Broadway's Wicked Welcomes a New Glinda February 14

McKenzie Kurtz, seen as Anna in the Broadway and North American touring productions of Disney's Frozen, joins the cast of the international hit musical Wicked at the Gershwin Theatre February 14 in the role of Glinda.

Kurtz, who also played Penelope in Trading Places and Star-to-Be in NBC's Annie Live!, succeeds Brittney Johnson, who made history February 14, 2022, when she became the first Black actor to assume the role of Glinda full-time on Broadway. Johnson played her final performance February 12.

The Broadway cast also includes Talia Suskauer as Elphaba, Tony winner Cleavant Derricks as The Wizard, Tony winner Michele Pawk as Madame Morrible, James D. Gish as Fiyero, Tony nominee Clifton Davis as Doctor Dillamond, Mikayla Renfrow as Nessarose, and Michael Wartella as Boq.

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Wicked began previews on Broadway October 8, 2003, with an official opening October 30. The original cast included Tony winners Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth as, respectively, the green-faced, misunderstood Elphaba and the curly-locked Glinda. Wicked has subsequently been performed in over 100 cities in 16 countries. In October 2019, the international hit musical surpassed Les Misérables to become the fifth longest-running production in Broadway history.

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Wicked, with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman, is based on the novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire.

The Joe Mantello-helmed production features musical staging by Wayne Cilento, scenic design by Eugene Lee, costume design by Susan Hilferty, lighting design by Kenneth Posner, sound design by Tony Meola, projections by Elaine J. McCarthy, wig and hair design by Tom Watson, music supervision and arrangements by Stephen Oremus, orchestrations by William David Brohn, and dance arrangements by James Lynn Abbott. Casting is by the Telsey Office.

Wicked won 2004 Tony Awards for Best Actress in a Musical (Menzel), Best Costume Design (Hilferty), and Best Scenic Design (Lee).

The musical, which reopened on Broadway September 14, 2021, following the pandemic shutdown, is produced by Marc Platt, Universal Stage Productions, The Araca Group, Jon B. Platt, and David Stone.