Concert Tribute to Smash Broadway Hit “Wicked” Takes Viewers Back to Oz on Oct. 29

Original Stars of the Hit Musical Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel Will Host the Special and Perform Along with Ariana Grande, Pentatonix and More

To celebrate “Wicked’s” 15th anniversary on Broadway in October, NBC is set to throw a joyous Halloween party for the ages with “A Very Wicked Halloween: Celebrating 15 Years on Broadway,” airing Monday, Oct. 29 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. This televised concert featuring songs from the blockbuster musical hit “Wicked” will showcase a cavalcade of special guest stars to help celebrate the music and the magic of the show that tells the story of what happened in Oz before Dorothy dropped in.

“A Very Wicked Halloween: Celebrating 15 Years on Broadway” will reunite Tony Award winners Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, the original Elphaba and Glinda, who will perform and serve as hosts for the special. Additional guest performers include global music superstar Ariana Grande, multi-platinum recording artist Pentatonix, the current Broadway company of “Wicked” and more to be announced, all to honor the show’s lasting cultural impact and the 15th anniversary of its unforgettable Broadway debut.

“‘Wicked’ is a blockbuster musical playing all over the world and still selling out night after night after 15 years on Broadway, and we’re thrilled to be partnering with Emmy and Tony-winning producer Marc Platt and the entire ‘Wicked’ team to celebrate the enduring success of this show,” said Doug Vaughan, Executive Vice President, Special Programs and Late Night, NBC Entertainment. “We’re especially excited to have Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth reunited along with big guest stars in front of an audience – in costume hopefully – to help us celebrate the Halloween season.”

The show will tape at New York’s Marquis Theater and be produced by the original “Wicked” team, including the Tony- and Emmy-winning Marc Platt along with Emmy winners Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner of White Cherry Entertainment. Weiss will also serve as director.

A VERY WICKED HALLOWEEN: CELEBRATING 15 YEARS ON BROADWAY — Pictured: (l-r) Idina Menzel, Kristin Chenoweth — (Photo by: Virginia Sherwood/NBC)

ABOUT “WICKED”
The Broadway sensation “Wicked” looks at what happened in the Land of Oz … but from a different angle. Long before Dorothy arrives, there is another young woman, born with emerald-green skin, who is smart, fiery, misunderstood and possessing an extraordinary talent. When she meets a bubbly blonde who is exceptionally popular, their initial rivalry turns into the unlikeliest of friendships … until the world decides to call one “good” and the other one “wicked.”

With a thrilling score that includes the hits “Defying Gravity,” “Popular” and “For Good,” “Wicked” has been hailed by The New York Times as “the defining musical of the decade,” and by Time magazine as “a magical Broadway musical with brains, heart, and courage.”

Winner of over 100 international awards, including the Grammy and three Tonys, “Wicked” has been performed in more than 100 cities in 14 countries around the world (U.S., Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Japan, Germany, Holland, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, the Philippines, Mexico and Brazil) and has thus far been translated into six languages: Japanese, German, Dutch, Spanish, Korean and Portuguese. “Wicked” has amassed over $4.6 billion in global sales and has been seen by more than 55 million people worldwide.

Based on the novel by Gregory Maguire, “Wicked” has music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, and a book by Winnie Holzman. The production is directed by Tony winner Joe Mantello with musical staging by Tony winner Wayne Cilento. “Wicked” is produced by Marc Platt, Universal Stage Productions, The Araca Group, Jon B. Platt and David Stone.
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