To mark the Broadway milestone, Playbill.com is looking back at the magical and mysterious characters who inhabit the untold tale of the witches of Oz and a selection of the actors who have filled their shoes. Each week Playbill.com will highlight a different leading character from the hit musical. (Read more about Wicked's 10th anniversary here.)
Playbill.com has also highlighted actresses who played Madame Morrible and the actors who have played the Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
This week we look at Wicked's leading man, Fiyero.
Click through for a tour of Oz's Wicked inhabitants:
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Norbert Leo Butz
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| Photo by Joan Marcus |
Norbert Leo Butz originated the role of leading man Fiyero in the Broadway production of
Wicked. A two-time Tony Award winner for
Catch Me If You Can and
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Butz currently stars in the new Broadway musical
Big Fish. Critics praised his performance. He was also Tony-nominated for his performance in
Thou Shalt Not and has also been seen on Broadway in
Dead Accounts, Rent, Wicked, Is He Dead?, Speed-the-Plow and
Enron.
Taye Diggs, who met wife
Idina Menzel in the original cast of
Rent, temporarily joined her in the Broadway cast of
Wicked in late 2003. Appearing opposite Menzel as Elphaba, Diggs stepped into the role of Fiyero for original cast member Norbert Leo Butz, who was on leave from the production due to a back injury. 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 screen credits include "Private Practice," "Kevin Hill," "Ally McBeal," "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."
New Kids on the Block band member Joey McIntyre made his Broadway debut as Fiyero in 2004. McIntyre's theatre credits include
tick, tick, boom!,
Happy Days: The Musical,
Babes in Arms and
Barking Sharks.
The Kid, his one-man autobiographical musical, was seen at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts in September. His film work includes "The Fantasticks," "Tony and Tina’s Wedding," "New Year’s Eve" and "The Heat," and his TV credits includes "Boston Public," "Love Inc.," "Less Than Perfect," "Psych," "90210," "CSI: NY" and "Motive."
Sebastian Arcelus was Broadway's seventh Fiyero, joining the cast in 2007. He first played the role in the first national tour of the hit musical. He also co-starred in
Wicked with his now wife, actress
Stephanie J. Block, when she returned to the Broadway cast as Elphaba in fall 2007. Arcelus has also appeared in the Broadway productions of
Rent, Good Vibrations, Jersey Boys and the original cast of
Elf. He currently appears in the Broadway stage adaptation of
John Grisham's
A Time to Kill.
Adam Lambert, best known for his appearance on "American Idol," was a member of the
Wicked ensemble in 2005, and later played Fiyero during his time with the Los Angeles production in 2007. Lambert, who finished as runner-up on the eighth season of "American Idol," has also appeared on stage in
The Ten Commandments and as Charlie Dalrymple in the 2004
Theatre Under the Stars production of
Brigadoon. His albums include "For Your Entertainment," "Beg for Mercy" and "Trespassing."
Aaron Tveit was "Dancing Through Life" as Fiyero in the 2008 Broadway cast of
Wicked. Tveit most recently starred as Enjolras in the Golden Globe Award-winning film of "Les Misérables." In addition to creating the role of Frank Abagnale, Jr. in the Broadway premiere of
Catch Me If You Can, Tveit also originated the role of Gabe in the Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical
Next to Normal. He also appeared on Broadway in
Hairspray. He can currently be seen in the new television series "Graceland."
Andy Karl, who was recently announced to take on the title role in the Broadway musical
Rocky, was Broadway's Fiyero from 2010-11. Karl's Broadway credits also include
Jersey Boys, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, 9 to 5, Legally Blonde, The Wedding Singer and
Saturday Night Fever.
Kyle Dean Massey temporarily joined the Broadway cast of
Wicked for two engagements in 2011 and later took over the role in 2012. He exited the production in May 2013. Massey's Broadway credits also include
Next to Normal and
Xanadu, and he was also seen in the Off-Broadway musical
Lucky Guy.
Richard H. Blake, who began his Broadway career as a child actor in such musicals as
The Prince of Central Park and
Teddy & Alice, took over the role of Fiyero on Broadway in 2011. He has also appeared in
Rent, Saturday Night Fever, Aida, Hairspray, The Wedding Singer, Legally Blonde and the current cast of
Matilda The Musical.
David Burnham originated the role of Fiyero in the original workshops of
Wicked and joined the Broadway cast in 2007. He has also appeared in the Broadway and national tours of
The Light in the Piazza, as well as
Jesus Christ Superstar, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and the Off-Broadway revue
The Best Is Yet to Come - The Music Of Cy Coleman.
Derek Klena is Broadway's current Fiyero. The young actor joined the Broadway cast of
Wicked in May 2012. He also appeared with his current
Wicked co-star
Lindsay Mendez in the acclaimed Off-Broadway production of
Dogfight. Klena was also part of the revised Off-Broadway staging of the cult pop musical
Carrie and the Hollywood Bowl staging of
Hairspray.
