36 posts
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Post by hamiltonstradition on Jul 22, 2019 23:06:43 GMT
AMAZING SHOW. Nikki had a softness to her Elphaba that was a very nice contrast over the more aggressive Alice. Helen was an absolute dream as Glinda!!
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Post by isabel on Jul 22, 2019 23:16:37 GMT
AMAZING SHOW. Nikki had a softness to her Elphaba that was a very nice contrast over the more aggressive Alice. Helen was an absolute dream as Glinda!! Is Helen funny ? |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 23, 2019 5:36:34 GMT
isabel Oh yes. I saw her on tour 3 times and she got funnier every time I saw her.
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344 posts
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Post by sophizoey on Jul 23, 2019 6:58:00 GMT
I'm going to keep those simple, I made it very clear in the tour thread I adore Nikki and Helen together. Helen always was just as close to a perfect Glinda as one could get. Despite being 6 months since Nikki played the role, 4 weeks of actual rehearsals took someone who was already an incredible Elphaba to someone who is a force on just her first show in the West End.
A few thoughts on our new Fiyero. He plays the most childish Fiyero ever. I can only describe as that one bratty but endearing only child in your class at school. Once he's had a chance to catch up with the fact his two leading ladies have already performed the show together for over a year with a (mediocre) different Fiyero, he will no doubt be a loved Fiyero. Alastair and Nikki might just have one of the best ALAYM I've ever heard, and I'm a huge critic of that song because it's my favourite in the show.
Natasha is the cutest Nessarose I've ever seen and while I haven't seen Carina yet, I think I will find myself wishing she wasn't just maternity cover.
Our favourite show about witches is in good hands for another year.
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Post by isabel on Jul 23, 2019 9:14:30 GMT
Would be good to have a funny Glinda again, as Sophie was as unfunny as you could get imo.
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540 posts
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Post by WireHangers on Jul 23, 2019 10:02:20 GMT
The new cast seem to be exceptionally white.
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299 posts
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Post by bengal73 on Jul 23, 2019 11:27:56 GMT
The new cast seem to be exceptionally white. There's definitely one green cast member |
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540 posts
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Post by WireHangers on Jul 23, 2019 12:21:16 GMT
The new cast seem to be exceptionally white. There's definitely one green cast member Also a goat. I suppose I spoke too soon... |
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116 posts
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Post by tcodd1 on Jul 24, 2019 22:10:38 GMT
Saw the show tonight after successfully grabbing Row D stalls tickets in the TodayTix Daily Dozen, and my goodness was it worth it!
It was my 36th (I think!) visit to Wicked in London and to be honest, I was hesitant. The last time I saw the show was in December, with Alice and Sophie. Unfortunately, after seeing the show so many times, that was the first time I’ve ever left the Apollo Victoria feeling highly underwhelmed. Everything fell a bit flat - the cast seemed tired, the sound was abysmal and the audience were very quiet. I was SO glad when they announced the new cast as it was a chance for the show to be ‘refreshed’ - and boy it has been!!
Unlike last time, tonight I left the theatre BUZZING! And it wasn’t solely down to Helen and Nikki (more on them later) but the whole experience. The cast seemed energised (understandably as it is so early on in the run), the sound was spot on and the audience - pretty much full in the stalls - were lapping it up!!
Helen - oh my goodness! She was fantastic- alongside Louise Dearman as one of my favourite Glindas! Her acting throughout the whole show was incredible - I couldn’t take my eyes off her! She isn’t the loudest Glinda vocally but her tone was delightful. To top it all, she was funny and had the audience in stitches throughout Popular!
Nikki - for me, her characterisation was spot on. What impressed me most was that her Elphaba obviously went on a journey throughout the show. Many Elphabas I’ve seen recently don’t seem to develop and grow as explicitly as she did. She held back during the opening Shiz scene, showing a naivety and vulnerability that I’ve not seen in Elphaba before. As the first act progressed, she visibly transformed into a powerful, unstoppable force!! By act 2, her Elphaba had matured greatly and you could really see the fierceness shine through. On hearing audios, I thought Nikki was likely to riff in the ‘big 3’ songs. There were no riffs at all, but she simply had the biggest belt I have heard on that stage in a while. She was so loud, so assured, so powerful - it took my breath away! For me, having no riffs, although unexpected, heightened the performance and proved that vocal acrobatics do not necessarily produce a ‘stronger’ Elphaba. Wow!!
Alistair was a very likeable Fiyero - one of the best I’ve seen. It was slightly obvious that he still needs time to settle - of course, he has plenty of time! His voice is beautiful (as shown in Miss Saigon) and it was interesting to see his portrayal. He couldn’t keep his hands off Nikki in ALAYM...
Kim is up there as one of my favourite Morribles- she is so typically British! Her delivery is spot on and her facial expressions (even when in the background) were priceless. She is one evil Morrible!!
