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Why the WICKED West End cast is thrillifying | Emma Kingston and Zizi Strallen to join the musical
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Mickey Jo
My fellow Aussie. And let us be glad, let us be grateful, let us be, frankly, a little bit unsurprised because these principal casting rumors have been circulating for the last three calendar months. But let us also be thrillified about the brand new casting for the West End production of Wicked. Oh my God. Hey, welcome back to my theater themed YouTube channel. Or hello to you if you're listening on podcast platforms. My name is Mickey Jo and I am obsessed with all things theater, including the musical Wicked, recently seen on screen, but of course first seen on stage back in the early 2000s on Broadway and a few years later in the West End, where it continues to play at the Apollo Victoria Theatre and has recently celebrated its. Let me do some maths very quickly, 18th, 19th birthday in the West End. 2006, 2004. This year it will celebrate its 19th. There you go. Coming up to that 20th anniversary, a very auspicious date indeed. It will celebrate that in September 2026. But I'm getting a little bit ahead of myself because today we want to discuss the hugely exciting brand casting for the London production. I have been waiting to make this video. I already have tickets for the first performance of this new cast because I was hearing rumors, as I believe many of us were for the last few months, about who the Elphaba and Glinda performers were likely to be. I was hearing rumors about who was in for it. I was also hearing other rumors about changes they've made to the way that the show is performed and contracted when it comes to Elphaba. I'll explain what I mean in today's video as we talk through the newly announced cast. Now, for those of you watching from around the world here on my channel, I try to cover international theater news. Principally, we tend to talk about what is happening in the West End and on Broadway. And the New York production of Wicked at the Gershwin Theatre ought to be announcing their new principal casting soon, I think as well. And if rumors are to be believed, they will also be addressing a significant milestone in the show's history. I don't want to allude to anything until it's officially confirmed, but as and when that happens, hopefully you will see and hear me talking about it here on YouTube as well. For now, though, let's talk about why I'm so excited for this West End cast. And if you haven't been back to see Wicked in a while in the West End or ever, why this is the time to book tickets. So I will begin by saying I think the current cast at Wicked is terrific. I saw them last year a couple of months before the film was released. Obviously we are all particularly excited about Wicked. I mean, I don't want to speak for everyone, but I personally am particularly excited about Wicked at the moment because of this extraordinary reception that the film adaptation is having. The film adaptation, which of course is going to be continued with Wicked for Good coming out later this year. It's a great time to be Wicked the musical, the Broadway production recently took over $5 million in one week, setting an all time box office record. The West End production, we have no idea how that box office has been affected by the release of the film because we don't publish our grosses here in London for some baffling reason. We hate financial transparency, I guess. But what I will say is that while all of this attention gained by the film benefits Wicked significantly on stage and just makes people more excited about the brand and going to see it and like Wicked afternoon tea events and the merchandise and everything else that's happening around that, it does also put an additional spotlight on it. Not that it didn't have that before, but because the film has stretched it out into two parts, because it's made so much more space, because it's breathed new life into it, as any new adaptation has the opportunity to do, there is the possibility it has also made elements of the stage production look a little less vibrant, vital and fresh than perhaps they did just under two decades ago. Meaning there's a lot of pressure on the stage productions to look and sound their best. And when I saw the show in London back in September for the 19th anniversary gala performance, I had a great time because it was Wicked, but I did think that parts of it felt just that little bit fatigued. And not to lay the blame blame at the feet of any specific company members, but there are a lot of people within that cast who have been with the show for a long time. And I think a lot of performers are really excited to book Wicked and maybe that dwindles a little bit after like multiple contracts, multiple years in the show, returning to the show years later. And