P.J. Benjamin to Join Wicked as New Wizard

P.J. Benjamin is scheduled to join the hit Broadway production of Wicked on July 29.  He will portray the elusive Wizard of Oz.  Originally Benjamin played the same part in the musical’s national touring company for nearly two years prior.  He will now join a cast that includes Kendra Kassebaum, Kerry Ellis, Cristy Candler and Ben Liebert among others.  In addition to being featured in the national tour of Wicked, Benjamin also boasts credits from the musical Chicago.

According to press notes posted on Playbill.com, “Wicked is 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, being 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.  Get your Wicked tickets from Stubhub.com.

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