Jay Laga'aia to play the Wizard of Oz
Jay Laga'aia to play the Wizard of Oz
Wicked on sale tomorrow Monday
New
Zealand-born star of stage, television and screen,
JAY LAGA’AIA, is today conrmed to play
The Wizard of Oz in the Auckland season of
WICKED - the Broadway musical blockbuster
coming to New Zealand in September.
Jay – known
for his roles as Captain Typho in the lms Star Wars
Episode II: Attack of the Clones and Star Wars Episode III:
Revenge of the Sith – has had a long and illustrious
career that includes roles in television shows such as Water
Rats, Play School, McLeod’s Daughters, Xena: Warrior
Princess, All Saints, Home and Away and Street
Legal.
He is also known for his stage productions
such as The Lion King in which he played Mufasa and for
playing Judas in the New Zealand production of Jesus Christ
Superstar.
The role of The Wizard of Oz is a
pivotal one in WICKED. It has been
performed by television personality Bert Newton for the past
few years after the sudden death of New Zealand star Rob
Guest in 2008.
“To be able to come home with a
show that is absolutely awe-inspiring is something that this
prodigal son could only dream about. My biggest fear is not
The Wizard but the amount of ticket requests from family and
friends! Maybe Glinda or Elphaba could whip up a spell for
me.”
WICKED plays at The Civic
in Auckland from 17th September 2013 – the rst stop on
its 10th anniversary celebration tour – and will run for a
strictly limited season.
Tickets go on sale
tomorrow Monday 8th April from www.buytickets.co.nz
or phone 0800 BUY TICKETS (0800 289 842) or www.ticketmaster.co.nz
(09 970 9700). For groups of 12 or more, call 09 357 3360
and for premium packages visit www.showbiznz.co.nz
Jemma Rix – who has toured Australia
and Asia as Elphaba – will reprise her role as the green
witch and Suzie Mathers – with 300 performances in
Singapore and Korea to her credit – returns to the role of
Glinda, the good.
WICKED is “one
of the most successful shows in Broadway history” (The New
York Times) and now it is Auckland’s turn to be enchanted
by the award-winning hit musical, before Australia is
reacquainted with the magic of
WICKED.
When
WICKED opened on Broadway, it worked its
magic on critics and audiences alike. Winner of 35 major
awards including a Grammy® and three Tony Awards® ,
WICKED is the untold story of the witches
of Oz. Long before Dorothy drops in, two other girls meet in
the Land of Oz, one born with emerald green skin, is smart,
ery 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.
“The dening musical of the
decade.” The New York
Times
“A breathtaking success story of
a magnitude that North America has not witnessed since
the
peak years of THE PHANTOM OF
THE OPERA.” Washington Post
“We
are very excited for WICKED to premiere at
The Civic in Auckland during this 10th Anniversary Year. We
trust that audiences there will embrace it as warmly as
those in North America, the U.K., Japan, Germany, Holland,
South Korea and Australia,” said WICKED
producers Marc Platt and David Stone. “It is a testament
to the show’s storytelling power that audiences from
around the globe continue to embrace its universal
themes.”
WICKED Australia
Co-Producer John Frost said, “Right from the beginning
this show has been an overwhelming hit everywhere it has
played. WICKED is a phenomenon, the most
beloved musical of the past decade, and appeals to everyone
from 8 to 80. People love it for so many different reasons
– some people come to see WICKED for the
engrossing story, some for the astonishing sets and
costumes, some for the soaring ballads, some for the deeper
messages, and some to see the life-afrming friendship
between the two girls who grow up to be Glinda the Good and
the Wicked Witch of the
West.
“WICKED is a musical that
enchants audiences around the world and right across the
spectrum,” Frost said. “I’m thrilled to bring her, in
all her emerald beauty, to Auckland, before coming home to
the wonderful Regent Theatre in Melbourne, where Australian
audiences fell in love with WICKED for the
rst time.”
Based on the novel by Gregory
Maguire, WICKED features music and lyrics
by Stephen Schwartz (Godspell, Pippin, Academy Award-winner
for Pocahontas and The Prince of Egypt) and a book by Winnie
Holzman (My So Called Life, Once and Again and
thirtysomething). The production features musical staging by
Wayne Cilento and is directed by Lisa Leguillou, based on
the original direction by Joe Mantello.
www.wickedthemusical.co.nz
ENDS