New WICKED LA Cast Announced; Clarke, Parris, McCartney, Jacoby & More

Back by "Popular" demand, Broadway's biggest blockbuster, WICKED will return to its Los Angeles home, the Pantages Theatre, for a strictly-limited engagement this holiday season running November 30, 2011 - January 29, 2012. When it first played the Pantages in 2005, it broke box office records and sold out in record time. WICKED returned two years later to begin an extended engagement that would go on to run two years, becoming one of the longest-running Broadway musicals in L.A. history.

Tickets for WICKED may be purchased online at www.BroadwayLA.org or by phone at 1-800-982-ARTS(2787). Tickets may also be purchased in person at the Pantages Box Office and all Ticketmaster outlets. The Pantages Theatre is located at 6233 Hollywood Boulevard, just east of Vine Street, and the box office opens daily at 10am.

WICKED has officially announced the cast for this holiday engagement in Los Angeles at Pantages Theatre. Leading the Los Angeles Company are Katie Rose Clarke as Glinda and Mamie Parris as Elphaba with Liz McCartney as Madame Morrible and Mark Jacoby as The Wizard. Also featured are Stefanie Brown as Nessarose, Justin Brill as Boq, Kyle Dean Massey as Fiyero, Paul Slade Smith as Dr. Dillamond and Mariand Torres as the Standby for Elphaba.

The company of WICKED will also include native Los Angeles residents Lauren Boyd, Napoleon W. Gladney, Brenda Hamilton, Alli McGinnis and Kevin McMahon. Rounding out the company are Megan Campanile, Antonette Cohen, Rick Desloge, Melanie Field, Luis Augusto Figueroa, Timothy A. Fitz-Gerald, Renee Lawless-Orsini, Philip Dean Lightstone, Marissa Lupp, Michael Mahany, Sterling Masters, Christopher Russo, Adea Michelle Sessoms, Carla Stickler, Brandon Tyler, Shanna VanDerwerker, Nicky Venditti and Mikey Winslow.

Based on the best-selling 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire, WICKED, winner of 35 major awards, including a Grammy® and three Tony® Awards, is the untold story of the witches of Oz. It is produced by Marc Platt, Universal Pictures, The Araca Group, Jon B. Platt and David Stone.

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, and how these two unlikely friends grow to become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good.

Called "a cultural phenomenon" by Variety, WICKED continues to thrill audiences around the world. There are currently seven productions of WICKED worldwide: New York; London; Japan; Holland; Australian/Asian Tour; and two concurrent North American Tours.

With music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz (Godspell, Pippin, Academy Award-winner for Pocahontas and The Prince of Egypt) and book by Winnie Holzman ("My So Called Life," "Once And Again" and "thirtysomething"), WICKED, the untold story of the witches of Oz, is directed by two-time Tony Award winner Joe Mantello (Take Me Out, Love! Valour! Compassion!, The Vagina Monologues) and features musical staging by Tony Award winner Wayne Cilento (Aida, The Who's Tommy, How To Succeed...).

WICKED features set design by Tony Award winner Eugene Lee (Ragtime, Show Boat, Candide, Sweeney Todd), costume design by Tony winner Susan Hilferty (Into the Woods, Assassins), lighting design by Tony nominee Kenneth Posner (The Coast of Utopia, Hairspray) and sound design by Tony Meola (The Lion King). Stephen Oremus is the show's musical director. Orchestrations are by William David Brohn, with dance arrangements by James Lynn Abbott.

The performance schedule for WICKED is Tuesday through Friday at 8pm, Saturday at 2pm & 8pm, and Sunday at 1pm & 6:30pm. There will be a 2pm matinee on Thursday December 1st. WICKED will feature a special holiday performance schedule December 19th - January 1st. During this two week holiday period, performances will be Monday through Friday at 8pm with matinee performances on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday at 2pm.

WICKED has a running time of 2 hours and 45 minutes including intermission and is recommended for ages eight and up. (Please note that in consideration of audiences, no one under 5 will be admitted to the theatre.)

Grammy Award-winning cast recording available on Decca Broadway. For more information on WICKED, please visit www.WickedTheMusical.com.

Orchestra level tickets for WICKED start at just $30. Prices are subject to change without notice. For tickets or more information about WICKED's Los Angeles engagement, please visit the Pantages Theatre's official website, www.BroadwayLA.org.