Murney, Cuervo, Benjamin, Freeman and Waldman Join Wicked Tour in March

[Rob]

Posted: 1/23/06 at 5:06pm

https://www.broadwayworld.com/l.cfm?id=100382

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 1/23/06 at 5:07pm

JULIAAAAAAA.

Ugh, she's going to be f*cking phenomenal.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 1/23/06 at 5:10pm

Alma Cuervo is an Inspired choice for Morrible, she is so talented!

[ljay889]

Posted: 1/23/06 at 5:10pm

holy crap! PJ Benjamin as the Wizard. Hopefully this means he won't be in CHICAGO for quite some time.. (his Amos is very boring nowadays.) I am happy to see him casted in something new.
Totallly unexpected casting for the Wizard, but I think PJ will be great.

I hope I can catch this when it comes to Philly. Would love to see Murney and PJ! Can't lie, I am SOOO tempted to see this.. (basically for the cast.)
Updated On: 1/23/06 at 05:10 PM

[BSoBW3]

Posted: 1/23/06 at 5:14pm

I am very happy to Julia!

Hope it doesn't get to her head though. She's so nice!

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 1/23/06 at 5:18pm

I love that I'm going to be in Cincinnati when the tour is, but that it's impossible to get tickets.

[SirLiir]

Posted: 1/23/06 at 5:19pm

Looking good! I wonder now if David Garrison is coming to Broadway to play the Wizard once Ben Vereen leaves. From what most people have said, he was excellent in the role.

[DefyingEDCT]

Posted: 1/23/06 at 5:20pm

BIOS FOR NEW CAST MEMBERS:

Julia Murney (Elphaba) received a Drama Desk nomination for Outstanding Actress in a Musical for Andrew Lippa’s The Wild Party and was also seen in New York in A Class Act (both original cast albums available on RCA Victor), Lennon and Time and Again. She also starred in benefit concert performances of Hair, Chess, Funny Girl and Stephen Schwartz’s Children of Eden. A Syracuse University graduate, other credits include Cloud 9 (Perry Street), Mata Hari (York), Into the Woods (Pioneer) and Snapshots (Virginia State). She has appeared on TV in “Law & Order” and “Another World,” and her voice has been heard in countless commercials.

Alma Cuervo’s (Madame Morrible) many Broadway credits include Beauty and the Beast (as Mrs. Potts); Cabaret; Titanic (as the original Ida Straus); The Heidi Chronicles; Quilters; and Bedroom Farce. She received an OBIE for Uncommon Women and Others and a Barrymore Award for Beauty Queen of Leenane. Off-Broadway credits include: Christina Alberta’s Father; Isn’t It Romantic. Her recent regional credits include Midwives (Round House); Beyond Therapy (Old Globe). TV: Norman Lear’s “aka Pablo” (series regular); “Law & Order;” and “Law & Order: Criminal Intent.”

P.J. Benjamin (The Wizard) has been working in show business for well over thirty years. Broadway credits include leading roles in Chicago (Amos Hart), Torch Song Trilogy, Bob Fosse’s Pippin, Charlie and Algernon, Sarava and Wind in the Willows and appearances in Ain’t Broadway Grand and the revival of The Pajama Game directed by George Abbott. Recently, Mr. Benjamin was featured in episodes of “Law & Order” and “Law & Order: SVU.” He is also the voice of Sergeant Dodo Bird in the animated feature Ice Age. Together with his wife, Louisa Flaningam, he is currently working on creating a television series titled “Living Treasures.”

Jennifer Waldman (Nessarose) has appeared on Broadway in Wicked and Titanic (and also appeared in that show’s national tour). Her Off-Broadway credits include Heat Lightning, and her regional credits include West End Horror (Bay Street), Fiddler on the Roof (North Shore), Jekyll & Hyde (TUTS) and Saturday Night (Weston Playhouse). Jennifer is also a director and choreographer.

Sebastian Arcelus (Fiyero) recently appeared on Broadway as Jan in Good Vibrations and as Roger Davis in Rent. Other credits include The Full Monty, Hamlet - A Rock Opera, Caligula, Aida, Floyd Collins, and the world premiere of William Finn’s Songs of Innocence and Experience. His film and TV credits include Temptation and the voice of Papi on Nickelodeon’s “Go, Diego, Go!” He is a proud graduate of Williams College.

