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Post by LaLuPone on Sept 23, 2022 18:13:08 GMT
Has anyone ever gone straight from understudy to lead before? Obviously plenty of standbys have been promoted to lead but I don’t think anyone has gone from being 2nd cover and with an ensemble track straight to principal Elphaba before.
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Post by Oleanna on Sept 23, 2022 18:14:01 GMT
I really, really hope this is true! Laura Harrison to be promoted to principal Elphaba at cast change. STC, as always, but that’s what the grapevine has told!
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Post by Being Alive on Sept 23, 2022 18:42:55 GMT
Frankly they should just have Laura Pick back...at least she was reliable (as has been proved by the amount of time she saves the show!)
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Post by cezbear on Sept 23, 2022 18:58:58 GMT
Absolutely not. It'd be nice if we could have some really exciting casting for a change. I did think Lucie might be this but her patchy attendance has dampened it a bit (though I do like her Elphaba).
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Post by LaLuPone on Sept 23, 2022 19:27:27 GMT
But I guess that’s the point really; we all wanted a fresh face and now we have it but she’s off more than she’s on sometimes. I think it’s a very hard role to go into doing 8 times a week straight away.
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Post by isabel on Sept 23, 2022 20:47:29 GMT
Laura Harrison to be promoted to principal Elphaba at cast change. Surprised Lucie isn’t staying longer
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Post by inthenose on Sept 23, 2022 22:25:30 GMT
Laura Harrison to be promoted to principal Elphaba at cast change. Surprised Lucie isn’t staying longer Hasn’t she missed a staggering number of shows? It may not be her decision. They might not want to renew, or maybe she feels 8 shows a week is simply not happening for her for another 9 months. Either way, good luck to her going forward. I really do wish they’d sort the sound system out in there though!
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Post by daisy24601 on Sept 23, 2022 22:29:45 GMT
Laura Pick returned as Elphaba for the evening performance on Wednesday (21st September, 2022). Why?
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Post by LaLuPone on Sept 23, 2022 22:41:50 GMT
Surprised Lucie isn’t staying longer Hasn’t she missed a staggering number of shows? It may not be her decision. They might not want to renew, or maybe she feels 8 shows a week is simply not happening for her for another 9 months. Either way, good luck to her going forward. I really do wish they’d sort the sound system out in there though! I noticed a marked improvement when I went last week to be fair. When I saw the show in March, sitting in the far right hand side of the stalls the sound was woeful, the show sounded like it was coming from another room and every song was so underpowered and as a result I came away feeling really flat. Last week I saw the show from the far left hand side because I thought why not try it from the other extreme and the sound was much better, still definitely room for improvement compared to other shows in the West End right now, but I felt all the songs sounded much louder and fuller than in March. Maybe it’s just better from that side of the stalls I don’t know, obviously it SHOULD be exemplary from every seat in the house though.
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1,909 posts
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Post by LaLuPone on Sept 23, 2022 22:43:59 GMT
Laura Pick returned as Elphaba for the evening performance on Wednesday (21st September, 2022). Why? Lucie’s been on holiday I think and then Amy did the matinee but called out for the evening show, and I guess Laura Harrison and whoever the other understudy is were also indisposed. Agree with Being Alive that Laura Pick has saved the show’s ass a lot of times recently and deserves more recognition!
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Post by filendile on Sept 23, 2022 23:09:51 GMT
Nicola Espallardo did one of the Wednesday shows.
Not sure why they would promote Laura Harrison to lead considering how often the second understudy/Laura Pick has had to go on instead of her, unless it's been holiday etc.
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Post by Oleanna on Sept 24, 2022 12:59:11 GMT
Wires crossed. LH was offered but turned it down. Previous Elphaba set to make a long overdue return.
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Post by deej4life on Sept 24, 2022 13:04:51 GMT
Laura Pick returned on Wednesday evening because Amy went off after the matinee (presumably ill). Lucie was away, Laura Harrison was isolating due to Covid-19 and I'm not sure why Nicola was absent. However, Nicola then went on as Elphaba on Thursday night.
As to the casting rumours, I'm not sure why Laura Harrison would be offered lead and then turn it down. That doesn't sound particularly plausible to me.
If an Elphaba is returning I hope it's either Nikki Bentley or Amy Ross!
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Sept 24, 2022 13:08:20 GMT
How many shows a week is Lucie doing usually?
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Post by cezbear on Sept 24, 2022 13:10:20 GMT
Does seem unlikely LH would turn it down surely?
More chaos today with Amy on for Lucie (who just got back from holiday), Charli Baptie returning as Glinda and Grace for Nessa.
