Patty Duke to Be San Francisco Wicked‘s New Madame Morrible

Academy Award winner Patty Duke will take over the role of Madame Morrible in the San Francisco production of Wicked, beginning March 24. She replaces Carol Kane, who will play her final performance on March 22.

Based on the novel by Gregory Maguire, Wicked has music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, and a book by Winnie Holzman. It is directed by Joe Mantello, with musical staging by Wayne Cilento. Wicked had its world premiere in San Francisco in 2003 before moving to Broadway.

Duke made her Broadway debut as Helen Keller in The Miracle Worker, for which she received a Theatre World Award. She recreated that role in the film version, which earned her an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Her other Broadway appearances were in the short-lived 1962 play Isle of Children and the 2002 revival of Oklahoma!, in which she played Aunt Eller. Duke’s many television and film credits include The Patty Duke Show, Valley of the Dolls, My Sweet Charlie, and It Takes Two.

The current cast also includes Teal Wicks (Elphaba), Kendra Kassebaum (Glinda), David Garrison (The Wizard), Nicolas Dromard (Fiyero), Tom Flynn (Dr. Dillamond), Deedee Magno Hall (Nessarose), and Eddy Rioseco (Boq).

For more information, visit www.wickedthemusical.com.

For TheaterMania’s interview with Gregory Maguire, who penned the novel of Wicked, click here.