Ghost The Musical started previews in London this week at the Piccadilly Theatre with Caissie Levy as the leading lady. Caissie Levy stars in Ghost the Musical Ghost has been a great hit with the Manchester audience during its pre-West end run and one of the firm favourites of everyone who has seen it is Caissie Levy. Caissie plays Molly Gordon, the female lead of the show. Caissie is a Canadian with a gorgeous voice and good acting skills. She needs them both during Ghost. This is a very demanding role as Molly’s character goes through an amazing range of emotions as the show progresses. We saw Caissie on the West End stage last year in the visiting Broadway production of Hair. Although Hair is a very much an ensemble piece I felt when I watched it that Cassie’s performance really stood out. She played the idealistic Shelia with real conviction and her voice rang out in songs like Good Morning Starshine. I think this bodes very well for her performance as Molly. Caissie’s other most famous role is probably as Elphaba in Wicked in the Broadway production.  In recent interviews she has drawn parallels between Ghost and Wicked. She felt that the range both of vocal skills and acting required of Molly and Elphaba were rather similar. When asked she agreed it was possible that, like Wicked, critics would not like Ghost and it might be a show that would appeal more to audiences. This wasn’t true of the Manchester critics who gave the show  great reviews but London can be harder to convince. Caissie has a gorgeous voice and I thought you might enjoy a sample:

Good news for Rachel Tuckers fans, if you want to book theatre breaks to see Wicked after February 7th 2011, Rachel Tucker will still be Elphaba. The London production of Wicked is pleased to announce its entire new company to begin performances on Feb. 7: The new cast will star Rachel Tucker (Elphaba), Louise Dearman (Glinda), Mark Evans (Fiyero), Julie Legrand (Madame Morrible), Clive Carter (The Wizard), Julian Forsyth (Dr Dillamond), Zoë Rainey (Nessarose), Ben Stott (Boq), Nikki Davis- Jones (Standby Elphaba), Chloe Taylor (Standby Glinda), Gemma Atkins, Alex Louize Bird, Andrew Bryant, Gareth Chart, Joe Colasanti, Nicholas Collier, Aileen Donohoe, Emma Green, Antony Hansen, Jacqueline Hughes, Daniel Jones, Jasmine Kerr, Sophie Linder-Lee, Saori Oda, Sean Parkins, Soeli Parry, Michelle Pentecost, Paul Saunders, Charlotte Scott, Niall Sheehy, Tommy Sherlock, Thomas Sutcliffe, Sam Taylor, Jennifer Tierney, Hannah Toy and Matt Turner.

If you haven’t seen Rachel Tucker in Wicked yet then you must book Wicked theatre breaks soon, she’s fabulous. Here’s a video from West End Live last weekend which doesn’t do justice to the full theatre performance of Wicked by any means, but gives an idea of how talented a performer Rachel Tucker is.

Before landing the part of Elphaba in Wicked, Rachel Tucker has played both Meat and Scaramouche in We Will Rock You and before that was a finalist in the I’d Do Anything TV casting show to find a Nancy for Oliver. And here’s the backstage interview conducted by Keith Martin of Leicester Square TV with Rachel Tucker of Wicked herself:

In the interview, Rachel Tucker describes how Wicked is a prequel to The Wizard of Oz. Loosely based on the Wizard of Oz Wicked has a kind of twist to it. It’s the story of how the good witch and the bad witch became enemies, so Dorothy has nothing really to do with it. It’s an amazing moral story highly relevant to anybody who has ever been bullied or discriminated against just for being different.

Wicked Theatre Breaks with Rachel Tucker as Elphaba was originally posted at London Theatre Breaks blog

Rachel Tucker (a former Nancy contender from I’d do Anything) is currently starring as Elphaba the wicked witch in Wicked The Musical, which is a prequel to The Wizard of OZ. Here’s Rachel Tucker singing “The Wizard and I” at the “West End Live 2010″ festival in London’s Leicester Square last weekend:

Wow!

