Espinosa, Hilty, Kane, Green, Etc. Set for L.A. Wicked

Eden Espinosa and Megan Hilty will reprise their roles of Elphaba and Glinda, respectively, in the Los Angeles sit-down production of Wicked, beginning on February 10, 2007 at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood.

Both performers took the stage at Universal Studios, Hollywood today to announce the new cast and perform numbers from the smash Stephen Schwartz musical.  Stay tuned as BroadwayWorld offers you casting updates on other principal roles.  Casting for the role of the Wizard will be announced at a later date.

More casting was also announced today: Carol Kane will play Madame Morrible, Kristoffer Cusick as Fiyero, Jenna Leigh Green as Nessarose, Timothy Britten Parker as Dr. Dillamond and Adam Wiley as Boq.  Kane and Green are veterans of the Broadway production, while Cusick and Parker are currently featured in Chicago's Wicked.

Eden Espinosa made her Broadway debut as a member of the original cast of Wicked, where she was the standby for Elphaba and Nessarose, and later played Elphaba to acclaim in the San Francisco engagement of the show's national tour, before assuming the role on Broadway.  Espinosa also starred as the title character on Broadway in Brooklyn the Musical, a role she created in the workshop, played through the first production at the Denver Civic Theatre, and on Broadway.  She can be heard on recordings of the Actors' Fund Benefit of Hair, "John McDaniel Live at Joe's Pub," and "The Maury Yeston Songbook."

Hilty performed the role of Glinda both on Broadway and in the national touring company.  She is originally from Bellevue, Washington and is a recent graduate of the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama.  Her other credits include the world premiere of the musical version of Jack Heifner's Vanities at New York Theatre Works, Café Puttanesca at New York's City Theatre, and Suds at the Oregon Cabaret Theater.

The creators of the musical -- composer-lyricist Stephen Schwartz, author Winnie Holzman, producers Marc Platt and David Stone - are on hand in for the Hollywood festivities of Wicked Day.  Wicked activities also include a "Be Wicked" singing contest, a costume contest, games, and opportunities to get autographs or "go green" for the day with a Wicked makeover.   There are Wicked giveaways and refreshments as well.

This year, there are also "Wicked Day" celebrations in New York, Chicago, Toronto, and London - cities where the hit musical is also playing.

Wicked has been sold out at virtually every performance on Broadway, since having its official opening at the Gershwin Theatre on October 30, 2003.  Last summer, it was completely sold out during its seven-week run at the Pantages Theatre.

Based on the novel by Gregory Maguire, the show has music and lyrics by Schwartz and a book by Holzman.  Directed by Joe Mantello, with musical staging by Wayne Cilento, Wicked is also currently being presented on Broadway, on a National Tour, and in a separate, open-ended engagement at Chicago's Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Oriental Theatre.  The London production opened on September 27 and is currently playing to capacity crowds at the Apollo Victoria Theatre.

"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 notes.

Tickets for Wicked in LA also go on sale Monday, October 30 online at www.broadwayla.org, by phone at 213-365-3500 or 714-740-7878, in person at the Pantages Theatre Box Office, or at any Ticketmaster outlet.  Groups of fifteen (15) or more can call 866-755-3075.

Photo by Joan Marcus