Following the matinee performance November 1, the London production of Wicked became the ninth longest-running production in West End history.
The Stephen Schwartz-Winnie Holzman musical also surpassed the original London run of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Starlight Express as the longest-running tenant at the Apollo Victoria Theatre. (Starlight played a total of 7,406 performances between March 1984 and January 2002 the Apollo Victoria.)
The Apollo milestone was marked with a commemorative plaque presented to ATG Entertainment representatives Ross Verity-Williams (general manager) and Kamaal Hussain (deputy general manager), as well as Wicked Ozians Abbie Quinnen and Iroy Abesamis. Copies of the plaque will be displayed backstage and in both of the front-of-house Ambassador Lounges.
Wicked producer David Stone said in a statement, “We are thrilled that Wicked has become the ninth longest-running production in West End history and the longest-running production in the history of the Apollo Victoria Theatre, surpassing Starlight Express. This milestone is a testament to the extraordinary talent and dedication of the many performers, musicians, backstage teams and theatre staff who have sustained the production with such care and commitment. We offer our heartfelt thanks to the millions of audience members whose continued enthusiasm and support have made this remarkable achievement possible.”
ATG Entertainment Chief Content Officer Michael Lynas added, “As the owners of the Apollo Victoria Theatre, we are immensely proud that Wicked has
become the venue’s longest-running show. This remarkable musical is a
jewel in the crown of the West End and shines as brightly as when it
opened more than 19 years ago. We are delighted to host a show which
has been entertaining London audiences since 2006, and we pay tribute to
the producers, the creative team, the performers and musicians, and
everyone working backstage and front of house at the Apollo Victoria.”
The 10 longest-running West End stage productions in British history, according to the Wicked release, are The Mousetrap, Les Misérables, The Phantom of the Opera, The Woman in Black, Mamma Mia!, Blood Brothers, The Lion King, Cats, Wicked, and Starlight Express.
The London company currently stars Emma Kingston as Elphaba, Zizi Strallen as Glinda, Carl Man as Fiyero, Sarah Ingram as Madame Morrible, Michael Matus as The Wizard, Ross Carpenter as Boq, David McKechnie as Doctor Dillamond, and Hannah Qureshi as Nessarose, plus Laura Emmitt as Alternate Elphaba and Lydia Gerrard as Standby for Glinda.
The ensemble includes Iroy Abesamis, Zac Adlam, Steph Asamoah, Meg Astin, Rebecca Bowden, Shaun Chambers, Erin Gisele Chapman, Grace Durkin, Onyemachi Ejimofor, Aaron Elijah, Emily Goodenough, Aimee Hodnett, Nat Ingham, Holly Lawrence, Jemima Loddy, Josh Lovell, Rory Maguire, PaddyJoe Martin, JoJo Meredith, Ayden Morgan, Rina Punwani, Abbie Quinnen, Jemma Revell, Jeanie Ryan, Charlotte Anne Steen, Chris Tarsey, Hannah Taylor, James Titchener, and Jacob Young.
With music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman, the musical is based on the novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire.
The Joe Mantello-helmed production features musical staging by Wayne Cilento, scenic design by Eugene Lee, costume design by Susan Hilferty, lighting design by Kenneth Posner, sound design by Tony Meola, projections by Elaine J. McCarthy, wig and hair design by Tom Watson, music supervision and arrangements by Stephen Oremus, orchestrations by William David Brohn, and dance arrangements by James Lynn Abbott.
The hit Broadway production continues at the Gershwin Theatre, while the first half of the two-part film adaptation recently won two 2025 Academy Awards. The second part of the film arrives this month.
Wicked is produced by Marc Platt, Universal Stage Productions, The Araca Group, Jon B. Platt, and David Stone.
Visit WickedTheMusical.co.uk.
