[sherwills]

Planning to see Wicked again tomorrow night and learned that Kerry Ellis is off on holiday this week... Anyone seen the standby for the Elphaba role perform yet?

Would love to know if she's (Shona White) worth seeing. Help pls. Thanks

[pish123c]

Just type her name in on youtube, there is a bunch of audios.

[sherwills]

thanks for the advice. Mixed feelings from people actually. Some hated her and some loved her.

I'll take my chance and see her tomorrow.

[wicked_boy]

Don't go and see a show jsut becasue of your favourite actor. Go because you like it. I've got the full audio of Shona and she is amazing. Jst as good as Kerry.

[DB9]

[wicked_boy]

[DB9]

Yes of course you are - just in this case you're wrong


Shona's a lovely girl and a good singer but mis-cast in this show.

[wicked_boy]

Actually, when there is an opininion, there is no correct or wrong answer.

Back to the topic: You should go and see Wicked anyway!

[Belle]

Not necessarily... it might be your opinion that they paint Elphaba purple every night. some things are FACT. Elphaba is NOT purple - any opinion to the contrary is wrong!

But whether someone is likeable in a role is pure opinion. The technical quality of their voice is factual, if someone is out of tune that can be scientifically proven and is fact not opinion. But if you LIKE them or not? Up to you!

Shona made a fantastic Magenta in Rocky Horror.... I can't quite see that quality translating to Elphaba,. but hopefully I'll see her tomorrow!

[wicked_boy]

When you see her, report back to us please.

[PappyCat]

[wicked_boy]

[katethegreat]

[sherwills]

My verdict: Shona is awesome as Elphie. So different from Idina's style. AT the very front row, I could clearly see what a good actress she is. Very expressive face. Just that there are times that she puts on an american twang but slip an english accent on another. But I guess that was just a minor thing. The audience loved her especially in Defying Gravity and No Good Deed!

I wish I could compare her to Kerry but I'll have to wait til July to see her (which will be my 5th time to see this wonderful show).

As for the rest of the cast, I thought Susie Blake was good as Mdme Morrible. Helen Dallimore's Glinda has improved so much. Loved her a lot especially in Thank Goodness.

[London_Mungojerrie]

Shona White IS Elphaba! Shona = LIFE!
Shona = Me camping outside the Apollo Victoria from 2am on Saturday.

[DB9]

Make sure she's on first. She missed one of the shows on Wednesday due to a bad throat. It's a lot to sing when you haven't done it for a while!

[SapphireNight]

She missed Wed evening and Thursdays performances, CJ was on. I've heard that she has a bad throat, but apparently she also cut her finger badly during act 2 of the matinee performance (blood everywhere, apparently ).
Anyway, CJ was on yesterday, I havent heard any news about tonight or the near future. But I can tell you that CJ has a good reputation, and a lot of fans, on the WoO board. I've never heard her, but reports say shes good. Things tend to be more mixed when it comes to Shona (please give it a break guys, yes, people are entitled to their opinion, but for heavens sake! All I can get from this is that Shona = marmite, and someone thinks shes purple every night... )

[Belle]

DAMMIT!!! I nearly went on weds evening, but decided I was too tired... so I planned to go on thursday. And was also too tired.

CJ is an AMAZING performer. I've seen her as "Rusty" in Footloose, singing "Let's hear it for the Boy", and I've seen her as Susan in Tick, Tick... Boom! The first role being a great vocal showoff, but not so much acting, the second being great for acting but less demanding vocally. I really, really want to see her use all her ability in Elphaba! And I KEEP MISSING HER!!!

[London_Mungojerrie]

Shona is back on today Kerry will return from her holiday on Monday

[actor]

[London_Mungojerrie]

[kayleigh]

I saw all of Shona's shows last week and I have to say that she is amazing. I've seen all of the London Elphabas and Shona is by far the best.
Kerry to me is a very lazy performer, she never does anything very exciting and her performances are effortless which just puts me off sometimes... its very rehearsed.
CJ just does some seriously crazy shit when she's singing... I don't like her riffs and she just doesn't have enough power behind her voice for the big numbers, especially Defying Gravity, she sounds like a little girl.
I loved Idina but she wasn't really that consistent with her shows, she'd be amazing one day but average the next, having said that she WAS Elphaba 100% on stage and I loved her portrayal.

Shona for me has the whole package, her voice is amazing, its so powerful and distinctive and she sounds fantastic on stage, her portrayal and characterisation is amazing, she's the only Elphaba I've really truly believed in on stage, she has the cutest mannerisms when she's Elphie which I adored and yeah... I've seen her 9 times and she's totally wowed me every time.

And she's the ONLY person I'd sleep outside the Apollo for ever.

And to set the record straight, Shona had laryngitis last week, she was off the weekend before her week as Elphie then she did Monday/Tuesday/Weds matinee with it but it got worse so she had to take 2 shows off to try and recover for the weekend.

[sherwills]

It's true, Shona presents unique variations on singing Elphaba's songs. Her style is great. I also loved her acting and like you said, mannerisms.

[DB9]

Makes you wonder then why she wasn't asked to stay on into the cast change and why she'll be replaced by Cassidy Janson as standby?

[sherwills]

[Belle]

It's rumoured that she wasn't asked to stay on - but does anyone know if this is reliable, and not slightly malicious gossip?

Being a standby sucks tho. Think of it from the performers' perspective, not the fans - you're trained, you're ready to go on at a moments' notice in one of the biggest roles in current musical theatre. But you don't go on. Week after boring week goes by without getting to see the audience. You've got one week of performances scheduled as holiday cover in 7 weeks' time. 7 weeks is a long way off! You're in every night, counting down the weeks til you actually get to perform... then when at last you do, your voice is so unused to the demand that you don't perform your best! At least swings get variety and are part of the ensemble team. While having been a stanby for Elphaba or Glinda looks great on your resume, it's not a job anyone would want to do for any length of time! You'd want to move up or move out. And if the principal isn't leaving, then out is your only option...

With Cassidy Janson moving from ensemble/understudy Elphaba to Standby, does this suggest that the next move (this feels like chess!) might be for CJ to replace Kerry, and therefore Kerry might leave castchange-after-next?

[sherwills]

I totally agree. I reckon it would sometimes feel like you're paid to do nothing if you're a standby.

At least understudies get to be part of the action day after day.

[kayleigh]

[London_Mungojerrie]

[elphabawest]