Wicked, the West End stage musical phenomenon that tells the story of the Witches of Oz, has become the 10th longest-running West End show in British history.
Wicked surpasses the run of the legendary farce, No Sex Please, We’re British, which ran from June 1971 until September 1987, playing a total 6,761 performances.
The musical, by Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman, opened at London’s Apollo Victoria Theatre in September 2006 and has been seen by more than 12 million people.
Producers credit the travel and tourism industry with a large part of the show’s enduring success, with the majority of visitors booking tickets via travel trade distribution.
In response to the pandemic and a changing West End sales landscape, Wicked launched Wicked Direct, an in-house b2b booking service, in September 2022. Created to forge closer links and partnerships with the travel industry, Wicked Direct has already generated more than £2m in ticket sales for the show.
Michael McCabe, Executive Producer of Wicked in the UK said: “As we celebrate the historic milestone of becoming the West End’s 10th longest ever running stage show, we offer our heartfelt thanks to the amazing audiences from all around the world who have unwaveringly supported and championed Wicked since its very first London performance in 2006.
“London’s West End theatres are the capital’s number one tourist attraction, with more than 16.4 million tickets sold in 2022, beating 2019’s figure of 15.3 million tickets. Part of this success is due to the sales partnerships that theatre owners, ticket agents, and we as producers have with the travel trade. All of us at Wicked, and Wicked Direct, offer our thanks to the many travel and tourism companies and individuals who have promoted the show over the past eighteen years, and we look forward to continuing and developing these valued relationships.”
The top ten longest-running West End shows in British history are: The Mousetrap, Les Misérables, The Phantom of the Opera, The Woman in Black, Blood Brothers, Mamma Mia!, Cats, The Lion King, Starlight Express, and Wicked.
Group tickets are currently on sale to December 2025 at www.WickedDirect.co.uk
