Wicked time for Ashleigh Gray

Wicked casting for Playhouse dates announced

Midlothian born Ashleigh Gray will be starring as Elphaba, with Emily Tierney as Glinda when Wicked arrives at the Edinburgh Playhouse in November.

Ashleigh Gray will play Elphaba in Wicked

Wicked builds on the idea that Dorothy’s famous triumph over the Wicked Witch as depicted in the Wizard of Oz only reflected one side of the story.

It is based on Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel, Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, which re-imagines the Land of Oz and creates a parallel universe to L. Frank Baum’s familiar story, published as The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in 1900.

This, then, is the untold story of the unlikely but profound friendship between two girls who first meet as sorcery students at Shiz University: the blonde and very popular Glinda and a misunderstood green girl named Elphaba.

Originally from Midlothian, Ashleigh Gray first joined the ensemble of the West End production of Wicked in 2007. She went on to become the become standby for Elphaba and has continued to act in this capacity at various times, playing Elphaba on numerous occasions.

Other musical theatre credits include the leading role of Kim in the national tour of Boy George’s musical Taboo and creating the role of Lorraine Campbell in the world premiere of the Susan Boyle musical I Dreamed A Dream, touring across the UK and Ireland. She subsequently appeared with Susan Boyle in her concert tour.

When Gray joins the Wicked tour as it hits Liverpool on September 16, she will be playing against regular Glinda, Emily Tierney. Further casting for the Edinburgh leg of the tour includes: Samuel Edwards (Fiyero), Marilyn Cutts (Madame Morrible), Steven Pinder (The Wizard and Doctor Dillamond), Carina Gillespie (Nessarose), Richard Vincent (Boq) and Scottish actress Jacqueline Hughes (Standby Elphaba).

Wicked has music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, a book by Winnie Holzman, musical staging by Wayne Cilento and is directed by two-time Tony Award winner Joe Mantello.

Wicked
Edinburgh Playhouse, 18 – 22 Greenside Place, Edinburgh, EH1 3AA
Wednesday 19 November 2014 – Saturday 10 January 2015
Full details and tickets on the Playhouse website: www.atgtickets.com
Tour website: www.WickedTheMusical.co.uk

ENDS

Tags: Ashleigh Gray, Emily Tierney, Musicals, News, Playhouse, Production News, Wicked