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Post by singularsensation10 on Sept 4, 2024 14:01:40 GMT
The saddest thing is that we were all so excited for Lucie Jones to join as she was exactly what everyone had been wishing for for years - fresh blood, exciting casting, someone with a bit of a name in West End circles - and then she could barely turn up for work!! And that seems to have trickled down to the following cast with Alexia now seeming to be off a lot too. I despair! I agree London needs some fresh blood but Alexia is still regularly doing all 8 shows for a period of 6-9 weeks without going off. She recently had some time off to get married. Regardless of what you think of her performance, she is still a very consistent performer unless she is unwell or on holiday. |
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Post by katherinelesmis on Sept 4, 2024 17:02:58 GMT
The saddest thing is that we were all so excited for Lucie Jones to join as she was exactly what everyone had been wishing for for years - fresh blood, exciting casting, someone with a bit of a name in West End circles - and then she could barely turn up for work!! And that seems to have trickled down to the following cast with Alexia now seeming to be off a lot too. I despair! Was that really a Wicked thing, though? She did 6 months of Les Mis last year and she was off quite a lot, for a role that, while not easy, is vocally a lot less demanding than Elphaba. |
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Post by robertb213 on Sept 4, 2024 17:17:00 GMT
On an early episode of Amber Davies' podcast, Lucie was a guest and she discussed a few health issues that would have contributed to her attendance in Wicked. Worth a listen.
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Post by LaLuPone on Sept 4, 2024 21:36:40 GMT
The saddest thing is that we were all so excited for Lucie Jones to join as she was exactly what everyone had been wishing for for years - fresh blood, exciting casting, someone with a bit of a name in West End circles - and then she could barely turn up for work!! And that seems to have trickled down to the following cast with Alexia now seeming to be off a lot too. I despair! I agree London needs some fresh blood but Alexia is still regularly doing all 8 shows for a period of 6-9 weeks without going off. She recently had some time off to get married. Regardless of what you think of her performance, she is still a very consistent performer unless she is unwell or on holiday. Ah okay fair enough, I haven’t been following that closely to be fair. I thought a while back that people were saying she was off a lot (possibly around last Summer) and heard anecdotes of people going 3 times and missing her each time, but possibly that’s not representative of her attendance in general. And I really enjoyed her performance as Elphaba for what it’s worth. |
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Post by normasturban on Sept 4, 2024 21:41:23 GMT
A quick look at West End understudies Twitter would prove that Alexia is out plenty…
Not that it particularly matters as there’s far more pressing issues with Wicked UK.
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Post by greatauntedna on Sept 7, 2024 21:58:23 GMT
I saw it this afternoon for the first time. It just sort of happened, it felt inert for the most part. I liked the Wizard and Madame Morrible.
Is Doctor Dillamond meant to be likeable?
The ensemble made no impression.
I’d heard a few of the songs before. Going off No One Mourns the Wicked and… the show’s reputation, I was expecting a grand, Les Mis-style epic. But it was more like Hollyoaks.
It was good when the Wizard flicked the switch and the monkeys were revealed.
I liked Glinda and Elphaba, I liked the performance but didn’t get the arc of her character.
Fiyero was in it!
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Post by danb on Sept 8, 2024 6:12:22 GMT
Fiyero was in it![/quote]
Exactly! Fiyero should be charm personified and hotter than the sun.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Sept 8, 2024 9:16:23 GMT
Not that it particularly matters as there’s far more pressing issues with Wicked UK. Do you mean the issues we’re discussing or something else? |
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Post by normasturban on Sept 8, 2024 10:29:35 GMT
Not that it particularly matters as there’s far more pressing issues with Wicked UK. Do you mean the issues we’re discussing or something else? I just mean the whole show is in need of a firm hand to tighten things up (particularly with sound and direction) that it’s irrelevant who is actually on stage right now. I actually enjoy the show more with the standby/covers these days because they’re better than the leads. |
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Post by Dawnstar on Sept 8, 2024 11:45:11 GMT
Is Doctor Dillamond meant to be likeable? Yes, very much so. How on earth is he being played now if it's uncertain? (The last time I saw Wicked in London was in 2016 when the first London Dillamond, Martin Ball, was back in the show.) |
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Post by greatauntedna on Sept 8, 2024 11:51:39 GMT
Is Doctor Dillamond meant to be likeable? Yes, very much so. How on earth is he being played now if it's uncertain? (The last time I saw Wicked in London was in 2016 when the first London Dillamond, Martin Ball, was back in the show.) He seemed so depressed from the start, no charisma. |
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Post by Dawnstar on Sept 8, 2024 19:55:15 GMT
Yes, very much so. How on earth is he being played now if it's uncertain? (The last time I saw Wicked in London was in 2016 when the first London Dillamond, Martin Ball, was back in the show.) He seemed so depressed from the start, no charisma. Hmm, I guess him being depressed to an extent makes sense given he's already worrying about the opression of the talking animals but I'd hope that wouldn't stop him also having warmth & likeability. I feel if Dillamond isn't likeable & sympathetic in Act I then his appearance in Act II wouldn't be as shocking & sad as it should be. |
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Post by galeforce on Sept 10, 2024 6:27:37 GMT
Really interesting to find this thread. I went to see Wicked for the 4th time this Sunday just gone (8th September). I haven’t seen it in probably 10 years. Got the front row lottery tickets and have never sat there before. I used to be into performing arts as a kid so was a big fan and then life happened lol. I found this thread because I was looking to see if there was a review for Fiyero… and if I was alone in thinking that he wasn’t that good… turns out that has been a thing for a while. Surprised to see he has been there a while. I felt bad for him because he seemed to be struggling with the heat/lights more than anyone else and the vocals also seemed weak and I don’t know, he just seemed a bit stiff or something. I had been excited by the prospect of the new cast and admit I was a bit dissappointed not to see Alexia. I thought the standby Laura was okay, but I have seen Rachel Tucker so… yeah. Some bits definitely better than others. Not sure what was going on with the vocals or if she was trying to riff in some of the songs but it wasn’t my fave for sure. She seemed kinda nervous at times? I’m not trying to be mean at all, I couldn’t do it and I can’t sing to save my life but it did seem noticeable to me. I think Lucy actually stole the show. Her vocals were just insane. Agree with a lot of comments here actually. It was nice to Return to Oz (lol) after some time for the nostalgia and I did enjoy it but I’m not sure I’ll be back anytime soon unless persuaded by a friend or family member.
