Andy's Trip To Rachel's Birthday Show

First off I'd like to wish Rachel a belated Happy Birthday. I was hoping to get the chance to do it in person but my 'Wicked' curse struck again; read on and you'll know what I mean.

I had been planning another trip to the Appollo Victoria for some time and managed to work it so as I'd be there for Rachel's Birthday. I hadn't booked tickets and I wanted decent seats so I decided I'd try to get there early enough to grab one of the 24 front row seats they release on the day of the show. My alarm woke me at 3:45am and I was on the road by 4:45am. Traffic wasn't a problem at that time at least and I arrived in London, parked up and joined the queue before 7:30am.

There were 23 people in front of me - some of which had camped overnight - and with each queue member allowed to buy 2 tickets I knew it would be touch and go as to whether I'd get a seat for the evening performance.

During my 3 hour wait I chatted to lots of other people in the queue, mainly about 'Wicked' and particularly Rachel. I was delighted but not surprised to hear that almost all of them rated her as the best Elphaba ever. That is high praise indeed coming from die hard fans that have seen the show countless times over the past few years.

Just before the rain started I reach the front of the queue and was pleased to find out that there were still 3 front row seats available for the evening performance. I quickly handed over the cash, tucked my ticket (A34) into my wallet and set off to Oxford Street to buy Rachel a Birthday card.

That proved to be a big mistake. I got absolutely soaked and must have past a hundred shops but not one of them sold cards. I eventually caught a bus to Putney - don't really know why - and managed to find a nice little shop where I found the card I'd been looking for.

That had all taken much longer than expected so it was pretty much time to make my way back to Victoria for the show. When I arrived at the theatre I discovered my 'Wicked' curse had struck again.

As I have probably mentioned before I was a big fan of Dianne Pilkington who was the previous Glinda. However despite numerous attempts I only managed to see her complete 2 shows. I made 6 visits during her last 12 months in the role but didn't have an awful lot of luck:

1st) Dianne blew me away with a stunning performance.
2nd) A girl called Chloe made her only ever appearance as Glinda (She was the second understudy I believe). Not sure why Dianne wasn't on.
3rd) Dianne's I'll and isn't performing (Sarah Earnshaw played Glinda)
4th) I see what I've been told is the only ever Glinda switch in London (Dianne felt I'll during the first half and was replaced by Sarah after 'Popular')
5th) Dianne's on Holiday (Sarah was Glinda again!)
6th) The old casts final show. Thankfully Dianne was there and I was able to see her one last time before she waved goodbye to Oz.

I had also planned to go on 13th Feb 2010 but luckily I managed to find out before I'd purchased my tickets that Dianne was on holiday so I cancelled that trip.

Anyway to cut a long story short - too late for that I know - the first thing I see after entering the theatre on Saturday is a sign saying Sarah Earnshaw will be playing Glinda in tonight’s show. I suppose it's a 'Glinda Curse' as appose to a 'Wicked Curse' really.

As it happens I do love Sarah and although she's not quite as good as Dianne I do prefer her interpretation of Glinda to Louise's so on this occasion I wasn't too upset.

The show itself was sensational as always. I know it's been said but Rachel really was born to play this role. It doesn't matter how many times I go to see her perform I am always blown away by her incredible vocals. Such challenging songs and every one note perfect. As I've mentioned I was lucky enough to be sitting in the front row so I was also able to see every facial expression and I cannot stress enough just how fantastic Rachel's acting is; she doesn't switch off for a single second while she's on stage. She has a very special gift that makes everyone in the audience feel like they're right there in Oz with her.

During the interval I got chatting to one of the friends I'd made in the Queue. He had originally said Rachel comes a close second in his list of favourite Elphaba's but the first thing he said after the curtain came down on Act 1 was "Ok, you're right. Rachel is the best".

The show flew by and afterwards I followed about 40 other people to the stage door. Numerous cast members came and went but after waiting over an hour neither Rachel nor Lee Mead had come out. I knew Rachel had to de-greenify so I was still hopeful but at about 11:30pm a guy came out and said they'd all gone and he locked the stage door. There were about 20 of us left at that point but unfortunately our wait had been in vain on this occasion.

That was a little disappointing as I'd have loved to see Rachel again and I wasn't able to wish her Happy Birthday or give her the card. I know it's very unusual for Rachel not to go to the stage door so I hope this isn’t the start of a new 'Wicked Curse' for the cast of 2010. I'm sure as it was her Birthday she had plans and couldn’t afford to be held up. Hopefully I'll have more luck next time.

