Nikki Davis-Jones Withdraws from WICKED in West End and UK Tour

WICKED, the global musical phenomenon that tells the incredible untold story of the Witches of Oz, announced earlier this summer that Ashleigh Gray would join the record-breaking UK Tour from Tuesday September 16, 2014 as Elphaba, as current cast member Nikki Davis-Jones was secheduled to join the London production from Monday October 27, 2014. Now according to the show's official Twitter feed, Davis-Jones has withdrawn form both productions.

Jemma Alexander will play the role for the remainder of the engagement at the Birmingham Hippodrome and Ashleigh Gray will take over the role from September 16 at the Liverpool Empire and for the remainder of the UK Tour. New casting has not yet been announced for the West End production.

Also joining the London cast are Liza Sadovy (Madame Morrible) and Philip Childs (Doctor Dillamond). Willemijn Verkaik (Elphaba), Sue Kelvin (Madame Morrible) and Paul Clarkson (Doctor Dillamond) will all play their final performances on Saturday 25 October 2014.

Acclaimed as "quite simply, the best musical I've ever seen" (Yorkshire Evening Post), the tour has already broken Box Office records and won multiple five star reviews across England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland.

The award-winning London production continues its open-ended run at the Apollo Victoria Theatre, where it is now the 10th longest running show in the West End. Around the world, Wicked has already been seen by 42 million people in 13 countries, and won 100 international awards.

In a brilliantly witty re-imagining of the stories and characters created by L. Frank Baum in 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz', Wicked tells the incredible untold story of an unlikely but profound friendship between two sorcery students. Their extraordinary adventures in Oz will ultimately see them fulfil their destinies as Glinda The Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.

Wicked has music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, a book by Winnie Holzman, musical staging by Wayne Cilento and is directed by two-time Tony Award® winner Joe Mantello. Wicked is based on the international best-selling novel, 'Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West', by Gregory Maguire.