It's been a while since I was last transported
to the emerald green world of Oz. 7 years ago I saw it, fresh in the West End
when the leading lady was the original, wickedly talented, one and only
Adele Dazeem... sorry, Idina Menzel.
I absolutely intended to return to Oz, but
somehow never quite made it. There's always so much else I wanted to see, so
little time and the consistently high ticket prices played no small part in it.
Instead, Wicked came to me. At first, I was
unsure whether to see it; Tickets remained at the London prices but, thanks to
a friend, we got hold of incredibly reduced price tickets at the last minute
(without the cost of compromising on view! In fact, it was one of the best
views I've had at the WMC.)
Today's touring cast includes Nikki Davis-Jones
as Elphaba, Emily Tierney as Glinda and Liam Doyle as Fiyero.
Emily Tierney wasn't performing on this
occasion, however (the Olivier's had been
the night before, so maybe that's why) instead we saw her understudy Carina
Gillespie, who slid as easily into the role as if it was always her own. Taking
Carina's place as Nessarose was Natasha Ferguson, who seemed a little shaky to
begin with but quickly developed into her stride.
Nikki Davies-Jones I last saw as Maureen in
Rent, just about a year ago, and I can't help but draw parallels between her
character choices and Idina's. She was fabulous in both roles, bringing
completely different traits and emotions to each character, showing versatility
as an actor. She also gets to do a little more belting in this than Rent,
proving she can sing with the best of them as she tirelessly powers through,
never faltering. I'm not sure even Idina managed that....
When I saw Liam Doyle's name, at first I
wondered where I'd heard it. On reading the programme, it must have been when
he appeared in Swansea's pantomime 'Aladdin'
(http://m.youtube.com/watch?autoplay=1&v=cvKTAFhBhno
“now in 3d” – wasn’t theatre always in
3d?). Unfortunately, he seems too fond of that over-acted, large gestured,
thigh slapping acting style. Yes, you could argue there are elements of panto
about Wicked - the lavish costume, the fantastical story, the slapstick moments
- but there's a much cleverer story here, it's deeper than panto and needs to
be acted as such.
If you watch the above YouTube link, you may
also notice another name from the Wicked tour cast list - Zoe George, ensemble member
and Elphaba/Nessarose understudy - I'm singling her out from the ensemble as
she's a local girl who started here on the amdram circuit - most notably, I
recall, in the role of Belle with Cockett Amateur Operatic Society. I'm not
Swansea's biggest champion, especially when it comes to culture, but I do think
we can boast amateur dramatics of excellent quality to rival professional shows
and Zoe is a shining example of this.
Anyway, this leads me nicely on to the ensemble
as a whole, who were so in sync they could have been part of the clockwork of the
Time Dragon itself. There’s such slickness to every scene, every movement
clicks easily into place, allowing the next to flow seemingly organically. If
you study the movements of each individual, however, it's obvious that such
attention has gone into the choreography and direction, to create this seamless
impression of an ensemble moving as one entity. It's times like this where I
feel such massive respect for the ever so hardworking, often underrated
ensemble.
Apart from the cast, not
much has changed and I mean this well. Often touring versions are watery,
essence-of-original offerings but this was exactly as the London version,
bringing the same
show to
people who aren't able
to get to the West End.
An all-round enjoyable production that you
really don't want to miss (if you can beg, borrow or steal the cash from
somewhere to get there **disclaimer - Entr'acte Jac in no way condones stealing**)
Avoid if:- Green is so totally NOT your colour.
Recommended if:- you enjoy clever storytelling
alongside the catchy songs and pretty staging.
Wicked is currently defying gravity at Wales
Millennium Centre, Cardiff until Saturday 26th April, when it'll get swept away
to its next destination, The King's Glasgow. For information about future
venues or to book tickets please visit their official website www.wickedtour.co.uk
Side Note
I managed to dig out my old Wicked progamme from 2007, so thought I'd post the picture of the cast page of then and the cast page of now just out of potential intrigue:-
 |
| 2007 Original London Cast - Idina Menzel as Elphaba; Helen Dallimore as Glinda; Adam Garcia as Fiyero; Miriam Margoyles as Madame Morrible; Nigel Planer as the Wizard; Martin Ball as Dr Dillamond; James Gillan as Boq and Katie Rowley Jones as Nessarose (I do believe she's currently reprising the role in the West End now) |
 |
| 2014 UK Touring Cast - Nikki Davis-Jones as Elphaba; Emily Tierney as Glinda; Liam Doyle as Fiyero; Marilyn Cutts as Madame Morrible; Dale Rapley as the Wizard AND Dr Dillamond; Carina Gillespie as Nessarose and George Ure as Boq |
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