A woman who I was standing with at the stage door said she'll be going again next week and that she'd be happy to pass on my card. So although it will be a little late Rachel should eventually get it.

Overall it was an amazing day. There were highs and lows but 2 things never change. Wicked is the best show ever and yet again Rachel lit up the stage – she’s phosphorescent you know - with another unbelievably phenomenal performance.

I can't wait to go again.

Change to Holiday Dates

Rachel is now performing on Thursday 3rd, Friday 4th and Saturday 5th June. She has changed her days off this week to Monday 31st May, Tuesday 1st and Wednesday 2nd June.

Happy Birthday Rachel!!!!

Dan's Review

Wicked - 27/05/10

I thought I'd do a review as well, as I did enjoy reading other peoples.

My friend Amy had offered to take me to see Wicked as a birthday treat!
Of course I'd been wanting to go to see Rachel for a LONG time, but
I felt like I wanted to give her a few months to really get into the part.

I'd heard a few audios on youtube and had very high hopes.

We'd gotten our tickets from ticketmaster the day before,
and they were right at the left edge of the 2nd row, which has
quite an obstructed view, but for the price and closeness to the stage (and Rachel)
it was definitely fine!!

I had a shock when I came into the theatre as I saw 'Sarah Earnshaw' at the top of
the Cast list - I knew she was an understudy but I thought Elphie would be at the top...
Luckily it was for Glinda.... shame really as I would like to see Louise having heard so much about her.
It also wasn't George Ure as Boq, who I'd seen in the backstage videos. :(

As the first act started, I had serious butterflies in my stomach, I had
seen Rachel in We will Rock You, but Elphaba is my favourite role in
any musical so to see them together was almost a dream come true!

The chorus were fantastic at the opening number, as the time I saw it before,
I didn't understand a lot of what they were singing, but they really annunciated
everything. Sarah Earnshaw is a great Glinda, more in the style of Dianne Pilkington,
who is my favourite, so I didn't mind her at all! - great voice... although the high notes
sounded a little odd as she sung them straight, without any vibrato, which i'm used to hearing.

The butterflies came back, when it was getting nearer to Rachels entrance.
She entered and completely commanded the stage...ok well she is the only green one!
Her English accent is spot on.... although if I had to critique her, some of the phrasing
at the beginning sounded a little strange... and I noticed later that she said
TOO-gether... rather than t'gether which also sounded odd.
Anyway, the lead up to Wizard & I, I was so excited to hear Rachel singing wicked!!

She didn't disappoint, using humour and her acting to enhance the song, I truly think Rachel
is unstoppable when she's singing and acting at the same time! She was pitch perfect throughout
the whole song and the audience gave her a rightfully rapturous applause!

The understudy for Boq was far too tall to play that character, and a lot of the kinda physical
comedy of it didn't really work. - this guy was at least 5 foot 10.

Lee Mead came on and I was immediately struck by how light his hair is... I thought it was dark,
but maybe he's spent too long in the sun, as it was almost light brown. His acting and singing however
were amazing! He brought a lot of comedy to the role and seemed to reach the high notes with ease.

It soon came time for Defying Gravity! A definite highlight for the first act.
Sitting so far to the left, we had a strange view really, as the side lights lit up the
amount of saliva coming out of the actors mouths... which seemed to be surprisingly frequent.
One such occurence was from Sarah Earnshaw when she shouted "STOP!!!!" to Rachel casting a
levitation spell, and there was still some saliva hanging from her mouth! - mildly amusing! ;)
Anyway, the singing was INCREDIBLE!!! absolutely spot on. Rachel really excells when she gets
to belt out the high notes, so Wicked is the perfect fit for her!
There was one point, during the song, where Rachel sung "I can't want it... anymore".
For the "Anymore", she looked right at me and walked towards me!
- REALLY took my breath away!

The applause after this song
was very loud and went on for a good 30 seconds or more.

The interval was buzzing with people saying how good Rachel is, I heard lots of compliments
from people as I made my way to the bathroom, which made me smile.

Anyway time for the second act.

I think this is the more intense half of the show, where Rachel really gets to show her
incredible acting skills. During 'As Long as you're mine', she really made me listen to
the words of this song, which i hadn't really before. Rachel and Lee as a couple (on stage)
just took your whole attention, at one point I felt almost like I was on the stage with them.
They REALLY work well together and have a great chemistry on stage.

Rachel's acting also almost mesmerised me when Nessa Rose tells her her father is dead,
the emotion in her acting, like a 'devastration' really hit me.

