Thankyou From Rachel

Acceptance Speech Video

I didn't want any of you to miss Rachel's WOS 'Best Takeover in a Role' award acceptance speech, so I thought I'd create a new post for the video.

Thanks to Rosie for sending me the link.

It starts with Mark and Rachel accepting Wickeds 'Best West End Show' award and is followed immediately by her solo speech.

As Dan says in his comment, it's a very moving speech and typifies why we love Rachel so much. Have a tissue ready. Enjoy!



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VOTE FOR RACHEL...........AGAIN

Rachel has already won the 'Best Takeover in a Role' award but now we want her to win 'Best Acceptance Speech' too. The link below will take you to the WOS website where you can see all the winners acceptance speeches from this years show, below the videos is a poll where you can vote for your favourite, you know what to do.

WOS ACCEPTANCE SPEECH POLL

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Rachel also met up with an old friend from her 'I'd Do Anything' adventure while at the WOS awards, Miss Samantha Barks.

I was throwing things at the TV when ALW chose to save Sam over Rachel in the I'd Do Anything' semi final but Rachel ended up exactly where she deserves to be, playing her dream role in the West Ends #1 show.

The cute picture above is of Rachel and her good friend Mark Dugdale celebrating the occasion.

The picture below shows 2 of my favourite west end leading ladies enjoying the after show party, Rachel - of course - and Miss Elle Woods, Sheridan Smith.

Thanks to Rachel for uploading these great pictures to her Twitter page.

Another Much Deserved Award For Rachel

I'm sure you all remember that over the past couple of month's we've been asking you to vote for Rachel in the 2011 Whatsonstage.com Awards, the “theatregoers’ choice”.

I'm delighted - but not surprised - to announce that at tonights awards show Rachel picked up the award for 'Best Takeover in a Role'.

CONGRATULATIONS RACHEL!!

I know how much this award will mean to Rachel so we'd like like to say a MASSIVE thankyou to everyone who voted.

Thanks also to Dan for emailing us these beautiful pictures from the WOS website of a stunning Rachel showing off her latest award.

Wickeds award for 'Best West End Show' completed the perfect night and Rosie sent me the below link which will take you to a nice little video of Rachel and Mark discussing the shows latest triumph.

RACHEL & MARK VIDEO

The below article is from the BBC News website:

The Belfast singer won a top accolade at a star-studded ceremony in London on Sunday night for her acclaimed performance as Elphaba in musical Wicked.

It means Rachel, who who came to prominence on the BBC's I'll Do Anything, now joins an illustrious list of actors who have picked up a Whatsonstage.com award.

"I was a bit star struck last night. It is a great event and a great award," she said.

"To be nominated was a big surprise and to be recognised for something you get a lot of pleasure doing every night, is a bonus."

Rachel was named Best Takeover In A Role at the ceremony, for her turn as the green witch in Wicked.

And the actress had further cause for celebration when the smash hit musical picked up the Best West End Show gong for the second year running.

"I am bruised with the pitching I am doing," she said.

"To play this part is a dream role of mine, since I heard the soundtrack. My dream was always to get to the West End and I never thought it would be a part like this.

"I started last March and they have extended my contract, which is very nice of them. We all want to stay. So far, I will be there until December."

Thanks to Daibhid for this excellent and highly appropriate HQ graphic.

Rachel Desktop Wallpaper

I was recently asked if I could re-upload the Rachel wallpapers we posted back in 2008, unfortunately the link has expired and I'm not now sure how I created them. As I said in the original post, I'm no graphics expert.

I have managed to re-size the background image off her website to 1920x1200 and you can download that by clicking on the below link. I may be able to create other sizes if requested.

RACHEL WALLPAPER (1920x1200)

We all know Rachel has fans all over the world and to prove this point, below is a link to a fantastic 'Cabaret' wallpaper (1280x800) and an equally great 'Wicked' wallpaper created by Amanda from New Zealand.

