Beginning performances on Tuesday, March 23, Mandy Gonzalez, who originated the role of Nina in the Broadway musical, In the Heights, will assume the role of Elphaba in WICKED.
BroadwayWorld.com dropped by the rehearsal room to get a glimpse of Mandy rehearsing with Glinda standby Laura Woyasz on Wednesday, March 17th and is excited to bring you a sneak peek at Broadway's newest green girl!
Mandy joins a cast which includes Katie Rose Clarke as Glinda, Tony Award-winner Rondi Reed as Madame Morrible, P.J. Benjamin as The Wizard, Andy Karl as Fiyero, Alex Brightman as Boq, Jenny Fellner as Nessarose, and Timothy Britten Parker as Dr. Dillamond. The role of Elphaba is currently being played by Dee Roscioli.
Mandy Gonzalez was last seen on and off-Broadway in the Tony Award-winning musical In The Heights, where she originated the role of Nina Rosario (Drama Desk Award/Ensemble). Other Broadway appearances include Lennon, Aida, and Dance of the Vampires. Mandy received an OBIE Award for her performance in the Off-Broadway production of Eli's Comin'. Film/TV: "The Good Wife," "One Life to Live," "The Guiding Light," "Third Watch," and recently completed the film After. Mandy can be heard in Disney's Mulan 2 as the singing voice of Mei.
Winner of 26 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.
Declared "A Cultural Phenomenon" by Variety and "The Best Musical of the Decade" by Entertainment Weekly, WICKED currently has productions in New York, San Francisco, London, Osaka, Stuttgart, Sydney and on two North American tours. Based on the novel by Gregory Maguire, WICKED has music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, and a book by Winnie Holzman. The production is directed by Joe Mantello with musical staging by Wayne Cilento. WICKED is produced by Marc Platt, Universal Pictures, The Araca Group, Jon B. Platt and David Stone.
Tickets are available through Ticketmaster www.ticketmaster.com/wicked. For more information, visit www.wickedthemusical.com. WICKED is performed at the Gershwin Theatre, 222 West 51st Street, between Broadway and 8th Avenue.
