Dubai Opera, in partnership with Broadway Entertainment Group, will showcase the much-awaited Broadway Wicked the Musical from January 28 to February 15, 2026. Yes, there’s spectacle: flying witches and shimmering Emerald City visuals. But the deeper reason the show resonates with younger people is universal. It narrates a story about what happens when society decides someone is “other,” and what it means to push back against that label.
Wicked has travelled across 16 countries and more than 130 cities across the world. With at least 65 million viewers, it’s production in Dubai features glamorous backdrops, over 350 costume changes and a scene where a witch flies over the audience—a first for any Wicked production. The production will feature more than 100 performers, crew members, and orchestra musicians across the show.
A bewitching story of sisterhood, identity, and empowerment, Wicked is a theatrical masterpiece by composer Stephen Schwartz, book writer Winnie Holzman, and based on the novel by Gregory Maguire.
“I have been changed for good”
Premiering on Broadway in 2003, Wicked: The Musical returns to a time before Dorothy’s arrival, when Oz’s future Wicked Witch, Elphaba, was a green-skinned student whose intelligence and natural magical ability marked her as an outsider. That refusal to conform makes her appearance in the musical all the more powerful.
Rebekah Lowings, currently playing Elphaba, comments on her character’s moral standing being clear. “She knows what’s right and wrong, and she acts on it,” she told The National. Lowings says kids instantly recognise Elphaba’s refusal to bend just to make others comfortable—something adults often learn the hard way.
Online conversations about Wicked reflect this too. One Reddit commenter shared how their five-year-old noticed tiny character details during Defying Gravity, reading Elphaba’s emotional growth in a moment many adults might miss. Another parent overheard their kid comparing the Wizard to “some real-world adults who make promises and don’t keep them,” showing how children connect the story to their everyday experiences.
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Part of Wicked’s staying power comes from its dialogue and songs. Lines like “I’m through accepting limits ’cause someone says they’re so,” are being shared online because they speak to identity and resilience.
Defining “good” and “wicked” in Dubai
At its core, Wicked is about how societies choose to define people. Critics and fans alike note how the show interrogates prejudice and labels that institutions push on individuals. One frequent discussion thread argues that Glinda’s journey is as much about privilege and complicity as Elphaba’s story is about resistance and moral choice.
That’s part of why Wicked still feels relevant. It questions who gets to define “good” and who gets cast as “wicked.” For many children seeing the show, these themes aren’t intellectual concepts—they’re things they’ve already lived through at school or in their communities.
Wicked, at Dubai Opera, is a mirror to the way audiences across generations see themselves. And sometimes the youngest in the room see that most clearly.
Key Information
- Location: Dubai Opera, UAE
- Dates: January 28 to February 15, 2026
- Age limit: 6+
- Timing: 2 hours 40 minutes (including intermission)
- Price: Staring from AED 265