"Wicked," which broke Fox Theatre box office records three times, will be back for the holiday season next year.

The show will open at the Fox on Dec. 12, 2012, and run through Jan. 6, 2013.

It will be the fourth time the musical has played the Fox and the first time that it will not be part of the Broadway subscription series. That means more seats will be available for nonsubscribers. Subscribers, however, will have priority for ticket sales, before the general ticket sale.

A twist on "The Wizard of Oz" that tells the story from the viewpoint of the misunderstood green girl who comes to be known as the Wicked Witch of the West, "Wicked" is based on a novel by Gregory Maguire. Stephen Schwartz wrote the songs, which include "Popular" and "Defying Gravity."

"We are thrilled that St. Louis can ring in the 2012 holidays with 'Wicked,'" said Fox producer Kristin Caskey, calling the show "the preeminent American musical." Still running on Broadway after eight years, seven companies are staging "Wicked" around the world.

For more information about the Fox production, visit fabulousfox.com.

To help prepare for next year's show, you can see Maguire when he comes to town for a discussion and signing of the final novel in his "Wicked" series, "Out of Oz," at 7 p.m. Nov. 15 at St. Louis County Library Headquarters, 1640 South Lindbergh Boulevard. For more information, visit slcl.org.