Hellooo! On the 17th August I was lucky enough to get over to Bradford to see the Wicked International Tour and of course, it was incredible! I went to see the London cast last year and I can't recommend it enough! Anyways, Jacqueline Hughes starred as Elphaba with Carly Anderson as Glinda and Bradley Jaden as Fiyero.
Jacqueline's Defying Gravity was AMAZING and her 'Fiyero' riff held all the emotion it needed to. I loved Carly's portrayal of Glinda, particularly in Popular and I thought the 'toss toss' moment was particularly amusing with this cast. I definitely wasn't expecting Bradley's operatic voice which was incredible and he really suited the role. As a whole, I felt privileged to be able to watch the International Tour cast and I really hope the tour returns to the UK!
My only fault I could find was that Bradley's voice was so powerful that in As Long As You're Mine, it slightly overpowered Jacqueline's and it was hard to hear the harmonies between them however I still loved it! After the cat fight, Jacqueline dropped her hat after Carly threw it to her which did make me chuckle as she looked confused trying to grab it from the floor.
The ensemble were as awesome as ever and you can watch as many YouTube videos as you want and listen to the soundtrack over and over again but nothing beats the magic of sitting in the theatre watching it live. However, I still don't like the character of Nessa and I don't think I ever will though Emily Shaw played the part well. Steven Pinder played the parts of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and Doctor Dillamond wonderful-ly well and I love that he switched characters effortlessly half way through the show and play them both perfectly.
The music throughout the song was spine-tingling and the intricate sets and costumes were beautiful. Elphaba's dress in the second act is my personal favourite with Glinda's blue ballgown being a close second! We were sat in the Upper Circle in line with the Time Dragon which was fascinating to watch throughout the show and I noticed it so much more this time than the first time I saw the show. The sets were beautiful and the transitions between scenes were seamless!
I really could rave about Wicked all day long (I'm sure there will be many more blog posts about it) and I wish I could see it more often! The show has something for everyone from the beautiful songs to the perfect comedic timing to the compelling storyline. If you get the chance to see Wicked you will not be disappointed!
Thanks for reading! Sophie
Find out where you can see the show at http://www.wickedthemusical.co.uk/
