Wicked is heading back to downtown Orlando, with the touring production set to land at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts for a four-week run from Jan. 6 through Jan. 31, 2027. Tickets are already on sale, and the beloved musical will take the stage at the venue's Walt Disney Theater.
The show tells the story of Elphaba, a young woman with emerald-green skin who possesses intelligence, determination and magical abilities, according to WESH. After meeting Glinda, the two develop an unexpected friendship even as they are pushed into roles as good and wicked. The score includes fan favorites like Defying Gravity, Popular and For Good, and the touring production is depicted in promotional images by the North American touring company, credited to photographer Joan Marcus, featuring Claudia Bennett as Glinda and Aline Mayagoitia as Elphaba, per the same report.
This isn't Wicked's first trip to Central Florida. The musical previously staged an extended run at the Dr. Phillips Center from January 25 through February 12, 2023, a booking that was part of the venue's eighth Broadway season, as reported by Orlando Weekly.
A Season Option, Not a Standard Subscriber Perk
Local theatergoers with a season subscription should take note: the January 2027 engagement is designated a season option in the 10-production 2026-2027 AdventHealth Broadway in Orlando lineup, according to the Dr. Phillips Center. That means it requires a separate ticket purchase rather than automatic inclusion in the standard eight-show subscriber package. Beetlejuice is the only other title on that season's slate carrying the same add-on designation.
The Dr. Phillips Center has also scheduled specialized accessibility performances for the run, including Live Audio Description on January 9 and 10 and American Sign Language interpretation on January 9 and 16, 2027, per the venue's own listing. Group rates are available for parties of 10 or more.
Renewed Buzz From the Big Screen
The stage tour's early 2027 stop arrives not long after Universal Pictures' two-part film adaptation directed by Jon M. Chu, which debuted Wicked in theaters in November 2024 followed by its sequel, Wicked: For Good, in November 2025. The films starred Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda, giving the stage version a fresh wave of cultural attention heading into its Orlando return.
The stage musical itself was adapted by librettist Winnie Holzman and composer-lyricist Stephen Schwartz from Gregory Maguire's 1995 dark fantasy novel, Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, which reimagined L. Frank Baum's 1900 classic The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Since its Broadway debut in October 2003, Wicked has accumulated over $1.85 billion in Broadway gross sales and set a record in December 2024 as the first show to gross more than $5 million in a single week, as Hoodline previously reported. It remains the fourth longest-running show in Broadway history. The original Broadway production won three Tony Awards and a Grammy Award and has picked up more than 50 major awards internationally, with Joe Mantello directing the original staging, according to Broadway World.
A Growing Stop on the Touring Circuit
Wicked will perform in the Walt Disney Theater, the flagship 2,700-seat amplified hall inside the $613 million downtown Orlando complex that opened in November 2014, according to Wikipedia. Two-thirds of the venue's funding came from public sources, including tourist development taxes.
The booking also fits into the center's broader growth story. An independent analysis by Tourism Economics found the Dr. Phillips Center generated $227.6 million in annual economic impact for Central Florida in fiscal year 2025 while drawing more than 910,000 guests, and the venue now operates at up to 97% capacity year-round. Center leadership has reported that the facility has welcomed over one million Broadway patrons and doubled its subscriber base over its first decade of operations, with the Broadway series presented in partnership with the Florida Theatrical Association.
Specific principal touring cast listings for the 2027 Orlando engagement have not yet been finalized by the national tour's producers, an open detail worth tracking as the run approaches. For now, tickets for the four-week engagement remain on sale for audiences eager to see Elphaba and Glinda's story return to the stage.