again, not true for everyone. I think it was a huge treat for us to get Alexia Kadim returning to the role of Elphaba. But I was really excited for the possibility of a largely new cast coming to the show and I'm very excited about the ones that we have. So without any further context, let me tell you about the newly announced performers for Wicked in the West End, where you might know them from their previous work on the Stage and why I'm so excited about it because I very rarely book tickets for first performances and cast changes. This is a big deal for me. So the headline news here is that Emma Kingston and ZZ Strallen will be playing the roles of Elphaba and Glinda respectively. And when I tell you the vocals are going to sound astonishing and exciting and I mean, I'm just thrilled by this. Emma Kingston, I have been a huge fan of her voice for, for the longest time. I have seen two concerts with incredible vocalists in the lineup that she has stopped dead cold with her extraordinary vocal performances. I truly believe she is one of the top ten musical theater vocalists in the world right now. She is remarkable and the industry has been kind of slow to wake to that. Like she's been on a bunch of concert lineups, but I really don't think still either in the West End or on Broadway, she has had the respect that she deserves for how freaking talented this woman is. One of those concerts was an outdoor one at Chichester Festival Theater years ago. The other one was Children of Eden in concert where she was a last minute replacement for Alice Fern. And I still get goosebumps thinking about her performance of Ain't It Good. Truly sent the entire place into a frenzy. It was sensational. Performances like that redefine what show stopping means and then you understand it, you're like, oh, that's what stopping a show was like. The show is stopped now because she stopped it. That's what happened. She's also, I think, a very underrated actress. I enjoyed her in Heather's, but particularly in the band's visit at the Donmar Warehouse where she was an alternate performer. More on that concept momentarily. And I think her Alphabet, particularly her Alphabet in Act 2 is going to be intense and passionate and dramatic and I'm very excited about it. But I'm also very excited to hear her sing every last section of this score. It is going to be thrilling. One of the most robust, reliable, confident voices that you could possibly bring to this role. I have been waiting for her Elphaba for a long time. This to me always seemed inevitable. I have a list in my head of Elphabas. It's not an infinite list. There's maybe seven or eight and this is one of the names from right up at the top ticked off with this casting. And if the casting team are watching, I'm happy to provide the other seven names for consideration. Although at least one of them has been in for it regularly in the past. I also think just as an additional detail, that Emma is the first Jewish actress to play elphaba in the UK since Adina originated it back in 2006. But I don't know about that concretely, and if I were to try and think what is going to be the most thrilling moment of her playing this role, I do think she's going to be a no good deed Elphaba. If anyone listens to the Sentimental Men podcast and may I recommend it if you are Wicked fans and for any reason you are not listening. They really explore their love and enthusiasm and knowledge of the show with brilliant comedy and passion and it's just wonderful listening. They often interview performers who have played the roles and they ask are you a wizard and I Alphabet? Are you a defying gravity Alphabet? Are you a no good deed Alphabet? Are you the elusive I'm not that girl Alphabet? I think Emma Kingston is going to be a no good deed Elphaba. The growling, the scale of the song. Even if the Wicked is running such a tight ship these days that we get not one additional riff anywhere within the show, I just know that hearing this come through her vocal cords is going to be a legitimately thrilling experience because she has a quintessential Elphaba voice. Take a little bit of Idina. Take a little bit of Eden Espinosa. Actually take a lot of Eden Espinosa. Take a little Stephanie J Block. Take a little Lindsay Mendes. Take a lot of Barbra Streisand, who of course you know, I believe would have been Elphaba had the timings lined up, she may yet still try to, you never know and you would get something resembling the sensational voice of Emma Kingston. Throw a little Carrie Ellis in there, throw a little Rachel Tucker analysis Fern in there. She's amazing. But from casting so brilliant that I'd been anticipating it for years to casting equally brilliant that I couldn't have thought of but instantly fell in love with, we have ZZ Stralin as Glinda. Now, ZZ is still best known to British audiences for having played the role of Mary Poppins in the musical