Happy Birthday
Wicked!
The most fantasmical show in London, Wicked, turned 11 years
old on October 30th 2014. It’s hard to believe it’s been so long
since Idina Menzel and Kristen Chenoweth first took to the stage as the famous
Witches of Oz. Congratulotions Wicked on a sensational 11 years!
The West End production is now being led by the epic
Jennifer DiNoia, who made her debut on October 27th, and the
stunningly beautiful Savannah Stevenson as Glinda.
Who are your favourite Elphaba and Glinda pairing of all
time? Leave a comment below and let us know!
Special: Miss Saigon
BBC Radio 2, 25th Anniversary Concert broadcast
This 25th anniversary recording was broadcast at
the end of September and I am so beyond glad I discovered how to Sky+ a radio
show! When I say I have listened to Miss Saigon every single day since the
broadcast, I am not exaggerating. The current cast are simply extraordinary.
Eva Noblezada is sublime as Kim, and has a wonderful tone to her voice which I
cannot get enough of. Alistair Brammer is one of the West End’s sexiest leading
men at the moment and he brings such soul and later on, such pain to Chris,
particularly during “The Confrontation”, that it breaks my heart. Hugh Maynard,
as discussed last month, is a total star, and I still love him. A killer
ensemble featuring the stunningly talented Rachelle Ann Go makes this
production an absolute winner. For those who didn’t hear the broadcast, you
missed a very special finale indeed with performances from some of the original
1989 cast including theatre goddess Lea Salonga. I hope there’s a DVD….
Album of the Month:
Oklahoma! 1998 National Theatre Cast Recording
I recently re-discovered an absolute gem on Spotify, which
is the Oklahoma! 1998 National Theatre Cast Recording.
This production takes us back to pre-Wolverine Hugh Jackman
as the oh-what-a-beautiful-leading-man Curly. Can we please all take a moment
to remember how sexy and insanely talented he’s always been *sigh*?
The production also featured theatre legend Maureen Lipman
as Aunt Eller, the timeless Josefina Gabrielle as Laurey Williams, and Olivier
award winner Shuler Hensley as the infamous Jud Fry. This production, directed
by Trevor Nunn, has a stellar cast filled with massive voices, fantastic
personalities, and stunning vocals. If you’ve never really been a fan of
‘Oklahoma!’, I would strongly recommend this album to you. Let people say I’m
in love – this album is a classic!
YouTuber of the Month:
Carrie Hope Fletcher / @CarrieHFletcher / ItsWayPastMyBedTime
We don’t even need to explain how fantastic Carrie Fletcher
is on social media, because everyone who knows theatre, already knows she is
the YouTube and Twitter Queen! This month, not only has she been treating us to
Book-Tober; a celebration of her favourite books for the month of October, but
also, a hugely popular new mini-series “Letters to Autumn”.
Through a short video of less than 2 minutes a day, and
Carrie’s post-edited narrations, we see glimpses of her life and how she sees
Autumn each day. These “Dear Diary” style videos are short, simple and sweet
and help remind you of what is good in each day. Go watch them now! They’re
gorgeous.
Performer of the
month: Kerry Ellis as Elphaba
October saw the end of Queen Kerry’s run as the green girl, Elphaba
in Wicked in London. With my Twitter timeline in meltdown on the night of her
last ever show as Elphaba, I was shocked when she replied to someone who had
called it so with “Never say never!”.
Maybe this isn’t the end of her signature growls and riffs? We will happily
welcome her back, I’m sure!
Kerry has also been on tour around the UK this month singing
West End and Broadway hits as well as songs from her new self-titled album, so
she’s been a very busy bee! With her tour concluding at Cadogan Hall in London
on Sunday 26th October, I’m sure she’ll be welcoming some much
needed rest time in November.
Don’t go too far Kerry – we’ll miss you too much!
Snapchat account of
the month: The Book Of Mormon (US Cast) @ “bomsnaps”
The Snapchat game just changed. The BOM cast from Broadway
bring us hilarious new stories every day with different cast members, not only
from backstage, but from movies, the middle of shopping malls, and sometimes
even from Elder Price’s favourite place, Orlando! Seaworld! Disney! Putt-Putt
Golfing!
For a minute of giggles every day, add “bomsnaps” to your
snapchat now!
Next Month I can’t
wait for: Emma Stone’s Broadway Debut
I realise most of our readers are UK based, however, The
Amazing Spiderman and Easy A star Emma Stone will be making her broadway debut as
Sally in ‘Cabaret’ next month on November 11th, and I for one, cannot wait to
see what this superstar brings to the show. It’s not the first time a screen
star has transferred to the stage to work on a new craft, so I hope she wows
the critics and audiences alike with fantastic performances. Miss Stone has
said “I’m not doing ‘Cabaret’ because I’m trying to reinvent myself or because
I have some crazy idea that I’ve earned it…Trust me, I’m not walking around
deluding myself… I’m just glad the chance came around again to earn my stripes
as Sally.”
Article by Harriet Langdown
