Three Words – NIKKI… DAVIS..-.. JONES
Name of Show: Wicked
Date: Monday 16th August
Starring: Nikki Davis Jones, Louise Dearman, Lee Mead, George Ure, Clive Carter, Cassie Compton, Julie Legrand.
Words and Music: Stephen Schwartz
Opened: 27th September 2006
Theatre: Apollo Victoria, London
Seats: Stalls B13 & 14 Limited View
Seat Review: Amazing seats. Not good for first visits as you miss a couple of points. You cannot see upstage left and in the opening scene Glinda stands in your way. Apart from that…perfect considering the price!
Price: £27.50
Visit number: 7
Rating out of 10: 8 (NDJ was a 10!)
Recommend: Yes
Describe it in 5 words: Spellbinding, incredible, spectacular, funny, clever
MiniHobo’s Review:
Well let’s face it guys, last night’s show (Monday 16th August) was ALL about Nikki Davis Jones. When we heard that the big boots of Miss Ashleigh Gray were up for filling, WICKED London had one massive job on their hand. Ashleigh’s successor had to have flare, talent, charm, wit and, more importantly, the voice of the century. Well, Miss Nikki Davis Jones more than successfully fills those bootiful greenified boots!
So I would expect we’ve all seen Louise Dearman on stage. She is a fabulous Glinda, some would say Popular, as she has increased the time length of that song to about 11 minutes, including bloopers! She was fantastic as ever, in good voice and with exceptional comic timing. There was clear chemistry between her and Nikki DEEJ even though they’ve only had a limited run of shows together. She is one very talented lady and I’m so excited to be seeing her at the Scott Alan gig in a few weeks time.
We have also all heard multiple reviews of Lee in the role of Fiyero, his fans LOVE him and others don’t, those that haven’t seen Oli don’t have much as a means of comparison. I had previously booked to see Lewis and was pleasantly surprised at his unique interpretation of the role. I had low expectations of Lee and I’m so so grateful he at least exceeded them.
Firstly – his dancing. Now I’ve always found the part of Fiyero is choreographed really awkwardly but Lee made it look really effortless and smooth…high praise to him for that. On the other hand, he was spitting ALL over the rest of the cast,which was a bit offputting and very unattractive. He was also very difficult to understand, especially when he was singing, all his words merged into one!! I thought it was just me, because I’ve seen the show so many times but my friend, who was watching it for the first time, couldn’t understand him at all. There were a few microphone hitches so it could be to do with that but none of the other cast members suffered to that extreme. Overall, his dancing was amazing and I was mildly impressed with his acting and singing compared to expectations!
Now…onto Nikki…the complete and utter star of the night! WOW this girl is a MUST see. There is talk of Rachel leaving at the next February cast change, only because she doesn’t like staying too long in a role, and if that talk is true, I really hope McCabbbbby thinks to promote Nikki to full time. She more than deserves the ‘airtime’ and the paying customers deserve to see more of her. Her acting was flawless, her singing was note perfect while being rifftastic and her emotion was raw. She really makes the perfect Elphaba, I place her among Kerry Ellis and Ashleigh Gray. She plays the role so similar to Kerry and there is even a slight lisp in her voice which sounds like Kerry’s. But while playing the role similar to other’s she more than stamped her own style into the role. At the Victoria Place performance she sang the word ‘crazy’ in TWAI really well, I thought she was going to add that into the show as well! That would’ve been great!
So…to round it all up…you have to see Nikki in the role of Elphaba. She is perfect, everything you want to see in an Elphaba and more. I have nothing bad to say about her. I think the next time I go to Wicked I want to see a completely standby show – Nikki DJ, Sarah Earnshaw and Lewis Bradley. I think out of this cast, that would be my ideal show! I LOVE the thought of it…let’s hope it happens soon!
What’s your favourite cast combination of this current cast?
MH
xXx
Make sure you grab your tickets to see Nikki and the rest of the cast as soon as you can:
Tags: Cassie Compton, Clive Carter, Danny Mac, George Ure, Julie Legrand, Kids Week, Lee Mead, Louise Dearman, Niall Sheehy, Nikki Davis Jones, Rachel Tucker, Random, Reviews, West End, Wicked, Wicked The Musical
Favourite is Rachel, Louise and Lee at the moment, but that’s only cos I haven’t seen Sarah or Nikki, I’ve seen Lewis. :)
I was at the performance last night, nice to hear that you love Lee’s dancing
which is superb. I do not understand your comments that you did not understand
him especially when he was singing. I could understand everything, he is always
very clear and his duet with Nikki was outstanding as it is with Rachel, the
chemistry Lee has with his leading ladies is brilliant. I have seen the new
cast with Lee four times so far and have never been disappointed, the audience
seem to love him.
