Diggs, who began his brief stint in Wicked Dec. 22, officially joins the company of the hit new musical — which stars wife Menzel as Elphaba — Dec. 25. Diggs is temporarily replacing Norbert Leo Butz as Fiyero, love to interest to both Menzel's Elphaba and Kristin Chenoweth's Glinda. Butz is on medical leave due to a back injury until Jan. 20; his understudy, Kristoffer Cusick, has been playing the role since Nov. 24. Diggs will stay with the show until Jan. 18.

Taye Diggs has appeared on Broadway in Carousel, Rent and Chicago. He received an Outer Critics Circle Award nomination for his performance in Off-Broadway's The Wild Party, and his film credits include "How Stella Got Her Groove Back," "The Best Man," "The Way of the Gun," "House on a Haunted Hill," "The Wood," "Go," "Brown Sugar" and "Chicago." Diggs also guest starred on the Fox series "Ally McBeal."

Wicked, which officially opened Oct. 30, stars Menzel as Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West and Tony Award winner Chenoweth as Glinda. The cast also includes Tony and Academy Award winner Joel Grey as The Wizard, Carole Shelley as Madame Morrible, Michelle Federer as Nessarose, Christopher Fitzgerald as Boq and William Youmans as Doctor Dillamand.

With a book by Winnie Holzman and direction by Joe Mantello — a 2003 Tony Award winner for last season’s Take Me Out — Wicked features choreography by Wayne Cilento. Tickets are available by calling (212) 307-4100 or by visiting www.ticketmaster.com.