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Post by mattnyc on Mar 8, 2023 11:19:02 GMT
I can see that but I’ve seen some American actresses playing Glinda over the years, who were on par with Lucy’s characterization, so I didn’t really notice. But now it’s something I’ll always be on the lookout for
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Post by Being Alive on Mar 8, 2023 11:22:09 GMT
Nothing more awkward than a Glinda who isn’t funny I think we are so used in London to Glindas not being funny that I'm never surprised when they don't get any real laughs
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Post by deej4life on Mar 8, 2023 12:22:25 GMT
I was shocked when I saw the show on Broadway and realised how funny Glinda can actually be throughout the show? Amanda Jane Cooper had me in hysterics throughout. It's a pity UK Glindas aren't allowed to reach those same heights.
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Post by candela on Mar 8, 2023 12:35:48 GMT
I was the same when i saw Ryan as Fiyero, something just didn't click for me. Who are his u/s now for this contract (going to try and see it when he on holiday)
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Post by aingidh on Mar 8, 2023 12:53:10 GMT
I was the same when i saw Ryan as Fiyero, something just didn't click for me. Who are his u/s now for this contract (going to try and see it when he on holiday) Ross Harmon and Fergus Dale
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Post by WireHangers on Mar 8, 2023 17:52:52 GMT
I was shocked when I saw the show on Broadway and realised how funny Glinda can actually be throughout the show? Amanda Jane Cooper had me in hysterics throughout. It's a pity UK Glindas aren't allowed to reach those same heights. To be fair, I think the American Glindas are the only ones who are funny because the Australian ones aren’t. They also go for the campy valley girl and use American accents. The accents work fine but the characterisation doesn’t.
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Post by dancingthroughlife on Mar 8, 2023 18:04:26 GMT
Long time lurker, first time poster Funny how opinions diverge! Personally, from the videos I've seen online, I've always found US Glindas to be a bit just... too much. "Popular" in particular is too over the top, too ditzy. While the few (only four) times I've seen it in London, I definitely appreaciated a more "grounded" approach to Glinda... while still thinking the jokes landed.
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Post by blake on Mar 9, 2023 19:09:18 GMT
I just went to see the matinee yesterday after seeing it 4 times in the US over the last 20 years... yikes. Alexia as Elphaba and Lucy as Glinda both had fantastic voices, but about zero chemistry together. And speaking of chemistry, the connection between Alexia and Ryan was somehow even worse. And his voice... No idea how he was cast for a role not anywhere close to his range or ability.
Reading the other comments here, I didn't realize you've had a history of boring Glindas, and it was so sad! It lacked all the charm that I'm used to. This felt more like a community production with two girls who can sing well, but nothing else was at the level of even the traveling shows I've seen before.
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Post by danb on Mar 9, 2023 19:56:44 GMT
It had two excellent Glindas in Louise Dearman & Gina Beck but the slide seems to have started after them. I can’t even remember who I saw opposite Lucie Jones, other than Ryan Reid’s plodding Fiyero, but it was very dull.
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Post by dancingthroughlife on Mar 9, 2023 20:21:54 GMT
Oh, I see. I hadn't seen the show since 2011 (with Louise), so I guess that explains it.
Last year, in a failed attempt to see Lucie Jones, I also didn't click with the show as much as I would have liked, but not because of Glinda...
I'm excited to give it another try and check out Alexia, if I can find the time to fly to London this year. But I also need to make sure I see a Fiyero U/S this time around and not Ryan.
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Post by starlight92 on Mar 9, 2023 20:52:36 GMT
I saw this again for Lucie's final show and thought Ryan was okay, he did seem to struggle a little with the big notes though. Anyone who's seen either of Ryan's understudies, how were they?
Also I don't know if it's just me, but even though Lucie and Ryan were both decent actors, I just didn't believe them that they were in love - I'm a sucker for romance but it felt a bit tacked on, like the writer thought that Elphaba needed a love interest, when the story would probably still work just as well with them just being close friends. So more of a criticism of the musical itself than the performances!
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Post by dancingthroughlife on Mar 9, 2023 21:55:09 GMT
Anyone who's seen either of Ryan's understudies, how were they? Fergus Dale was 2nd cover last year and - I believe - he's 1st Cover this year, so I'm also curious if anyone saw him the few times he was on a Fiyero.
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Post by kyvai on Mar 9, 2023 23:16:05 GMT
I think the Elphaba/Fiyero romance is also there to set up Elphaba and Glinda falling out, more so than just Glinda not being brave enough to rebel with Elphaba.
I went tonight to see the new cast, and I have to say I was VERY impressed. Best visit I’ve had in the past few years. Alexia and Lucy are both absolutely sublime vocally, I think they’re still settling in a bit maybe and both had the odd moment where something wasn’t quite perfect but overall - wowza. And I found their chemistry and relationship fine, even had a tiny tear in my eye in the last verse of For Good. And Lucy was definitely up there in Glindas for me. I thought she’d be too straight laced after seeing her Christine Daae, but no, she bought the fun too.
