'Wicked Wednesday' at Universal Studios L.A. June 27

Universal Studios Hollywood will launch "Wicked Wednesday" June 27, a new summer series offering fans of the smash blockbuster, Wicked, an opportunity to enjoy special performances, meet the stars and collect autographs from the cast of the Los Angeles production.

First up this Wednesday is a special appearance by Carol Kane (Madame Morrible) who will introduce a performance by Julie Reiber (Elphaba) and Melissa Fahn (Glinda) as they perform "The Wizard and I," "Popular" and "For Good."

Then, on July 11 cast member Kristoffer Cusick (Fiyero) will perform followed by an "Ozians" ensemble performance on July 25.

The June 27 performance is set to begin promptly at 12:30 p.m. at Universal's "Jurassic Park-The-Ride" attraction, located at 100 Universal City Plaza in Universal City.

Based on the novel by Gregory Maguire, Wicked has music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman.  The musical is directed by Joe Mantello, with musical staging by Wayne Cilento.  The Grammy Award-winning original cast recording of Wicked, 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.

Winner of 15 major awards including the Grammy Award and three Tony Awards, Wicked is the untold story of the witches of Oz. 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.

Photo of Carol Kane by Joan Marcus.