Broadway's Wicked to Welcome New Stars

Broadway vets Michele Lee and Fred Applegate will join the Broadway cast of Wicked this summer, taking on the roles of Madame Morrible and the Wizard respectively, at the Gershwin Theatre.

Wicked will mark Lee's first Broadway appearance since her Tony-nominated turn in 2000's Tale of the Allergist's Wife. She received a Tony nomination and Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for her performance in the Cy Coleman/Dorothy Fields musical Seesaw, and is perhaps best known for her 14-season run as Karen Mackenzie on the CBS drama Knots Landing. Lee takes over the role of Madame Morrible from Kathy Fitzgerald beginning Sunday, July 5.

Applegate was most recently seen on Broadway in The Last Ship, and has also appeared in Sister Act, Young Frankenstein, and The Producers. He takes over the role of the Wizard from PJ Benjamin beginning Monday, June 29.

They join a cast that currently includes Caroline Bowman as Elphaba, Kara Lindsay as Glinda, Matt Shingledecker as Fiyero, Robin De Jesús as Boq, Arielle Jacobs as Nessarose, and Timothy Britten Parker as Dr. Dillamond.

Based on the novel of the same name by Gregory Maguire, Wicked is set in the land of Oz and tells the story of young girls Glinda and Elphaba, who grow up to become Glinda the Good Witch and the Wicked Witch of the West, respectively. It features hit songs like "Popular," "For Good," and "Defying Gravity."

Wicked features music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, and a book by Winnie Holzman. The production, which plays at the Gershwin Theatre, is directed by Joe Mantello with musical staging by Wayne Cilento.

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