Martyn Ellis joins Wicked in London as The Wizard
by Oliver Mitford on Wednesday 12 February 2014, 1:05 pm in Cast Changes and Announcements
Award-winning actor Martyn Ellis is set to join the London cast of Wicked from 17 February 2014. Ellis will play the role of ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz’ as he takes over from Sam Kelly who has withdrawn from the production due to ill health.
Martyn Ellis received a Whatsonstage Award for his performance as ‘Nicely Nicely Johnson’ in Michael Grandage’s acclaimed production of Guys and Dolls with Ewan McGregor at the Piccadilly Theatre. He more recently starred as Harry Dangle’ in One Man, Two Guvnors at the National Theatre, in the West End and on Broadway. His other major theatre roles include Pumbaa in Disney’s The Lion King as part of the original London cast and Thenardier in Les Misérables.
Ellis joins on stage international Wicked star Willemijn Verkaik as Elphaba, Savannah Stevenson as Glinda, Jeremy Taylor as Fiyero, Sue Kelvin as Madame Morrible, Paul Clarkson as Doctor Dillamond; Sam Lupton as Boq and Katie Rowley Jones as Nessarose.
Acclaimed as ‘a magical mystery tour through the fantasy land of Oz’ by the London Evening Standard, the London production of the global musical phenomenon has already been seen by over 5.5 million people since its premiere in September 2006.
The musical, based upon ‘Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West’ by Gregory Maguire that has won over 90 international awards. The story ingeniously and wittily re-imagines the Land of Oz and creates a parallel universe to the familiar story of the well-known classic ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz’, along with the iconic characters that we have all come to know and love.