Kristoffer Cusick (born March 29, 1974) is an American actor of stage, television and film. He has performed in such musicals as ''

Saturday Night Fever ''Saturday Night Fever'' is a 1977 American Dance in film, dance Drama (film and television), drama film directed by John Badham and produced by Robert Stigwood. It stars John Travolta as Tony Manero, a young Italian Americans, Italian-America ...

'', ''

Rent Rent may refer to: Economics *Renting, an agreement where a payment is made for the temporary use of a good, service or property *Economic rent, any payment in excess of the cost of production *Rent-seeking, attempting to increase one's share of e ...

'' and ''

Wicked Wicked may refer to: Books * ''Wicked'' (Maguire novel), a 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire that inspired the musical of the same name * ''Wicked'', a 1997 novel series collaboration between Australian children's authors Paul Jennings and Morris ...

''.

Career

Cusick originated the role of Kenny as well as swing for the character Gus in the original

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

cast of the musical ''

'' at the

Minskoff Theater The Minskoff Theatre is a Broadway theater on the third floor of the One Astor Plaza office building in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. Opened in 1973, it is operated by the Nederlander Organization a ...

. It opened on October 21, 1999, and closed on December 30, 2000. Cusick was in the

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

cast of ''Extraordinary Ordinary,'' which ran November 29-December 18, 2010 at the Clurman Theatre on Theatre Row. Cusick was also in the

American Conservatory Theater The American Conservatory Theater (ACT) is a nonprofit theater company in San Francisco, California, United States, that offers both classical and contemporary theater productions. It also has an attached acting school. History The American ...

cast of Armistead Maupin's ''

Tales of the City ''Tales of the City'' is a series of ten novels written by American author Armistead Maupin from 1978 to 2024, depicting the life of a group of friends in San Francisco, many of whom are LGBTQ. The stories from ''Tales'' were originally seri ...

'' which began previews on May 17 and closed on July 31, 2011, after three extensions. Cusick was a standby in the original

cast of Hands on a Hardbody. The production began previews on February 23, 2013, opened on March 21, 2013, and closed April 13. Cusick played Reggie/Aaron's Future Son/Edgy Rocker Guy in the

musical comedy '' First Date the Musical'' at the Longacre Theatre. The production began previews on July 9, 2013, opened on August 8, 2013, and closed on January 5, 2014. Cusick played a Guidance Counselor/Soldier as well as Lucas understudy in the award-winning

musical ''

If/Then ''If/Then'' is a musical with a libretto by Brian Yorkey and a theatrical score by Tom Kitt, directed by Michael Greif. It tells the story of a 38-year-old woman named Elizabeth who moves back to New York City for a fresh start. ''If/Then ...

'' from July 24, 2014, to September 14, 2014.

Wicked

Cusick was one of the original understudies for

Fiyero The Scarecrow is a character in the fictional Land of Oz created by American author L. Frank Baum and illustrator W.W. Denslow. In his first appearance, the Scarecrow reveals that he lacks a brain and desires above all else to have one. In realit ...

in the hit 2003 musical ''Wicked''. He performed the role of Fiyero on Broadway starting on November 25, 2003, and ending on December 22, 2003, while

Norbert Leo Butz Norbert Leo Butz (born January 30, 1967) is an American actor and singer known for his work in Broadway theatre. He is a two-time recipient of the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his performances in ''Dirty Rotten Scoundrels'' and '' ...

was on medical leave. Cusick was replaced by

Taye Diggs Scott Leo "Taye" Diggs (né Berry; born January 2, 1971) is an American actor. He is known for his roles in the Broadway musicals '' Rent'' and '' Hedwig and the Angry Inch'', the TV series '' Private Practice'' (2007–2013), '' Murder in ...

, who played the role the rest of the time Butz was away. He created the role of Fiyero in the sit-down Chicago production of ''

''. He left with

Elphaba Elphaba Thropp () is the protagonist of Gregory Maguire's 1995 novel '' Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West'', the novel's musical theatre adaptation, and the musical's two-part film adaptation, '' Wicked'' (2024) and '' ...

's Kristy Cates and Doctor Dillamond's

Timothy Britten Parker Timothy Britten Parker (born February 8, 1962), also known as Toby Parker, is an American actor. Background Parker was born in Iowa City, Iowa, the eldest son of Barbara (née Keck) and Stephen Parker. They divorced and his mother married Paul ...

on December 10, 2006. Cusick's replacement was ensemble member and Fiyero understudy Brad Bass. Cusick reprised the role of Fiyero in the Los Angeles production of ''

''. Cusick was replaced by Derrick Williams on May 13, 2008. Williams was the original Fiyero in the national tour, and played in Chicago and New York twice. While in the Los Angeles cast of ''Wicked'', he was credited as appearing in the ''

Ugly Betty ''Ugly Betty'' is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Silvio Horta, which aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from September 28, 2006, to April 14, 2010. It is based on the Colombian telenovela ''Yo soy Betty, la fea' ...

'' episode " Something Wicked This Way Comes", whose plot revolved partly around two main characters attending the show on a date. On June 3 he returned to Chicago to play Fiyero. He replaced Michael Seelbach who was an original Broadway cast ensemble member, and who also came to Chicago directly from the Broadway show. He remained with the production till its closure on January 25, 2009.

Filmography

Personal life

Cusick traveled around the world while working on a cruise ship, and spent a year in Tokyo while working for Tokyo Disneyland. Additionally, he has lived in New York City and Chicago. Cusick is openly gay.

References

External links

* *
Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cusick, Kristoffer American male musical theatre actors American male film actors American gay actors Living people 1974 births People from Lakewood, California Male actors from California