Mary Poppins, both on tour around the country and subsequently at the Prince Edward Theatre in London's West End. If you're a fan of the show, it's recently headed back out on tour. If anyone hasn't seen Mary Poppins yet, it's my favorite of the Disney stage musicals. But even in that, ZZ really made it her own and took this score. This is the thing about her. She took this score that had previously been Sung in a very specific sort of light head voicey, lovely, Julie Andrews, Mary Poppins esque way. And she with this extraordinary mix that is very familiar of her aunt Bonnie Langford, if you didn't know. She placed it in this fascinating mix placement where it's like half belt, half head voice. And there was such a power and such a piercing resonance to the way that she sang Mary Poppins. They did a live recording of the London return of the show. If you haven't listened to that yet, go and listen to her singing Practically Perfect. Go and listen to her singing the End of Brimstone and Treacle Part two. It's insane how little of this score she truly goes up into head voice for. And I am awestruck thinking about her vocal cords singing Glinda. Not only that, she is hysterically funny. I mean she is sensationally talented. I think Cece Strallen is one of the most brilliant, like multi talented, true, genuine triple threats that we have because she's a dancer. Dancer. She has done Matthew Bourne out and out dance shows. She will be kicking her head whenever you see her on stage. She will be dancing up a storm. We saw her do that last year in Pippin in concert. We saw her do that at the back of the stage of Mary Poppins where Mary, as a character who is not meant to kick above 90 degrees because it's consistent considered showing off. You know, had to hide in the back of step in Time or do it just like right at the end, towards the end of the run to get away with it. We've also seen her be hilarious on stage in shows like Cake and Rock Follies at Chichester Festival Theatre. And since Mary Poppins, it has been fascinating to watch her really come into her own and play these different types of roles. And Glinda is such an exciting fit for her, but I think she's going to truly make it her own. Azizi. Glinda doesn't look identical to any Glinda I think we've ever had before, either in the West End or on Broadway. And I've said a lot previously about Glinda's in the UK because they use the British accent and because that carries with it the posh boarding school girl demeanor. And they have to be a little more prim and proper and less crazed than the Broadway Glinders. I've said before that they're not nearly as fun in songs like Popular, but ZZ always finds a way to be hilarious and unhinged while being posh at the same Time. The secret to which may be that I think she's a little bit of all three of those things in real life in the most wonderful way. I'm a huge fan of hers, if you don't know. She comes from this stage dynasty. Her parents met while in Cats. She is one of four sisters, all of whom have performed on the stage. Her older sister, Scarlett Strallen, was one of the first actresses to play Mary Poppins before ZZ did. Summer Strallen, of course, has also been on the stage. Her younger sister is Saskia Stralan. Their aunt is Bonnie Langford. But her mother, Sharida Langford, was just seen in the Wicked movie. She plays the librarian in the dancing through life scene that Jonathan Bailey flirts with. And good for her. Good for you. Sharida Langford. I actually saw her at the Wicked screening that I saw just before the film was released. She was seeing it with ZZ and Summer and I gave her Sharida Liz a little clap to say well done. And she said thank you. That was a sweet moment. But I am so excited about ZZ doing Wicked. When was the last time we saw ZZ Stralin wearing a blonde W? That's something my brain can't even process. Is she gonna be kicking her head during popular? You know, there's a section of that song where they get a little bit of free rein in terms of their physicality. Like the stuff that Megan Hilty used to do during that number was crazed. It wasn't dance based, but it was crazed. And more importantly, what is this score gonna sound like in her voice? When Louise Dearman played Glinda, there was that iconic belted moment in the Wicked Die Alone because Louise had a much stronger belt than many of the actresses who have played Glinda. Hence why Louise went on to become the first actress to play Glinda and Elphaba as a principal performer in the West End. But with Zizi, it is that high, high mix. I think so much of the score that we normally hear in a very floaty like goodness knows is going to become a good ness knows. I just think there's going to be a weight to it and a force to it. And I'm going to be shaking in my seat at the Apollo Victoria Theatre. If you couldn't tell, I'm excited. However, Wicked is not just a show about two