Photo Flash: Julia Murney Joins Wicked Tour

On March 8th, the touring company of Wicked will welcome Julia Murney to the cast. Murney replaces Stephanie J. Block as the green-faced, good-hearted Elphaba as the smash musical comes to the Aronoff Center in Cincinnati, OH (and plays there through March 19th).

Today, Alma Cuervo (Cabaret, Titanic), P.J. Benjamin (Chicago, Torch Song Trilogy) and Jennifer Waldman (Wicked on Broadway, Titanic) will also join the cast--as Madame Morrible, The Wizard and Nessarose, respectively. Kendra Kassebaum as Glinda, Sebastian Arcelus as Fiyero and Logan Lipton as Boq continue to play their roles in the touring company.

Murney recently made her Broadway debut in Lennon. Known for her multi-octave belt range, Murney has also appeared off-Broadway in The Wild Party, A Class Act and Time and Again, as well as in concerts of Funny Girl, Chess and Pippin. Other credits include Cloud 9, Crimes of the Heart and Mata Hari, while she has also appeared on "Law and Order: SVU" and "Ed."

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."

Based on the novel by Gregory Maguire, the show boasts music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz (Godspell, Pippin) and a book by Winnie Holzman ("My So-Called Life"). The show is directed by Tony award winner Joe Mantello (Assassins, Take Me Out) with musical staging by Tony Award-winner Wayne Cilento (Aida, The Who's Tommy). Wicked features sets by Tony Award-winner Eugene Lee, costumes by Tony Award-winner Susan Hilferty, lighting by Kenneth Posner and sound design by Tony Meola.

Wicked opened at the Gershwin Theatre (222 W. 51st St.) on Broadway (where it continues to be the top-grossing show) on October 30th, 2003 with Tony Award-winner Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth as the respective green and pink witches. The hit Chicago production stars Kristy Cates and Stacie Morgain Lewis, while the Broadway company currently features Eden Espinosa and Megan Hilty as Elphaba and Glinda.

For more information and tickets, visit www.wickedthemusicaltour.com.