It eventually got up to the moment I had been waiting for....
Rachel singing No Good Deed.
It has been my favourite song from Wicked and I just knew that Rachel would knock it out the park.
I couldn't have asked for more... she was so intense, so emotional, so....FIERCE!!!
She even had a few angry tears she had to wipe away during the performance.
The audience response was incredible, I looked around to see many with open mouths
and seriously shocked impressed looks on their faces.
The vocals were absolutely perfect throughout, especially on the high belted notes.
it's hard to believe that she could improve on this performance, but knowing that
it's Rachel, i'm sure she can weave even more magic into it!

All in all it was one hell of a performance
and everyone around were amazing and enthralled by Rachel's fantastic performance.

She's definitely the best Elphie vocally that I've ever heard.
For the comic timing and acting, I do have to admit that Cassidy Janson does have the edge ever so slightly,
but then I'd say she was more of an actress than a singer... she's currently doing very well as
Kate Monster in Avenue Q.

If you've not seen Rachel yet, DO IT!
- no matter what the cost, she is worth it!!! :)

Defying Gravity

Ebay Auction Ended

As mentioned last week, Rachel recently submitted an item for auction for an M.E. charity.

The Ebay auction was for two top 'Wicked' tickets, together with a signed picture and programme and backstage tour.

The item ended yesterday, for the excellent sum of £460, and was won by Team Tucker member Kirsty. Congratulations to her and well done also on raising such an impressive amount for 'Action For M.E.'

Rachel & Lee talk Wicked

When the Dorothys met Elphie

Several of the Dorothys got to meet Rachel, Louise and Lee backstage after the show on 19th May.



An interesting selection, including two of the best Dorothys (Stephanie and Steph who are sadly no longer in the competition) and Emilie. Oooh I'm horrid aren't I.



Rachel will of course have been an inspiration to the girls, proving conclusively that even though you don't make the final, you can still go on to the pinnacle of success.

Press Night Pics

Naomi's Review

Rachel fan Naomi was lucky enough to see 'Wicked' twice in barely a month (jealous much) and was kind enough to send us her review of the show, together with stage door photos and what quite frankly is a superb drawing.


''On Monday night I was lucky enough to get to see Wicked down in London. This was my second time seeing the show - I saw it at the start of April with my best friend (also with Rachel as Elphaba!). The reason I went twice in such a short time is because later this year I am going to Thailand to teach English for a year, and wanted to spend some time with my dad before I went. I'd been going on about Wicked since I saw it in April, and my dad actually really likes live shows, so we decided to go and see it again (which I was VERY happy about!). I didn't have time to write a review after my first trip, so here is a review of Monday night's performance!

Me and my dad arrived at the theatre after a very long train journey (about 6 hours to get down from Scotland) just before 7pm. I bought a program and a Green Elixer water bottle (soon realising that it would have made much more sense to buy these things AFTER the show), then headed into the auditorium. We were in seats J24 and J25, right in the middle which was fantastic! Every detail of the set could be made out, and we could see the Time Dragon easily too.

The opening of the show was completely electric, the ensemble are just phenominal and they really put everything into it, as did Louise! I loved her as Glinda last time I saw her, and this time she was even better. Her voice was beautiful, so crisp and clear, and she looked stunning in her huge dress covered in bubbles.
Being a Rachel fan I was so excited when she came running downstage, and right from the go she was fantastic. Her "Wizard and I" was brilliant and her reactions towards the ensemble laughing at her etc. were really good, making you laugh as well as feel sorry for Elphaba. She acted through the whole song without holding anything back (as she did with every song).
Both Rachel and Louise shone through "What Is This Feeling?" with amazing chemistry - for two people who are such good friends offstage it's amazing how much they seem to loath each other during that song!
The last time I saw Wicked it was with Lewis as Fiyero, so it was great to see Lee. His "Dancing Through Life" was really good and his voice was strong even while he was dancing. I thought his stage presence was really strong and he fits into the show perfectly!
Obviously we all know what a fantastic actress Rachel is, but it really showed through during Popular. Louise was as hilarious as ever with her Galinda-ness, and because the song is centered mainly around her with Elphaba sort of "in the background" you'd think that all the attention would be on Louise, but Rachel was as much part of the number as her new best friend. She was able to constantly react towards what Galinda was saying without taking away from Galinda herself, if that makes sense! Her facial expressions were fantastic, you could hear Elphaba thinking "Oh jeez, here we go...!
Rachel's "I'm Not That Girl" was beautiful despite the fact that she either forgot a line of it or ran out of breath. It was 100% forgivable as she acted all the way through it and so it was only noticeable that she missed a line if you knew the song already. She didn't let it effect her character at all, which is the most important thing you can do if something like that happens. I love how Rachel sings this song, it brings out a really haunting quality of her voice which isn't seen in a lot of the other songs.
Throughout the Wizard scene Rachel's acting was phenominal - her passion and excitement when she's with the Wizard is so strong, and as this changes to despair and horror it is really heartbreaking. Of course this scene is building up to the big one! And of course, Rachel delivered Defying Gravity awesomely from start to finish. She growled through the "me" on her line "It's MEEEEEEEE!" which sounded fantastic and belted out those top notes flawlessly!



During the interval I heard several people saying how good the show was and how great Galinda and Elphaba was, which was really nice to hear. Sitting next to us there were two women from America, and I got chatting to them. They said that she had seen the show in Arizona (I think) and that this one was much, much better! The special effects and all the technical stuff was apparently much more striking in London, which is understandable as on tour the show probably wouldn't be able to have as many effects going off.

The second act started just as electrifying as the first, with the ensemble and Glinda performing a fantastic "Thank Goodness". Louise was brilliant in this song, you could really see her emotion and guilt while she sang. The emotional chemistry between Elphaba and Glinda is really strong even when they're not on stage together.
I've not said much abbout Cassie so far, but she was fantastic throughout the whole show. It's great to see her back on the stage after her arm injury. Her voice is just so perfect for "The Wicked Witch of the East", and George Ure was also really strong in this scene. All of the characters gel together so nicely. Elphabas spells in this scene were beautiful, and brought back the haunting quality of Rachel's voice that I mentioned earlier. It must be a nightmare to memorise all of them though!
Lee and Rachel were both great in "As Long As You're Mine" and they have really nice chemistry between them. Considering that Lee has only been in the show for a week he's really doing himself proud, and he'll continue to get better and better! You'd really think that he's been doing the show for a lot longer than he has.
Elphaba and Glinda's catfight scene was as brilliant as always, and parts of it were really hilarious. Angry Glinda is so funny!
I really don't know where to start with "No Good Deed". I've seen countless different versions of this on youtube over the past month, but I swear I have never heard anything like what Rachel did on Monday. I don't even know how to describe it, it was just absolutely phenomenal. I've always loved this song, and it was just... incredible. Her voice was fierce and strong, and you could really feel Elphaba's anger and desperation. The part when she said "Nessa... Doctor Dillamond... Fiyero..." was heartbreaking. Her "FIYERO" was beautiful, and it was totally and completely the highlight of the show for me. Her energy through the whole song was immence, and it was so WOW! I could go on forever talking about it and it wouldn't do it justice. Absolutely stunning.
The scene before "For Good" with Elphaba and Glinda was beautiful, as was the song itself. Again their chemistry shone through, and their voices fitted together beautiflly. Louise was fantastic through "For Good" and the "Finale" - her acting was just perfect, so emotional and when she went up in her bubble for the last time she looked genuinely heartbroken.
The last time I saw the show I was completely blown away, but this time it was even better. Rachel is such an amazing performer, as is Louise, and they both thoroughly deserve to be where they are!

After the show I went to the stage door to meet the cast, and got my program signed by most of them. I drew a picture of Rachel of Elphaba and gave her a copy of it which she seemed to really like which I was thrilled about. She was so lovely in person, and talked to me about my ambition to be a profssional theatre actress. It's obvious how much she appreciates all the support she gets.''

After Show Party

Press Night!

As usual, nothing happens for weeks, then two big stories come along at once! Following the OK Magazine article, which recieved over 400 hits yesterday, we now have news of last night's 'Wicked' press night.

Plenty of celebrity guests including Denise Van Outen (Lee Mead's better half), Jessie Buckley, Graham Norton, Gareth Gates, Samantha Janus, Gaby Roslin, Lucy Benjamin, Lisa Faulkner and Angela Griffin from Holby City and one of my TV favourites Joanna Page from Gavin and Stacey.

There's sure to be more material from last night, including of course plenty of reviews reaffirming how great Rachel was, but in the meantime here's some great cast photos, and in the link below, more pictures of celeb guests and some detail on Lee and Denise.


WICKED PRESS NIGHT

Also thought I'd sneak in a choice little quote from Graham Norton yesterday, during an interview about the Dorothy's:

''Graham watched former I'd Do Anything semi-finalist Rachel Tucker take on the role of Wicked's Elphaba at London's Apollo Victoria Theatre, and labelled her performance "phenomenal".

He added: "You realise how brilliant she is and she didn't even win."

Well said that man.

OK Magazine -- Rachel and Louise

As promised here is the OK Magazine feature in all it's glory!

Interview: Louise Dearman and Rachel Tucker
The ‘Wicked’ stars join us at mu to talk witches, Patrick Swayze and a panto legend
Posted: Tuesday 18 May 2010

Above: Louise Dearman and Rachel Tucker both star in Wicked (Pics: Rob Balhaam)
Life can definitely be strange in the crazy world of business they call show.

A year or so ago, budding musical divas Rachel Tucker and Louise Dearman were sharing the stage in a modest little entertainment called So Jest End, which affectionately sent up some of the most popular musicals to be seen in London’s West End.

In one sketch, they did a spoof of the long-running hit Wicked, with Rachel taking the role of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, and Louise playing her rival Glinda the Good Witch.

What a difference a year makes. Now both girls are repeating those roles for real in the smash-hit show Wicked! ‘Who would have thought it?’ asks Belfast-born Rachel, 28, who found nationwide fame as a semi-finalist in BBC1’s ratings-grabbing show I’d Do Anything.

‘One minute we’re sending the roles up, the next we’ve actually landed them – and trust me, I’m so glad I didn’t win the TV series and become Nancy, because Elphaba is my dream-of-a-lifetime role!’

Rachel’s close pal Louise, 31, has now joined her in the newly cast production which also sees Any Dream Will Do winner Lee Mead take on the leading-man role of Fiyero, a character both girls fight for in the show.

With eight performances a week to juggle – not to mention Rachel’s on-stage green face paint to remove! – tracking down these sizzling songstresses proved no mean feat, but the promise of lunch at London’s fabulous pan-Asian restaurant Mu a few hours before curtain-up certainly proved the ultimate Wicked temptation…



Rachel, what it’s like being a green lady on stage as the Wicked Witch of the West – and how difficult is it scrubbing off the make-up every night?
It’s a water-based face paint, and it takes ten to 15 minutes to get on, and another ten minutes of scrubbing to get off. I do find it gets all over my hands, and I sometimes even find green in my ears. I came home one night and I really hadn’t scrubbed enough, and my husband said: ‘You look sick!’ I was a horrible shade of yellowy green! On a two-show day, I tend to keep it on between shows, otherwise I’d spend my entire life in the shower. But it’s a small price to pay for such a big role.

What does it mean for you to be starring in a big West End show like Wicked?
Louise: I’ve done this job for a long time and, cheesy as it sounds, I’ve always wanted to play a lead in the West End, so to be a part of this show is a genuine honour. What’s also fabulous about it is that we’re the two female leads. To be honest, I’d say a lot of the story does revolve around the journey of Rachel’s character, Elphaba – the story is based around the Wicked Witch of the West, and what happened before, during and after The Wizard Of Oz, but it’s a journey we make together, and we’re an equal part of the story.
Rachel: This is the biggest thing I’ve done and it’s been my dream role for years. Elphaba is the perfect role for me, and it’s in my singing range as well. When I was doing I’d Do Anything, one of the ‘missions’ we did was to go on the Apollo stage and do a workshop with Kerry Ellis when she was in Wicked, and I remember thinking, this is the part I want, not Nancy in Oliver!.

What’s it like to be such good friends and starring in a show together?
Rachel: We have this kind of pact, which we started doing in the first couple of days of the show; we didn’t see each other before we went on, and that kind of works in our favour, because our characters don’t like each other at the beginning. So it really helps that we don’t see each other before we go on stage, and say: ‘How’s your day?’

Rachel, tell us about your Wicked character Elphaba…
People think she’s the Wicked Witch and she’s green and that’s it. But really there’s a lot more to her than that – and you can feel the audience changing. From the word go, you want to love Elphaba, because she’s the underdog, though she never plays the victim. She’s the most unsuperficial character I’ve ever played, and she proves that it’s not about how you look, it’s all about the inside.



Louise, how would you describe Glinda?

Glinda is a slightly spoilt daddy’s girl who always gets her own way. She can sometimes be quite tactless, but she does have a good heart. She’s a very girlie girl, and that’s a lot of fun to play. I’m very pink as Glinda – a bit Legally Blonde, I guess. I have a bubble-gum pink party dress and I wear pink eye shadow, pink blusher and pink lipstick. And big false eyelashes. I can certainly be a bit of a girlie girl myself but I wouldn’t go as far as that!

So are you two fighting over Lee Mead in the show?
Rachel: Yes, Lee plays Fiyero and it’s great to have him in the show as I’d worked with him before in a tour of Tommy. In Wicked, we share some romantic scenes – because Elphaba gets the guy! What’s nice is that their ‘sex scene’ is really done through a lovely song – it’s very subtle, as it’s a family show.
Louise: Yes, and I get dumped by him! First of all, he becomes Glinda’s boyfriend and they get engaged, but then he falls in love with Elphaba. How outrageous! They have a fling behind my back! Glinda and Elphaba have a big scrap about it and fall out, but then they realise there are more important things in life. We’ve all been there – fighting over a man!

Rachel, we all know you from I’d Do Anything, but you’re a winner now with this show…
Yes, I do feel I’m a winner. I’m so glad I did I’d Do Anything. It was at the right point of my career. I was forever getting so far with auditions for shows, and just getting pipped at the post by someone who had a bigger profile or a name. My only risk was it backfiring and me looking bad on television, which didn’t happen. But it’s opened so many doors, and you’re no longer just another girl.

Congratulations on getting married last year. How did you meet your husband?
I met my husband Guy Retallack when I was touring in Tommy with Lee Mead in 2005; he was the director of the show. It wasn’t love at first sight! I wouldn’t normally go for the director, and he’s a lot older than me, it wasn’t what I planned. And then about six months down the line it was like: ‘Oh, hello!’ It was a nice slow-burn. It’s also nice to be with someone in the business, but we’re not doing the same show.

Was the wedding everything you’d dreamed of?
It was the best day. We got married last September in St Anne’s Cathedral in Belfast. It was a very traditional Irish wedding with 120 guests. I wasn’t nervous, I was excited. I was half an hour late – I spent too long at the hairdressers. Guy was cool as a cucumber, but I was really cross with myself being late. I swore I wouldn’t be.

Has being married changed anything?
No, it’s just made me feel secure. It’s a lovely feeling of comfort and security. Nothing’s really different, as we were living together before, but it’s like the complete deal.

Louise, is there a special man in your life?
Yes, my boyfriend Andrew, who has his own TV production company. He came to see me on my opening night, which was very important for me. He’s always very supportive. I was trying to get into TV presenting last year and a friend of mine introduced me to Andrew, so I went for an interview with him and I did two jobs. I didn’t really get an inkling, but things went from there and the rest is history. Now we live together, which I think is all very grown-up!

Rachel, did your friends and family come to your first night?
Yes, my parents came with about 40 friends and family all the way from Belfast to our opening night. I couldn’t see them in the audience but at the very end, when we were taking our bows, my dad ran down to the front and his fists were in the air, and he was so proud. It was lovely to see my dad beaming with pride.

Louise, Rachel has her green make-up to contend with; do you have any major costume challenges?
One of the many incredible elements of Wicked is the costumes, and my initial entrance is in my ‘bubble’ dress, which is an enormous fairy-tale dress, all corseted and beaded. Then I have to fit in my bubble, which Glinda arrives and leaves in. It’s a big industrial bubble that fires out real bubbles!

Louise, you’ve acted with two Hollywood legends, Mickey Rooney and the late Patrick Swayze. What were they like?
I did panto at Christmas with Mickey Rooney, who is 90. He did every show, two shows a day, as Baron Hardup, my dad. The stories he has to tell are absolutely fascinating. He would sit in the wings when he finished his scene and wait for his next scene – he never went back to his dressing room. As for Patrick Swayze, that was in Guys And Dolls, and I was an understudy as Miss Adelaide. He was such an icon, the kind of person you hope will be nice – and he was the loveliest, most generous man on stage and off.

‘WICKED’ IS AT THE APOLLO VICTORIA THEATRE, WILTON ROAD, LONDON SW1V 1LG. call 0844 826 8000;
WWW.WICKEDTHEMUSICAL.CO.UK.

Read the full article, complete with extra food pics here:

OK MAGAZINE FEATURE

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The Two Missing Pictures!

The magazine issue had two pictures not included online.

Thanks a lot to Kirsty who scanned these two for us.

Fantastic Rachel item on Ebay

The charity 'Action for M.E.' are auctioning two top 'Wicked' tickets (details below) together with signed picture and programme and a backstage tour.

Bids are already up to £127.00 with 6 days to go, so this auction isn't for the faint of wallet, but what an item!

From the Ebay description:

''We have a fantastic donation from the Irish actress and singer Rachel Tucker - finalist in the 2008 B.B.C. Talent Show I'd Do Anything and currently starring as Elphaba in Wicked at the Apollo Victoria Theatre, London. She has promised two top-price seats for Wicked for any Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday evening at 7.30 or a Wednesday matinee performance at 2.30. The winning bidder will receive a signed picture and our provenance slip with her promise and then will be able to contact Rachel to make arrangements. While at the theatre, the winner will also receive a signed programme and a backstage tour.''

