Needless to say there have been a number of reviews of Wicked's new cast floating around and I'm pleased to report that the vast majority seem to be very positive and on a number of occasions Rachel is singled out as making the biggest impact. Below is a small extract from a review on Broadwayworld.com:
Rachel Tucker, undoubtedly under the most pressure to prove that she can handle the role of Elphaba from the outset, did just that. She gives an honest and layered performance, visibly putting everything she has into the character. Vocally she tackles the belted notes with ease, comfortably adding her own riffs and style, with Defying Gravity and No Good Deed being the standouts of the evening for me. Her chemistry with Dearman is also very believable and their interactions are a joy to watch. In general she gives an emotional and impressive performance and I have no doubt that she will only get better as time goes on.
It's nice to read these unbiased reviews from fans of the show to back up our own opinions of Wicked's new Elphie. Wicked's best ever Elphie!
As I mentioned in my review I'm a big fan of Dianne Pilkington who used to play Glinda and seeing someone else in the role just doesn't seem right. Noone will ever be as good as her in my opinion but I do agree with the writer of the review at Broadwayworld.com in that Louise did the right thing by not trying to mimic Dianne's interpretation:
Louise Dearman gives us a very different Glinda than fans of Dianne Pilkington will be used to. Personally, I think this is a good thing. While I'm a big fan of Pilkington, to try and mimic such a well-loved actor's interpretation would have been a mistake, and Dearman manages to bring her own personality to the role. There is no doubt that she can manage the role vocally, and at many times is in her element comedically. Diehard fans may miss certain details that Pilkington brought to the character, but Dearman adds her own little touches and as she settles into the role will no doubt add more. While it will take me a little time to stop comparing the two, I very much enjoyed Dearman's performance and can't think of anyone better to have taken over the role.
You can read the full review at:
BROADWAYWORLD REVIEW
3 comments:
Sorry I commented before but I wanted to edit my comment so I've had to start again lol.
That's my BWW review, I didn't know it had gone live yet.
I had to try and stay objective before I'd seen it, but Rachel gave me more than enough reasons to be as positive as I was. Such a phenomenal performance, I feel so lucky to have seen her in it, it feels like forever we've had to wait for it!
I do think that Louise will face the most criticism because people loved Dianne so much, and she was so great in the role. It very much comes down to personal preference, but I also think it'll be a case of people giving themselves time to get used to Louise, who is also very good but just different.
Rachel being in Wicked is going to be so unhealthy for my bank balance!
Great review Julia.
I didn't realise it was written by a fan of Rachel, but then as Glinda would say "Rachel has so many fans" and thats due to the talent she brings to the stage.
Unbiased or not I thought your review was spot on.
I've been reading lots of peoples comments on various websites who have seen Wicked since the 29th March and it seems at least 95% loved the show and were really impressed with the new cast; particularly Rachel.
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