Ryan Reid, yeah, I liked him better today than before, but still, I think he just plays it too simple, there’s no twinkle in his eye, he’s a great dancer but his vocals are just ok. I also felt he looked about twice the age of every other student at Shiz from my closer up view from the second row today!
But I definitely rated the new leads and would recommend people to see the show again now, whereas last year I hesitated to do so after seeing lacklustre performances.
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Post by musicbox on Mar 9, 2023 23:52:45 GMT
I went tonight and honestly enjoyed it so much much more than when I seen it with Lucie - Alexia is very good!
Vocally she's on another level to Lucie to be honest, I kind of feel that producers have brought her back because she's a tried and tested safe pair of hands. I really liked how she plays Elphaba as well, she brings a soft a funny side out in her which makes you feel more empathy for her in the second act in my opinion.
I have to say I disagree that Lucy isn't funny, I thought she was pretty funny tonight and got quite a lot of laughs. The one area where I feel she fell short was in the vocal department - she just doesn't match Helen Woolfe for me!
The one irk I had tonight was the two women behind me who felt the need to very loudly talk about me being there alone when I sat down, calling me a 'weirdo'. I go to the theatre with last minute deals very often and honestly I feel sorry for anyone who doesn't realise how great it is!
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Post by danb on Mar 10, 2023 6:00:53 GMT
I went tonight and honestly enjoyed it so much much more than when I seen it with Lucie - Alexia is very good! Vocally she's on another level to Lucie to be honest, I kind of feel that producers have brought her back because she's a tried and tested safe pair of hands. I really liked how she plays Elphaba as well, she brings a soft a funny side out in her which makes you feel more empathy for her in the second act in my opinion. I have to say I disagree that Lucy isn't funny, I thought she was pretty funny tonight and got quite a lot of laughs. The one area where I feel she fell short was in the vocal department - she just doesn't match Helen Woolfe for me! The one irk I had tonight was the two women behind me who felt the need to very loudly talk about me being there alone when I sat down, calling me a 'weirdo'. I go to the theatre with last minute deals very often and honestly I feel sorry for anyone who doesn't realise how great it is! Oh I do hope you challenged them…I find the need to have someone sat with you when silently sitting in the dark for three hours wholly unnecessary. Their childish ignorance is entirely theirs! I’m not gonna miss something I want to see because I don’t have anyone to go with. I can normally drag my wife or son to most things but would rather save the money if they aren’t really bothered.
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Post by musicbox on Mar 10, 2023 11:09:23 GMT
I went tonight and honestly enjoyed it so much much more than when I seen it with Lucie - Alexia is very good! Vocally she's on another level to Lucie to be honest, I kind of feel that producers have brought her back because she's a tried and tested safe pair of hands. I really liked how she plays Elphaba as well, she brings a soft a funny side out in her which makes you feel more empathy for her in the second act in my opinion. I have to say I disagree that Lucy isn't funny, I thought she was pretty funny tonight and got quite a lot of laughs. The one area where I feel she fell short was in the vocal department - she just doesn't match Helen Woolfe for me! The one irk I had tonight was the two women behind me who felt the need to very loudly talk about me being there alone when I sat down, calling me a 'weirdo'. I go to the theatre with last minute deals very often and honestly I feel sorry for anyone who doesn't realise how great it is! Oh I do hope you challenged them…I find the need to have someone sat with you when silently sitting in the dark for three hours wholly unnecessary. Their childish ignorance is entirely theirs! I’m not gonna miss something I want to see because I don’t have anyone to go with. I can normally drag my wife or son to most things but would rather save the money if they aren’t really bothered. I'm the type to avoid confrontation at all costs so although I was annoyed I just ignored them and moved on, also there was a really lovely lady with her daughter next to me who made conversation and made me feel more easy. In the end I'm glad I did, as during the interval the two women were making comments about the weight of one of the lead actors, saying she needs to go the the gym and 'Eat less mars bars'...so I'd safely assume that they're maybe just not the nicest people to be honest!
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Post by strallenfan on Mar 10, 2023 11:17:52 GMT
It’s really lovely to see that Alexia is finally getting the praise she deserved in her first run! She was/is a phenomenal Elphaba who unfortunately got overshadowed by her predecessor and understudy.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Mar 10, 2023 11:19:00 GMT
Oh I do hope you challenged them…I find the need to have someone sat with you when silently sitting in the dark for three hours wholly unnecessary. Their childish ignorance is entirely theirs! I’m not gonna miss something I want to see because I don’t have anyone to go with. I can normally drag my wife or son to most things but would rather save the money if they aren’t really bothered. In the end I'm glad I did, as during the interval the two women were making comments about the weight of one of the lead actors, saying she needs to go the the gym and 'Eat less mars bars'...so I'd safely assume that they're maybe just not the nicest people to be honest! Sounds like there were an extra couple of witches in the house that night!