witches. There are many more cast members who have been announced for the production as well. Let me talk you through the rest of press release. So they are joined by Principal Cast members Carl Mann, Sarah Ingram, Michael Matis, Hannah Qureshi, David McKechnie, Ross Carpenter, Laura Emmett and Lydia Gerrard. Let me tell you the roles that each of these are playing. So, first of all, Wicked London is welcoming back Karl Mann as Fiyero, who has just finished playing that same role on the show's UK tour, which was kind of a breakthrough moment for Carl, who had been in the ensemble of and Juliet previously. I think after having been in the ensemble of Wicked and understudying Fiyero in the West End, he is now as a principal performer. This is hugely exciting. I haven't had the chance to see him play the role. I didn't get to see the tour. I'm very excited to see him returning to this company and getting to maybe, you know, bring a few more of the distinctive choices he's been able to make on tour now that he's been principal Fiero to the role. I also think throughout this casting, in terms of Wicked's ongoing commitment to diversity, which it had come under a little bit of criticism for previously and, you know, that hasn't entirely gone away. But it is admirable to see more Asian and South Asian performers in the Prince of multiple cast. Hannah Qureshi, who's previously appeared in Hamilton, will be joining the cast as Nessarose. Ross Carpenter, who has previously appeared in the Book of Mormon, will be playing the role of Bok. He just got finished playing Peter Pan in Pantomime. How's that for a pipeline for you? Sarah Ingram and Michael Matus, meanwhile, will play Madame Morrible and the Wizard. And this, according to the press release, will mark the fourth production they have appeared in together. Good for them. David McKechnie, meanwhile, is going to be playing the wizard. Lydia Gerrard, who was also in the touring company as a cover for the role of Glinda, will be becoming Stand By Glinda in the West End. What this means is that she won't be on stage at every performance, but she will be waiting, literally standing by in case she needs to go on for Glinda. So, under circumstances when Zizi is unable to perform or is not scheduled to perform, Lydia Gerrard will be the first port of call to play the role. An exciting opportunity for her. But what's really thrilling is that finally, after years of us demanderating it, begging them to do it, they have put in place an Elphaba alternate. This is huge news for a show that is nearly 20 years old, for a show that is on Broadway and in the West End, simultaneously with Replica Productions, with other versions touring around the uk, touring around the us, happening internationally. They have been so set in their ways, they have not had an alternate this whole time. The production, for years, wherever it's been, has been riddled with vocal challenges and vocal help for the actresses playing Elphaba. So many have spoken about the very strict lives that they need to lead in order to sing this role eight times a week and how extraordinarily challenging it is. Meanwhile, far easier sings the likes of Eva Peron and, you know, maybe even Norma Desmond and certainly Christine Daae in Phantom of the Opera have always had alternates. The Angela Webber of it all possibly being a big factor there. Tina Turner in the West End, which I do think is one of the hardest roles on stage right now. No performer is doing eight performances a week under a usual schedule unless something has go gone very wrong. There is no good reason why Elphaba should still be doing eight shows a week. And finally, now she won't be, because Laura Emmett, who has previously been with the company, I think around a decade ago, as a second cover, is now going to be alternate Elphaba, meaning she will get at least one scheduled performance every week, which is great for so many reasons, because it means Emma won't have to do all eight. And guess what? Most Elphabas don't end up doing all eight. Certainly in the West End production. There have been many instances over the last few years where they have struggled because of having to go down to second and third covers. There are many covers for the role of Elphaba because they know how vocally demanding this is. They know what happens. And in fact, sometimes there are additional secret covers because after Laura Pick left the show, after Rebecca Gilliland left the show, they both went on podcasts and talked about the fact that they have been brought back in, you know, after leaving the company to just sit in the building on certain weekends in case they were needed, they have had them on call because they thought, you know, sometimes they need a backup Alphabet. That is how the situation has been. So it is so smart, it is so timely to finally have an alternate Alphabet. I'm thrilled they've brought this in, and it's