CABARET WALLPAPER (1280x800)

WICKED WALLPAPER (1280x800)

Rachel Wows Dancing on Ice Viewers

The feedback to Rachel's stunning performance on Dancing on Ice has been so overwhelmingly positive I thought I'd post some of many comments left on You Tube.

xcaz1210x
"Absolutely Brilliant!! I'm never going to get bored of watching this."

babygumm07
"Why film the skaters? WE WANT TUCKER! So amazing, that we had 'Rachel Tucker', 'Defying Gravity' and 'Elphaba' trending WORLDWIDE on Twitter. That is just how much we love her."

dabyg
"She is amazing!! I do love her voice!! Saw her last saturday in Londons Wicked and then watched Dancing on Ice today, she is just breathtaking!!"

KerryEllisFannn
"Absolutely fantastic! Left me speechless! Shame those skaters were ruining it all!"

0wildchild0
"This was so incredible, yet not a patch on her performance in the actual show! Everyone should go see her. Defying Gravity in Wicked is just magical no matter how many times you see it! Cannot wait to go and see Ms Tucker & the rest of the fabulous London cast again!! Rachel, you did your Wicked family proud!!!"

MusicalKen
"Thank you so much for uploading! For those who live across the world to enjoy Rachel's sensational performance. I've been waiting all night just to see this! She is absolutely wicked! Amazing... words fail to describe her!!"

AmsieC
"I saw Rachel in Wicked last October and Defying Gravity actually brought me to tears. It was so beautiful - I had wanted to see it for so long so it made me rather emotional! I was so excited when they said her name! She's just fantastic."

maxiedoodle
"Astounding even after watching it many times! You know..what hasn't been mentioned is her sweet reaction at the end. Rachel is obviously still so humble even with her star rising so high. She and Louise have that in common. Humility is a wonderful and precious trait. Kudos Ms. Tucker!!!! You're an example to us all."

redcherry901
"I love Rachel Tucker she was in the very Wickeed I saw live and I watched this on TV, plus I think she's so pretty. I wish I knew her in person. She's such a good singer and actress. OMG she always gets all the notes right. I just like to say I love Rachel Tucker, she inspires me so much."

maytee38
"I havn't actually seen the show, but I am a huge fan of the soundtrack and after listening mostly to Idina Menzel I thought there would be no one near in comparison. Rachel Tucker has taken my breath away!!!! She is incredible. I cannot wait to see the show now!"

welshjoe21
"This isn't even her best, yet it's still better than most other Elphabas. At 100% she is unmatched, she is a much better singer than Idina Menzel and Kerry Ellis. She is better than both of them at the top of her range."

princessandsmudgie
"This is absolutely amazing! I went to see Wicked in 2008 when Akexia Khadime was playing Elphaba and she blew me away. Rachel beat that by miles! Well done girl!"

Ulysses2012
"I had never heard this song before watching the DOI tonight. Must have been sleeping under a rock or something! Rachel Tucker was amazing. What a voice! I haven't heard others sing this song, but surely she has to be one of the best. Need to book tickets me thinks."

ImNotDead08
"I thought Idina Menzel was the best from You Tubing different versions and the soundtrack but seriously seeing Rachel live in the show. Totally epic, puts some of the other elphaba's to shame."

NaPaSh3
"Rachel was the only reason I watched DOI today. She blew me away (as usual) AND managed to get Defying Gravity AND her name trending WORLDWIDE on twitter! You GO girl!"

Dancing on Ice Video

Oh boy, I can't remember the last time I was that nervous, I was physically shaking on my sofa. I can only imagine how Rachel must have felt having to perform such a demanding song in front of a TV audience of millions and in high definition too!

Well I needn't have worried, Rachel was SPECTACULAR!!

Performing on a raised platform - usually used by presenters Phil and Holly - Rachel looked sensational. She was beautifully green and dressed in full witch costume. Not actually the costume she wears for Defying Gravity in the show but my favourite, the one she wears in Act 2.

Her performance was simply breath-taking, hitting notes that most can only dream about and emitting every emotion Elphaba is feeling perfectly. As Emily says in her comment, Rachel's ability to act in such a pressurised and totally different environment to usual all by herself shows her true talent.

There might have been the tinniest wobble on one word near the start of the song but it was barely noticeable and what followed was so mind-blowingly incredible that quite frankly, who cares?

MASSIVE congratulations to Rachel for a spellbinding performance that will surely have all Dancing on Ice viewers visiting the Apollo Victoria very soon.

