Wicked: 15th Anniversary | Celebrating the wonderful Women who have played Elphaba!

Wicked has established itself as one of the biggest and best West End shows, originally opening on Broadway in 2003 it headed over here and opened at the Apollo Victoria Theatre in 2006. Today we're celebrating 15 years of the show, and after the slight 'pause' the show has taken, it's come back better than ever and what a good time to celebrate its Birthday! In this piece, we look back at all the wickedly talented Women who have played Elphaba in the UK. From the London production to the tours! Which one was your favourite?!

Wicked in London 

Idina Menzel

September 7 2006 - December 30 2006

Kerry Ellis 

January 1 2007 - June 7 2008, December 1 2008 - May 9 2009, August 4 2014 - October 25 2014 

Alexia Khadime 

June 9 2008 - November 29 2008, May 11 2009 - March 27 2010 

Rachel Tucker 

March 29 2010 - October 27 2012, September 5 2016 - January 28 2017

10 Year Challenge: Some of our Favourite West End Performers!

There's a craze going around at the moment called 'The 10 Year challenge' and as we're welcoming in the new decade, we looked back at some of our favourite performers and did it for them! Check our the list of amazing actors below and the journey they've gone on from 2010 to 2020 and tweet us your favourite 10 year challenge or send us ones we've left off!

Lucie Jones

As Cosette in the London production of Les Miserables and as Jenna in Waitress at the Adelphi Theatre. Other credits include Emily in A Christmas Carol (Lyceum); Lou in Girlfriends (LMTO); Elle Woods in Legally Blonde (UK tour); Maureen Johnson in RENT the Musical (The Other Palace and UK tour); Holly in The Wedding Singer (UK tour); Elle Woods in Legally Blonde (Leicester Curve/South Korea – DIMF Best Actress in a Musical Award); Molly Jensen in Ghost: The Musical (Asian tour); Victoria in American Psycho the Musical (Almeida) and Meatloaf in We Will Rock You (world arena tour).

Melanie La Barrie 

As Mrs Phelps in the original cast of Matilda and as the Nurse in the original London cast of & Juliet at the Shaftesbury Theatre. Other credits include Madame Morrible in Wicked (Apollo Victoria); Mrs Phelps in Matilda (RSC Stratford and Cambridge); The Lorax (Old Vic); Martha Watson in White Christmas (West Yorkshire Playhouse); General Cartwright in Guys & Dolls (Chichester Festival Theatre); Ma Rainey in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Liverpool Playhouse); Madame Thernardier in Les Miserables (Queens); Pearl in Daddy Cool (Shaftesbury) and Mrs Corry in Mary Poppins (Prince Edward).

Stand out Performances of 2018

2018 saw many kinds of theatre; ground breaking theatre like The Inheritance, gender swapping in Company, new musical theatre like Unexpected Joy at the Southwark, twisting and retelling of loved  shows like Little Shop of Horrors and revivals of classic like Pinter at the Pinter. Within that we have seen some incredible performances and we wanted to highlight some of our top performances of the year. What are yours?! 

Rosalie Craig in Company at the Gielgud Theatre

The first Female to tackle the role of Bobby (Or Bobbie in this adaptation) in Stephen Sondheim's Company, she succeeds in every way possible. She gives a real and genuine performance that is natural and precise, this role could have been written for her. Alongside one of the best ensemble of actors in the West End, she proves exactly why she is the true meaning of a Leading Lady. Company closes on the 30th March, so get down to see her quickly!

Marc Antolin in Little Shop of Horrors at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre

After seeing Marc in quite a few things over his career, we knew he was great but after seeing him as Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors over the summer at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre, we finally saw how truly versatile and brilliant he is as an actor. Maybe not the obvious choice for the role aesthetically but he was absolutely the perfect choice in this wonderful and ground breaking production.

DREAM CASTING: 9 to 5 the Musical

Violet Newstead | Steph Parry 

Judy Bernly | Cassidy Janson 

FIRST LOOK: Chess at the London Coliseum

The epic musical love story CHESS starring Michael Ball as Anatoly, Alexandra Burke as Svetlana, Cedric Neal as The Arbiter, Tim Howar as Freddie, Cassidy Janson as Florence and Phillip Browne as Molokov opens tonight, Thursday 26 April 2018 (Press night on Tuesday 1 May 2018) for a strictly limited 5 week season.

This is the first West End production of Chess since 1986. CHESS was written in 1984 by ABBA songwriters Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, and Tim Rice (Jesus Christ Superstar, The Lion King, Evita), and the original London production starred Elaine Paige, Murray Head and Tommy Korberg. That production, which ran for three years at the Prince Edward Theatre, followed a highly successful recording featuring the same stars, and included the international hit singles I Know Him So Well and One Night In Bangkok. Other well-known songs from the score include Anthem, Someone Else’s Story, Heaven Help my Heart and Pity The Child.

CHESS tells a story of love and political intrigue, set against the background of the Cold War in the late 1970s/early 1980s, in which superpowers attempt to manipulate an international chess championship for political ends. Two of the world’s greatest chess masters, one American, one Russian, are in danger of becoming the pawns of their governments as their battle for the world title gets under way. Simultaneously their lives are thrown into further confusion by a Hungarian refugee, a remarkable woman who becomes the centre of their emotional triangle. This mirrors the heightened passions of the political struggles that threaten to destroy lives and loves.

WICKED 10: Cassidy Janson

Firstly, tell us what part you played and what year(s) you were in the company! 
I was first cover then stand by elphaba. From 2006-08

Do you remember seeing WICKED for the first time? When and where was it?

I saw it on Broadway first time with Idina. It blew me away. 

Did you ever think you’d be in the show one day?

I hoped and I dreamed. And sometimes dreams come true.

What is your best memory from your time at WICKED?
Probably the first time I went on for elphaba. It was the best feeling. It's such a epic role and to finally get on and do it was tremendous. 

Tell us one embarrassing story from your time in the show…
In previews I fell over in the flathead costume and had to be dragged off stage. The whole cast stopped singing as they were laughing so much.