Chicago Wicked Welcomes Roscioli and Youmans Dec. 12
By Andrew Gans
12 Dec 2006
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New Wicked star Dee Roscioli
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On Dec. 12 Dee Roscioli becomes the latest actress to play the green-faced, misunderstood, not-so-wicked witch Elphaba in the open-ended Chicago production of Wicked at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts' Oriental Theatre.
Roscioli, who became the Elphaba standby in January 2006, succeeds Kristy Cates in the role that was created in New York by Tony Award winner Idina Menzel. Original Broadway cast member William Youmans also joins the Chicago Wicked company Dec. 12 for a limited engagement. Youmans will re-create his work as Doctor Dillamond for Chicago audiences through Jan. 14, 2007. And, ensemble member Brad Bass will portray Fiyero through Jan. 18. Derrick Williams will assume the role of Fiyero beginning Jan. 19; Williams previously played that role in the national tour of Wicked.
The Chicago Wicked company also currently features Erin Mackey as Glinda, Rondi Reed as Madame Morrible, Gene Weygandt as The Wizard, Heidi Kettenring as Nessarose and Adam Fleming as Boq.
Dee Roscioli played Grizabella in the national tour of Cats and has appeared in workshops of Dangerous Beauty and Behind the Limelight. She originally joined the Chicago company of Wicked as the standby for the role of Elphaba.
The open-ended Chicago production of Wicked began performances at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts' Oriental Theatre June 24, 2005, and officially opened July 13. The original Chicago company included Ana Gasteyer and Kate Reinders as, respectively, the green-faced and "Popular" witches.
Based on Gregory Maguire's novel, which turned every Oz myth inside out, Wicked — with a score by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman — explores the early life of the witches of Oz: Glinda and Elphaba. The two main characters meet at Shiz, a school where both hope to take up sorcery. Glinda is madly popular and Elphaba is, well, green. By a misunderstanding, they wind up roommates and, after an initial period of mutual loathing, begin to learn something about each other. Their life paths continue to intersect through a shared love, entry into the Emerald City and interaction with the Wizard himself. Eventually, their choices and convictions take them on widely different paths.
Chicago's Ford Center for the Performing Arts/Oriental Theatre is located at 24 West Randolph Street. Tickets for Wicked are available at all Broadway in Chicago box offices (22 W. Monroe Street, 24 W. Randolph Street and 151 West Randolph Street) or by calling (312) 902-1400.
For more information visit www.wickedthemusical.com/chicago.
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