Michele Pawk Will Join the Broadway Cast of WICKED, and Michael Wartella Returns!

Tony Award-winner Michele Pawk will join the cast of Wicked at Broadway's Gershwin Theatre, taking over the role of Madame Morrible beginning Monday, December 12. Michael Wartella returned to the role of Boq, starting performances last evening, November 15. He previously played the role on Broadway from 2013-2014.

Michele Pawk (Madame Morrible) has appeared on Broadway in Beautiful, Hairspray, Losing Louie, Mamma Mia, Hollywood Arms (Tony Award), Chicago, Seussical, Cabaret (Drama Desk & Outer Critics' Circle Award Nominations), Triumph Of Love, Crazy For You (Drama Desk Nomination), Mail. Off- Broadway: Heroes of The Fourth Turning (Lucille Lortel & Obie Awards), A Small Fire (Drama Desk & Lucille Lortel Nominations), Prayer for My Enemy, Picnic, Giant, The Paris Letter (Drama Desk Nomination), Hello Again, Merrily We Roll Along, & 8 others. Michele is a proud faculty member at Wagner College.

Michael Wartella (Boq) was recently seen starring as Dion DiMucci in the pre-Broadway engagement of The Wanderer. Broadway: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Mike Teavee), Tuck Everlasting (Hugo), Wicked (Boq). Off-Broadway: Rent (New World Stages), The Kid (The New Group) among others. Film/TV: FBI: Most Wanted, Mysteries of Laura, Loving Leah. His debut album, Polarity, is available on Spotify, iTunes, and all major streaming platforms.

The cast currently includes Talia Suskauer as Elphaba, Brittney Johnson as Glinda, Tony Award-winner Cleavant Derricks as The Wizard, James D. Gish as Fiyero, Tony Award nominee Clifton Davis as Doctor Dillamond, and Mikayla Renfrow as Nessarose. Jordan Barrow played his final performance as Boq on November 13 and Sharon Sachs will play her final performance as Madame Morrible on Sunday, December 11.

Currently the 5th longest-running show in Broadway history, Wicked is the winner of over 100 international awards including the Grammy Award and three Tony Awards. Since opening in 2003, Wicked has been performed in over 100 cities in 16 countries around the world (U.S., Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Japan, Germany, Holland, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, The Philippines, Mexico, Brazil, Switzerland and China) and has thus far been translated into six languages: Japanese, German, Dutch, Spanish, Korean and Portuguese. Wicked has been seen by over 60 million people worldwide and has amassed over $5 billion in global sales.

In addition to the Broadway production, Wicked in North America has enjoyed unprecedented record-breaking sit-down engagements in Chicago, where it ran for nearly four years; Los Angeles, where it ran for two years; and San Francisco, where it ran for nearly two years, as well as two North American Tours.

The Broadway sensation Wicked looks at what happened in the Land of Oz...but from a different angle. Long before Dorothy arrives, there is another young woman, born with emerald-green skin, who is smart, fiery, misunderstood, and possessing an extraordinary talent. When she meets a bubbly blonde who is exceptionally popular, their initial rivalry turns into the unlikeliest of friendships...until the world decides to call one "good," and the other one "wicked."

With a thrilling score that includes the hits "Defying Gravity," "Popular" and "For Good," Wicked has been hailed by The New York Times as "the defining musical of the decade," and by Time Magazine as "a magical Broadway musical with brains, heart, and courage." NBC Nightly News calls the hit musical "the most successful Broadway show ever."

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 Tony Award winner Joe Mantello with musical staging by Tony Award winner Wayne Cilento. Wicked is produced by Marc Platt, Universal Stage Productions, The Araca Group, Jon B. Platt and David Stone.