They've already started visiting the blog, with a record number of hits recorded since Rachel's phenomenal appearance on prime time TV. Seems like the artichoke stole the show.

I've just added this lovely picture of Rachel with Phillip "Silver Fox" Schofield I found on her Twitter page.

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Defying Gravity on Ice?

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I still can't find any official news regarding the Wicked performance on Dancing on Ice this Sunday but there was a small article in The Sun - not usually that reliable a source I know - that suggests it will be Defying Gravity.

The cast of West End musical Wicked will sing Defying Gravity on Sunday's theatre-themed Dancing on Ice - as pro skaters fly above on wires.

Now that is exactly what I was expecting so whether they're guessing or actually know this to be fact I'm not sure.

If any of you guys have heard anything let us know by leaving a comment.

I will be recording the show and uploading the video, hopefully sometime on Sunday night

Drowning On Dry Land

Drowning on Dry Land - directed by Rachel's husband Guy Retallack - opens at the Jermyn Street Theatre on Tuesday 22nd February and runs for 4 weeks. It has a great cast - including Les Dennis - and prices are very reasonable, so if you get a chance, check it out.
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22nd February to 19th March 2011

Danielle Tarento
presents
The London Premiere of
Alan Ayckbourn’s

DROWNING
ON DRY LAND


DIRECTED BY GUY RETALLACK

Alan Ayckbourn's deliciously dark comedy charts the unravelling life of celebrity Charlie Conrad. And what is Charlie's talent that has endeared him to the public? That's the problem: he hasn't got one. He's a national hero for being unable to do anything competently, a celebrated failure.
When Charlie has an encounter with Marsha, a clown known as Mr. Chortles, his career, his marriage and his life go into freefall. What chance does the hapless Charlie have for survival? Will he be able to deal with the emerging truth about his life? And what about Mr Chortles?
Drowning on Dry Land exposes our current obsession with celebrity for its own sake, demonstrating how celebrities can be destroyed as quickly as they are made.

CAST:
Russell Bentley, Christopher Coghill, Les Dennis, Mark Farrelly,
Siobhan Hewlett, Helen Mortimer, Emma Swain

DROWNING ON DRY LAND WEBSITE

Tuesday to Saturday 7.30pm Saturday/Sunday matinees 3.30pm
NO performance matinee on Sunday 13th March
additional performance Monday 14th March

Tickets: £20.00 £15.00 concessions
Previews (Feb 22nd and 23rd) all tickets £12.00
Saturday matinees all tickets £15.00

Call the Box Office for further information on: 020 7287 2875

Follow RachelTUpdates on Twitter

I'm sure you all already follow Rachel on Twitter but there is also an excellent fan run twitter page I'd highly recommend.

They're holding a quiz when they reach 400 followers with the winner receiving a prize from Rachel, so click on the below link and help them reach their target.

RachelTUpdates

Wicked on Ice

Anyone who watched 'Dancing on Ice' this evening will already know that next weeks show will include a performance from the cast of Wicked.

My mind is spinning with possibilities right now but we are awaiting further details and confirmation of Rachel's involvement.

Watch this space.

Musical Theatre News

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In other news, there are rumours surfacing that Rachel is about to put her career in musical theatre on hold to become a professional golfer. A scout named Barney was at this training session and according to reports he was very impressed.

Fan Awards For Rachel

There is a twitter page called 'Fans West End Awards' and the 2010 winner of 'Best Stage Door Etiquette' went to our very own Rachel.

I have met her at the stage door many times and in all kinds of weather and she always makes time to have a chat. She is so lovely and friendly and happy to pose for pictures. Never has an award be so deserved.

She also picked up an award with Louise for 'Best Onstage Duo' which is hardly surprising considering how electric they are together.

Check out the below video for her acceptance speech:

Questions For Rachel

Thanks to everyone who has already sent in questions for me to ask Rachel when I make my next Wicked trip. As previously mentioned I will randomly pick 5 or 6 to ask her at the stage door after the show.

It's possible that trip may take place this Saturday so there are only a few days left to get your questions in. You can respond by leaving a comment or via email:

andrew@gasattack.wanadoo.co.uk

Please remember it will be about 11:00pm on what could be a freezing cold or very wet February night so they need to be questions to which Rachel can give a quick short answer.