TO VIEW THE EBAY AUCTION CLICK HERE

If any of our readers win, please let us know!

Rachel's Days Off

Good news for Rachel -- maybe not so good if you were planning to see her on any of these dates:

19th May (Weds -- off for Matinee only)
3rd to 5th June
12th to 25th Aug

Andy - These have been added as a permanent fixture on the right of the blog under the 'Welcome' message. All future days off will also be added to the list as soon as we know about them.

Defying Gravity Audio

There are of course dozens of audience audios on Youtube -- many are very poor quality, but this recording is better than most and definitely worth featuring.

Also thought it worth including the accompanying viewer comments, just in case anyone was unsure of how audiences rate Rachel's Elphie!

bolty1704 She is just fantastic - need to book trip Number 4 to go see her in wicked now

asswhole239 omfg! i was at the performance the first time she did the growl on its me (the vids on my channel) and at the stage door i said to her wow the growl on its me in defying gravity was amazing! you should keep that :) and ever since she has done it! omg eeep! XD

JoshuaUK She's absolutely brilliant! can you upload TWAI?

tomscottmusic i was at this show!!! it was incredible!!!

JasmineFairy83 I was at this showing ... I love Rachel as Elphie, she is completely on Par with Kerry!
Aaah i just got goosebumps listening to this again x x

Munchkinland08 Ok for everyone who thinks she cracks or whatever and goes crackly on the its meeee.....
She does it on purpose :) and its amazing :)

WickedTheMusical1000 AMAZING! On Parr with KERRY 100% now :D Love the Growl And LOVE! the drums on the final note when it goes to blackout, it does like a double bang :D WOop!

ilikeurbumable LOVE HER <3 favourite Elphie :D

mazzisamazing WHATT A GODDESS <33 Rachel has done some pretty knockout performances since she started :) My new favourite Elphie :)

Fionna's Review

Fionna has been a long-term Rachel fan and last week she got to see her in Wicked for the first time. Here is her review which I think says it all:

My Review of Wicked - 29/04/2010


I am a massive fan of Rachel and Wicked so when I found out that Rachel had landed the part of Elphaba I was ecstatic!!!! And then I realized that I was going on a Year 11 school trip to see Wicked! I had never gotten the chance to see Rachel in We Will Rock You so I finally got my chance! I had already seen Wicked before, when Kerry Ellis was Elphaba and she was brilliant in the role but I just knew that Rachel was going to be even better!

So it was a Thursday night that 160, 16 year old, girls from Watford went to see Wicked. To say that we were excited is a bit of an understatement! When we finally got to the theatre we found our seats, which were in rows U to Y - which I thought sounded really bad but we had an amazing view and you could see everything. My year took up a massive chunk of the stalls and the screaming and clapping soon started as soon as the curtain went up! Louise as Galinda in the bubble was brilliant and funny and I loved how her Galinda was so different from Dianne Pilkington - who was a very squeaky Galinda!

I was so nervous when waiting for Rachel to appear on stage, I think it’s because my expectations were so high because of all the reviews that I’ve read and the recordings on YouTube that I’ve listened to but as soon as she came running on all painted in green, I knew that she was going to be fantastic! The Wizard and I was so beautiful and Rachel really showed off her acting ability! The audience just fell in love with her after this song and the cheers were deafening afterwards! Next we had What Is This Feeling? which was hilarious!!!!!! Louise and Rachel bounced off each other so perfectly, Rachel’s line “blonde” got a lot of laughs! Oh and Rachel’s slow dancing after Galinda embarrasses Elphaba with the witches hat was amazing :D

I was so excited for Popular because it is so funny! When Louise was trying to dance around the stage and singing “La, la, la la” was brilliant! Rachel’s I’m Not That Girl was heartbreakingly beautiful and the way that she acted the song was mindblowingly good!

Lewis Bradley as Fiyero was actually really good. I didn’t like Lewis at all when he was in Any Dream Will Do but he really surprised me and he seemed a natural at the role! Lets just say that a lot of girls were screaming for him at the end! The only problem with Lewis is that he is soooooooo tall and Rachel is tiny next to him! It was really funny watching them stand side by side!

The moment that I had been waiting for came - Defying Gravity! My mouth dropped open as I listened to her sing the notes with such emotion and power. I looked at everyone around me and they were doing exactly the same! The last note was phenomenal and the riff that Rachel has added is astounding! She was unbelievable and my eyes were glued to her throughout the whole song! She has to be the best Elphaba ever!

