Lenny Wolpe

Lenny Wolpe (born 1951) is an American musical theatre actor who has appeared in Broadway musicals including Wicked and The Drowsy Chaperone.

Biography

Wolpe was born in Newburgh, New York. Wolpe majored in American history at George Washington University and was active in the university's theatre department. Upon graduation, Wolpe attended graduate school at the University of Minnesota to teach theatre.

Wolpe made his Broadway debut in Onward Victoria, which closed on opening night. Other Broadway appearances include Copperfield (Mr. Dick), Into the Light (Peter Vonn), and The Sound of Music (replacement for Max Dettweiler). While in a national tour of Little Shop of Horrors, Wolpe was asked to audition for The Drowsy Chaperone by producer Roy Miller, with whom he had worked at the Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey. Wolpe was cast as Feltzeig, a producer. Wolpe created the role of the Wizard in Wicked's original workshops in Los Angeles. Beginning July 10, 2007, he played the Wizard on Broadway. Wolpe played his final performance as the Wizard in the Broadway company on July 27, 2008 and was replaced by P.J. Benjamin. Wolpe recently reprised the role as The Wizard in the first US National Tour of Wicked, where he replaced Lee Wilkof. His run started on September 6, 2008 and ended exactly a year later. Wolpe was succeeded by Richard Kline.