Michael Wartella Joins Cast of WICKED as 'Boq' Today

Fresh off the national tour of Wicked, Michael Wartella will assume the role of Boq in WICKED on Broadway, beginning performances today, June 25.

Wartella will join a cast that include Lindsay Mendez as Elphaba, Katie Rose Clarke as Glinda, Derek Klena as Fiyero, Adam Grupper as The Wizard, Catherine Charlebois as Nessarose, and John Schiappa as Dr. Dillamond. Randy Danson, who is currently playing the role of Madame Morrible, will play her final performance on Sunday, June 30th. F. Michael Haynie, who is currently playing the role of Boq, gave his final performance on Sunday, June 23rd.

Michael Wartella joins the Broadway production directly from the national tour. Other theatre credits include Rent, The Kid (The New Group), Seussical (Theatreworks/USA), and Oliver Twist (TFANA). Regionally he appeared in A Midsummer Night's Dream, A Christmas Carol, and A Prayer for Owen Meany (Ovation nomination), all with the Denver Center Theatre Company, andOliver Twist (co-production with A.R.T. and Berkeley Rep). His film work includes Blood Night: The Legend of Mary Hatchet and the Hallmark original movie Loving Leah.

Broadway's #1 show for an unprecedented nine consecutive years, Wicked has been declared "A Cultural Phenomenon" by Variety and "The Best Musical of the Decade" by Entertainment Weekly. There are currently 7 productions worldwide: New York, London, Japan, Holland, Seoul and two concurrent North American National 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.

Winner of 35 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.

To get tickets and more information, visit www.wickedthemusical.com. Wicked is performed at the Gershwin Theatre, 222 West 51st Street, between Broadway and 8th Avenue.