Broadway's Wicked Will Welcome a New Boq

Jake Pedersen, recently seen in the Tony-winning revival of Parade, will join the Broadway company of the international hit musical Wicked beginning August 14 at the Gershwin Theatre.

Pedersen, also seen in the national tour of Escape to Margaritaville, will step into the role of Boq, a part he played in the Wicked tour. The actor is set to succeed Michael Wartella, who will play his final performance August 12.

The Broadway company currently features Alyssa Fox as Elphaba, McKenzie Kurtz as Glinda, Jordan Litz as Fiyero, John Dossett as The Wizard, Tony winner Michele Pawk as Madame Morrible, Kimber Elayne Sprawl as Nessarose, and William Youmans as Doctor Dillamond.

READ: Alyssa Fox and McKenzie Kurtz Starred in Frozen Together, Now They've Reunited in Wicked

Wicked began previews on Broadway October 8, 2003, with an official opening October 30. The original cast included Tony winners Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth as, respectively, the green-faced, misunderstood Elphaba and the curly-locked Glinda. It is now the fourth-longest running production in Broadway history.

READ: 11 Elphabas Reflect on Playing Broadway's Not-So-Wicked Witch

Wicked, with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman, is based on the novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire.

The Joe Mantello-helmed production features musical staging by Wayne Cilento, scenic design by Eugene Lee, costume design by Susan Hilferty, lighting design by Kenneth Posner, sound design by Tony Meola, projections by Elaine J. McCarthy, wig and hair design by Tom Watson, music supervision and arrangements by Stephen Oremus, orchestrations by William David Brohn, and dance arrangements by James Lynn Abbott. Casting is by the Telsey Office.

Wicked won 2004 Tony Awards for Best Actress in a Musical (Menzel), Best Costume Design (Hilferty), and Best Scenic Design (Lee).

The musical, which reopened on Broadway September 14, 2021, following the pandemic shutdown, is produced by Marc Platt, Universal Stage Productions, The Araca Group, Jon B. Platt, and David Stone.