'Wicked' announces cast list

HOLLYWOOD - "Wicked" has officially announced the cast for this holiday engagement in Los Angeles at the Pantages Theatre.Leading the Los Angeles Company are Katie Rose Clarke as Glinda and Mamie Parris as Elphaba with Liz McCartney as Madame Morrible and Mark Jacoby as The Wizard. Also featured are Stefanie Brown as Nessarose, Justin Brill as Boq, Kyle Dean Massey as Fiyero, Paul Slade Smith as Dr. Dillamond and Mariand Torres as the Standby for Elphaba. The company of "Wicked" will also include native Los Angeles residents Lauren Boyd, Napoleon W. Gladney, Brenda Hamilton, Alli McGinnis and Kevin McMahon. Rounding out the company are Megan Campanile, Antonette Cohen, Rick Desloge, Melanie Field, Luis Augusto Figueroa, Timothy A. Fitz-Gerald, Renee Lawless-Orsini, Philip Dean Lightstone, Marissa Lupp, Michael Mahany, Sterling Masters, Christopher Russo, Adea Michelle Sessoms, Carla Stickler, Brandon Tyler, Shanna VanDerwerker, Nicky Venditti and Mikey Winslow. Based on the best-selling 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire, "Wicked", winner of 35 major awards, including a Grammy and three Tony Awards, is the untold story of the witches of Oz. It is produced by Marc Platt, Universal Pictures, The Araca Group, Jon B. Platt and David Stone. Long before Dorothy drops in, two other girls meet in the Land of Oz. One - born with emerald-green skin - is smart, fiery and misunderstood. The other is beautiful, ambitious and very popular. "Wicked" tells the story of their remarkable odyssey, and how these two unlikely friends grow to become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good. Called "a cultural phenomenon" by Variety, "Wicked" continues to thrill audiences around the world. There are currently seven productions of "Wicked" worldwide: New York; London; Japan; Holland; Australian/Asian Tour; and two concurrent North American Tours. With music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz (Godspell, Pippin, Academy Award-winner for Pocahontas and The Prince of Egypt) and book by Winnie Holzman ("My So Called Life," "Once And Again" and "thirtysomething"), "Wicked" is directed by two-time Tony Award winner Joe Mantello (Take Me Out, Love! Valour! Compassion!, The Vagina Monologues) and features musical staging by Tony Award winner Wayne Cilento (Aida, The Who's Tommy, How To Succeed...). "Wicked" features set design by Tony Award winner Eugene Lee (Ragtime, Show Boat, Candide, Sweeney Todd), costume design by Tony winner Susan Hilferty (Into the Woods, Assassins), lighting design by Tony nominee Kenneth Posner (The Coast of Utopia, Hairspray) and sound design by Tony Meola (The Lion King). Stephen Oremus is the show's musical director. Orchestrations are by William David Brohn, with dance arrangements by James Lynn Abbott. The performance schedule for "Wicked" is Tuesday through Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sunday at 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. There will be a 2 p.m. matinee on Thursday Dec. 1. "Wicked" will feature a special holiday performance schedule Dec. 19 - Jan. 1. During this two week holiday period, performances will be Monday through Friday at 8 p.m. with matinee performances on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday at 2 p.m. "Wicked" has a running time of 2 hours and 45 minutes including intermission and is recommended for ages 8 and up. (No one under 5 will be admitted to the theatre.) Orchestra level tickets for "Wicked" start at $30. For tickets or more information about "Wicked's" Los Angeles engagement, visit the Pantages Theatre's official website, www.BroadwayLA.org or call (800) 982-2787.

********** Published: November 10, 2011 - Volume 10 - Issue 30