Ana Gasteyer Joins Broadway Wicked for 13 Weeks Oct. 10

ChicagoAnaBroom54a.JPG" vspace="10" width="300"/>Ana Gasteyer, who received critical acclaim when she originated the role of Elphaba in the Chicago production of WICKED, will be joining the Broadway company of the smash-hit musical at the Gershwin Theatre (222 W. 51st St.) beginning Tuesday, October 10 for a thirteen-week limited engagement (through January 7).

Ana Gasteyer received a Jefferson Award nomination for her performance as Elphaba in the Chicago production of Wicked. On Broadway, she recently played Mrs. Peachum in The Threepenny Opera and was also seen in The Rocky Horror Show. Her Off-Broadway and regional credits include Kimberly Akimbo (MTC), Roulette, The Vagina Monologues, Cinderella (NYC Opera), Fanny Brice in Funny Girl (Pittsburgh CLO) and Mary Zimmerman's The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci. Film appearances include Reefer Madness, Mean Girls, What Women Want, Dick and What's the Worst That Could Happen?. She is a former member of L.A.'s comedy troupe The Groundlings and spent six seasons on NBC's "Saturday Night Live" - popular characters included music teacher Bobbi Moughan-Culp, NPR's Margaret Jo and impressions of Martha Stewart and Celine Dion. Other TV includes "Frasier," "Just Shoot Me," "3rd Rock From the Sun," "Seinfeld," and "Law & Order." She continues to perform her musical evening Let It Rip! around the country.

Eden Espinosa (Elphaba) and Kate Reinders (Glinda) currently star with David Garrison (the Wizard) and Carol Kane (Madame Morrible) in WICKED on Broadway, with Derrick Williams (Fiyero), Jenna Leigh Green (Nessarose), Logan Lipton (Boq) and Steven Skybell (Dr. Dillamond).

Called "Broadway's biggest blockbuster" by The New York Times and "a cultural phenomenon" by Variety, WICKED has been sold out at virtually every performance since having its official opening at the Gershwin Theatre on October 30, 2003, breaking house records with box office receipts of over $1.4 million per week. Based on the novel by Gregory Maguire, WICKED has music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman. Directed by Joe Mantello, with musical staging by Wayne Cilento, WICKED is currently being presented on Broadway, on a national tour, and in a separate, open-ended engagement at Chicago's Ford Center for Performing Arts, Oriental Theatre. The London production begins performances at the Apollo Victoria Theatre on September 7 and has its official press opening on September 27. A Los Angeles production will begin performances at the Pantages Theatre this February.

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.

The performance schedule for WICKED at the Gershwin Theatre (222 W. 51st St.) is Tuesdays at 7 PM; Wednesday through Saturdays at 8 PM; matinees on Wednesdays & Saturdays at 2 PM; Sundays at 3 PM. The scale of prices is $50 - $110. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster, 212-307-4100 (or www.ticketmaster.com) or at the Gershwin Theatre box office. For more information, visit www.wickedthemusical.com.