Former Eastenders actor Aaron Sidwell amongst cast for Wicked at Sunderland Empire

The actor, who played Steven Beale in the hit soap, will play Fiyero in a forthcoming tour of Wicked, which runs at the Empire from September 6 to 29, 2018.

He will be joined by Amy Ross as Elphaba and Helen Woolf as Glinda, with Steven Pinder as The Wizard and Doctor Dillamond and Kim Ismay as Madame Morrible.

Amy Ross (Elphaba) has most recently been starring as Nicola in the hit musical Kinky Boots in the West End. She previously appeared in Sunny Afternoon, playing Joyce, at both the Hampstead Theatre and in the West End.

Helen Woolf (Glinda) has most recently been appearing in the London production of Wicked and was also part of the original 2013 UK & Ireland Tour company.

Meanwhile, Steven, who joined the Wicked tour in 2014 and also appeared on the international tour, is best remembered for playing Max Farnham in Brookside.

One of the most successful productions in the Empire’s history, Wicked was previously seen by more than 56,000 people during its celebrated North East debut in March/April 2015.

Sunderland Empire general manager Ben Phillips said: “We look forward to welcoming the new cast when the global phenomenon Wicked flies back to our theatre in 2018.

“Audiences were left spellbound in 2015 by this spectacular multi-award winning production, which remains one of the most successful productions in our venue’s history.”

Tickets are available from the Ticket Centre on 0844 871 3022.