The Royal Mint has struck an official UK 50p for Wicked, timed for the musical's 20th anniversary at the Apollo Victoria Theatre on Sunday 27 September.
A coin is a new kind of milestone for Wicked, which opened at the Apollo Victoria Theatre on 27 September 2006 and turns 20 there on Sunday 27 September 2026. Produced by The Royal Mint in official partnership with the London production, the 50p went on sale at 9am on Thursday 17 September, with editions starting at £15.
The scale of the run explains the interest. Five years on from its 15th birthday, the show has passed 7,500 London performances and been seen by close to 14 million people in the capital, enough to make it the ninth longest-running show in West End history. Worldwide, the audience now tops 72 million.
The reverse was designed by Ffion Rees of The Royal Mint. Elphaba's hat and broomstick stand in for the hands of a Roman numeral clock face, and the dial is ringed by other pieces of the show's world: Glinda's wand and shoes, the Grimmerie spellbook, a flying monkey and the Wizard in his hot-air balloon. Several editions are colour-printed, so the production's green and pink carry onto the metal, while the gold version is struck from recycled gold, a practice the Mint intends to apply to all of its collectable gold coins by the end of 2026. Every coin ships in packaging modelled on the London staging.
The launch photographs feature the company's current leads, Emma Kingston, who plays Elphaba, and Zizi Strallen, who plays Glinda.
Tim Mulhall, Head of Fandom at The Royal Mint, said: "For millions of fans around the world, Wicked isn't just a musical, it's a story that stays with you long after the curtain falls. This collection lets fans hold a piece of that magic in their hands: a coin that captures the friendship, the flying broomsticks and the unforgettable colours of Oz."
The production said: "We are proud to have Wicked immortalised on an official UK coin as part of our landmark anniversary, offering fans and collectors alike a magical opportunity to commemorate the date long after the curtain falls on the celebrations."
The coin is sold through The Royal Mint, which also has limited-edition Wicked prints, and a Wicked advent calendar hiding a colour coin behind door 24 is due shortly.
On stage, the anniversary is marked across the weekend itself. The 2.30pm matinee on Saturday 26 September is a 'Pink' performance built around Glinda, and the 7.30pm show that evening a 'Green' performance for Elphaba, each with costume displays in the theatre and a themed gift bag for everyone holding a ticket. A Gala performance follows at 2.30pm on Sunday 27 September, the anniversary date. All three audiences receive a Wicked20 commemorative programme, and the Gala audience a complimentary gift bag as well.
With music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman, adapted from Gregory Maguire's novel, the musical follows two unlikely friends at university in Oz on the road to becoming Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.
Wicked continues its open-ended run at the Apollo Victoria Theatre and is currently booking to Sunday 30 May 2027.
