Dearman who played Glinda in Wicked to return as Elphaba

Louise Dearman, who played 'Glinda' in Wicked from March 2010 to December 2011, will return to star as 'Elphaba' from 29 October 2012.

This will be the the first time that a leading lady will have starred in both roles in the show.

Louise Dearman commented: "As an actress, you strive to challenge yourself to play as many diverse roles as possible throughout your career, and right now I feel like the luckiest girl in the history of musical theatre. I still can't quite believe that in two months' time I'll be back in Wicked, but this time I won't come and go by Bubble, I'll be on a broomstick!"

UK Executive Producer Michael McCabe said: "From her wonderful performance as Glinda, audiences already know that Louise possesses a stunning voice and remarkable acting abilities, so we are genuinely excited to now welcome her back to Wicked as Elphaba. We have all been awestruck by the way Louise has channelled her incredible talents to inhabit this iconic role, and I've no doubt that audiences will be equally thrilled".

Wicked opened at the Apollo Victoria Theatre 27 Sep 2006, following previews from 7 Sep, and has since been seen by almost 4.5 million people.

Based on the novel by Gregory Maguire, Wicked has music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, book by Winnie Holzman.

It is directed by Joe Mantello, scenic design by Eugene Lee, costumes by Susan Hilferty, lighting by Kenneth Posner, sound by Tony Meola, orchestrations by William David Brohn, musical staging by Wayne Cilento and is directed by Joe Mantello.

The cast currently includes Rachel Tucker (Elphaba) , Gina Beck (Glinda), Matt Willis (Fiyero), Keith Bartlett (The Wizard ),

Two girls meet in the land of Oz. One, born with emerald-green skin, is smart, feisty and misunderstood. The other is beautiful, ambitious and very, very popular. WICKED is the story of these two unlikely friends and how they end up as the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch.