Wicked casts its spell on Tauranga with major 2026 season

Tauranga Musical Theatre (TMT) has announced the cast for its hotly anticipated 2026 production of Wicked, presented by Barfoot and Thompson, bringing one of the world’s most beloved musicals to Baycourt Community and Arts Centre from 17 September to 3 October.

Based on the novel by Gregory Maguire, with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, Wicked reimagines the story of the witches of Oz before the arrival of Dorothy. At its heart is an unlikely friendship between two young women – the misunderstood but powerful Elphaba and popular, shimmering Galinda.

For TMT, the two principal roles will be performed by Ashleen Fahy as Elphaba and Morgan Kitching as Galinda, with Karla Lyford (Elphaba) and Claire Steel (Galinda) as alternates. In the role of Fiyero Fletcher Oxford, who returns home to Tauranga from performing over 1000 performances at Universal Studios, will lead with Keegan Millar as alternate. The alternates do four performances each.

In the other lead roles, The Wizard will be played by Tim Chiari, Madame Morrible by Marilyn Collins-Smith, Nessarose by Amy van Leeuwen and Boq by Aadit Tandon.

Renowned for its powerful storytelling, spectacular staging and unforgettable score featuring songs such as “Defying Gravity”, “The Wizard and I”, and “Popular,” Wicked has become a global phenomenon, seen by millions worldwide since its premiere.

Director David Adkins says, “This globally beloved and monumentally popular musical, made even more famous by the recent films, is a story about identity, friendship, acceptance of difference and challenging narratives. Almost 100 hopefuls auditioned for the TMT production and the standard was very high, meaning, we have a cast of the very highest calibre!”

The September TMT season is the company’s – and the city’s – most anticipated. Following celebrated seasons of Jersey Boys in 2025, Les Misérables in 2024 and Matilda – The Musical in 2023, the large-scale production of Wicked will once again showcase the depth of local talent both on stage and behind-the-scenes.

TMT President Keegan Millar says, “With all the excitement around Wicked right now, we are thrilled to bring this production to Tauranga audiences. It takes a village to get these incredible shows into Baycourt. We will see over 130 volunteers gift their time and energy to this performance across the cast, crew, orchestra and other teams. There is always a buzz and anticipation around our September flagship production and Wicked will be next-level.”

Tickets are on sale via Eventfinda.