In my opinion it seems very hard for some dedicated fans of Wicked to accept
Lee, which I really do not understand, at least it seems that the majority of
the public appreciate his talent, which is all that matters really.
Aww I’m really glad you like Wicked so much. I don’t know whether it was an off day for him. I went with my friend who had never seen it and she said she missed out on his part because, especially during the songs, she couldn’t understand the words. I found it really strange because I’d heard great things about his singing…after all, that’s what got him the Joseph part…and yes…the man can sing. But for some reason last night his words got a bit lost. I know that Wicked is a show that some people have seen 60+ times and when they love a show that much, the smallest things can make a bit difference. For me though, I enjoy seeing a different show each time, hence my decision to book with a ‘new cast’ (to me anyway). Personally, I’ve seen 6 different line ups in the times I’ve been (5 Elphies, 3 Fiyeros, 3 Glindas) and last night, Nikki stole the show and ran with it. She was fantabulous and I will defo be booking again to see her! She is a MUST SEE!!
Dedicated fans of Wicked, myself being one of them, can’t all really be lumped under one category, but the reason that the majority of ‘us’ perhaps havent taken to Lee as well as others would like is based on a number of factors…(which, incidentally have nothing to do with the fact he came from a reality show) …
…he doesnt have great diction. That’s just a fact. Doesnt bother some people so much as others, but personally it bothers me – it’s why I was never a huge fan of Alexia Khadime. He also continues to fluff his lines, which understandably is annoying! And the fact he avoids many of his own dedicated fans at Stage Door by often going in and out the back entrance to avoid them, just isnt on. The rest of the cast rarely do this and the other leading actors certainly dont ever do this! He has a fantastic voice and his dancing is good (although what happened to the pirouhette?! I miss that!)…but he needs more than that to be an amazing Fiyero. Having said that, his performance doesnt ruin the show for me like some previous cast members so..all good really.
Nikki I have only seen once, performing in a ‘Nik-Shaw’ (a term I loathe but will use for the sake of getting my point across!) I loved the tone of her voice, her boyish/geeky Elphie personality…and chemistry with Sarah was good…although not as strong as I would have expected. I would be interested to see her perform with Lewis too. I need to see her again to give her a fair go…but I’m so glad we have another fab Standby! I have to say though, if she got promoted next year, some questions would be raised in my head about why this is, when Ashleigh Gray wasnt ever promoted and had/has a bigger fanbase than Nikki currently does. (And was quite clearly better….nay…THE BEST!) Ok, you knew some Gray-love would appear somewhere in my post!
Thanks as always Jo for doing these blogs. They create a bit of debate if nothing else!
CC
(P.S CC, I EDITED IT AND SO DELETED YOUR OTHER COMMENT, MHx)
I did find some of the things he said a bit muffled, but it may have been a microphone thing – they were a bit spazzy last night! I did like his rope swing though – that was pretty classy.
I don’t think he’s as masculine as Oli was. I mean, of course he’s a man, but I don’t think he had that cheeky cockyness that Oli had, and I think Oli was more protective towards the Elphies, if that makes sense. Still, it’s all a matter of personal opinion, and life would be a bit boring if everyone liked the same thing.
I think Lee’s definately improved since he first started though. Even inbetween the times I’ve seen him (around 2 months) he’s made an improvement. Let’s hope that continues to happen!
NDJ is just amazing though. GO AND SEE HER, NOW.
I was also at last night’s performance of Wicked and thought the whole show was
brilliant. In my opinion Lee’s acting, singing and dancing last night was superb, I really enjoyed his duet with Nikki, so believable and lovely, as it has been when
I have seen him perform it with Rachel. Lee also has a lovely chemistry with the
two leading ladies. The audience last night seemed to appreciate Lee’s performance
as they did with all the cast. I have seen Wicked quite a few times now and
hopefully will be going again in the very near future. My favourite is Rachel, Louise
and Lee but I do like Nikki.
As for the comment by CC regarding Lee at the stage door, there is a
very recent youtube video taken and posted a few days ago of Lee at the stage
door showing just how lovely and polite he is with fans.
