The music theatre phenomenon celebrates 1000 performances in Oz.

Following its 1000th performance in Australia last weekend, the smash hit musical Wicked prepares to open in Perth after successful runs in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, and Adelaide.

The most successful theatre show to be staged in Australia, it has been seen by 1.4 million people since it opened at Melbourne’s Regent Theatre in June 2008, grossing over $125 million in national sales and breaking the Melbourne box office record with $1.5 million in ticket sales just one day after it opened.

“It is almost three years to the day since it began rehearsals, and from the very first performance we knew Wicked was something special,” said the Australian co-producer John Frost.

Eleven of the original Australian cast members remain for the upcoming Perth season, including Lucy Durack (as Glinda), Jemma Rix (Elphaba) and Maggie Kirkpatrick (Madam Morrible).

“I feel very proud to be an original cast member”, said Durack. “I also feel an enormous sense of gratitude to be a part of Wicked and humbled to belong to something that Australia has taken to its heart and supported with such fervour.

“Audiences have really embraced musical theatre in the past few years and I feel lucky to have experienced that...