Before all of you get your hopes up, there hasn't been an official confirmation from Stage Entertainment yet. However, a lot of info is showing up on actors' websites and told at the stage door, so I thought we'd have everything in the same place.

Elphaba: Willemijn Verkaik (source: her website)
Elphaba alt.: Roberta Valentini (source: her agency)

Glinda: Joana Fee Würz* (source: her agency and her website)
Glinda alt.: Valerie Link (this used to be on her official website but they took it down, presumably because no official announcement has been given yet. Valerie has however confirmed she was going.)

Fiyero: Mathias Edenborn (NOT OFFICIAL, told by him at the stagedoor)

Mme Morrible/Akaber: Barbara Raunegger (NOT OFFICIAL, stagedoor info)

Boq/Moq: ?

The Wizard/Der Zauberer: ?

Dr. Dillamond/Dillamonth: ?


Ensemble:
Bero Antunovic (swing, Fiyero u/s) !until May!
Helena Blöcker (Morrible u/s)
Christina Maria Brenner* (Morrible u/s) (source: European Musical Academy)
Vanessa Campbell
Heather Carino (currently swing)
Ben Cox (currently swing)
Melanie Gebhard (Elphaba u/s) (source: her website)
Rhys George (currently swing)
Kit Gresty
David Hardenberg* (source: his bio on a Dutch musical theatre's website)
Matt Jones* (Chistery)
Katrin Löbbert (currently swing and Glinda u/s)
Theano Makariou (currently Witch's Mother)
Carly Meyers*
Dashi Mitchell*
Janna Yngwe* (Nessa u/s) (source: Guildford School of Acting)
Carl van Wegberg* (swing, Fiyero u/s) (source: his fanclub) !from May!

* haven't done Wicked in Germany before.

Current members who have confirmed they were NOT going:
Lucy Scherer (Glinda)
Stephan Luethy (Boq)
Andrea Casati (ensemble, Boq u/s)
Stefan Poslovski (Witch's Father, Wizard and Dillamond u/s)
Barbara Schmid (swing)
Filippo Strocchi (ensemble, Fiyero u/s)
Maria Walter (ensemble, Elphaba u/s)
+
Jessica Lantto (ensemble, Morrible u/s), who hasn't actually said anything, but she left at cast change in Feb 2009 and returned only because Juliana de Aquino passed away. Since both ensemble + Morrible u/s positions have been taken, I think it's safe to assume she will not be going to Oberhausen.


Ensemble info is purely from the people themselves since most of them don't have an official website.


And some extra info.

Lucy Scherer will be playing Sarah in Tanz der Vampire in Stuttgart from the opening night until March 28, 2010. After that she's doing Lulu: das Musical in Innsbruck (Austria), a musical about one of Jack the Ripper's victims (don't ask ). The opening night for Lulu is May 15, 2010. Source: her website
Roberta Valentini will be doing a solo show in Munich (Germany) in February, Verlangen wir denn zuviel? and a special one-night-only performance with Leigh Martha Klinger on Valentine's Day. Source: Off-Broadway Musical Theatre in Munich
Maria Walter will be doing Tarzan in Hamburg. Not exactly sure as to when she's starting.

Thanks for posting this. I can't believe I may very well get to see Willemijn when I go! I know it's extremely early, but are there any guesses as to how long Willemijn/Roberta/Joana will be staying?

Nope, but I haven't heard of any plans for them to be doing anything else in the near future, so my guess is they're staying for an indefinite amount of time. I have no idea how long they plan on keeping Wicked in Oberhausen anyway.

edit: oh yeah, added some info about Roberta

You are very good to have around Thank you for this!

thanks for doing this. Have pinned the topic and will edit the first post when we have more information. Good work guys!!!

Why Mathias? Why? I was (still) wishful thinking about Filippo going lead xD

Hahahaha, no. Filippo's going back to Italy.

And you're welcome, guys. It's easier for me to have everything organized, too.

I really appreciate you putting this together! Has anyone seen Joana as a performer that can say how she is?

I haven't seen her personally, but I know she used to be an understudy for Ich in Rebecca, there are some clips floating around if you're interested.

Update: Matt Jones is joining the cast and will be playing Chistery, as well as Dashi Mitchell (probably ensemble "only"). I have NO idea who these people are , but other people apparently do and both of these guys have confirmed it themselves.

If Matt Jones is the new Chistery, that means the current one, Cosimo de Bartolomeo, will be leaving.

You just broke my heart in a ton of pieces =(

Janna Yngwe: ensemble and Nessa u/s (source: Guildford School of Acting)

Joana looks like she'll make a beautiful Glinda, I hope she acts the part as well as I'm sure she'll look it.

Carl van Wegberg will be joining the cast as swing and Fiyero u/s. source: his fanclub
He'll be starting with rehearsals late April and will then replace Bero Antunovic.

Mathias' contract for Oberhausen is apparently for 6 months only. I'm scared of who they'll bring next, lol.

