Teal Wicks

Teal Wicks (born September 8, 1982 in Sacramento, California) is an American singer and stage actress, who is best known for her performances as Elphaba in the Broadway, San Francisco, and Los Angeles productions of the musical ''Wicked'' and as Mary Barrie in the musical '' Finding Neverland''.

In 2013, Wicks played the role of Emma Carew, Dr. Jekyll's fiancée, in the 2013 Broadway revival of ''Jekyll & Hyde''. Wicks starred as Lady in ''The Cher Show'' at the Neil Simon Theatre on Broadway for the entirety of its run, from October 2018 to August 2019.

Education

Wicks attended Natomas High School in Sacramento, California. She graduated from UC Irvine in 2005 with a degree in Drama and Honors in Musical Theatre. She was active in the UCI Theatre program and had lead roles in productions including ''Chicago'', ''Hair'', and ''Cabaret''. She is also a member of Kappa Alpha Theta at UCI.

On May 12, 2011, Wicks was feted by the UCI Alumni Association along with other distinguished individuals during the 41st annual Lauds & Laurels ceremony held at the Hyatt Regency Irvine. She was conferred the honor of Distinguished Alumna of the Claire Trevor School of the Arts.

Wicks serves on the Advisory Board of the California State Summer School for the Arts.

''Wicked''

''Wicked'' in Los Angeles

Wicks was cast as the standby for Elphaba in the Los Angeles production of the musical ''Wicked'' during the fall of 2007, after six auditions for multiple roles with several ''Wicked'' productions. She officially took over the standby role on January 1, 2008, with her first performance taking place on January 9. On May 13, 2008, she was offered to take over the lead role of Elphaba from Caissie Levy in the Los Angeles production.

During her five months as Elphaba, she performed alongside Megan Hilty, Erin Mackey, and Emily Rozek as Glinda. Her final performance was on October 29, 2008; however, on that day, she left mid-performance after the train station scene because she was sick. As a result, Angel Reda, her understudy, took over for the remainder of the show. Original Los Angeles cast member Eden Espinosa replaced Wicks in the role on Halloween. ''Wicked'' Los Angeles closed on January 11, 2009, and was one of the most financially successful musicals in Los Angeles theatre history.

''Wicked'' in San Francisco

''Wicked'' co-creator Stephen Schwartz said in a 2009 interview that his team had assembled an "all-star line-up, in terms of people who have really done a good job and scored very well in their roles in these other cities" for the newly planned San Francisco production of ''Wicked''. Wicks was chosen to originate the role of Elphaba, and co-lead Kendra Kassebaum was chosen to originate the role of Glinda. The San Francisco production opened on February 6, 2009.

Reception

The San Francisco production of ''Wicked'' received critical acclaim from audiences.

The San Francisco Chronicle:

"This Sacramento native (Wicks) is dynamite in the talent department, with a soaring singing voice and a way of balancing her character's vulnerability and wickedness. It's the performance that really defines this particular production."

The Contra Costa Times:

"The cast, particularly Wicks and Kassebaum, is outstanding. The two leads are flat-out incredible, with voices that must be heard to be believed and acting chops that squeeze every bit of nuance out of the material created".

The San Francisco Examiner:

"Teal Wicks plays the role with incredible heart, showing with both subtlety and all-out emotion how the slighted girl born with green skin is simply misunderstood."

Further information

Wicks performed during the production with both Academy Award-winner Patty Duke and Emmy Award-winner Carol Kane, both as Madame Morrible. Wicks also performed alongside Natalie Daradich and Libby Servais (standbys) and Alexa Green (understudy) as Glinda. Wicks was on leave from the production from the end of March until early May 2009, during which the role was covered by Vicki Noon.

The ''Wicked'' San Francisco production was seen by nearly one million people during its first year, according to ''The Best of Broadway'', and averaged over $1.0 million in weekly grosses at the box office, according to ''Variety'' Magazine. ''Wicked'' was named "Musical of the Decade" during 2009 by ''Entertainment Weekly''.

Wicks played her final performance as Elphaba on February 28, 2010, after performing the role over 500 times during a two-year period between the Los Angeles and San Francisco productions. Eden Espinosa replaced her a second time, the first being in L.A.

Wicks' performance in San Francisco won her many fans and inspired the San Francisco-based ''Wicked'' fan group known as "the TWickies" (the name coming from "T.Wicks"). The TWickies were die-hard fans of Wicked in San Francisco even after Wicks' departure and remain loyal followers of her career today.

Wicks was chosen as the "Favorite Elphaba", among all the actresses who have played the role, in an online February 2010 poll with over 65,000 voters.

An online poll was conducted in December 2010 to vote for Who is the "Wicked" Personality of the Year. Wicks has been awarded after winning the poll with over 20,000 votes (42%), leading by almost 8,000 votes.

''Wicked'' on Broadway

On February 2, 2011, Wicks made her Broadway debut replacing Mandy Gonzalez