Rachel Tucker – The Wizard and I

Wicked is continuing to build after its most successful year ever and is bringing in not one but two new witches! Current witches Alexia Khadime (Elphaba) and Dianne Pilkington (Glinda) leave the show on a record breaking high note and will play their final performances on Saturday 27 March 2010. Bound to be a very emotional evening! (If you want tickets for this one you must act fast – Click through to see if there are Wicked theatre breaks available for Alexia and Diane’s final performance. By the way there’s a Free Hotel Offer on weekday Wicked Theatre Breaks until the end of March) Wicked

Rachel Tucker as Elphaba I’m a big fan of Rachel Tucker. I thought she had a great voice when she was in I’d Do Anything and I absolutely loved her in We Will Rock You. She was playing Meat the night I saw her but I believe she made a great success of the lead role, Scaramouche, on the few occasions she got to play it. Rachel will join Wicked as the new Elphaba and I can’t wait to hear her sing “Defying Gravity”. The voice and the song should combine beautifully and give us yet another interpretation of a great standard. So as one Nancy (Jodie) bows out the West End will see another graduate of the I’d Do Anything programme take centre stage. Perhaps this will convince the critics that reality casting shows do actually uncover worthwhile talent. Don’t hold your breath! Like Kerry Ellis, a previous much loved Elphaba, Rachel will bring her own loyal fan base to the show and no doubt to this post. Hi all
Oz Trivia – Rachel is no stranger to Oz having played Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz at Belfast’s Lyric Theatre. Louise Dearman as Glinda Louise joins the cast of Wicked as Glinda. She’s been widely acclaimed in her lead role in the touring production of Evita. It will be interesting to see what she makes of the role of Glinda and how she stamps her own personality on it. Louise’s voice is described by her agents as: pure, melting soprano voice, with a surprisingly strong belt. Having listened to a sample I have to agree, lovely! But don’t just rely on my judgment have a listen for yourself:

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Related posts:Alexia Khadime in Wicked Theatre Breaks New Wicked Cast but Without Desmond Barrit Wicked Theatre Breaks – the new cast

Kerry Ellis will succeed I’d Do Anything victor Jodie Prenger as Nancy in Cameron Mackintosh’s production of Oliver!. According to the Daily Mail, Prenger will give her last performance on 27 March, with Ellis taking over from 29 March 2010. Kerry Ellis (Wicked, We Will Rock You) has being lined up to take over from Jodie Prenger as Nancy in the current West End production of Oliver! at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane. Kerry Ellis as Elphaba in Wicked

Wicked Theatre Breaks in London Wicked is the international hit musical show based on a prequel to Wizard of Oz with productions in major cities worldwide and the London Wicked is probably the est of all. The role of Elphaba , the wicked witch has recently been taken over by a young star called Alexia Khadime and the Wicked fans are loving here. Here’s a sample from last week’s West End Live in which Alexia sings “The Wizard and I”

Video by theatre breaks youTube Who goes on Wicked Theatre Breaks? Ok there may be a large contingent of youthful women prsent at Wicked performances, the story does after all speak to young women and it’s an unusual show in having two female leads, but that doesn’t mean older people of either gender won’t enjoy it just as much – the singing is absolutely fantastic and it’s a wonderful wonderland set. Wicked theatre breaks for couples are popular whatever the mixture of tastes and preferences if you see what I mean. Just get yourself down to Victoria, London and have a ball anyway. ** book Wicked Theatre Breaks in London **

Wicked Theatre Breaks Anybody in London for a Wicked theatre break in the past three weeks will have had the opportunity to see Alexia Khadime as Elphaba, the green witch with the big songs. Alexia replaced Kerry Ellis who went to play the role on Broadway until December when she returns to the West End. Now Kerry Ellis was a big act to follow, having gathered a huge pack of devoted fans during her time in London, but Alexia is proving to have unique qualities which bring a fresh approach to the acting and she’s rapidly building a loyal support base of her own. The two tribes will each advocate for their favourite at any given opportunity and the result can be anything from unkind to insightful. Alexia Khadime as Elphaba Here’s the popular video from theatre breaks youTube which shows what Alexia can do, out of costume, solo and live at West End Live 2009, the popular theatre festival event in London’s Leicester Square
(it takes a few moments to get going) Click here to view the embedded video. Alexia’s a really good singer and and a really good actress, she has the best Elphaba interpretation I’ve seen. She is amazing! Cute yet powerful voice! Very well done! I am also a big fan of Kerry’s? and her! So amazing! ** Book Wicked theatre breaks in London **

Related Posts:Wicked cast changes - a new ElphabaNew Wicked Cast but Without Desmond BarritWicked - a world wide smash hit.Wicked Theatre Breaks - the new castWicked - rest of the new cast announced.a Alexia Khadime in Wicked Theatre Breaks

Wicked Theatre Breaks to see the new cast Wicked theatre breaks are perfect for families. This summer is likely to be a busy time for Wicked theatre breaks, especially as Show and Stay have a special offer on at the moment. Wicked Theatre Breaks from £81.50pp with Show and Stay - book now Wicked Theatre Breaks - who’s in the new cast? Wicked is one of those shows that inspire a lot of loyalty. Fans like to keep up to date with cast changes and see the show again and again. Having said “Goodbye” to Kerry Ellis,(I thought she was brilliant as Elphaba but it seems Alexia Khadime is developing quite a following too!) Wicked is ready to welcome some more new cast members.

