A Very Wicked Week...

Hello everyone and welcome to the second installment of my new Wicked blog!

So when I left you last I was stood basking in the emerald glow of the Apollo Victoria's foyer. After the obligatory programme and merchandise purchase (Black hoody & fridge magnet!) we entered the auditorium to find our seats which happened to be in the second row!!!! (cue more amazement from myself!) As I stared up at the map of Oz as it twinkled in front of me I could still barely believe I was there! 

All nerves and preconceptions were immediatley vanquished as the orchestra burst into life and flying monkeys appeared before my eyes...
2 and a half hours later I was left amazed and in floods of tears, to have just seen a musical I had been obsessed with for near 3 years was spectacular. To have seen the sensational Kerry Ellis in the role of Elphaba made the experience purely perfect! I swear I shook through her entire performance of Defying Gravity! The moment Glinda entered the castle at Kiamo Ko the tears began to fall, I knew what was going to happen, and of course what actually hadn't and yet I couldnt stop!


I dont know how any of you felt after you saw Wicked for the first time but if it was anything like me then you felt like you had just witnessed something very special indeed...

And this is where my love for Wicked became more like an obsession, there hasnt been many days over the last two years when I havent listened to at least one song or watched at least one video related to the show. Over the last week there has been one that has ahd more than its fair share of viewings. I happened upon it whilst searching for footage of Rachel Tucker and Louise Dearmans current run in the West End. I now can not stop singing these incredible lyrics whenever I hear the meoldy to Defying Gravity...




I swear I have never laughed so much in my life! What I couldn't believe, after doing a little online research, was that this early Tuckman performance came 11 months before the pair were announced as the new Glinda and Elphaba! Their chemistry was unbelievable, perfection, and Louise's riff of the line 'Riff to the West End Sky' completely blew me away (If you missed it then PLEASE listen again!) I can not help but wonder if the casting directors of Wicked saw this performance and....well we may never know! 

What we do know is (From that amazing Louise Riff!) is that should Wicked London want to participate in 'The Great Witch Switch' that Dearman could certainly hold her own as Elphaba! 

Thats all for this week, have a fantastic easter everyone eat lots of chocolate and enjoy the sun!

Ooh I almost forgot a big jealous shout out to a follower of mine on Twitter @babygumm07 who will be seeing Wicked on the 27th next week! Have lots of fun!!

Many years (Well days really) you have waited...

So here it is everyone, the first installment of my new and (hopefully) improved blog! Actually I will rephrase that, due to the fact my blog will now solely concentrate on all things Wicked related it WILL be improved and have many more followers (If you are reading then click the button!) and generate lots of buzz and excitement every time its posted!

Being the first one I will just take a little time to tell you about myself. I am Katy, a 30 year old living in the quiet South Wales Valleys, specifically the Rhondda Valley. I am married to Kirstie and we have two cats called Rogue and Phoenix (Named prior to my discovery of Wicked otherwise they would obviously be called Glinda and Elphie!) 

Well that's enough about that, time to get onto what we're really here to talk about - Wicked: A New Musical!

I was introduced to Wicked about 6 years ago, I was working at HMV at the time in the stockroom. As I worked in the room alone I could always listen to whatever CDs I wanted - usually musicals. One day my manager (also a musicals fan) came in and told me I should listen to this new CD that had just come in on American import - that CD was of course the OBC of Wicked.

For the next month there was not a single moment in that room when Wicked was not playing, when I discover something new I HAVE to listen over and over again until i know it inside out. Once that occurs the obsession usually fades and the knowledge is filed away in the 'Musical Theatre' department in my brain to be called upon at any time. I knew something was different this time, the obsession did not fade, I found myself needing to listen to tracks every day. I scoured the Internet for video files in order to see for myself this wonderful story played out.

I was living in Blackpool at the time of my discovery and working only part time whilst studying, London was a long and expensive way away for me and I conceded it would be a very long time before I could see this phenomenon live, they way it should be seen.

I waited in fact around four years before my prayers were answered and I got the chance to see this wonderful spectacle. It was my wedding day, at the reception and my new wife got up to make a speech. 'Strange' I thought, unlike myself she is not really comfortable speaking in front of people. She went to to say we were no longer flying to Tenerife the following day (as we had planned for the honeymoon) we would be driving to London, staying there 3 days, seeing Wicked and then flying from Gatwick!!

I must have looked like I was catching flies, sitting there open mouthed in pure shock, unable to say anything other than a whispered 'OH MY GOD THANK YOU!!'

February 6th 2009 and we are in London, on the tube from Kingston were we were staying into Victoria. I sit, silently, staring into space feeling strangely nervous of what I am about to witness.

I didn't know what I would do if after all this build up I was left disappointed. I had built pictures in my mind of how things should be, how they should look and sound....I was scared and to be honest felt a little nauseous!

We stood outside the Apollo Victoria at around 6:45pm and I stared up in wonder at what I saw, I was finally here I was going to see the one thing I had been obsessing over for the last 4 years! I had to physically drag Kirstie inside, she kept taking pictures of surrounding theatres and landmarks while I was dying inside because I wasn't yet inside the theatre! The excitement I knew would come was finally there and manifesting itself outwardly as I was hit by the green lights in the foyer of the AV.

There I will leave you for now, for those of you who have seen the show, you will know exactly the feelings going through my mind and how if I were to continue this story in post #1 then it would go on forever!

I thoroughly intend to make this blog informative and interesting for those reading it, I aim to include videos and pictures and bits of trivia wherever and whenever I can. I hope you guys will enjoy my blog and pass it on to others  -  If anyone wants to send me stories and memories they have of Wicked or pictures or video clips please do. I will happily include them and endeavour to create A sort of Wicked Lovers community where we can all come and share our Love for this Unbelievable Musical!