Wicked is getting a new Elphaba, and she’s about to make history: Lencia Kebede will be the first Black actress to assume the role full time in the Broadway company.
Kebede, who recently starred in the touring company of Hamilton, will join Wicked on Tuesday, March 4. She’ll play opposite Allie Trimm, who takes over as Glinda at the same time. Trimm was the Glinda standby from December 2021 through March 2024.
Departing the show are Mary Kate Morrisey (Elphaba) and Alexandra Socha (Glinda), who will play their final performances at the Gershwin Theatre on Sunday, March 2. Additional new principal casting will be announced in the coming weeks.
Broadway’s Wicked, always a strong box office presence since it debuted 21 years ago, has enjoyed a major resurgence in popularity since the release of the Wicked movie adaptation starring Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda. Last week, the production grossed a big $2,602,661, the only show on Broadway that week to top the $2 million mark.
Kebede, a first-generation Ethiopian-American, comes off five years in the Hamilton tour, most recently in the role of Angelica Schuyler. She also has toured nationally and internationally in Rent, and has sung backup for Beyoncé.
Trimm made her Broadway debut as Patrice in Jason Robert Brown’s 13: The Musical. She next starred as Kim MacAfee in the Broadway revival of Bye Bye Birdie. Her Off-Broadway credits include Evolution of Mann and Parade in Concert at Lincoln Center.
