MADtv's Nicole Parker Joins Wicked as Elphaba Beginning January 16

Beginning performances on Friday, January 16, Nicole Parker (from "MADtv" and Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me) will assume the role of Elphaba in the musicAl Blockbuster WICKED. Nicole joins a cast which includes Alli Mauzey as Glinda, Jayne Houdyshell as Madame Morrible, P.J. Benjamin as The Wizard, Kevin Kern as Fiyero, Alex Brightman as Boq, Brynn O'Malley as Nessarose, and Timothy Britten Parker as Dr. Dillamond. Aaron Tveit will return to the role of Fiyero on Friday, January 23. The role of Elphaba is currently being played by Marcie Dodd.

Well known for her six seasons on "MADtv," Nicole Parker made her Broadway debut in Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me. Other New York credits include Laurencia in Fuente Ovejuna for Waterwell Productions. Regional credits include Pamina in The Magic Flute (Falcon Theater, Garry Marshall producer) and Juliet in the Second City's Romeo and Juliet Musical. Nicole spent two years performing as an actor and writer at Boom Chicago in Amsterdam as well as the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. She recently wrapped her sixth and final season of "MADtv," where she was an actress and contributing writer. This summer she will appear opposite Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen in the film Funny People, directed by Judd Apatow.

ABOUT WICKED
Winner of 20 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.

Declared "A Cultural Phenomenon" by Variety, WICKED currently has productions in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, London, Tokyo, Stuttgart, Melbourne and on a North American tour. 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.