Ashanti, Joy Behar, Mario Cantone and More Celebrate Wicked’s Fifth Anniversary

R&B singer Ashanti, The View's Joy Behar, comedian Mario Cantone, Ugly Betty's Mark Indelicato, and Gossip Girl's Matthew Settle will take part in The Yellow Brick Road Not Taken, a one-night-only benefit performance celebrating the fifth anniversary of Wicked. Directed by Matt Lenz with musical direction by Ben Cohn, the event will take place on October 27 at the Gershwin Theatre. Proceeds will be donated to Bette Midler's New York Restoration Project.

Also scheduled are former Wicked cast members, including Shoshana Bean and Stephanie J. Block, both of whom played Elphaba, Jennifer Laura Thompson who played the role of Glinda, Michelle Federer, who originated the role of Nessarose, and Kerry Ellis and Kendra Kassebaum, the show's two current stars. More casting is still to be announced.

The Yellow Brick Road Not Taken will also feature an appearance from composer/lyricist Stephen Schwartz and book writer Winnie Holzman, who will share scenes and songs from early drafts of the musical, including never-before-seen material, as well as songs cut during the show's development and pre-Broadway engagement.

Bette Midler founded the nonprofit New York Restoration Project NYRP in 1995 with the belief that clean and green neighborhoods are fundamental to the quality of life and that every community in New York City deserves an oasis of natural beauty. Modeled on the Central Park Conservancy and other successful public-private partnerships, NYRP partners with individuals, community-based groups, and public agencies to reclaim, restore, and develop under-resourced parks, community gardens, and open space in New York City, primarily in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods.