Durack, Harrison win coveted roles

Lucy Durack and Amanda Harrison have won the prize roles of Glinda and Elphaba in the forthcoming Australian premiere production of Wicked, which opens at Melbourne's Regent Theatre in July.

There's been months of speculation over who would be cast in the coveted female roles, but in the end the creative team held back on any surprises, with both Durack and Harrison considered as favourites throughout the audition process.

Speaking to AussieTheatre.com from New York, Wicked co-producer John Frost said he was thrilled with the casting."There were other options, but you could see these two girls were the ones shining through during the audition process," Frost said."The great thing was that while people were talking about Lucy and Amanda for some time, the American creative team had not had a lot to do with them and hence the girls got the roles on their own merits and talents."Frost confirmed that due to the demanding nature of the show, there would be a "stand by" Glinda and Elphaba cast as well as general understudies.He also said the roles of Boq, Fiyero and The Wizard were yet to be cast.

A Helpmann Award winner, Harrison has appeared in countless major musicals, including We Will Rock You, Leader Of The Pack and Aspects Of Love.Durack has most recently been seen in the Australian tour of Respect and has previously appeared in Mamma Mia! and a host of shows for The Production Company, including 42nd Street last year.Durack said securing the role of Glinda, originated on Broadway by Kristin Chenoweth, was a dream come true."If somebody said to me I could only play one role for the rest of my life, I would choose this hands down," she told the Seven Network.

Aussietheatre.com