Alice Fearn and Sophie Evans will head the new London cast of WICKED from Monday 24 July 2017. Also joining the cast are Bradley Jaden, Melanie La Barrie, Andy Hockley, Jack Lansbury and Laura Pick.
Now in its 11th smash-hit year at London’s Apollo Victoria Theatre, the West End musical phenomenon WICKED, tells the incredible untold story of the Witches of Oz and an unlikely but profound friendship between two sorcery students. Based on Gregory Maguire’s acclaimed, best-selling novel, the show ingeniously re-imagines the stories and characters in L. Frank Baum’s ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz’.
Alice Fearn, who will be replacing Willemijn Verkaik in the role of Elphaba (the illegitimate daughter of Melena Thropp and the Wizard of Oz), originally joined the London production in 2016 as a standby for the role. Her previous appearances in the West End include Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Shrek The Musical, Into the Woods, Les Misérables and The Woman in White.
Sophie Evans, who will be playing Glinda, was the acclaimed runner-up in the BBC talent show ‘Over the Rainbow’ and subsequently played ‘Dorothy Gale’ in The Wizard of Oz at the London Palladium.
Bradley Jaden will take on the role of Fiyero (Elphaba’s love interest), which is his current role in the musical’s international tour. Previously, he starred in Les Misérables at the Queen’s Theatre as ‘Enjolras’.
Melanie La Barrie is starring as Madame Morrible, and is currently part of the acclaimed Everyman Company at the Liverpool Everyman Theatre. Previous roles include ‘Mrs Phelps’ in the original cast of Matilda, ‘Madame Thénardier’ in Les Misérables and ‘Mrs Corry’ in the original cast of Mary Poppins.
Andy Hockley, who is starring as The Wizard, has long been part of The Phantom of the Opera, playing ‘Monsieur Firmin’ at London’s Her Majesty’s Theatre. He most recently played ‘Grandpa Potts’ in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at West Yorkshire Playhouse and on the UK & Ireland Tour.
Jack Lansbury, graduate of Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, is making his West End debut in WICKED as Boq.
Laura Pick, Elphaba’s standby, played ‘Maria von Trapp’ in The Sound of Music at the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre.
Martin Ball (Doctor Dillamond), Sarah McNicholas (Nessarose) and Carina Gillespie (Standby for Glinda) continue in their current roles.
Current cast members Willemijn Verkaik (Elphaba), Suzie Mathers (Glinda), Oliver Savile (Fiyero), Sue Kelvin (Madame Morrible), Mark Curry (The Wizard) and Idriss Kargbo (Boq) are set to play their final performances on Saturday 22 July 2017.
Already the 17th longest running show in West End theatre history, the show has astonishingly won the WhatsOnStage Award for ‘Best West End Show’ three times, and is proudly a two-time winner of the Olivier Audience Award.
Book your tickets to the West End favourite, multi-award-winning show WICKED here.
I did see Les Mis in London two years ago and Bradley was my Enjolras. I don’t what it is, but for some odd reason I kind of compare Enjolras to Fiyero, which makes no sense at all