Fans of Wicked will soon be able to experience both films in a new way, with live orchestra concert screenings set to tour globally in 2027.
According to an official announcement from NBC Universal,Wicked and Wicked: For Good are being turned into live to film concert experiences, with a symphony orchestra performing the scores in sync with the films.
The films will be projected on a large HD screen while a live orchestra performs Stephen Schwartz’s songs and the score by John Powell and Schwartz in sync with the films.
The first concert, Wicked: Part One In Concert, will have a special preview in San Francisco on January 16 before officially premiering at New York’s Radio City Music Hall on January 23.
Additional dates are expected as the concert experience travels internationally, with further tour and ticketing information being released through the official Wicked in Concert website.
The concerts are being created through a collaboration involving Universal Film and Universal Destinations & Experiences, with Universal partnering with Hurwitz Concerts to bring the films to the stage.
Justin Hurwitz, whose company has previously toured live to film versions of La La Land and Whiplash, said the Wicked films were particularly suited to the format.
“I absolutely love the live to film format and think the Wicked films are so perfect for it,” Hurwitz said in Universal’s announcement.
He added that it was an honour to help bring Schwartz’s musical and the films’ score to concert venues around the world.
David O’Connor, Chief Brand Officer at Universal Entertainment, said the concerts would give audiences another way to experience the world of Oz.
“From Broadway to the multiplex, Wicked is an enduring global phenomenon,” he said, adding that the live to film format would allow audiences to “return to Oz and defy gravity like never before”.
The films star Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda, alongside Jonathan Bailey, Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum, Ethan Slater, Bowen Yang and Marissa Bode.
While the first announced dates focus on Wicked: Part One, Wicked: For Good will also receive its own live to film concert experience, with further details still to come.
Source: Khaleej Times