I wish Mark would come back, lol.

You and me both.

Hey guys. Does anyone know the details of the first week in Oberhausen in regards to Willemijn performing? She obviously cant be in two places at once with the Best of Musical tour (9th-10th in Frankfurt) and Wicked (opening the 8th).

I'm guessing she'll play on the 8th and then go back to Frankfurt. In any case, as far as I know, Best of Musical is a priority for Stage Entertainment.

edit: these are only my asumptions, as far as I know, there's no official info yet

Hmm. Have they started selling tickets for the 8th anywhere yet? SE only is selling starting the 10th.

The official info about the cast:

Elphaba: Willemijn Verkaik
Glinda: Joana Fee Würz
Fiyero: Mathias Edenborn

Madame Akaber: Barbara Raunegger
Der Zauberer von Oz: Carlo Lauber

Nessa: Janine Tippl
Moq: Ben Darmanin
Dr. Dillamonth: Thomas Wissmann (official website)


A photo of the Oberhausen cast:




Top row: Bero Antunovic (Fiyero u/s), Rhys George, Ben Cox, Katrin Löbbert (Glinda u/s), Jonas Wahlin, Dirk Weiler (Frex, Dillamonth and Zauberer u/s), Melanie Gebhard (Elphaba u/s), James Cook (swing), Carly Meyers, Nuno Alzavedo, Robert Knorr (Moq u/s), Kit Gresty
Middle row: Lanie Sumalinog (Nessa u/s), Christina Maria Brenner (Akaber u/s), Theano Makariou, Belinda Jean Edwards, Heather Carino, Carlotta Bolognese, Helena Blöcker (Akaber u/s), Candy Marriott, Vanessa Campbell, Matt Jones (Chistery), Janna Yngwe (Nessa u/s), David Hardenberg (Moq u/s), Dashi Mitchell, Cosimo de Bartolomeo, Thomas Wissmann
Bottom row: Roberta Valentini (Elphaba alt.), Carlo Lauber, Barbara Raunegger, Willemijn Verkaik, Joana Fee Würz, Mathias Edenborn, Janine Tippl, Ben Darmanin, Valerie Link (Glinda alt.)

Petter Bjällo (Dillamonth and Zauberer u/s) is missing from the photo.

Things in italics haven't really been confirmed officially, but are rumoured to be true.



As for the tickets and dates: I have no idea. The tickets for the 8th and the 9th aren't being sold (yet), but tickets for the 5th are being sold as preview tickets (only telephonically, though afaik).

^^Great information. Thanks! I have tickets for BoM on the 10th, Wicked the 12th, Tanz der Vampire the 13th and WWRY the 14th.

I still have nightmares where I wake up in a cold sweat after dreaming about being locked eternally in an ongoing production of We Will Rock You

LOL I know that musical was an affront to your musical theatre senses...for the plot that was not BUT with Willemijn in the role, you would have enjoyed for performance at least! She "ROCKED" the Velodrome!

Not even Willemijn could make the source material anything but rubbish and she's totally wasted in that show.

Oh my! lol well that is unfortunate! I LOVE LOVE LOVE We Will Rock You. but everyone likes different things! especially when it comes to shows and performers

Willemijn will be playing Elphaba on the opening night in Oberhausen (Mar 8) and is then going back to finish Best of Musical in Frankfurt (Mar 9 and 10).

(btw, it seems the English version of the site hasn't been updated yet, only the German one)

^^Good news! Well at least i'll see her at the last show of BoM! Only to wait and see who will be on 11th-opening weekend!

More than a little annoyed that Stage Entertainment didn't have the same consideration for the final Stuttgart! Here I have critised Australian Wicked Co., for their mismanagement of our Elphaba crisis when SE seem to be in dire need of a calendar with LARGE FONT so they can clearly read dates!! Why not wait till BOM was finished to open, let alone the mess they created in changing the final Stuttgart dates! For those of us who traveled from overseas and within Europe...NOT fun in rearranging plans and tickets! I sympathise for those who booked to see Wicked and Willemijn for the dates she won't be there, and so not a fan of SE's lack of consideration but then they probably think it doesn't make a difference...it's the show not who is in the role. I approve of the fact they alternate the role so Elphaba stays vocally healthy BUT I'm more than pissed with productions that think it's fine to advertise a lead when they know they won't be on, and in our case for MONTHS on end!

Stage believes that the show is the star no matter who is playing the leading role; I disagree and I think shows like Best of Musicals and rehearsals for other productions of Wicked should not interrupt the show. The concert is advertising productions while the leads are absent doing the concert. Whilst I think the idea of Best of Musicals is a great one, I think shows need their leading ladies and gentlemen at the helm. I also understand that the Best of Musicals tour couldn't function without pulling leads out of long running shows to do it. Perhaps if Stage thinks the show is the star, they could send their understudies to Best of Musicals? However, in saying that not all leads are pulled and are performing in Best of Musicals. It just seems quite Wicked sensitive to us I think.