Wicked
29th February 2009 at the Apollo Victoria Theatre, London
Cast
Elphaba … Ashleigh Gray (understudy)
Glinda the Good … Dianne Pilkington
Fiyero … Oliver Tompsett
Madame Morrible … Harriet Thorpe
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz … Desmond Barrit
Nessarose … Caroline Keiff
Boq … George Ure (understudy)
Dr. Dillamond/Frex … Andy Mace
Chistery … Matthew Boulton
I once had a great fondness for Wicked, though it has waned somewhat lately. I was initially introduced when my sister and I began to watch the excellent Pushing Daisies, and resulting research pointed on to Wicked, which actress Kristin Chenoweth had starred in (though in retrospect she was one of the most irritating thigns about said production). So when my sister paid for my ticket to see the show, I wasn't going to refuse.
One of the popular, new musicals, Wicked is certainly a very 'flashy' production, with a large Time Dragon attatched to the top of the stage, mainly for decoration, though it does move ocassionally, and outlandish costumes. Though my enthusiasm for the show has declined of late, I am glad to have seen it, as it introduced me to several excellent performers.
Ashleigh Gray, the understudy for the misunderstood Elphaba, was phenomenal, far exceeding the regular Kerry Ellis, whose affected American accent and shouty delivery made me glad I had come on a night she was not present. When 'The Wizard and I', Elphaba's first solo number, was performed, we knew we were in for a good show, and by 'Defying Gravity', we were certainly proved right, it was one of those rare 'hairso n the back of your neck' moments. Complimenting Elphaba is the ditzy Glinda, played by Dianne Pilkington, who made the easily unlikeable role genuinely sympathetic and entertaining, as did Oliver Tompsett as the love-interest Fiyero, who is not as dim as he seems. Both these characters in an American production would be played straight as high-school students, here they are sent up outlandishly, both rich layabouts who turn out to have hidden depths. The cast was rounded out by Harriet Thorpe as the pantomime villain Madame Morrible, understudy George Ure as the shy better-when-Scottish Boq, Caroline Keiff as Nessarose again bringing empathy to a potentially dislikeable role, Andy Mace as Dr. Dillamond, stealing every scene he appears in and last, but by no means least, the fantastic Desmond Barrit as the misguided Wizard, who I have spent many days trying to find in another production.
We would attend another performance lateri n the year, but it could not match this initial visit, which cemented the names of the performers in our minds and made us eager for more of them. While Wicked is an acquired taste, it is certainly one worth trying. If only they had recorded the soundtrack with this night's cast...
Theatre Notes
I once had a great fondness for Wicked, though it has waned somewhat lately. I was initially introduced when my sister and I began to watch the excellent Pushing Daisies, and resulting research pointed on to Wicked, which actress Kristin Chenoweth had starred in (though in retrospect she was one of the most irritating thigns about said production). So when my sister paid for my ticket to see the show, I wasn't going to refuse.
One of the popular, new musicals, Wicked is certainly a very 'flashy' production, with a large Time Dragon attatched to the top of the stage, mainly for decoration, though it does move ocassionally, and outlandish costumes. Though my enthusiasm for the show has declined of late, I am glad to have seen it, as it introduced me to several excellent performers.
Ashleigh Gray, the understudy for the misunderstood Elphaba, was phenomenal, far exceeding the regular Kerry Ellis, whose affected American accent and shouty delivery made me glad I had come on a night she was not present. When 'The Wizard and I', Elphaba's first solo number, was performed, we knew we were in for a good show, and by 'Defying Gravity', we were certainly proved right, it was one of those rare 'hairso n the back of your neck' moments. Complimenting Elphaba is the ditzy Glinda, played by Dianne Pilkington, who made the easily unlikeable role genuinely sympathetic and entertaining, as did Oliver Tompsett as the love-interest Fiyero, who is not as dim as he seems. Both these characters in an American production would be played straight as high-school students, here they are sent up outlandishly, both rich layabouts who turn out to have hidden depths. The cast was rounded out by Harriet Thorpe as the pantomime villain Madame Morrible, understudy George Ure as the shy better-when-Scottish Boq, Caroline Keiff as Nessarose again bringing empathy to a potentially dislikeable role, Andy Mace as Dr. Dillamond, stealing every scene he appears in and last, but by no means least, the fantastic Desmond Barrit as the misguided Wizard, who I have spent many days trying to find in another production.
We would attend another performance lateri n the year, but it could not match this initial visit, which cemented the names of the performers in our minds and made us eager for more of them. While Wicked is an acquired taste, it is certainly one worth trying. If only they had recorded the soundtrack with this night's cast...
Theatre Notes
- Andy Mace, George Ure, Caroline Keiff and Oliver Tompsett were in the original cast of the show and all performed as understudies at various points.
- Desmond Barrit had previously been nominated for an award for his performance as Pseudolus in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, which starred his successor to the role of the Wizard, Sam Kelly, as Senex.
No comments:
Post a Comment