K. Todd Freeman (Dr. Dillamond) has appeared on Broadway in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and The Song of Jacob Zulu (Tony nomination for Best Actor). Off-Broadway, he has appeared in Uncle Tom's Cabin (Drama Dept.), Spunk (the Public), Freefall and Ubu. He has been a Steppenwolf company member since 1993 and has appeared there in A Clockwork Orange and Libra. His regional credits include Angels in America (Mark Taper). Television: “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “NYPD Blue.” Film: A Gentleman’s Game, Cider House Rules, Grosse Point Blank and End of Violence.

[dancingthrulife04]

Posted: 1/23/06 at 5:22pm

Dude, stop posting the bios.

I'm happy for Julia! I won't get to see the tour, though.

[Kringas]

Posted: 1/23/06 at 5:25pm

While I'd be curious to Murney's take on Elphaba, I seriously couldn't sit through Kassebaum's Galinda ever again.

[softershade]

Posted: 1/23/06 at 5:34pm

bsobw3, there is no way this role would go to her head. she's way too sweet and generous for it to. what i'm hoping for is that she doesn't have the mass of fangirls flocking all over her like idina, shoshana, and stephanie have all had.
i'm also really excited for jenn to be taking over as nessa.
Updated On: 1/23/06 at 05:34 PM

[BroadwayGirl107]

Posted: 1/23/06 at 5:35pm

Tell me about it. Enough fangirls came out of Lennon, lol.

is it weird that I think Murney deserves better than Wicked? She'll be bloody brilliant, I just wish she'd get a chance at some GOOD new stuff.

[SirLiir]

Posted: 1/23/06 at 5:39pm

True Broadwaygirl but it will hopefully get her even more exposure and recognition from the rest of the country.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 1/23/06 at 5:41pm

I sort of agree, BroadwayGirl, but I have to think that maybe this'll put her name out there in a way that it's not already. She's sort of like a secret weapon at this point. Maybe now that she'll have done Wicked, she'll get more Broadway work?

[BSoBW3]

Posted: 1/23/06 at 5:41pm

"Maybe now that she'll have done Wicked, she'll get more Broadway work?"

Let's hope so!

[My Strongest Suit]

Posted: 1/23/06 at 5:46pm

I am a little upset because I absolutely LOVED David Garrison and Jenna Leigh Green in the Wicked Tour. I am sad to see them go. And I was hoping to catch Carole Shelly on the Tour when it came to San Diego.

Updated On: 1/23/06 at 05:46 PM

[Elphaba3]

Posted: 1/23/06 at 5:49pm

Congrats to them. Julia is the only one I'm familar with, and I think she'll be really good. I wish Kendra wasn't staying though. She sucked.

[DefyingEDCT]

Posted: 1/23/06 at 5:52pm

dancingthrulife04, I posted the bios once.

[DefyingEDCT]

Posted: 1/23/06 at 5:57pm

And I dont understand why Kendra is staying when she told Playbill she was leaving in Feb.

[Joshua488]

Posted: 1/23/06 at 5:59pm

I'm not familiar with Julia Murney's work, but I've heard so many positive things about her, so I am excited!

I am sad that Jenna Leigh Green is leaving, though. I saw her as Elphaba in Hartford -- AMAZING! Perhaps she'll be the new standby when/if Saycon Sengbloh leaves? I doubt it.

I actually liked Kendra Kassebaum. I thought she gave a stellar performance. I entered the theatre not expecting much from her. I admit that I do prefer Megan Hilty's vocals, but Kendra's overall performance was more than enough to win me over.

[Wicked_fan]

Posted: 1/23/06 at 5:59pm

Actually I agree with all of you that the Wicked Tour is a bit beneath Julia Murney...because her talent is so phenomonal that I am very surprised she's not bigger by now...

However...I'm very very very excited to see her when she hits Cleveland in July...hoping she'll stay on that long.

YAY JULIA!!!!

[alli2]

Posted: 1/23/06 at 6:00pm

Tell me about it. Enough fangirls came out of Lennon, lol.

Excuse me, BroadwayGirl, I take offense to that.

[dancingthrulife04]

Posted: 1/23/06 at 6:05pm

dancingthrulife04, I posted the bios once.

You posted them once in this thread.


Tell me about it. Enough fangirls came out of Lennon, lol.
Those were fangirls?

[DefyingEDCT]

Posted: 1/23/06 at 6:06pm

You posted them once in this thread.

Exactly.

[dancingthrulife04]

Posted: 1/23/06 at 6:08pm

You posted them once in this thread and once in your own thread that you started after this one. LAst I checked that was two times.