Annaleigh Ashford and Stephanie J. Block Set to Play Wicked's Witches

Wicked will welcome a new pair of leading ladies on October 9: Stephanie J. Block will be Broadway's latest Elphaba and newcomer Annaleigh Ashford has been chosen to play Glinda in the blockbuster musical. They replace Julia Murney and Kendra Kassebaum, who will play their final performance as Elphaba and Glinda on October 7 at the Gershwin Theatre.

Ashford and Block join a cast that includes Carole Shelley as Madame Morrible, Lenny Wolpe as The Wizard, Block's fiance Sebastian Arcelus as Fiyero, Cristy Candler as Nessarose, Logan Lipton as Boq and Steven Skybell as Dr. Dillamond.

Long before Dorothy drops in, two other girls meet in the land of Oz. One, born with emerald-green skin, is smart, fiery and misunderstood. The other is beautiful, ambitious and very popular. Wicked tells the story of their remarkable odyssey, how these two unlikely friends grow to become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch. Based on the novel by Gregory Maguire, Wicked has music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, book by Winnie Holzman, and direction by Joe Mantello.

Block was involved in the development of Wicked when she played the role of Elphaba in the musical's original L.A. workshops and went on to star in the national tour, for which she received the 2006 Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Lead Actress. She recently starred on Broadway in title role of The Pirate Queen and appeared on Broadway as Liza Minnelli opposite Hugh Jackman in The Boy from Oz. Regional credits include Funny Girl, Crazy for You, Oliver, James Joyce's The Dead, The Grass Harp and Bells Are Ringing.

Ashford recently made her Broadway debut as Margot in Legally Blonde. She understudied the role of Glinda in the national tour of Wicked, an experience she recently discussed in a Fresh Face interview with Broadway.com. She also appeared at the 2005 New York Musical Theater Festival in the musical Feeling Electric.