‘Wicked’ Tour Reloads Cast with Patti Murin, Cliffton Hall, Kim Zimmer

The North American touring version of “Wicked” soon will receive some cast shake-ups, and will welcome Patti Murin, Kim Zimmer and Cliffton Hall to the ensemble.

Murin will take on the role of Glinda starting August 21 and is perhaps best known from her recent work as the title character on Broadway’s “Lysistrata Jones.” She originated that role Off-Broadway, and was also seen on Broadway in “Xanadu.” Most recently, she played the role of Roxie Hart in the Muny’s production of “Chicago.”

Zimmer and Hall will both join the production on August 14 when the tour is in Salt Lake City, Utah. Zimmer will fill the role of Madame Morrible, while Hall will play Fiyero.

Zimmer is a four-time Emmy winner for her role as Reva Shayne on “Guiding Light,” which she began in 1983 and filled until the show’s end in 2009 though she was on hiatus from the show from 1990-1995. She has appeared in a number of Off-Broadway and regional work, and has also guest starred on shows including “Seinfeld,” “MacGuyver” and “Designing Women.”

Hall is familiar with the role of Fiyero after playing it in the San Francisco version of the musical. His Broadway credits include “Les Miserables” and “Miss Saigon.”

The touring version of “Wicked” is already playing in Salt Lake City at the Capitol Theatre, and is scheduled to remain there until August 26. After that, the show will move to Las Vegas and Montreal.

“Wicked” is based on the 1995 novel “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West,” by Gregory Maguire and features music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman. Producers describe the extremely popular musical as follows:

Long before Dorothy drops in, two other girls meet in the land of Oz. One – born with emerald green skin – is smart, fiery and misunderstood. The other is beautiful, ambitious and very popular. “Wicked” tells the story of their remarkable odyssey, how these two unlikely friends grow to become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good.