I really could go on and on and on about how good Rachel was in Defying Gravity! During the interval that’s all that anyone could talk about and how could someone even hit those notes? I maybe should mention some of the other cast members! I absolutely love Wicked Witch of The East and I wish they made it into a longer song because the notes that Nessarose who was being played by Stevie Tate-Bauer, hits are brilliant! As Long As Your Mine was so special and Rachel and Lewis really seemed like they were in their own little bubble!

Rachel singing “FIYERO!!!!!!!!!” gave me goose bumps in No Good Deed - which is now one of my favourite songs! The passion and emotion that Rachel brings to this song is unbelievable! Once again my mouth dropped open at the end note! I actually can’t stop listening to this song on YouTube!!!!!

For Good between Rachel and Louise was amazing! I really didn’t want it to end! Then the finale came around way too quickly! As we saw Elphaba and Fiyero walk into the distance, it was the perfect end to a perfect musical. Wicked has always been an amazing musical but Rachel has made the role her own! We were sitting near the back of the theatre, yet we could see everything so clearly and that just shows you that Rachel really can fill up the whole theatre - no matter where you are sitting! Also Rachel’s English accent was so good! You could really hear how clear it was in Defying Gravity and you would never know that Rachel has a strong Irish accent! Of course Rachel got a standing ovation at the end and she deserved it because her performance was brilliant and I would pay to see her again and again! I can’t wait to see Lee Mead as Fiyero because I think his and Rachel’s chemistry will be amazing! To think that Rachel didn’t even get to the final of I’d Do Anything (which I was gutted about) and so she came 4th, yet she is now in the lead role in one of the best musical’s ever! Rachel is definitely the most successful Nancy and I am so happy that she is getting the success that she deserves! If you haven’t seen Rachel as Elphaba then do because she is the best Elphaba there has ever been!!!!!!!

A Blog for Stephanie

Further to recent post and just three days after her undeserved exit from 'Over The Rainbow', Hannah has set up a blog to help publicise and support Stephanie Davis' future career.

Hannah has been a strong supporter of both Rachel and Jessie in the past and is now lending her considerable writing skills to promote Stephanie.

We want to wish Hannah success in her new venture and Stephanie success as she moves forward.

STEPHANIE DAVIS FAN BLOG CLICK HERE

Love Shine A Light Revisited

A year on from one of Rachel's most outstanding performances, and thanks to a reminder from Victoria, I thought it would be an idea to feature 'Love Shine A Light' again.The blog has had a lot more visitors recently and not all will have seen this great video.

Last May Rachel was of course still in the cast of 'We Will Rock You' and they competed in the 'West End Eurovision' contest. The chosen song was Katrina & The Waves Eurovision entry 'Love Shine a Light' and Rachel was wisely chosen as lead vocalist. This stunning rendition perfectly showcases Rachel's fantastic vocal and the fact that they didn't win on the night really should be the subject of a public inquiry. Enjoy!

A Few Things

Thought it was time for a bit of a catch-up on the blog -- several stories that don't perhaps merit a full post on their own, but deserve a mention.

First of all, as most of you already know, Rachel and Louise are to feature in OK Magazine next month (June) so we'll definitely be featuring that.

Secondly big congrats to yet another IDA success story Jessie Buckley, who, having already proved herself in the West End and as an acclaimed jazz singer, is now set to star in a film! Entitled 'Join My Band', Jessie will play a rock chick with a musical secret. More details plus a chance to attend the film premiere and even be a part of the film itself on Jessie's blog.



Congrats also to Diana Vickers who managed a number one single last week despite finishing fourth in the 2008 X-Factor -- the same position as Rachel in IDA.

Which brings me nicely to 'Over The Rainbow.' I have to confess I haven't been as keen on OTR as IDA for obvious reasons, but this week's exit was a real shocker which I know has got many viewers blood boiling.



Stephanie Davis was certainly one of the most talented in the contest and I'm personally astounded that ALW decided to send her home. Rumours abound but unfortunately nothing can alter the verdict and for Stephanie it has to be a case of where to go from here.

Finishing seventh is a very tough call, but as Rachel and Diana, not to mention nearly all the girls in IDA have proved, it's not so much where you finish but how you can capitalise on your TV showcase that's important.

I really hope that Stephanie can find success from her time on OTR and want to wish her all the best.

And finally in a shameless piece of self indulgence, I just want to mention that we recently registered one hundred thousand hits on this very blog! So well done to us and let's be honest Rachel -- we couldn't have done it without you!