The remaining principals and ensemble were equally great. To me, Idriss has calmed down the campness since his last run and, unlike when I saw him last, he did seem more interested in Glinda than Fiyero (only my opinion of course!!)
There does have to be a mention of Natasha who exceeded my expectations as Nessa. Right up there as my favourite! She deserves to play the role permanently - not just as maternity cover!!
If you were having doubts about seeing the new cast in action, don’t! My love of Wicked has returned, and I’m excited to book again for later in the run to see how the cast have developed and continued to improve. Who knows, they could be my #1 cast - I never thought I’d be saying that! 💚
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Post by musical19 on Jul 25, 2019 20:15:54 GMT
The new cast seem to be exceptionally white. Especially Boq. |
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540 posts
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Post by WireHangers on Jul 25, 2019 21:45:35 GMT
The new cast seem to be exceptionally white. Especially Boq. Wow. A black Boq?! One black principal? Give them the Nobel Peace Prize. How silly am I?! I feel so foolish. Lololololol.... There’s 36 cast members. 32 of them are white. |
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Post by danb on Jul 26, 2019 6:05:18 GMT
Wow. A black Boq?! One black principal? Give them the Nobel Peace Prize. How silly am I?! I feel so foolish. Lololololol.... There’s 36 cast members. 32 of them are white. Totally valid point, but it’s so much bigger than a snarky exchange on a message board. What percentage of its audience are POC? What percentage of its investors/producers are POC? The creative process doesn’t start and end with casting. That’s just the visible side of it. |
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Post by xanady on Jul 26, 2019 6:12:54 GMT
Those of us who saw the tour and raved about the leads now really pleased that the WE gets to see what everyone was talking about...best G and E,I have ever seen personally.
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1,210 posts
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Post by musicalmarge on Jul 26, 2019 10:13:06 GMT
Wow. A black Boq?! One black principal? Give them the Nobel Peace Prize. How silly am I?! I feel so foolish. Lololololol.... There’s 36 cast members. 32 of them are white. Actually one of them is green. #justsaying |
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4,361 posts
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Post by shady23 on Jul 26, 2019 14:35:01 GMT
One of them is silver too.
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Post by danb on Jul 26, 2019 16:02:58 GMT
...there’s even a cheeky ginger in there, although that may be a wig.
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431 posts
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Post by vickyg on Jul 26, 2019 20:15:38 GMT
My first ever no fly show tonight. They stopped the performance half way through Defying Gravity and held us in our seats for 10-15 mins before starting up with the no fly version which really is a bit weird. ‘Go get her she’s wicked’... okay well get her, she’s standing right there. But Nikki Bentley really is excellent, I just wish I’d seen her awesome voice with the added benefit of the amazing flying.
ETA: she has the best cackle I’ve heard in many Elphabas!
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Post by westended on Jul 26, 2019 21:38:50 GMT
It’s the first “no fly” show for Wicked London is 11 years !
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Post by Dawnstar on Jul 26, 2019 22:20:14 GMT
There’s 36 cast members. 32 of them are white. I make that about 89% white. The UK is about 87% white. So Wicked's casting is actually matching the UK demographic reasonably well. |
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Post by shady23 on Jul 26, 2019 22:38:36 GMT
We don't know who auditioned and we don't have any indication that those who were cast got there by anything other than talent alone.
As with all shows, I hope those of ALL backgrounds and nationalities feel there are no barriers to them auditioning.
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316 posts
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Post by martello736 on Jul 27, 2019 0:06:08 GMT
It’s the first “no fly” show for Wicked London is 11 years ! No, that definitely isn’t the case, Rachel Tucker had at least 3, Willemijn (I’m told) had one, Jenny had one, and most recently Emma Hatton had one on the 2015/16 cast’s press night as it made it into most of the reviews! |
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Post by singularsensation10 on Jul 27, 2019 7:40:20 GMT
It’s the first “no fly” show for Wicked London is 11 years ! No, that definitely isn’t the case, Rachel Tucker had at least 3, Willemijn (I’m told) had one, Jenny had one, and most recently Emma Hatton had one on the 2015/16 cast’s press night as it made it into most of the reviews! I’ve missed you and your incredible knowledge, Martello.x |
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Post by deej4life on Jul 27, 2019 11:29:18 GMT
There’s 36 cast members. 32 of them are white. I make that about 89% white. The UK is about 87% white. So Wicked's casting is actually matching the UK demographic reasonably well. I think this whole debate about race is ridiculous. If the most talented people for the role happen to be white, then they should be hired. Wicked does not bias their casting on race. It really is causing a fuss over nothing. |
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Post by musical19 on Jul 27, 2019 11:47:45 GMT
Who cares what colour you are.
When we had Alexia it was a disaster so let’s cast the right people for the role.
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4,361 posts
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Post by shady23 on Jul 27, 2019 11:52:37 GMT
Define "disaster".
I really liked her.
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