Live concert experiences featuring the Wicked and Wicked: For Good films alongside a live symphony orchestra are scheduled to debut next year.
Directed by Jon M. Chu and starring Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda, the films will be projected onto an HD screen while a live orchestra performs the complete soundtrack in synchronization. The performances will feature songs with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, alongside the score composed by Schwartz and John Powell.
The concerts represent a collaboration between Universal Film and Universal Destinations & Experiences. The former has partnered with Justin Hurwitz’s company, Hurwitz Concerts, which has previously toured La La Land in Concert and Whiplash in Concert since 2023.
“I absolutely love the live-to-film format and believe the Wicked films are perfectly suited for it,” said Hurwitz. “It is an honor to help bring Stephen Schwartz’s masterpiece musical and John Powell’s brilliant cinematic underscore to concert venues worldwide.”
“Whenever I’ve witnessed live concerts of film scores, I’ve always found the experience incredibly amazing, so I’m delighted that the Wicked movies are now becoming film concerts, particularly under the expert direction of Oscar-winner Justin Hurwitz and his talented team,” Schwartz stated in a statement, as reported by Deadline.
Currently announced tour dates include a San Francisco preview on January 16, a Radio City premiere and Chicago engagement on January 30, followed by stops in Mexico City (March 6), Guadalajara (April 17), Monterrey (April 24), Toronto (May 29), Montréal (July 17), and Vancouver (July 24).
Wicked: For Good has received a three-star review from NME, where Nick Levine wrote: “The one truly showstopping moment is Elphaba and Glinda’s climactic rendition of ‘For Good’, a grand show tune that encapsulates their entire relationship. While Wicked: For Good doesn’t defy gravity like its predecessor, fans will want to leave room for a sequel that delivers a very poignant payoff.”
In other news, Jeff Goldblum recently spoke to NME about collaborating with “those wonderful, wonderful ladies from Wicked” and how they featured on his recent album, ‘Night Blooms’.