The revised Wicked cast includes:

Alexia Khadime (Elphaba), Dianne Pilkington (Glinda), Oliver Tompsett (Fiyero), Sam Kelly (The Wizard), Harriet Thorpe (Madame Morrible) Natalie Anderson (Nessarose) Alex Jessop (Boq), David Stoller (Doctor Dillamond), Ashleigh Gray (Standby for Elphaba) Sarah Earnshaw (Standby for Glinda),

Wicked Theatre Breaks - a birthday outing Wicked theatre breaks are a great choice for family groups or , if you are feeling generous, a perfect birthday treat for your teenage or even pre-teen daughter and maybe 3 of her best mates. You might think I’m nuts suggesting taking a group of teenage girls to London but they, and you, will have the best time and they’ll never forget it! There’s no mess to clear up afterwards. She probably won’t expect much of a present. And her ‘cool score’ at school will go off the Richter Scale! (So will your cool parent score!) The show is an ideal choice for a themed birthday treat. You just have to make sure they have a cash limit for goodies from the foyer of Wicked! CDs, books, T-shirts, sweatshirts, mugs and even Glinda’s wand make great presents. Stock them up with fruit juice drinks and try to avoid too much popcorn, all that sugar will make it even harder for them to sleep! Talking of sleep, did you realise you could get a family room? Some of the hotels offer great deals so 2 adults could take 4 girls and just pay for 2 rooms! Just rope in another mum to lend a hand or even better (younger = more energy!) someone’s big sister and you’re set. Other things to do on a Wicked theatre Break So you’ve got your tickets, you’ve hopefully booked your train at the same time (save up to 40% that way), and you’ve unpacked. Now what? Luckily Show and Stay offer some great extras you can book at the same time as the theatre break. With teenage girls, or even pre-teens, my first choice would be the London Eye fast track. You spend far less time waiting around, the girls get to see the sights without getting bored and there’s plenty of time left for hitting the shops. Now, I know they are teenagers, or think they are, but I love Hamleys and they will too! Got to take their photos with those giant teddy bears and then head inside for some serious shopping. And you thought it was a toy shop? Did you not know it has one of the biggest collections of Hello Kitty merchandise in the country? Pah! Just make sure they save some money for Top Shop! Food, quick, all that shopping takes it’s toll! Where else but Planet Hollywood? Of course, if you are sneaky, you’ll have booked a bargain pre-theatre dinner there when you booked the show. Then it’s off to see Wicked. Afterwards if they (and you) are not too exhausted it can be worth hanging about round the stage door. The Wicked stars know their audience and they rarely disappoint them. Often programmes are signed, smiles and even the occasional chat is possible. If you are really lucky photos with cast members might be taken. Especially if they know there’s a birthday girl around. Back at the hotel try to persuade them it’s bed time. Good luck with that
Wicked Theatre Breaks - The Last Day Next morning try a stroll through Chinatown. If they’ve any money left there’s more (but possibly less authentic) Hello Kitty stuff around plus other wonderfully tacky London souvenirs that won’t break the bank.

Covent Garden’s good fun to wander round too. if you’re after a cheap and cheerful lunch, (and you’ve any money left!) the West Country Pasty shop is good value and has somewhere to sit and watch the world go by too. (You could, just possibly, leave them there and slip upstairs to the bar for a quick and sustaining G&T- did I say that? Moi?)

Then it’s off to catch your train. You might be lucky and they’ll fall asleep on the way home. After all they probably didn’t sleep much in the hotel. If not they can look at all their wonderful photos on their phones, while you doze off!

Behind the Scenes at Wicked Oliver Tompsett, who plays Fiyero, takes us behind the scenes of Wicked

Book before 15 June 2009 and enjoy an unforgettable hotel and theatre package from just £81.50pp

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