Sebastian Arcelus: “Wicked” and beyond; young broadway actor’s career lifts off

Recently appearing in the musicals “Good Vibrations” and “Rent,” this young, up and coming Broadway star is now playing the role of Fiyero, a prince that meets and falls in love with Elphaba the Wicked Witch of the West, at Gershwin Theatre on Broadway in New York. Now, actor Sebastian Arcelus, who also played the same role during the first U.S. tour of the musical in 2006, has become just as popular as the smash Broadway musical he stars in. At one time, however, the New York City native can remember a time when he wasn’t so sure about what he would end up doing as a career, according to an May 2007 story published on Playbillnews.com.

“My big break was back in the third grade playing the third monkey in Horton Hears a Who,” Arcelus said. “I was always singing in high school and college, doing plays and musicals. It was one of those things where I never let myself think I could have that as a career, and I did have this real interest in politics, so I was kind of torn between two worlds. It’s kind of one of those cheesy, coming-of-age stories. The summer before my senior year in college I went with two of my buddies to Europe, and we spent our savings on a ten-week, ten-country backpacking trip, which, of course, was totally enlightening on so many different levels and cemented that creative and artistic pulse that was beating pretty hard in me.”

That pulse is what led him to try out for the role of Roger in “Rent” and Jan in “Good Vibrations.” His most notorious role thus far has been that of Fiyero in “Wicked,” and he told PlaybillNews.com that he found it not only an honor to be part of a show that celebrates women’s strength and soul, but also to play alongside the leading female characters in the musical - Kendra Kassebaum (Glinda) and Julia Murney (Elphaba).

“It’s a really rewarding role because I get to experience the show from two different perspectives through these two women, not to mention it is an absolute joy to work with Julia Murney [Elphaba] and Kendra Kassebaum [Glinda], who I’ve had the chance to work with on tour. We’ve brought our rapport into the show here. It’s been fun to experience it from taking what we had on the road and adjusting it to here.”

To score a pair of Wicked tickets, visit Stubhub.com.

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