’s part of a classic story that people are familiar with.

“It’s awesome to have a blockbuster like this,” says Thomas. “People know it, people love it.”

Overall, Wicked has won 15 major awards, including a Grammy and three Tony Awards. It continues to sell out nearly every showing, and has been performed in major cities such as Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Philadelphia and Boston.

The cast for the Columbus shows is headlined by Victoria Matlock as Elphaba and Christina Decicco as Glinda. The cast does not feature any actors from the original Broadway production.

Tickets range in price from $32.50-$80.50 and go on sale on May 3 at 7 a.m., exclusively at the Ohio Theatre box office. At 9 a.m. they will be available at all local Ticketmaster locations. Show times are as follows: Tuesdays through Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 2 and 8 p.m. and Sundays at 1 and 6:30 p.m.

For more information, visit www.broadwayacrossamerica.com or call 614-224-7654.