We have an honourary onion blogging for this post, my wonderfully theatrical and Wicked obsessed friend, Katy. I am the very jealous friend she mentions because she got to see Mark Evans as Fiyero before me but since I got to see Idina Menzel as Elphaba I guess we're now even.
My obsession with wicked began, as many, with the soundtrack. Hearing songs like The Wizard and I, No Good Deed and of course the unbelievable Defying Gravity sang by the insatiable Idina Menzel it was hard to believe any other actress could do these songs justice. Then in February 2009 I saw Kerry Ellis perform as Elphaba in London, I was blown away and she instantly began, in my mind to challenge Idina for Elphaba’s crown. For 2 years Kerry was ‘my’ Elphaba until now....
I liked Rachel Tucker when she appeared on ‘I’d Do Anything’, she was by no means my favourite contestant but I liked her. When I heard she had won the role of Elphaba I was worried, was there any way she could be that good to take on such an iconic role?
I did the usual super fan research, listened to bad illegally recorded versions of Defying Gravity on YouTube and read mixed reviews of her portrayal. I watched and listened to a heavily cut adaptation of the iconic song when she performed on Dancing on Ice, I was impressed to a certain degree but unable still to decide (due to much of the song being omitted) if she was Elphaba...only time would tell.
Two months later and I sat nervously awaiting the curtain rise at a Wednesday matinee, 30th March 2011. Before my wonderings about Rachel could be solved there came Louise Dearman as Glinda. I had seen her the year before performing as Eva Peron in the UK tour of Evita, and although the two roles couldn’t be further away from each other I had no problems in envisaging Louise in the Glinda bubble.
My vision was almost like a prophecy...honestly.
I was immediately drawn into the story via Louise’s performance. Having already seen the show once before I wanted to look at it from a different viewpoint as much as was possible. I watched Louise throughout ‘No one mourns the wicked’ and the sheer pain and agony on her face as the ensemble bad mouthed her dearly departed best friend had me in tears less than five minutes into the performance.
Having had Louise captivate me as Glinda there was now only one thing I needed from this performance – A perfect Elphaba. Cue Rachel Tucker. Even before the first bars of ‘The Wizard and I’ fell upon my ears I was enthralled by her portrayal of my favourite character from a musical ever! Her opening outburst to the students of Shiz instantly showed her strength of character all the while letting the audience become aware of her insecurities in life. I couldn’t keep my eyes of her, much like Louise’s first entrance.
A girl who is so superior...superior indeed!
By the end of a spectacular rendition of ‘The Wizard and I’ (with Rachel riffs aplenty) I was simply desperate to discover if these two wonderful actress’s would possess the chemistry needed to make the roles their own. On my first visit to Wicked I saw standby Glinda Sarah Earnshaw alongside Kerry Ellis. Excellent as she was in my opinion there will always be less chemistry between a regular and a standby than both regular leads.
What is this feeling....could it possibly be perfection?
I didn’t have to wait long before finding out if my suspicions were to be found correct. From the opening lines of ‘What is this feeling’, I knew that here the casting directors of Wicked had stumbled upon a twosome that could well be as successful as the now infamous Idina and Kristin. The anger was there, the hatred and pure disgust of having to share a room with someone green, or someone blonde! In fact that one line ‘Blonde’ was the funniest I have ever heard it delivered (and I’ve watched a lot of poorly recorded videos on YouTube!)
I loved watching the relationship develop between these two characters, they never gave too much away and even though I know the story inside out I was excited at each twist and turn and the introduction of each new character.
Let’s go down to the Ozdust Ballroom
I had little knowledge of Mark Evans prior to seeing this production, only one very jealous friend as I was seeing him as Fiyero before her. I wasn’t sure what to expect as I had seen the great Oliver Thompsett perform the first time around. I had initially been excited when Lee Mead was given the role yet (again through scrupulous YouTube research) I was left disappointed. This was not to be the case with Mark Evans, he arrived (probably swoon worthy if I was that way inclined) in his cart and it was difficult not to fall in love with this lazy, brainless oaf. I have loved studying most of my life and yet here I was wondering why I had wasted much of my life doing it! His voice was faultless and dancing perfect and it was plain for all to see why Glinda was so obsessed with him instantly. He, as well as our two leading ladies gave little away about how his character would develop and in this instance was simply....simple...exactly the way he should be.
