WICKED Cast Change: Flashback - Kerry Ellis And Dianne Pilkington

By KJP and MM

Pairing 3 - Kerry Ellis/Dianne Pilkington

It is often said in Wicked circles that, with the arrival of Pilkington, Ellis had found her Glinda. The show was refreshed by this new partnership, and Ellis' portrayal benefited from the change. Pilkington had been a standby for a short period of roughly three months following Annalene Beechey's departure, and in this time she only went on once before officially taking over from Dallimore. People who attended that first performance could already foresee that this new duo would be a special one. Not only did Pilkington and Ellis fit nicely age-wise and vocally, they also appeared to gel on a personal level. Ellis had always had the vocal wow-factor, that much was undeniable, but once Pilkington was on the scene, Ellis' Elphaba became a more multi-dimensional, believable and altogether more tangible character.