Carole Shelley to Return to Broadway's 'Wicked,' 8/28

Tony Award-winner Carole Shelley, who created the role of Madame Morrible in the Broadway blockbuster, Wicked, will return to the hit musical, beginning performances on Broadway on Tuesday, August 28.  Shelley joins a cast which currently includes Julia Murney as Elphaba, Kendra Kassebaum as  Glinda, Lenny Wolpe as The Wizard, Sebastian Arcelus as Fiyero, Cristy Candler as Nessarose, Logan Lipton as Boq, and Steven Skybell as Dr. Dillamond.   Jayne Houdyshell is playing the role of Madame Morrible through  Sunday, August 26.

Shelley has appeared on Broadway in Cabaret, Show Boat, The Last Night of Ballyhoo, The Odd Couple (NY debut), The Miser, Stepping Out (Tony nomination), Noises Off, The Elephant Man (Tony Award, Best Actress), Hay Fever, The Norman Conquests (LADCC Award), Absurd Person Singular (Tony nomination), and Loot.  Her many national tour credits include Broadway Bound, The Royal Family and Noises Off and Off-Broadway credits include The Film Society, London Suite, The Destiny of Me, Richard II (NYSF), Later Life (Drama Desk nomination), Cabaret Verboten, What the Butler Saw, Little Murders, Twelve Dreams (Obie), and Tartuffe. She also starred in Lettice and Lovage in the West End.  TV appearances include roles on "Frasier," "Gabby," "Coconut Downs," "The Cosby Show," and films include Bewitched, Quiz Show, The Road to Wellville, Jungle 2 Jungle, Devlin, The Super, and The Odd Couple.

"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, how these two unlikely friends grow to become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch," state press notes.

Based on the novel by Gregory Maguire, Wicked has music and lyrics by Stephen  Schwartz, book by Winnie Holzman, and musical staging by Wayne Cilento.  The production is directed by Joe Mantello.  The Grammy Award-winning original cast recording of the show, produced by Stephen Schwartz for Decca Broadway,  has been one of the fastest selling Broadway recordings of recent years and has been certified 'Platinum' by the Recording Industry Association of America.

Tickets are available through Ticketmaster www.ticketmaster.com.  For more information, visit www.wickedthemusical.com.  The musical is performed at the Gershwin Theatre, 222 West 51st Street, between Broadway and 8th Avenue.

Photo of Carole Shelley by Linda Lenzi