Talia Suskauer, Allison Bailey, and Cleavant Derricks Join the WICKED Tour

The Broadway sensation Wicked will welcome new cast members to the National Tour beginning performances Tuesday, September 24 at The Smith Center in Las Vegas.

Talia Suskauer, who is new to the world of Wicked, will assume the role of Elphaba after recently appearing in original Broadway and Off-Broadway companies of Be More Chill. Regionally, she appeared in Shrek as Fiona, and Little Women as Jo at the New London Barn Playhouse. Originally from Florida, Talia attended Penn State University where she received her BFA in musical theatre.

Allison Bailey is thrilled to be back in Oz as Glinda after previously being the understudy for the role in the National Tour of Wicked. Regional credits include Les Misérables, The Music Man, Singin' in the Rain at New London Barn Playhouse, and A Proper Place at Goodspeed Opera House. A proud Pensacola, Florida native, Allison received her BFA in musical theatre from The Boston Conservatory.

Cleavant Derricks (The Wizard) is new to the Wicked family. He garnered a Tony Award and Drama Desk Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for originating the role of James Thunder Early in Dreamgirls. His other credits include Bob Fosse's Big Deal, for which he received a Tony Award and Drama Desk Award nomination; the Broadway revival of Hair; Brooklyn The Musical; and The Full Monty, to name a few. Cleavant has appeared in film such as Moscow on the Hudson, The Slugger's Wife, Offbeat, Carnival of Souls and Bluffing It. He was a TV series regular on "Sliders," "Thea," "Drexell Class," "Good Sports" and "Woops!"

They join a cast which currently includes Sharon Sachs as Madame Morrible, Amanda Fallon Smith as Nessarose, Tom Flynn as Doctor Dillamond, Curt Hansen as Fiyero, and DJ Plunkett as Boq, with Natalia Vivino, Travante S. Baker, Jake Bevens, Kerry Blanchard, Jordan Casanova, Matt Densky, Ryan Patrick Farrell, Sarah Anne Fernandez, Nick Gaswirth, Sara Gonzales, Kelly Lafarga, Megan Loomis, Mattie Love, Micaela Martinez, Alida Michal, Hayden Milanes, Jennafer Newberry, Alicia Newcom, Jackie Raye, Andy Richardson, Wayne Schroder, Brandon Stonestreet, Ben Susak, Aidan Wharton and Justin Wirick.

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."

Currently approaching its 16th anniversary on Broadway, Wicked is the winner of over 100 international awards including the Grammy Award and three Tony Awards. 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 amassed over $4.8 billion in global sales and has been seen by nearly 60 million people worldwide.

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.

For more information about Wicked, please visit www.WickedTheMusical.com.