Gasteyer and Reinders To Perform 'For Good' on MDA Telethon Sept 5

Chicago's long-run production of WICKED has announced a special appearance and performance from Ana Gasteyer and Kate Reinders at the Jerry Lewis Telethon, benefiting the Muscular Dystrophy Association.  The performance is scheduled during the 9:00 a.m. (CDT) hour of the broadcast on Labor Day, September 5, 2005.  It will broadcast to over 200 affiliates nationwide  Chicagos WGN (Channel 9) televises the event locally.

The Chicago long-run production stars Saturday Night Live and Northwestern University alum Ana Gasteyer as Elphaba and Western Michigan native and budding Broadway star Kate Reinders as Glinda.

WICKED, winner of 15 major awards including the Grammy Award and three Tony Awards, 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.

WICKED, based on the novel by Gregory Maguire, has music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz (Godspell, Pippin, Academy Award winner for Pocahontas and The Prince of Egypt) and a book by Winnie Holzman (My So Called Life, Once And Again and thirtysomething).  WICKED is directed by Tony award winner Joe Mantello (Assassins; Take Me Out; Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune; Love! Valour! Compassion!), with musical staging by Tony Award winner Wayne Cilento (Aida, The Whos Tommy, How To Succeed).

WICKED features set design by Tony Award winner Eugene Lee (Ragtime, Show Boat, Candide, Sweeney Todd), costume design by Tony Award winner Susan Hilferty (Into the Woods), lighting design by Kenneth Posner (Hairspray) and sound design by Tony Meola (The Lion King, Man of La Mancha).  Stephen Oremus is the shows musical director.  Orchestrations are by William David Brohn, with dance arrangements by James Lynn Abbott.

WICKED began performances on Broadway on Wednesday, October 8, 2003 at The Gershwin Theatre and continues to be the top-grossing show on Broadway. The show is produced by Marc Platt, Universal Pictures, The Araca Group, Jon B. Platt and David Stone.

The Chicago company of WICKED began performances on Friday, June 24, 2005 at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Oriental Theatre, 24 W. Randolph St.  The performance schedule is as follows:  Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m.; Wednesdays at 2 & 7:30 p.m.; Thursdays at 7:30 p.m.; Fridays at 8 p.m.; Saturdays at 2 & 8 p.m.; and Sundays at 2 p.m. Please note:  the 2 p.m. performance on Sunday, August 21 will be signed interpreted for the hearing impaired. 

Tickets for WICKED are currently on sale now through January 15, 2006.  Prices range from $25 to $85 per ticket and are available at all Broadway In Chicago Box Offices (24 W. Randolph St. and 151 W. Randolph St.), through the Broadway In Chicago Ticket Line at (312) 902-1400, at all Ticketmaster ticket centers (including all Carson Pirie Scott stores, Tower Records, Hot Tix, select Coconuts and fye stores) or online at ticketmaster.com.  Groups of 20 or more can receive a discount by calling (312) 977-1710. 

The Grammy Award-winning original cast recording available on Decca Broadway. For more information, visit http://www.wickedthemusical.com/chicago

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