Exclusive: First look at the new cast of Wicked

Wicked fans around the country will rejoicify this morning as thrillifying new images have been released offering an exclusive first look at the hit musical's new cast.

Alice Fearn (Elphaba) and Sophie Evans (Glinda) will take over as everyone's favourite witches from Monday 24 July 2017.

They will be joined by Bradley Jaden as Fiyero, Melanie La Barrie as Madame Morrible, Andy Hockley as The Wizard, Jack Lansbury as Boq and Laura Pick as standby Elphaba.

Continuing cast members include Martin Ball (Doctor Dillamond), Sarah McNicholas (Nessarose) and Carina Gillespie (standby Glinda).

Willemijn Verkaik, Suzie Mathers, Oliver Savile, Sue Kelvin, Mark Curry and Idriss Kargbo will all play their final performances this Saturday.

Stephen Schwartz's musical, which is now celebrating its 11th year in the West End, will also embark on a new UK and Ireland tour from 31 January 2018, visiting Bristol, Liverpool, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Leeds, Dublin, Sunderland, Southampton, Cardiff and Manchester.

Based on the best-selling novel by Gregory Maguire which re-imagines the stories and characters created by L. Frank Baum in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Wicked tells the untold story of an unlikely friendship between Glinda The Good and Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West. It has music and lyrics by Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman, and features the songs "Defying Gravity", "Popular" and "The Wizard and I".

Wicked is currently booking at the Apollo Victoria Theatre until 26 May 2018.

Book tickets to see the new cast of Wicked in action