Teal Wicks and Kyle Dean Massey on Board for Wicked’s Broadway Run
Teal Wicks has been confirmed to play the role of Elphaba, the emerald-skinned girl who later on became the Wicked Witch of the West in “Wicked”, the award winning musical and re-imagining of the L. Frank Baum classic, “Wizard of Oz”. The role of Elphaba is no unchartered territory for Wicks as she has played the same role in the Los Angeles and San Francisco companies of the musical. Aside from these, Wicks is also best known for her roles in the Encores! (at the New York City Center) production of “Stairway to Paradise” and the touring company of “Pippin”. At present, she is finishing off her stint in the production of “The Blue Flower” which currently plays at the American Repertory Theatre.
The role of Fiyero, the object of affection of both Elphaba and Glinda the Good Witch, will also be filled with new shoes as Kyle Dean Massey of Broadway’s “Next to Normal” and “Xanadu” fame will be playing the said role. Massey is currently busy with the Broadway staging of “Next to Normal” and is also best known for his works in the national tour and the Japanese staging of “42nd Street” and the Off-Broadway production of “Altar Boyz”.
Massey will officially be in the cast starting on January 25, 2011 while Wicks will start appearing on February 1, 2011. They will be joining the likes of Katie Rose Clarke who plays the role of Glinda, Kathy Fitzgerald as Madame Morrible, P.J. Benjamin as The Wizard and Jenny Fellner as Elphaba’s sister Nessarose, among others. This Tony Award winning musical, based on the novel written by Gregory Maguire of the same title, is directed by Joe Mantello, written for the stage by Winnie Holzman and boasts of a wonderful and touching musical score by critically acclaimed composer Stephen Schwartz. It continues to play at the Gershwin Theatre till 2011 with a closing date still yet to be announced.
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