Photo Flash: Wicked's New Witches, Ashford & Block

Wicked, Broadway's blockbuster musical, welcomed two new witches Tuesday, October 9: Stephanie J. Block as Elphaba and Annaleigh Ashford as Glinda.

They lead a cast which also includes Carole Shelley as Madame Morrible, Lenny Wolpe as The Wizard, Sebastian Arcelus as Fiyero, Cristy Candler as Nessarose, Logan Lipton as Boq, and Steven Skybell as Dr. Dillamond.

Stephanie J. Block helped create the role of Elphaba in the first pre-Broadway workshops of Wicked, then starred in the production's first national tour company.  Block's other Broadway credits include The Boy from Oz and The Pirate Queen.  

Annaleigh Ashford comes directly from the original cast of Legally Blonde, where she starred as Delta Nu sorority sister Margot.  She previously appeared as the Glinda cover in the national tour of Wicked.

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.

Wicked opened on Broadway on October 30, 2003 and currently has productions in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, London, Tokyo, and on National Tour.  Based on thenovel by Gregory Maguire, Wicked has music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, book by Winnie Holzman, and musical staging by Wayne Cilento.  The production is directed by Joe Mantello.

Photos by Joan Marcus

Annaleigh Ashford as Glinda
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