February 17, 2012
They Perform For ‘The Wicked’
One of the world famous Broadway Musical, ‘The Wicked’ at this moment is showing in Singapore. Based on the novel by Gregory Maguire, ‘The Wicked’ takes place at the Marina Bay Sands and will last until the 1st of April.
Many have been written about the show; about the music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, including a Tony Award-winning set design and costumes that wouldn’t look out of place in a book by Dr Seuss. Besides all that facts, the quality of this show is undisputable. Wicked is the winner of 35 major awards including a Grammy®, three Tony Awards® and six Helpmann Awards® including Best Musical. No wonder if Wicked has been described as the Best Musical of the Decade.
But, people who want to see the Singapore performances are still asking: who the casts are? Are they really come from Broadway? How about the key persons behind the show (producer, director, etc.)?
To all the surprise, all of the major casts in this show are Australian. Jemma Rix, the cast of Elphaba, was born in New South Wales. In 2010 she was honored to take over the lead role of Elphaba in Sydney and then she continued this role for the Australian tour of Wicked throughout 2011.
Meanwhile Suzie Mathers, who plays Glinda, raised in Perth, Western Australia and received a Bachelor of Arts from an Australian University in 2007. In 2009 she was cast as the lead role of Sophie Sheridan, in the 10th Anniversary Australian Tour of Mamma Mia! After 12 months of all things ABBA, she rejoined the Australian cast of Wicked as the ‘midwife’ and main ‘Glinda’ understudy.
Another major role, The Wonderful Wizard of OZ, is performed by Bert Newton. As one of the best television performers, his remarkable career has been recognised by the awarding of 18 Logies, including 5 Gold Logies. His dedicated professionalism was also acknowledged with an MBE from Queen Elizabeth II in 1979, for services to the Performing Arts. In June 2006 he was awarded an AM, Member of the Order of Australia for services to the entertainment industry.
The Original Direction of this world-class performance is done by Joe Montello but for this Singapore performances Lisa Leguillou directs it. This lady has put her work extensively on Broadway in a varied career, as an associate choreographer, associate director, and performer. As resident director for Wicked, Lisa has helped create companies in Los Angeles, Chicago, London, Sttutgart, and Tokyo.
This short article is to promote our latest website on Janome DC2011. Do have a visit at our other sites, promoting Stuhrling Skeleton and baby video-monitor. Thank you.
Filed under Dance Camps by Barb