My excitement for this show bubbles over like a witch’s boiling cauldron! Although performances began on February 10, 2007, last night was the official opening night of Wicked’s run in Los Scandalous, and the stars arrived in droves at the Pantages Theatre. If you are still out of the loop, Wicked first opened in 2003 in Manhattan to tell the never before heard story of the Elphaba the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch of the East. Fifteen awards and 4 years later, it is finally here in Los Angeles. If you want to know more about the show, check it out after the jump…

The gorgeous wife of Taye Diggs, Idina Menzel, and the petite powerhouse Kristin Chenowith literally blew the audience away with their portray of Elphaba the Wicked Witch and Glinda the Good respectively. Wicked opened in New York in 2003 to a packed house and ALL performances were sold out. This adaptation of Gregory Maguire’s novel, Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch, features music from Stephen Schwartz. Joel Grey was also a featured member in the cast playing the role of the Wizard of Oz.

The first year’s run grossed over $56 million. If that’s not enough to give you an idea of the musical’s popularity, please also consider the fact that Playbill.com announced in 2006 that the show had broken a record for a week’s highest box office gross with over $1.6 million–a record that The Producers held at the time. The show’s national tour began in early 2005, a permanent production opened in Chicago in June 2005 and another one in London in September 2006. To top that off, a shortened 30 minute version opened in July 2006. February 2007 marks the sit-down production here in Los Angeles, and know people can’t WAIT (myself being one of them)!

As you can tell, I am MORE than a fan of this show, and I haven’t even seen it yet. I’ve been listening to my soundtrack on repeat, and I’m counting down the days until April 11, 2007–the day I’ll be in the Pantages! Look for an update to this post. If you’re interested in hearing a couple of songs from the show, check out the links below.

Idina Menzel–No Good Deed
Kristin Chenoweth–Popular
Idina Menzel–The Wizard and I
Kristin Chenoweth & Idina Menzel–What Is This Feeling
Joel Grey–Wonderful