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Post by jacob on Jan 31, 2024 23:35:58 GMT
Laura is great, so pleased with her singing!! incredibly pristine, her NGD is really something. This cast is sonically the best I think I’ve heard, it’s just a shame that SO many of the jokes aren’t landing. I won’t single any cast out, but it’s the failed delivery every time makes it so much more frustrating. Some comedic moments are getting laughs but that’s just because it’s written that way. Unfortunately, there are tech mishaps quite often at the moment where set isn’t moving properly and requires a stage hand to ‘discreetly’ come onstage to fix it. Act 2 felt badly rushed at parts, but maybe that’s just the pacing of the show again. Wicked always makes me giggle because it IS a camp show, evident through pretty much everything. Some of the ensemble choices are over the top and so engaging, I just wish that that was matched (to some extent) by the leading ladies : )
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Post by deej4life on Feb 2, 2024 2:59:53 GMT
It's a shame that the reviews on this thread continue to indicate a lack of comedic timing from our lead Glinda. I was hoping it was perhaps first night nerves, but it seems the situation hasn't improved with two months time to settle in.
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Post by deej4life on Feb 3, 2024 18:42:37 GMT
James Gower-Smith is making his debut as The Wizard/Dr Dillamond tonight (3rd February, 2024).
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Post by deej4life on Feb 4, 2024 19:05:28 GMT
Conor O' Hara made his debut as Boq today. James Gower-Smith was on again as The Wizard/Dr Dillamond (4th February, 2024).
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Post by deej4life on Feb 9, 2024 18:00:36 GMT
Megan Gardiner was on as Glinda last night. Stephanie Lindo was on as Nessarose (8th February, 2024).
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Post by danb on Feb 9, 2024 18:20:37 GMT
I just can’t bring myself to shell out over £50 for a decent seat for this in Bristol; not with the merry go round of covers and a sub-par co-lead. Might just wait for a decent midweek single at some point.
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Post by littlefan on Feb 9, 2024 20:48:50 GMT
I just can’t bring myself to shell out over £50 for a decent seat for this in Bristol; not with the merry go round of covers and a sub-par co-lead. Might just wait for a decent midweek single at some point. If you can get tickets for a show when Megan is on for Glinda then I'd recommend it. She was brilliant, has a beautiful tone to her voice, and is funny too. |
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Post by jacob on Feb 10, 2024 20:36:10 GMT
I just can’t bring myself to shell out over £50 for a decent seat for this in Bristol; not with the merry go round of covers and a sub-par co-lead. Might just wait for a decent midweek single at some point. The odd one or two pop up for the upper circle at £30, but I feel it’s not worth it. Especially as I managed to get a second row seat last month for the same price, yet the minimum is now back to £60. So annoying !! I’m booked for a week today regardless so we’ll see who’s on then.. |
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Post by deej4life on Feb 13, 2024 20:56:06 GMT
Casey Al-Shaqsy is on as Elphaba tonight (13th February, 2024).
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Post by deej4life on Feb 14, 2024 20:32:14 GMT
Casey Al-Shaqsy is on as Elphaba for the evening show tonight (14th February, 2024).
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Post by deej4life on Feb 15, 2024 15:08:49 GMT
Megan Gardiner is on as Glinda for the matinee today today, Stephanie Lindo is on as Nessarose (15th February, 2024).
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Post by deej4life on Feb 16, 2024 17:15:46 GMT
Julie Cloke is making her debut as Madame Morrible tonight (16th February, 2024).
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Post by jacob on Feb 17, 2024 23:09:27 GMT
okay .. maybe I revoke my comments from earlier 🫣
The cast was on TOP FORM tonight. This is possibly the best sounding UK cast I’ve heard yet. Laura is just STELLAR! Riffs in all the right places and her tone is phenomenal. SO clear. A long audience cheer after TWAI which was well deserved. Sarah seemed much bubblier too which I’m quite happy about! They’ve all settled in very well for the Bristol run and I’m looking forward to being back soon. Donna as MM as well is brilliant casting, I loved her very menacing portrayal.!!
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Post by deej4life on Feb 18, 2024 13:50:09 GMT
Really happy to hear that the cast have settled in more and improved as the tour has progressed. I'll be seeing them again in Dublin, so it will be interesting to see them at that stage of the tour!
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Post by ntherooh on Feb 18, 2024 14:27:53 GMT
Wicked isnt selling very well in the West End lately is it? Or has it been like this for a while? Ofcourse it’s a barn of a theatre, but some nights it’s almost half empty.
