Wicked at the Opera House: Boston’s Fall Season Opens

The touring production of Wicked opened at Citizens Bank Opera House on Washington Street September 23 and runs through November 15. This Sunday brings two performances—a matinee at 1 p.m. and an evening show at 6:30 p.m.

Wicked opened on Broadway in 2003 and hasn’t stopped running since. The story takes the Wizard of Oz from the other side—Elphaba and Glinda before Dorothy ever lands in Oz. The score includes “Defying Gravity” and “Popular,” two of the most recognizable songs in contemporary musical theatre. The touring production matches the Broadway staging in sets and cast size. Citizens Bank Opera House holds just over 2,600 seats and gives the production room to work at full scale.

The Theatre District concentrates three major venues within two blocks of each other. On a Sunday with two Wicked performances plus other programming nearby, parking in the area disappears fast. The Tufts Medical Center garage and the Surface Artery lot both fill before the evening curtain. The MBTA Orange Line runs to Tufts Medical Center station, one block from the theater—but post-show trains back up when multiple venues empty at the same time. Weekday performances draw smaller crowds; weekend shows fill faster, especially when Sunday brings two curtain times.

Boston Town Car handles night entertainment transportation to the Theatre District—drop off on Washington Street before curtain, pickup at the stage door when the performance ends.

Photo: Md10016 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0