I also read a comment by CC recently where she said when Lee was
signing at the stage door she turned her back on him because she doesn’t like
him, so she certainly has not got the right to criticise him if that is how she
behaves towards him at the stage door.
I saw Wicked twice last week, the Wednesday matinée with Rachel/Louise/Lewis and the Saturday with Nikki/Louise/Lee. I thought both shows were amazing! It was my 3rd time of seeing Rachel, and as per usual she was amazing! I was looking forward to seeing Nikki and she blew me away! Her defying gravity was spectacular! I think they are both amazing Elphabas and I’m not too sure which one I prefer! I love Louise, seen her 4 times now and I think the role is perfect for her! I have now seen both Lewis and Lee twice now and I prefer Lewis I still love Lee but Lewis wins it for me! I meet Lee at the stage door beforehand and he was lovely, thanking us all for coming to watch the show. My favourite combination is Rachel, Louise & Lewis and can’t wait to see them again!
Rebecca xx
I’ve seen Lee at the stage door several times and he’s been pleasant to me every time and spent ages having photos done, with some girls throwing themselves at him. LOL. I can’t wait to see Nikki, I do hope I get some Nikki time, although I don’t wish Rachel ill at all.
I am sorry that this may turn in to a bit of a rant on your blog MH…
but I am totally with you on Lee’s diction!
It’s so difficult to understand what he’s saying, which isn’t great for a major character in a musical!
I have to agree wholeheartedly with CC about Lee at stage door though… great, so one youtube video, what exactly does that tell us about Lee…?
I don’t know how many times I’ve seen Wicked with him as Fiyero now, maybe about 5 or 6… and I have seen him at the stage door… 3 times… and one of those times was before he was in the show (during his rehearsal time!).
I don’t want to be rude about the guy, and I think the same as what CC was trying to get across (and it’s the same thing that happened with another ‘fairly’ major cast member in the previous cast!) it’s the performers’ fans that we feel bad for… it’s not nice for people to be kept waiting for ages after the show, especially with little children, only to be told that the person they’re waiting for has snuck out the other exit! Especially for someone who is where they are because the public (their fans) put them where they are!
It’s also a shame that since Lee has been in Wicked and all his fans have come flocking (which is great for the show’s viewing figures, and to expand the publicity)… it seems that loyal Wicked fans are seen as inferior to the Lee fans!
I have even heard that some Lee fans have complained that Rachel sings too loudly during ALAYM, drowning Lee out… it would never be that maybe Lee just isn’t singing loud enough… no, no!
Rachel, as a complete contrast, as someone who rose to fame via a reality show, has stood chatting to me and my friends until gone midnight on some occasions… a perfect example that some people could do to take notes from! A true star!
Anywhos, back to the point of your blog MH, I am glad you enjoyed it, as per ^-^ I haven’t seen NDJ as Elphie yet, but I haven’t heard one bad thing about her yet… I am hoping she’s still in the cast when I am back from Japan ^-^
<33
Hey Kitty!!
Hope you’re loving Japan!! I absolutely LOVE how Rachel (and Louise actually) stay and chat for ages after the show, it’s hugs all round and she asks names and everything. It really makes it a pleasure waiting at Stage Door. When I met her her husband was there waiting around too (at least I’m pretty sure it was him!). Lewis was lovely too, he tried to run off thinking no one wanted a picture but we did and he was so humble when he realised that we did!
Luckily for me, the two cast members that I haven’t particularly cared much for are the ones that don’t relish in the stage door experience. Also I really feel that the stage door experience (combined with Tweeting tweeting twitter) enable the ensemble members and standbys/swings (Niall Sheehy, Lucy Newton, Earnie, THE GRAY, NDJ, Lewis Brad, Lauren James, Shirley) to build up a fanbase and be appreciated in their job.
Let’s hope it brings THE GRAY some stage-time like she deserves.
BRING ON SCOTT ALAN!!!
MHx
Hi there guys!
MH, I love your review, and after hearing rave reviews by not just you, I think a trip to AV is in need to see the “Deej” As she is referred to by her legion(?) of fans!
I have seen Ashleigh Gray (ex-standby) totally give an amazing performance as Elphaba, and to hear heer sucessor is great too makes me want to plan a trip to AV soon!