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Post by theatrefan62 on Feb 18, 2024 14:38:46 GMT
Wicked isnt selling very well in the West End lately is it? Or has it been like this for a while? Ofcourse it’s a barn of a theatre, but some nights it’s almost half empty. It's been like that for a long time. It was half empty when I last saw it 12+ years ago. Survives on weekend performances |
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Post by flyingsolo on Feb 27, 2024 3:07:05 GMT
Saw the tour last week and this was definitely my best time at Wicked in a long while! Sarah really surprised me!! I liked her way more than I thought I would. Her voice is still quite weak for Glinda standards however it's very pretty, and her Popular, though not very much played for laughs, is very enjoyable and flows well. Laura is amazing, giving a very clean vocal performance with some nice riffs that she wasn't allowed to do in London, but not over the top! Carl is just the best Fiyero Wicked UK has seen in YEARS!! So charismatic..
The rest of the cast is very strong as well, with Donna Berlin as Madame Morrible as a standout. A few awkward spots during Shiz where she was a little late with lines but loved her acting! Daniel Hope (temporarily covering for the injured Jed Berry) made for a very cute Boq, and it was fun to see him return to the show after 8 years.
The orchestra is VERY powerful (and the drummer is absolutely smashing it), and they seem to have fixed the tempo as they're not rushing through Defying Gravity anymore. ALAYM and For Good definitely felt very slow though, and the whole of Act 2 generally felt just a tiny bit more messy/less rehearsed compared to Act 1, not just in the orchestra but also in the performances on stage.
Some other things I noted was how the set piece with the roman numerals are fixed and don't leave the stage, and that the walls in the back fly in instead of enter from the wings (they're also a different design). Also the curtain rises early in the Act 2 Opener. An awkward change I found was in the Engagement Ball scene between WWOTE and Wonderful where instead of Fiyero and Glinda dancing alongside fellow attendees, they were being escorted by the guards doing some awkward choreo, with the orchestra having added marching drums to the transition music. Weird. It was funny to see Chistery holding up the Grimmerie for Elphaba in NGD though. Definitely the most different production compared to the original Broadway production it's based on..
Overall I'd give this production a 4/5. It's VERY solid with strong, fresh performances (Something London needs to allow again by loosening up on their cast). If they can fix the issues in Act 2 I'd actually give this a 5/5.
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Post by westendgirls on Mar 3, 2024 0:38:38 GMT
Wicked isnt selling very well in the West End lately is it? Or has it been like this for a while? Ofcourse it’s a barn of a theatre, but some nights it’s almost half empty. It's been like that for a long time. It was half empty when I last saw it 12+ years ago. Survives on weekend performances I was there tonight (Saturday) and was surprised how empty it was. We got rush tickets for about a quarter of the price they should have been if bought at full price |
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Post by drowseychap on Mar 3, 2024 2:51:58 GMT
I’ve not seen this for a few years after seeing you tube clips of the Hamburg production and Brazil I think it looks and feels dated compared to them wish it would have a refresh
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Post by aingidh on Mar 7, 2024 12:54:21 GMT
Maddison Firth (1st cover Elphaba) and Lydia Gerrard (2nd cover Glinda) both make their debuts today
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Post by StageyBrum on Mar 7, 2024 13:39:54 GMT
Maddison Firth (1st cover Elphaba) and Lydia Gerrard (2nd cover Glinda) both make their debuts today 😠missed it by a show. Was there last night at media night and the cast were on fire. I’m assuming these are scheduled performances. |
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Post by deej4life on Mar 7, 2024 14:26:22 GMT
So jealous of anyone seeing either of the shows today! Maddison will be Elphaba for the matinee and Lydia will be Glinda for the evening show.
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Post by danb on Mar 7, 2024 18:43:28 GMT
I hope Maddison smashed it! I’m quite sure she would have done. A really great and versatile MT actress imho.
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Post by StageyBrum on Mar 8, 2024 10:07:45 GMT
I hope Maddison smashed it! I’m quite sure she would have done. A really great and versatile MT actress imho. Had a couple of friends in who saw her and they said she was sensational. I was hoping something to listen to might pop up somewhere if you get my drift but know this tends to be quite unlikely on tour. I know it was ages before any of Casey’s shows rocked up on YT. |
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Post by danb on Mar 8, 2024 10:38:20 GMT
I hope Maddison smashed it! I’m quite sure she would have done. A really great and versatile MT actress imho. Had a couple of friends in who saw her and they said she was sensational. I was hoping something to listen to might pop up somewhere if you get my drift but know this tends to be quite unlikely on tour. I know it was ages before any of Casey’s shows rocked up on YT. Just the bows so far. |
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