Long overdue return, could this be Cassidy Janson as lead? That would be very welcome.
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Post by deej4life on Sept 24, 2022 13:11:17 GMT
How many shows a week is Lucie doing usually? On average I would say 4-5 shows per week. I believe she has only completed two full eight show weeks since joining. Another great time for Wicked UK to consider an official alternate system for Elphaba!
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Post by AliceFearnFan2212 on Sept 24, 2022 13:14:20 GMT
How many shows a week is Lucie doing usually? On average I would say 4-5 shows per week. I believe she has only completed two full eight show weeks since joining. Another great time for Wicked UK to consider an official alternate system for Elphaba! Think it’s 3 now, could be 4 though! She did all 8 shows last week
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Post by longinthetooth on Sept 24, 2022 13:47:08 GMT
Oh for the days when Rachel Tucker & Co did all eight shows without batting an eyelid!
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Post by Oleanna on Sept 24, 2022 13:56:11 GMT
I may have been thrown slightly wide of the mark with LH, though her name was mentioned.
I’m hearing the previous Elphaba set to rejoin is AK.
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Post by WireHangers on Sept 24, 2022 14:10:16 GMT
I may have been thrown slightly wide of the mark with LH, though her name was mentioned. I’m hearing the previous Elphaba set to rejoin is AK. If this is Alexia then I would travel from the Highlands of Scotland to see her.
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Post by Being Alive on Sept 24, 2022 14:18:35 GMT
Alexia Khadime returning makes absolutely no sense though - it will have been 13 years since she last played Elphaba, and she'll be 40 when she rejoins (although she doesn't look it)
I know Willemijn were still playing it at 42, but she had been continually playing it for ten years so it was a bit of a different thing. I just can't imagine Alexia coming back after all this time...
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Post by Jane Parfitt on Sept 24, 2022 14:31:15 GMT
I know one of the names that has been mentioned in the last few posts. There have been no offers made as yet, and therefore nobody has turned it down!
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Post by Oleanna on Sept 24, 2022 14:38:43 GMT
We shall see!
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Post by filendile on Sept 24, 2022 15:45:35 GMT
I wouldn't be surprised if this is all fake and Lucie stays longer. She is very popular with the fans and consistently great when she's on. They need a new standby though for sure.
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Post by tsxmitw on Sept 24, 2022 15:45:54 GMT
Urgh. I saw the show last week and thought it was in pretty bad shape. Rushed, phoned in, money notes cut short, generally underpowered. Helen delivered so few laughs that it was almost uncomfortable to watch. To be fair, it’s been like this since it re-opened but the other night felt particularly bad.
I had hoped Lucie would inject some new life but she plays exactly the same Elphaba as Laura - the direction is just so rigid.
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Post by sb on Sept 24, 2022 16:51:28 GMT
I can’t see Lucie leaving this soon, unless it’s not her choice!
Lucie / Amy / Laura / Nicola have certainly had an interesting run since cast change, I don’t think I remember the 2 U/S being used so much in the past.
But I wonder if this is actually planned with management, they are allowing the time off for Lucie and Amy, just a suspicion of mine. Could be something with reducing people in the building for Covid regulations or something like that.
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Post by inthenose on Sept 24, 2022 16:57:44 GMT
Imagine if they closed for a month to install a new sound system, recast it truly top drawer, freshened the direction a little then had a grand reopening. I’d be all over it in a flash.
I do like Wicked but it is getting run down to the quick, in my opinion.
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Post by deej4life on Sept 24, 2022 18:14:27 GMT
For anyone that is confused about this week's Elphaba situation at Wicked UK...
Tuesday: Amy Webb Wednesday (Matinee): Amy Webb Wednesday (Evening): Laura Pick Thursday: Nicola Espallardo Friday: Lucie Jones Saturday (Matinee): Amy Webb Saturday (Evening): Nicola Espallardo Sunday: TBC
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Sept 24, 2022 18:22:51 GMT
Has Lucie got something else lined up?
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Post by starlight92 on Sept 24, 2022 19:23:38 GMT
How many shows a week is Lucie doing usually? On average I would say 4-5 shows per week. I believe she has only completed two full eight show weeks since joining. Another great time for Wicked UK to consider an official alternate system for Elphaba! I know there could be all sorts of reasons why an actor doesn't perform and we're not entitled to know anything about their personal lives, but it is strange to me that Lucie is off so much, and especially that she's not performing today when she's just got back from holiday. I hope everything's okay with her. She was fantastic when I saw her.
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