Stef's thinking place: Wicked 21st March 2009 ASHLEIGH AS ELPHIE!

Ok, so on the 21st March for my birthday (which was the 17th! my 18th!) I got tickets to go and see Wicked.

At the time we brought them we were expecting to see the Great Kerry Ellis, but as it turns out, we get to see the most Amazing Ashleigh Gray, who was mind blowingly Fantasmicgorcial!!! I'm not even kidding!!!

So we started off, getting into London at about One O'clock, too late to catch the cast going into The AV for the Matinee, so we head off to Monmouth Street to have lunch at the Italian Restaurant.

After the usual scrummy Pizza we head to the dress circle where I was able to get the last Green Defy Gravity V-Neck T-shit and "Act One" Songs from The Muscials of Alexander S. Bermange (Which I highly recommed BTW)

After this little excursion, we moved on to Forbidden Planet, where we spent about half an hour browsing merchandise, and I for one, came out very happy. Then we went to Cyber Candy, where you can get sweets from all around the world, then Waterstones.

But we eventually made our way to the AV and Victoria station, baring in mind the Victoria Line was down, so we had to get onto the Circle (Or was it District) line, to get us to the AV. We arrived about five O'clock, so for about fifteen minutes we had a sit down in the station, after I had purchased a new Program for the show, which contained Ashleigh's pull out for her taking Kerry's place on Stage. Also we found out that Stollar was playing the Father and Dr Dillamond, so it was all good.

So anyway about quarter past five we positioned ourself at the stage door gates and waited for the cast to come out. We were not five metres from the door, It was fantastic! First out of the door was Sarah Earnshaw (Earnie) dashing off for food. She hadn't been on, but it felt rude asking for a picture when she appeared to be on a mission. So we let her pass.

Next out was the adorable Liam Tamne, who is Fiyero Understudy, who gladly stopped and signed my program and I had a picture with him, which he was more than happy to have.

So anyway we waited around and people came out and back in again and we caught most of the people. (We saw Oli three times before the evening performance!) So we got a lot of pictures and signitures. It was very fun. Plus made a lot of new friends!!!

We saw a group of the cast go out for a run after the show, and when they came back, my friend wanted a picture with Oli, who was desperate to get inside, so we made it quick. Then Dianne Pilkington rolled up, after her seperate run and was also surprised that we wanted pictures with her, but was so lovely about the whole thing! And Then Caroline Keiff, who is the most lovelist person I have ever met! She was coming back from a jog and was really surprised that we wanted to have pictures. She even said "You were going to say I look horrible weren't you?" When I was telling her that she looked fantastic whatever she thought.

Ashleigh didn't come out after the Matinee, but was recieving a lot of estatic reviews from the people we were stage dooring with!

So after we were satisfied about people coming in and out, we went to the digital photo booth, where you can print out pictures for 20p a snapshot, we printed out the pictures of us with the cast and decided to get them signed after the show.

So now we went and waited in the lobby for the show to start. When we we let in we found that we had some very good seats, althought slightly too far off to the left, and sitting in a draft, which wasn't brilliant, but it was as wonderful as always.

So the show started, with a wonderful enterance from Dianne Pilkington and flowed as wonderfully as usual. There was silence as Ashleigh rolled up onto stage before Dear Old Shiz, and she was mind blowing in the Wizard and I. I said to my friend, "If thats her Wizard and I, I can't wait for her Defying Gravity." And my friend, a first timer, Agreed.

Ash continued her amazing run, her voice was so strong and there was something about the energy she had that Kerry appeared to be lacking since she got back from Broadway.

As predicted Ash's Defying GRavity, stunned and blew all away. She was so strong, powerful and wonderfully raw with emotion that all our jaws almost dropped to the floor. She gave me goosebumps! The whole crowd erupted when she'd finsihed and the curtain swang forward for the interval.

The next surprise of the night was when during the last few notes of Thank Goodness, Di performed the Hilty High Note (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8xVOW9gRXo See Second Clip (Megan Hilty)) which was stunning! And Caroline Keiff belted out Nessa's top note with so much force during the Wicked Witch of the East!

The Rest of the show, the As Long as You're Mine, Oli and Ash and the No Good Deed, so raw and powerful, all but blew my head off. Ashleigh was just one amazing Elphabla, and recieved a highly deserved almost complete standing Ovation at the end of the show!!! My voice was hoarse afterwards!

So as soon as the curtain went down, me and my friends dashed from one side of the theater Auditorium to the other and up out of a fire escape, briefly wondering if we'd set off the fire alarm, to get a good place at stage door, and arrived and managed to stand straight out in front of it!!! First out, as the wonderful Liam, who was all too happy to sign my photo from earlier, sign my friends ticket and have a picture with her, both of them actually. The Oli, and Jeremy Legat, followed by Jake Samuals, and finally, Ashleigh, who was really lovely and smilely and seemed really surprised when we told her how much we loved her performance and how mind blowing it was. She happily stood for pictures for all of us and signed my program, my friends Cyber Candy Bag and my other friends ticket.

So all in all, buzzing as we got onto the train, we had a fantabulous night!!! And the pics below tell it all (note: My friend has my picture of me and Ash, so that will be added at a later date!!!)

This is me with Jake Samuels (Understudy Fiyero!) He's nice. We like Jake!:D