by Hedy Weiss
Theater Critic/hweiss@suntimes.com

The witches are flying back to Chicago.

"Wicked," the hit Broadway musical, will be returning to Chicago in celebration of the show's 10th anniversary on Broadway, with a limited eight-week run (Oct. 30-Dec. 21) at the Oriental Theatre, 24 West Randolph.

Based on the the best-selling 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire, the show, which conjures "the untold story of the witches of Oz," features a score by Stephen Schwartz and direction by Joe Mantello.

Globally, "Wicked" has amassed nearly $2.9 billion in ticket sales and been seen by 36 million people worldwide. In Chicago it ran for 1,500 performances over 3 1/2 years (and was seen by about 3 million people) during its initial engagement that began in April, 2005. It subsequently returned as part of a national tour.

Tickets are now available for groups of 15 or more by calling Broadway In Chicago Group Sales at (312) 977-1710. Individual tickets for "Wicked" will go on-sale at a later date.