WICKED Will Welcome Back Mark Curry as The Wizard

WICKED will welcome back Mark Curry as 'The Wizard' from Tuesday 18 October 2022. Gary Wilmot will play his final performance as 'The Wizard' at the Apollo Victoria Theatre on Sunday 16 October 2022.

Actor, broadcaster, and former Blue Peter presenter Mark Curry previously played 'The Wizard' as part of the 10th Anniversary London cast in 2016/17. In a career spanning more than five decades, Mark first came to prominence in Yorkshire Television's Junior Showtime in 1969. Filmed at the City Varieties Music Hall in Leeds, he stayed with the show for six years. During this time, he also appeared as 'Oscar DeVelt' in Alan Parker's film Bugsy Malone as well as in numerous variety shows and pantomimes. Following three years with the Harrogate Theatre Company and a budding career as a television presenter (including The Saturday Picture Show and Screen Test), he joined the BBC's Blue Peter in 1986, becoming its 15th presenter. During his more than three years with the legendary show, he presented alongside Janet Ellis, Peter Duncan, Caron Keating and Yvette Fielding. His career as an actor has seen him star at theatres across the UK, most notably and frequently in the plays and comedies of Alan Ayckbourn. In 2018, he starred as 'Philip Markham' in the 50th anniversary production of Ray Cooney & John Chapman's comedy Move Over Mrs Markham, directed by Ray Cooney. His London credits include Talent, written and directed by Victoria Wood, and Susan Hill's The Woman in Black, directed by Robin Herford. A keen tennis player and a qualified tennis coach, Mark is also a frequent tennis commentator on BBC Radio 5, Eurosport, LBC, Radio Wimbledon and Talk Radio Europe. In 2017, he and Amy Dowden won the Pudsey Glitterball Trophy in the Strictly Come Dancing special for Children in Need.

Mark Curry commented: "I'm thrilled to be returning to Oz after 5 years away and to have this opportunity to play The Wizard again in the incredible Wicked. I look forward to joining this brilliant cast and working again with the fantastic creative team and producers."

"One of the most successful musicals of all time" (BBC News), Wicked recently welcomed its 11 millionth theatregoer to London's Apollo Victoria Theatre. The "global sensation" (Independent) has won over 100 awards, including three Tony Awards, two Olivier Awards, and a Grammy.

Wicked currently stars: Lucie Jones (Elphaba), Helen Woolf (Glinda), Ryan Reid (Fiyero), Sophie-Louise Dann (Madame Morrible), Gary Wilmot (The Wizard, until 16 October 2022), Mark Curry (The Wizard, from 18 October 2022), Carina Gillespie (Nessarose), Nicholas McLean (Boq), Simeon Truby (Doctor Dillamond), Amy Webb (Standby for Elphaba), Lisa-Anne Wood (Standby for Glinda), Yuki Abe, Kofi Aidoo-Appiah, Meg Astin, Alishia-Marie Blake, Pàje Campbell, Michael Colbourne, Fergus Dale, Nolan Edwards, Nicola Espallardo, Danny Fogarty, Laura Harrison, Amie Hibbert, Lucie Horsfall, Samuel How, Christian Knight, Nick Len, Jasmine Leung, Maggie Lynne, Rhidian Marc, PaddyJoe Martin, Jessica-Alice McCluskey, Stacey McGuire, Harry Mills, Lewis Newton, Natalie Spriggs, Samantha Thomas, Joe Thompson-Oubari and James Titchener.

Cast subject to change from Tuesday 7 March 2023.

Based on the novel by Gregory Maguire, Wicked imagines a beguiling backstory and future possibilities to the lives of L. Frank Baum's beloved characters from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and reveals the decisions and events that shape the destinies of two unlikely university friends on their journey to becoming Glinda The Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.

Wicked has music and lyrics by multi-Oscar, Golden Globe and Grammy Award winner Stephen Schwartz (Godspell, Pippin, The Prince of Egypt, Disney's Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Enchanted and its new Disney+ sequel Disenchanted). It is based on the bestselling novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire and written by Emmy and Tony Award nominee Winnie Holzman, creator of the landmark American television series My So-Called Life. Musical staging is by Tony Award-winner Wayne Cilento with direction by two-time Tony Award-winner Joe Mantello.

Wicked is produced by Marc Platt, Universal Stage Productions, The Araca Group, Jon B. Platt and David Stone. Executive Producer (UK) Michael McCabe.

Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire is published in the UK by Headline (the book is recommended for readers aged 16+). Wicked: The Grimmerie, a behind-the-scenes look at the musical by David Cote, is published in the UK by Hyperion.