Show leaves a Wicked legacy

WEST End musical Wicked’s seven week run at the Lowry in Salford, which ended on Saturday, is estimated to have boosted the region’s economy by nearly £6m.

 The acclaimed show, which has broken box office records around the world,
tells the story behind the witches in the Wizard of Oz,  was seen by almost 100,000 theatregoers at the Salford Quays venue.
    
Analysts at New Economy – which advises Greater Manchester councils on growth and prosperity – calculated the economic benefits of the show using average visitor spend and postcode data from attendees.
    
Greater Manchester-based theatregoers accounted for 60% of total audiences – with the remaining 40% travelling from further afield.
    
Julia Fawcett , chief executive of The Lowry, said: “Studies like this from New Economy bring to wider attention the very real benefits that the arts bring to a locality.
    
“For us, playing host to Wicked for seven weeks – and seeing thousands of people descending on Salford Quays for every performance – it’s a great feeling to know that local businesses and, essentially, local people, are benefitting from what we’ve programmed on our stage.”
    
Wicked’s executive producer, Michael McCabe, said: “After almost two years of touring this spectacular production of Wicked across England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland, we are delighted to end where it all began, in Greater Manchester.”

Around the world, Wicked has been seen by nearly 50 million people in 13 countries .