New Cast Members Will Join WICKED National Tour Next Month

The National Tour of Broadway sensation Wicked will welcome new cast members beginning performances Tuesday, February 7 at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in Orlando, FL.

Timothy Shew (The Wizard) is new to the Wicked family. On Broadway, he was in the original company of Les Misérables, and played Jean Valjean for six years both on Broadway and in Australia. Timothy has had numerous leading and/or featured roles in Funny Girl, The Visit, Evita, Bye Bye Birdie, Wonderful Town, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Sunset Boulevard and Guys and Doll. On tour, he has appeared in The Light in the Piazza and Hello, Dolly! Timothy was a soloist for the Grammy-nominated Bernstein Mass Project at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center and The Vatican. He has had guest starring or recurring roles in "Madame Secretary," "Law & Order: SVU," "FBI: Most Wanted" and "Ryan's Hope."

Boise Holmes (Doctor Dillamond) is a Los Angeles actor, singer, writer, voiceover artist and licensed minister. His Broadway and National Tour credits include Tonton in Once on This Island and Mufasa in Disney's The Lion King (Germany). Boise can be seen and heard on television and radio as Exxon Mobil's "Mr. Supremium." Some of his television credits include "NCIS," "Law & Order," "Chicago Fire," "Grey's Anatomy" and "Blackish." Boise is a NAACP/Ovation Award winner.

Tara Kostmayer will be joining the National Tour of Wicked as Nessarose, after recently touring in Disney's Aladdin. Off-Broadway, she was in the NYCC Encores! production of A Chorus Line. Tara has also appeared in Chicago (The MUNY), Pride and Prejudice (TheatreWorks Silicon Valley) and Ojo (La Jolla Playhouse).

Kyle McArthur (Boq) is thrilled to be joining his first National Tour. He originated the role of Simon in the Off-Broadway musical Superhero at Second Stage and the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center. His television credits include Showtime's "Penny Dreadful: City of Angels" as Brian Koenig and HBO's "The Deuce."

Christian Thompson is living out his childhood dream by joining Wicked and playing Fiyero. Originally from Ft. Lauderdale, he has appeared in Thoughts of a Colored Man, Ain't Too Proud (Original Broadway Company and First National Tour), and toured in the Rent 20th Anniversary Tour (Benny and Roger understudy). His Regional credits include the world premiere of The Devil Wears Prada and Catch Me If You Can at Arena Stage

They join a cast which currently includes Lissa deGuzman as Elphaba, Jennafer Newberry as Glinda, Natalie Venetia Belcon as Madame Morrible, with Emily Kristen Morris, Alexia Acebo, Jennifer Mariela Bermeo, Remmie Bourgeois, Kyle Brown, Anthony Lee Bryant, Matt Densky, Marie Eife, Jenny Florkowski, Sara Gonzales, Chelsea Cree Groen, Courtney Iventosch, Kelly Lafarga, Marina Lazzaretto, Ryan Mac, Brittany Marcell Monachino, David Scott Purdy, Jackie Raye, Andy Richardson, Jenna Nicole Schoen, Derek Schiesel, Wayne Schroder, Paul Schwensen, Ben Susak, Brion Marquis Watson and Justin Wirick.

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.