Schwartz will join a cast that includes Donna Vivino as Elphaba, Myra Lucretia Taylor as Madame Morrible and Lenny Wolpe as The Wizard.
The company also features Richard H. Blake (Fiyero), Ben Liebert (Boq), Amanda Rose (Nessarose), Paul Slade Smith (Dr. Dillamond) and Merideth Kaye Clark (standby for Elphaba) with Todd Anderson, Terra Lynn Arrington, Kevin Aubin, Luis Avila, Antonette Balestreri, Stefanie Brown, Dominic Giudici, Brenda Hamilton, Courtney D. Jones, Spencer Jones, Ryan Patrick Kelly, Renee Lawless-Orsini, Philip Dean Lightstone, Marissa Lupp, RJ Marshall, Lauren Masiello, Lesley McKinnell, Kevin McMahon, Robert Pendilla, Christopher Russo, Adam Sanford, Robert Spaniolo, Stephanie Torns, Shanna VanDerwerker, Jessica Walker, Betsy Werbel, Bryan West, Blake Whyte and Samantha Zack.
Performances will continue at the San Diego venue through Aug. 30.
Chandra Lee Schwartz has been seen on Broadway in Gypsy and Off-Broadway in What's That Smell: The Music of Jacob Sterling as well as in the City Center Encores! production of Damn Yankees. She received a Barrymore nomination for Best Actress in a Musical for her work in the Philadelphia Theatre Company's production of Nerds.
Based on Gregory Maguire's novel, which turned every Oz myth inside out, Wicked 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. Wicked features a score by Stephen Schwartz, a book by Winnie Holzman, direction by Joe Mantello and musical staging by Wayne Cilento. The creative team also includes 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.
San Diego Civic Theatre is located at 3rd and B Street, downtown San Diego. For tickets call (619) 570-1100 or (800) 982-2787.
For more information visit wickedthemusical.com.
