The cast of Wicked's national tour will be featured on NBC's "The Tonight Show" on July 18th; they will perform the production number "One Short Day" on the Jay Leno-hosted talk show, which will be shown in metropolitan New York on NBC-TV Channel 4 at 11:35 PM ET; check local listings.
Wicked is currently ensorcelling audiences at Los Angeles' Pantages Theatre, where it runs through July 31st. The national tour of the show will circle the country until September of next year, with stops still planned for San Francisco (where Eden Espinosa will temporarily replace star Stephanie J. Block), Houston, Washington D.C, Philadelphia, Boston, San Diego and about 15 other cities. Block and Kendra Kassebaum headline the tour as the misunderstood Elphaba and the popular Glinda, respectively. David Garrison (the Wizard), Carol Kane (Madame Morrible), Derrick
Williams (Fiyero), Jenna Leigh Green (Nessarose), Logan Lipton (Boq)
and Timothy Britten Parker (Dr. Dillamond) round out the show's principals.Wicked, based on Gregory Maguire's novel, is the behind-the-scenes story of Elphaba, better known in later times as the Wicked Witch of the West. The lavish musical tells the story of her unlikely friendship with the more corruptible witch Glinda and a love triangle that consumes them both; ironically, it is the passionate and humane Elphaba who is branded with infamy. The show features a score by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman. Joe Mantello directed the Broadway production of Wicked (as he did for the tour), and Wayne Cilento handled the show's choreography. Wicked opened at the Gershwin Theatre on October 30th, 2003 (with Tony-winner Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth), and it continues to play to sold-out audiences.