Erin MacKey Takes Over as Glinda on Broadway

Wicked, the musical from Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holtzman, welcomed in its latest Glinda, Erin Mackey, on August 11 at the Gershwin Theatre on Broadway.

Mackey has taken over for Alli Mauzey in the role that was created originally by Kristin Chenoweth, a Tony Award winner.

Michelle Federer, as has been reported previously, will return in her original role as Nessarose on August 18th, replacing Cristy Candler.

Also included in the Broadway cast are Dee Roscioli in the role of Elphaba, Rondi Reed, the Tony Award winner, plays Madame Morrible, Kevin Kern is Fiyero, P.J. Benjamin is The Wizard, Timothy Britten Parker plays Dr. Dillamond and Alex Brightman is Boq.

Erin Mackey has appeared in the Los Angeles, Chicago and tour productions for Wicked. She also has film credits for “Do Over,” “The Parent Trap,” and “Family Affair.”

Michelle Federer’s Broadway debut was with Wicked. She was also an understudy in the Three Days of Rain revival. She appeared in A Man of No Importance at the Lincoln Center Theater, and in the Off-Broadway plays, Anon, Boys Life and In the Absence of Spring. She also has regional credits including Water Children, Compleat Female Stage Beauty, Hay Fever, Closer and The Trip to Bountiful.

Wicked, which is based on the novel by Gregory Maguire, turns all the Oz myths inside out, exploring the early lives of the Oz witches, Elphaba and Glinda. The two leading characters meet at a school name Shiz, where they are hoping to learn sorcery. Glinda is wildly popular, while Elphaba is green. Through a misunderstanding the two girls end up as roommates. Following an early period where they mutually despise one other, they end up discovering things about each other. Their paths in life keep intersecting as they share a mutual love, make their way into the Emerald City, and interact with the Wizard. Eventually the choices and convictions of each of them lead them down very different paths.

Wicked features a book written by Winnie Holzman, score from Stephen Schwartz, directed by Joe Mantello and Wayne Cilento does the musical staging. The creative team includes costume design from Susan Hilferty, Eugene Lee does the scenic design, the lighting design is from Kenneth Posner, the sound design from Tony Meola, Elaine J. McCarthy does the projections, Tom Watson does the hair and wig design, the musical arrangements and supervision are from Stephen Oremus, William David Brohn does the orchestrations and James Lynn Abbott does the dance arrangements.

All photos made available via creative commons licensing courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.