Hellooo! Yesterday I was VERY excited to spend my afternoon in the land of Oz at Wicked in Leeds! Wicked is my favourite show and yesterday was my fourth time seeing it and I was very much looking forward to seeing the tour cast! I booked the tickets a few weeks ago as I was amazed to see £20 'restricted view' tickets! The show opened on Wednesday evening but the official opening night was Thursday evening so I think the prices were reduced as it was classed as previews but either way I was VERY happy about it. I was sat in seat D40 in the Upper Circle and it was really good view! You could just about see the actors' expressions and it wasn't too far off to the side however, the far left of the stage was cutoff and there were a couple of times where performers were on that side and I could hear them but couldn't see them but I've definitely sat in seats with a more restricted view! Oh and if you're looking for the Wicked cast board in Leeds, it's in the entrance to the Box Office!
Onto the cast! A couple of days before, Nikki Bentley (Elphaba standby) tweeted that she would be playing the role of Elphaba for the Thursday matinee and I was excited to see her perform! Her singing voice was incredible and I loved her during Defying Gravity and No Good Deed, she had so much power in her voice! I really liked her portrayal of Elphaba during Act 2 but I wasn't quite so sure about her during Act 1 but that's just personal preference, there was nothing wrong with her acting or anything! I'm VERY happy I got to see her as Elphaba! Next up, Helen Woolf performed as Glinda and I LOVED her as Glinda! Her voice was flawless and I just loved watching her and I especially loved her performance of Popular! I think she may just be my favourite Glinda from the one's I've seen, she just played the role perfectly!
Onto Aaron Sidwell as Fiyero! Now I wasn't particularly looking forward to seeing him perform as I was worried I'd only be able to see him as Steven Beale from EastEnders which I HATED as a character however, I'm pleased to say he suited the role well and I enjoyed his performance as Fiyero! His posh accent took me by surprise but as soon as he walked out, I forgot he was Steven and saw him as Fiyero which I was very happy about! I really enjoyed Kim Ismay's portrayal of Madame Morrible and I didn't hate the character of Nessarose quite as much as I normally do so I really enjoyed Emily Shaw's performance!
There were a couple of sound issues where at one point what I think was a microphone made a popping sound a couple of times and then during As Long As You're Mine, there was a phasing issue between the two microphones during one of the louder notes but both issues were resolved super quickly so well done to the sound team! For some reason on this trip, I noticed the lighting even more than usual and I always say I loved the lighting but I really did love the lighting throughout the show! I realised that the iconic Defying Gravity lights have a mosaic to them rather than just a solid colour which I really liked and I just loved the detail in the lighting throughout the show! I also noticed during the lion cub part there were a couple of ensemble members that flew upwards which I've never noticed before! I don't know if that's new for this tour or if it's always there but I've just never noticed before!
I grabbed a souvenir programme for £6 (which I thought was a great deal!) and a house programme for £4. Also, my friend who came along with me who isn't really a theatre person said that he 'couldn't fault the performances or production value' but he wasn't crazy about the show as he doesn't like musicals but at least he gave it a go! And I think I was excited enough for the both of us!
All in all, this trip to Oz was just as magical as always and I can't wait to return VERY (😉) soon! I love the cast on this tour and I'm super happy I got to see Nikki Bentley as Elphaba, her voice is amazing! Helen Woolf was also an incredible Glinda and the entire show was just SO GOOD and everyone NEEDS to see it!
Thanks for reading!
Sophie
