Wicked Set for Curran Theatre in San Francisco

Wicked, the Stephen Schwartz musical based on Gregory Maguire's book of the same name, will have its world premiere at San Francisco's Curran Theatre, not the Orpheum Theatre as previously announced. The musical, starring Tony winner Kristin Chenoweth as Galinda, will begin its four-week tryout the week of April 14, 2003, according to a production spokesperson.

Maguire's Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West takes place in the land of Oz and centers on a time when the infamous witch was just a little green-skinned girl named Elphaba. The musical features music and lyrics by Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman one of the creative forces behind television's My So-Called Life and Once and Again.

Chenoweth, currently in Canada filming The Music Man television movie, is one of the most sought after actresses in musical theater today. She made her New York stage debut in a 1997 production of Moliere's Scapin. Later that year, she made her Theatre World award-winning Broadway debut as Precious McGuire in Broadway's Steel Pier. In 1999, Chenoweth starred as Sally in the revival of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, a role that won her the Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. Her other New York stage credits include the Lincoln Center production of A New Brain, the Broadway mounting of Epic Proportions and the Encores! productions of Strike Up the Band and On a Clear Day You Can See Forever. Her debut solo album, Let Yourself Go, was released on Sony Classical last year. Chenoweth appeared as Galinda who grows up to become Glinda the Good Witch in previous readings of Wicked.

Idina Menzel--best known for stand-out performances in Rent, MTC's The Wild Party and Aida--has played the central character of Elphaba in readings of Wicked. She is currently in negotiations to star in the full production.

Expect Wicked, directed by Joe Mantello, to hit Broadway in the fall of 2003.