After breaking box office records and selling out in record time for a two-week engagement in 2006, WICKED, the smash-hit musical, Opens Tonight July 30 at SAN DIEGO CIVIC THEATRE as a Broadway/San Diego - A Nederlander Presentation, playing through Sunday, August 30. 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, the untold story of the witches of Oz, is directed by two-time Tony Award® winner Joe Mantello (Take Me Out, Love! Valour! Compassion!, The Vagina Monologues, 9 to 5) and features musical staging by Tony® Award winner Wayne Cilento (Aida, The Who's Tommy, How To Succeed...). Based on the best-selling 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire, WICKED, winner of 20 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 Witch.
The role of Elphaba will be played by Donna Vivino and the role of Glinda will be played by Katie Rose Clarke. Playing the role of Madame Morrible will be Myra Lucretia Taylor and The Wizard will be played by Lenny Wolpe.
Katie Rose Clarke (Glinda) Under the direction of Bartlett Sher, she portrayed the role of Clara Johnson in the Broadway production, live PBS broadcast, and national tour of The Light in the Piazza, as well as the recent debut of Craig Lucas' new play, Prayer for My Enemy at the Long Wharf Theatre. Regional credits: TUTS Houston Anything Goes (chorus). B.F.A. from Sam Houston State University.
Donna Vivino (Elphaba) became a proud Equity member at age 8 playing Young Cosette in the original Broadway cast of Les Misérables (on CD). Broadway credits include Saturday Night Fever, Hairspray, and opposite Martin Short in Fame Becomes Me. She also originated the role of Enid Hoopes in the pre-Broadway workshop of Legally Blonde. Film/TV: My Sassy Girl, Everyday People, "The Sopranos" and "Married To It." www.donnavivino.com.
Myra Lucretia Taylor (Madame Morrible). Broadway: Nine (Tony Award® Best Revival 2003), Macbeth, Electra, Chronicle of a Death Foretold, Mule Bone and A Streetcar Named Desire. Off-Broadway: Crazy Mary, Fabulation (Playwright's Horizons). Regional: Native Son (Intiman), Safe in Hell (Yale Rep.), The Old Settler (McCarter/Long Wharf, world premiere) and Williamstown Theatre Festival. Member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, performed with the company in London and Stratford upon- Avon. TV: "Law & Order" (all three shows), and "Oz" (HBO). Film: The Private Lives of Pippa Lee (upcoming), The Understudy, Changing Lanes, Unfaithful, Music of the Heart, and Lobster Farm. HBO: Life Support, A Dog Year and Angel. Myra is a Fox Fellow.
Lenny Wolpe (The Wizard). Broadway: Wicked, The Drowsy Chaperone, The Sound of Music, Copperfield, Into the Light, Onward Victoria. Off-Broadway: Mayor, Brownstone, Company, The Wonder Years. Created the role of The Wizard in the original LA workshops of Wicked. National tours: Little Shop of Horrors, ...Forum, South Pacific. Regional: Baker's Wife (Baker), Gypsy (Herbie opposite Betty Buckley), Tale of the Allergist's Wife (Papermill Playhouse), A Class Act, Radio Gals (Pasadena Playhouse), Fiddler (Tevye in six productions), Fiorello, She Loves Me (Reprise! L.A.) TV: Series regular: "Baby Talk," "You're The One." Guest star on more than 80 shows from "L.A. Law," "ER," "Six Feet Under," "And The Band Played On" to "Golden Girls," "Ally McBeal" and "The Chappelle Show."
The company includes Richard H. Blake (Fiyero), Ben Liebert (Boq), Amanda Rose (Nessarose), Paul Slade Smith (Dr. Dillamond) and Merideth Kaye Clark (Standby for Elphaba). Rounding out the cast are Todd Anderson, Terra Lynn Arrington, Kevin Aubin, Luis Avila, Antonette Balestreri, Stefanie Brown, Dominic Giudici, Brenda Hamilton, Courtney D. Jones, Spencer Jones, Ryan PatRick Kelly, Renee Lawless-Orsini, Philip Dean Lightstone, Marissa Lupp, RJ Marshall, Lauren Masiello, Lesley McKinnell, Kevin McMahon, Robert Pendilla, Christopher Russo, Adam Sanford, Robert Spaniolo, Stephanie Torns, Shanna VanDerwerker, Jessica Walker, Betsy Werbel, BRyan West, Blake Whyte, and Samantha Zack.
WICKED has "cast quite a spell" (Washington Post) throughout North America, breaking box office records in every city that it has played, including Toronto, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington, DC, Philadelphia and Boston to name a few. Called "one of the most successful shows in Broadway history" by The New York Times and "a phenomenon that keeps growing" by the Los Angeles Times, WICKED continues to thrill audiences around the world. There are currently eight productions of WICKED worldwide, including two North American tours, a Broadway production, San Francisco production, London production, a Japanese-language production, a German-language production and Australian production. A Dutch-language production of WICKED will open in 2011.
WICKED features set design by Tony® Award winning EuGene Lee, costume design by Tony® winner Susan Hilferty, lighting design by Tony nominee® Kenneth Posner and sound design by Tony Meola. Stephen Oremus is the show's music director. Orchestrations are by William David Brohn, with dance arrangements by James Lynn Abbott. Grammy Award-Winning Cast recording available on Decca Broadway.
For more information about WICKED, log on to www.wickedthemusical.com.
