Laura Pick, who played the role Elphaba in the West End production of Wicked more than 350 times, will reprise that role in the upcoming 10-city U.K. and Ireland tour of the international hit musical that begins December 7 at the Edinburgh Playhouse.
The production, with additional casting to be announced, will subsequently play Bristol, Birmingham, Bradford, Southampton, Liverpool, Dublin, Sunderland, Cardiff, and Manchester, where it will conclude at the Palace Theatre during Christmas 2024-25.
Pick, who made her London stage debut in July 2013 in The Sound of Music at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, says, “I’m thrilled to be leading the U.K. and Ireland tour cast of Wicked and to be given the opportunity to continue my journey in the unique and extraordinary role of Elphaba, which first began for me in the West End in 2017. Wicked has been a life and career-changing show for me, and I am proud to be part of the cast taking this incredible musical back to theatres across the U.K. and Ireland.”
The West End and Broadway musical, which tells the untold story of the witches of Oz, continues its open-ended runs at, respectively, London’s Apollo Victoria Theatre and Broadway's Gershwin.
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.
READ: 11 Elphabas Reflect on Playing Broadway's Not-So-Wicked Witch
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.
Wicked won 2004 Tony Awards for Best Actress in a Musical (Menzel), Best Costume Design (Hilferty), and Best Scenic Design (Lee).
Wicked is produced by Marc Platt, Universal Stage Productions, The Araca Group, Jon B. Platt, and David Stone. Executive producer for the U.K. and Ireland is Michael McCabe.
Visit WickedTheMusical.co.uk.
