Marcie Dodd & Alli Mauzey to Headline New Cast of Wicked
Alli Mauzey, Brynn O’Malley, Kevin Kern, Alex Brightman and Rialto newcomer Marcie Dodd will all be strolling towards the Emerald City soon, joining the cast of Wicked as the hit show’s new Glinda, Nessarose, Fiyero, Boq and Elphaba, respectively. Brightman begins on November 4, and the other newcomers will give their first performance on November 11.
“I’m a lot excited and a little bit terrified!” Dodd tells Broadway.com of taking on the part of Elphaba. “There have been so many amazing girls who have done this role. So, as intimidating as it is to try and fill those shoes, I’m really excited to make this debut and bring what I can of myself to the role.” Dodd will make her Broadway debut after playing the role of Nessarose and standing by as Elphaba in the Los Angeles company of the show. Dodd also understudied the roles of Elphaba and Nessarose in Wicked''s national tour. Additional regional credits include Hairspray Luxor Las Vegas and Grease Civic Light Opera House.
“I love the music, I love the story, I love everything about [Wicked]," Mauzey tells Broadway.com. "It is an honor to be a part of this show, especially with the fifth anniversary just passing. To dress up in a big old princess gown and come down [onto the stage] in a bubble—and as a blonde—is just about the coolest thing ever.” After standing by as Glinda in 2007, Broadway.com Fresh Face Mauzey played scene stealer Lenora last season in Cry-Baby, a role that earned her a 2008 Theatre World Award. Additional Broadway credits include Hairspray. Mauzey also appeared in the first national tour of Hairspray, City of Angels Reprise! and 110 in the Shade Pasadena Playhouse.
Kern was last seen on Broadway in the rock musical adaptation of The Wedding Singer. Additional Broadway credits include Les Miserables. Kern performed off-Broadway as an understudy for the original cast of Altar Boyz at New World Stages, and appeared alongside former Wicked Fiyero, Aaron Tveit, whom Kern replaces in Second Stage’s Next to Normal in early 2008. Kern is slated to appear in the forthcoming tuner 9 to 5, which begins performances April 7, 2009. There is no set date as to when Kern will depart the cast of Wicked for the new musical at this time.
O’Malley’s Broadway credits include Beauty and the Beast, Hairspray and the 2008 revival of Sunday in the Park with George. Regional credits count Avenue Q Wynn Las Vegas, She Loves Me Arena Stage, Arsenic and Old Lace Baltimore Center Stage and Meet Me in St. Louis Paper Mill Playhouse.
Brightman hit Broadway last season as an understudy in Glory Days. Off-Broadway counts Twilight in Manchego. Regional credits include The History Boys Ahmanson Theatre and Big San Jose Children’s Musical Theater.
Of the new casting, Dodd says, “It is exciting to have so many new faces onstage in a familiar show. I think we can all stay true to what the original creative team has built while still bringing something new and fresh to the production. We’ll just have to get onstage and see what happens!”
Long before Dorothy drops in, two other girls meet in the land of Oz. One, born with emerald-green skin, is smart, fiery and misunderstood. The other is beautiful, ambitious and very popular. The smash hit musical Wicked tells the story of their remarkable odyssey, how these two unlikely friends grow to become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch.
The new actors will join a cast which currently includes Jayne Houdyshell as Madame Morrible, P.J. Benjamin as The Wizard, and Timothy Britten Parker as Dr. Dillamond. Kerry Ellis Elphaba, Kendra Kassebaum Glinda, Aaron Tveit Fiyero, and Cristy Candler Nessarose will play their final performances on November 9; Ben Liebert Boq played his final performance on November 2.