You’ll be Popular...just not quite as Popular as me!
Kristin Chenoweth had always, to me had the monopoly on ‘Popular’ performances. Not any more, Louise Dearman brought a whole new dimension to the song. Her fit of excitement when surveying her shoe collection made me laugh so loud people turned around to look at me. How Rachel sat two feet away from her managed to keep a straight face is beyond me! The song, and possibly character defining ‘toss toss’ was another belly laugh moment as Rachel’s Elphaba fell off the bed and onto the floor. This song actually made me fall further in love with Glinda, something that had never happened before with any other actress. Louise played it perfectly, excitedly and most of all comically with a hilarious face plant onto the bed to finish (Cue more stern looks from audience members as I guffawed behind my programme) It was to me now decided that there would definitely be nobody as ‘Popular’ as Louise Dearman!
So if you care to find me...Look to the Western skies
Since my realization early in the first act I had longed for this moment. It was time for ‘Defying Gravity’ I was literally gripping the back of the seat in front of me in pure excitement. The tension was built flawlessly by Tucker and Dearman and aided by a wonderfully evil performance from Julie Legrand (of Footballers Wives & Bad Girls fame) as Madame Morrible. My heart was practically beating out of my chest as I heard the words ‘Something has changed within me...’. Many hardcore Wicked fans have always lauded Kerry Ellis for her distinct way of performing this infamous song, numerous ones focusing on the growl leading into ‘Look to the Western skies’. Although Tucker’s performance was growl free let this take nothing away from the pure passion and power in her flawless voice. It has been argued in the past that previous London directors had been strict in making their actors stick impeccably to the score; this is most definitely no longer the case. The riffs that Rachel was singing throughout this number in my opinion were pure perfection and made the song, if possible, even better than I had ever heard it. Every note was faultlessly hit and I could barely keep my eyes off her as she flew above my head. The moment I had longed for most had been spectacular and was most definitely over too soon, as I walked to buy my interval ice cream my legs were like jelly and I was confident in the knowledge that I had just witnessed something very special indeed!
No one cries...They won’t return
This final heading could not be further from the truth. If I do not get to see Rachel and Louise perform as Elphaba and Glinda again I will most definitely cry. I may be shedding tears as we speak just thinking about it. The entire second act I willed to run so slow it would never end. I could have sat all day mesmerized by a faultless and undeniably talented cast. Zoe Rainey shone in a heart wrenching rendition of the often forgotten song ‘Wicked Witch Of The East’ – Why this song never made it onto the soundtrack is completely beyond me! Of course the moment I most looked forward to in this second act was the breathtaking ‘No Good Deed’. The song that shows the clear change that has occurred within Elphaba is for me the defining moment of the second act and I look forward to it with as much intense as ‘Defying Gravity’ in act one. Once again Rachel didn’t fail to amaze me, the riffs were stupendous and not for one moment did I feel she was holding anything back for the evening show as sometimes happens with matinees. I expected a special feeling during the second ‘Fiyero’ I certainly wasn’t expecting to feel as though I was being lifted out of my seat with the sheer power of a vocal riff – Rachel Tucker you never cease to amaze me and you ARE my favourite Elphaba.
The tears returned once again, as they always do from the first bars of ‘For Good’. They were of course helped along the way due to the fact this now meant the story was almost complete and I would have to return to reality leaving the wonders of Oz behind me until next time.
I cried for Elphaba, and for Glinda, and as I did at the opening of act one, watched the pain and anguish on her face as she was unable to mourn the loss of her best friend, knowing she would never see her again.
My time with the citizens of Oz had come to a close and I walked bleary eyed from the Apollo Victoria safe in the knowledge that sometime in the future I would see them again, and I would advise all other theatre goers to do the same. You cannot afford to miss this cast, they are too special! The chemistry between the two witches is nothing short of perfection and this coupled with an outstanding supporting cast serves for a magical production that should not be missed at all costs!
If you enjoyed reading Katy's review then make sure you follow her blog, The Wonders of my Brain - http://thewondersofkatysbrain.blogspot.com/
Wicked – March 30th 2011 (Matinee)