brilliant because you have more of a chance of getting to see the performer that you would like to see. If you want to go see Emma Kingston, if you want to go see Laura Emmett, there is a greater chance that Emma is going to be doing the show she's scheduled to do. You can now know with certainty that you get to go and book a show that Laura's going to do. A lot of Wicked fans like to go and see all of the covers and like to go and collect them. As creepy as that sounds, it's actually very supportive. And also, as we've seen with six, when you actually give a performer that platform and make them an alternate in that kind of an official capacity, it does a lot to furnish their name and help to launch them. You know, they're not playing the role as a principal, but it's still a big deal. I don't think this necessarily has to be implemented for Glinda alongside, because I think for a lot of Sopranos, Glinda vocally is a walk in the park. I would like to see this implemented on Broadway. We will see. We will find out what happens on that front, but I think this is a very good move for Wicked. Finally. Then, let me tell you about the rest of the 202526 company. It's completed by Iroy Abasamis, Zach Adlam, Steph Asamoa, Meg Astin, Rebecca Bowden, Sean Chambers, Erin Giselle Chapman, Grace Durkin, Onyamachi Ejimafor, Aaron Elijah, Amy Hodnett, Nat Ingham, Holly Lawrence, Jemima Loddie, Josh Lovell, Rory McGuire, Patty Jo Martin, Jojo Merritt, Meredith Aidan Morgan, Rena Pinwani, Abbie Quinnan, Gemma Revelle, Jeannie Ryan, Charlotte Ann Steen, Chris Tarci, Hannah Taylor, James Titchener and Jacob Young. Apologies if I have butchered the pronunciation of anyone's names. I'm very excited to see you all on stage and the only final detail I need to give you is that this company is going to begin performances on Tuesday 25th March 2025, with the current cast set to finish on Sunday 23rd March. You may be wondering why the Wicked cast announcement has come as late as it has this time. Normally we found out by late 2024. Well, there was a lot going on in late 2024 to do with Wicked and it would have been challenging for them to surface above all of that noise and talk about the London cast. So I dare say they deliberately planned to let a little bit of the Wicked movie noise die down in early January before they start marketing Wicked for good, which, you know may start happening as early as February. I think they very smartly decided that this was the perfect window to announce the Wicked London cast and maybe for the same reason. We will see the Broadway cast soon. It's been very actually seeing Wicked the Musical putting a certain amount of distance between themselves and the film. And, you know, that's fair enough, because film adaptations of stage musicals have a little bit of a checkered past, and something like the dear Evan Hansen adaptation may even have played a role with its poor reception in the premature closing of the Broadway and West End productions of the show, not too far apart. Given Wicked's hugely positive reception, however, and the already evident impact that's having on the stage production, it will be very interesting to see how they behave ongoingly as the film begins to market the next film, the Wicked, for good. It'll be interesting to see whether the show embraces that and tethers themselves to it a little bit more. It's going to be, in any case, a hugely exciting year for Wicked. I can't wait to go back and see it at the Apollo, Victoria, if I don't see it between now and then, which I don't anticipate happening. But who knows, that will also be the first time we've seen it on stage since the film, and I will be so intrigued to see if I feel differently about going back and seeing the original version now that we've seen it more extended and more fleshed out. I am fascinated by what this is going to feel like. And of course I will be here making a video about it when I do and letting you know what I think of the new cast and what the experience was like and whether it does breathe that little bit of life back into this beloved show. So make sure you're subscribed right here on YouTube with the notifications turned on or following me on podcast platforms so you don't miss that content when it comes out in a couple of months time. In the meantime, there will be plenty more to say about all of the other shows happening in the West End and on Broadway. Many more reviews and feature pieces coming soon right here on my stagey YouTube channel. Before then though, I want to know what you think of this casting comment with all of your thoughts down below. Will I be seeing you at the first performance on the 25th of March? Let me know. I hope you've enjoyed this video and I hope that everyone is staying safe and that you have a Stagey Day. For 10 more seconds. I'm Mickey Jo Theatre. Oh my God. Hey, thanks for watching. Have a stagey day. Subscribe.