Joey McIntyre Turns Wicked; Butz Gets Rotten

Broadway.com has learned that Norbert Leo Butz will be leaving Wicked on July 18 to begin rehearsals for the Old Globe Theatre tryout of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, in which he will star as swindler Freddy Benson. Two days later Joey McIntyre is expected to begin performances as Wicked's Fiyero.

Butz appeared in the last workshop of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, which is now set to run at San Diego's Old Globe from September 15 through October 24 and is expected on Broadway in the spring. He is Wicked's original Fiyero and previously appeared on the Great White Way in Thou Shalt Not for which he earned a Tony nomination and Rent. His off-Broadway credits include Juno and the Paycock, Saved, The Last Five Years and Buicks.

McIntyre, best known from his days as a teen pop star in New Kids on the Block, previously appeared on the New York stage in tick, tick…. BOOM!, which he also headlined in Japan and Boston. Last year he starred in the Reprise! concert staging of Babes in Arms. McIntyre was also the lead in the film version of The Fantasticks, appeared as a series regular on Boston Pubilc and has enjoyed some success with three solo studio albums Stay the Same, Meet Joe Mac and 8:09. He plays Tony in the film version of the long-running off-Broadway hit Tony n' Tina's Wedding, which recently premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival.

Wicked will continue to star Idina Menzel, Joel Grey and Carole Shelley. Current Glinda Kristin Chenoweth is scheduled to leave the production the same day as Butz. A replacement for her has not yet been announced.