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Post by musicbox on Mar 10, 2023 11:26:38 GMT
In the end I'm glad I did, as during the interval the two women were making comments about the weight of one of the lead actors, saying she needs to go the the gym and 'Eat less mars bars'...so I'd safely assume that they're maybe just not the nicest people to be honest! Sounds like there were an extra couple of witches in the house that night! The lady next to me was obviously much braver...as when they said before it started 'Wait, does this have something to do with The Wizard of Oz?" she turned around and said "Well you're slow aren't you?" - it made my night to be honest!
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Post by isabel on Mar 10, 2023 12:57:56 GMT
I’ve been to see Wicked by myself many times.
I’m sorry you had those nasty ladies sat behind you
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Post by andrew on Mar 10, 2023 15:57:08 GMT
It’s really lovely to see that Alexia is finally getting the praise she deserved in her first run! She was/is a phenomenal Elphaba who unfortunately got overshadowed by her predecessor and understudy. Who was her understudy back in the day?
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Post by cezbear on Mar 10, 2023 16:05:02 GMT
It’s really lovely to see that Alexia is finally getting the praise she deserved in her first run! She was/is a phenomenal Elphaba who unfortunately got overshadowed by her predecessor and understudy. Who was her understudy back in the day? I want to say it was Ashleigh Gray though I'm sure I'll be quickly corrected if I've got that wrong. Though I can't imagine how Ashleigh would have overshadowed Alexia's performance, but then I have never totally understood how the die hards pick their chosen ones.
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Post by tom on Mar 10, 2023 16:07:34 GMT
Who was her understudy back in the day? I want to say it was Ashleigh Gray though I'm sure I'll be quickly corrected if I've got that wrong. Though I can't imagine how Ashleigh would have overshadowed Alexia's performance, but then I have never totally understood how the die hards pick their chosen ones. It's whoever lets them believe they are their best mates and whoever lets them buy them a microwave or bake them cupcakes!
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Post by strallenfan on Mar 10, 2023 19:45:20 GMT
Who was her understudy back in the day? I want to say it was Ashleigh Gray though I'm sure I'll be quickly corrected if I've got that wrong. Though I can't imagine how Ashleigh would have overshadowed Alexia's performance, but then I have never totally understood how the die hards pick their chosen ones. It was indeed Ashleigh. While completely competent, her portrayal wasn’t a patch on Alexia’s. But she had the standby effect - especially as at the time she also used to tweet when she was on standby and therefore was more accessible than Alexia. Alexia was so vastly different from both Ashleigh and Kerry and a lot of fans took that as a reason to dislike her. It was a bit of a joke if I’m honest.
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Post by shady23 on Mar 11, 2023 11:25:43 GMT
Nicola Espallardo is Elphaba for both shows today.
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Post by StageyBrum on Mar 11, 2023 11:32:14 GMT
Anyone who's seen either of Ryan's understudies, how were they? Fergus Dale was 2nd cover last year and - I believe - he's 1st Cover this year, so I'm also curious if anyone saw him the few times he was on a Fiyero. Fergus is still 2nd. Ross has come in as 1st. Although it’s likely that if Ryan was to go off anytime soon Fergus would probably be on. Very much like Nicola is going on today.
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Post by deej4life on Mar 11, 2023 12:03:54 GMT
Hopefully Alexia is doing okay and will be back soon. She really made an impression so far this week!
Of note, Amy Webb is absent once again. Luckily Nicola is a very consistent understudy.
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Post by thistimetomorrow on Mar 11, 2023 12:20:52 GMT
does the wicked box office reduce ticket prices if you go like 30 minutes before the show starts? Would love to see Nicola but don't particularly want to pay £35 to sit right at the back of the circle
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Post by theshez on Mar 11, 2023 13:51:34 GMT
It had two excellent Glindas in Louise Dearman & Gina Beck but the slide seems to have started after them. I can’t even remember who I saw opposite Lucie Jones, other than Ryan Reid’s plodding Fiyero, but it was very dull. . We saw Helen quite a few times and found her to be very funny with an amazing singing voice too. Apparently she is nation very funny jokey person and that come across. I agree with the view that the US actors are allowed to go further in deviation but I think Helen lands it perfectly without that.
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Post by theshez on Mar 11, 2023 13:57:46 GMT
I went tonight and honestly enjoyed it so much much more than when I seen it with Lucie - Alexia is very good! Vocally she's on another level to Lucie to be honest, I kind of feel that producers have brought her back because she's a tried and tested safe pair of hands. I really liked how she plays Elphaba as well, she brings a soft a funny side out in her which makes you feel more empathy for her in the second act in my opinion. I have to say I disagree that Lucy isn't funny, I thought she was pretty funny tonight and got quite a lot of laughs. The one area where I feel she fell short was in the vocal department - she just doesn't match Helen Woolfe for me! The one irk I had tonight was the two women behind me who felt the need to very loudly talk about me being there alone when I sat down, calling me a 'weirdo'. I go to the theatre with last minute deals very often and honestly I feel sorry for anyone who doesn't realise how great it is! . I think both Lucie and Alexa are great. Never found a performance lacklustre. Lucie for us is up there as she acts the part to well as well as that voice!
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