Also there was some weird sound/feedback/talking or chattering going on and off throughout the show that was offputting but not sure what it was tbh.
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Post by bb8 on Sept 14, 2024 7:42:41 GMT
We certainly do need a Wicked renaissance.
Hopefully a equally strong triple trio and some show sprucing will help, if they bother to do this with the new cast.
Remember the days of Kerry, Dianne, Oliver, or Rachel, Louise and Mark, when people would be outside the theatre from 5am for those front row seats (I know it's online now), but the excitement the show used to have has faded. Standbys and understudy used to be huge and such an exciting moment, now it's just meh it's happening.
I hope Wicked does reclaim the magic (no pun) but I do fear for the show.
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Post by richey on Sept 27, 2024 21:33:55 GMT
Apparently tonight was the 18th anniversary gala. How times have changed, occasions like that used to lead to lots of discussion on here but it's slipped under the radar!
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Post by danb on Sept 28, 2024 8:57:44 GMT
They need to make it thrill again!
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Post by greeny11 on Sept 28, 2024 9:25:02 GMT
Also, Alexia performed Defying Gravity on This Morning yesterday as well:
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Post by richey on Sept 28, 2024 11:11:01 GMT
How original.. let's stick her up on the roof...
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Sept 28, 2024 11:22:01 GMT
Funny how they always turn up when it’s a telly, isn’t it?
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Post by danb on Sept 28, 2024 11:26:14 GMT
She found the physical & mental strength that day, yes, but don’t think for one minute it wasn’t very difficult indeed.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Sept 28, 2024 11:40:32 GMT
Yeah, she couldn’t find the strength to do the actual show for most of last week according to @westendcovers.
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Post by thecursedexpress on Sept 28, 2024 11:41:43 GMT
I am wondering when they will announce the cast change for February next year? Feels like it was about this time cast change got announced.
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Post by singularsensation10 on Sept 30, 2024 19:09:11 GMT
I am wondering when they will announce the cast change for February next year? Feels like it was about this time cast change got announced. They’re currently in auditions - usually gets announced in November? |
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Post by talkstageytome on Oct 27, 2024 14:51:04 GMT
Saw this show last night. It's been about 8 years since I last caught Wicked in London (with Willemijn Verkaik) and I had kind of said to myself last time that I didn't need to see it again. A friend and I were looking for some last min tickets though, and back row of the stalls popped up for £40, so we snapped them up (side note: I looked through so many shows ticket sites yesterday and was shocked at how little availability there was under £50. Back in the day £35 would've been my limit but there's hardly anything at the price anymore - that I could see anyway).
Anyway, I did enjoy the show a lot, especially for the nostalgia, and hearing some of the songs again for the first time in years, but I totally agree with some of the other comments on the thread. This production feels very tired. A lot of the jokes were sped through and not picked up on, the sound was muffled (thank goodness I still remembered all the words!) and the cast were good but I didn't really feel very much.
No Lucy and I didn't catch who the understudy was, but she was lovely. I appreciated Alexia's very witchy No Good Deed, and I did think the Wizard and Morrible were good too. Strangely though, Boq and Nessa didn't leave as much of an impact as I remember them doing last time I saw the show.
Over all, it was nice to revisit after so many years, but I feel like it could do with a fresh kick of paint, some renewed energy, and someone standing at the back of the auditorium to check sound levels!
I suspect the movie release will renew interest and they'll see sales start to spike again soon. From where I was sat, the stalls looked pretty much entirely full!
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Post by tom on Oct 28, 2024 7:34:59 GMT
Saw this show last night. It's been about 8 years since I last caught Wicked in London (with Willemijn Verkaik) and I had kind of said to myself last time that I didn't need to see it again. A friend and I were looking for some last min tickets though, and back row of the stalls popped up for £40, so we snapped them up (side note: I looked through so many shows ticket sites yesterday and was shocked at how little availability there was under £50. Back in the day £35 would've been my limit but there's hardly anything at the price anymore - that I could see anyway). Anyway, I did enjoy the show a lot, especially for the nostalgia, and hearing some of the songs again for the first time in years, but I totally agree with some of the other comments on the thread. This production feels very tired. A lot of the jokes were sped through and not picked up on, the sound was muffled (thank goodness I still remembered all the words!) and the cast were good but I didn't really feel very much. No Lucy and I didn't catch who the understudy was, but she was lovely. I appreciated Alexia's very witchy No Good Deed, and I did think the Wizard and Morrible were good too. Strangely though, Boq and Nessa didn't leave as much of an impact as I remember them doing last time I saw the show. Over all, it was nice to revisit after so many years, but I feel like it could do with a fresh kick of paint, some renewed energy, and someone standing at the back of the auditorium to check sound levels! I suspect the movie release will renew interest and they'll see sales start to spike again soon. From where I was sat, the stalls looked pretty much entirely full! It’s half term so that’s probably why it was busy and difficult to find cheaper seats for shows? |
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