RE:Lee Mead, I have seen the show twice, first time with Gregor and secondly with Lee. I must say that Gregor was quite good considering he had a sore throat(which he told us via twitter) and still went on to give it his all as Fiyero. I personally think the role isn’t a lead role, but more of a supporting role.The role requires singing, dancing and acting. I’ve got to give Lee credit for having a great voice, however his acting and dancing compared to Gregor seemed mediocre. This may be due to the fact that he only had a limited time to rehearse for the part(I heard it was 2 weeks, but do not know if this is true), and started about a month or two after the new cast actually started their run. I did go to see the show on June 19th, around a month after Lee started his stint as Fiyero. Again, the short rehearsal time may have contributed to him maybe not being as confident in the role and therefore causing bad diction (I agree with some of you above) and causing him to deliver his lines quickly. It’s a good job I’d seen the show already once, so knew what he meant, but I did feel for my friend whom I took the first time.
I can’t comment on the stage door business, as I did not stage door that time, but on previous visits, cast members(Ashleigh Gray, Sarah Earnshaw, Natalie Anderson, Sam Kelly, Hannah Toy, Sean Perkins, Alex Jessop) have been ever so lovely and willing to talk and take pictures etc. I hope Lee has improved since I last saw him as I plan to go and see “Deej” give it some “code green*”
All in all, I liked your review MH, and yes, I am due a trip to Oz soon, when’s your next trip guys
Thanks for reading,
Hamza
x
*AG reference, there were many “code greens” during the last few months before Cast Change, of which many people were pleased!
Don’t forget Danny he is always lovely too at Stage Door and will always take the time to stop and chat
Oh my gosh Brownie, I have no idea how I forgot Danny or George, both are AMAZING at Stage door, Danny always asks for my Twitter name (because I mention something about his tweets!) and George is so lovely!
DANNNNNNY MAC!
Legend!
I wish he was a little bit taller (#) – I could so see him as Fiyero if he was…!
I didn’t notice your question at the end… I like both Glindas, Rachel’s Elphie (not seen Deej!) and, er… can I have Oli for Fiyero please? Sorry for my Oli fangirlness showing its head ;P
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Just got back from tonight’s performance. Having seen Kerry lots, Idina, Cassidy, and Shona twice each and Alex, Ashleigh and Rachel once, I thought Nikki’s No Good Deed was the best I’ve seen. Excellent – full of raw emotion, whilst still keeping the singing quality going.
I have been in the lucky position to have seen a Nikki show 4 times and she is by far one of my all time favourite Elphies. The first thing that struck me was the purity of her voice and she did am amazing TWAI. I like her chemistry with Louise and her little facial expressions in the Shiz scenes had me in stitches at times. Her Defying Gravity is really powerful as her No Good Deed which really blew me away.
I really liked her and Louise in For Good, it had me in tears. She does something in it that Rachel never does – she takes Glinda’s hand and places it on her heart in “like a handprint on my heart” and it is so touching.
I must say, I prefer to watch Nikki over Rachel – though I still love Rachel.
I really like this cast. All the Elphies and Glindas are excellent. Julie is a superb Morrible (so creepy and sinister) and Clive is the best Wizard ever – just made for the role. I love his Wonderful (I used to nod off when Sam Kelly used to do it!) – and he has gone wrong so many times in it but always pulls it off – though usually both he and Rachel are in stitches during it. Cassie and George are great (though I do prefer Danny’s Boq). And Jen is fabulous as standby Morrible!!
As for Lee, I have to say I really dislike him in this role. I’ve seen different sides to him as a person. I’ve seen him being really nice to people at SD but I’ve also seen a very rude side to him too. At my last visit he was heading towards the SD, turned around ind went in through a different entrance! I think he’s totally miscast in the role. He is a good singer but it’s not enough. There is no chemistry at all between him and either Elphie or Glinda. Zero, nana, zilch!!
Also, he continuously gets Glinda’s name wrong after the name change. He keeps calling her Galinda – even 5 seconds after the name change. It’s really infuriating!!
I like Lewis as Fiyero. Obviously he’s no Oli and can’t hit the high notes (especially in As Long as you’re Mine) but he does have a certain charm and cheekiness (sadly non-existent with Lee) and at least makes an effort.
I really think this cast is much better than the previous cast (exception being Lee). It is such an amazing show and I really hope Nikki will take over from Rachel in February but with McCabe who knows???
P.S. Sorry for taking so long to post a comment!!
I agree with what you said about nikki iv seen her and she is amazing, my favorite elphaba by far. Im not a big fan of lee he improved since the first time I saw him but im a big ollie fan lol.
I know the standbys are actually AMAZING!!! But I love Rachel. and Louise and Lee obviously but Rachel is actually amazing. I wouldn’t ever want her to go :D