The beautiful Willemijn Verkaik is set to will join the cast of Wicked the musical in London this year, bringing her esteemed performance as Elphaba to West End audiences following more than 1,000 appearances as the witch in productions all over the world. The Dutch musical theatre star has played the role in productions of the hit show in Holland, Germany and on Broadway, making her the only actress to have ever performed the role in more than one language. Wicked, and musical theatre in general, looks set to take over the world!
Wicked, which opened in London in 2006 and on Broadway in 2002, has been seen by more than five million people. The production tells the story of the Witches of Oz, and how two young magic students became Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West before Dorothy flew in. London audiences will now get the opportunity to experience and acknowledge Willemijn’s performance as Elphaba, who will join the cast at the Apollo Victoria theatre six years after she made her Wicked debut abroad.
Verkaik is by no means a one trick pony: she has also appeared in We Will Rock You and Elton John’s Aida, and has made numerous concert appearances across Europe. In 2012, Verkaik made her Broadway debut in Wicked earning her a Broadway.com Audience Award nomination for Best Takeover. Considering Broadway and the West End alone, this transfer greatly widens the audiences of Verkaik’s talent, and ultimately acknowledging her ability to perform the role in three languages opens up a whole new meaning of the word ‘accessible’.
Louise Dearman, who is currently playing the role of Elphaba on the West End stage is the first person to ever play both leading roles, having first played Glinda in 2010, and will play her final performance in the musical in November.
Image courtesy of Wikipedia.