WICKED Games: Understudies And Standbys At The Apollo Victoria

Wicked fans were excited when they saw former standby Glinda Sarah Earnshaw in the bubble earlier this week. Unsurprisingly, though, they wondered why this cast's standby Chloe Taylor wasn't available to deputise for Louise Dearman. Rumours suggest that, just a fortnight after cast change, she hasn't had enough technical rehearsal time to take to the stage.

Fair enough, if true - nobody wants actors to risk their health or their lives for the sake of a show (we've seen enough of that on Broadway recently). Still, after this little blip of Glinda-related excitement, the West End has hosted four Elphabas so far this week - and possibly another to follow.

It's rotten bad luck that Rachel Tucker (the current lead) and her standby Nikki Davis-Jones are off sick this week. It's not surprising if newly-appointed cover Gemma Atkins hasn't had a full cover run as Elphie yet - she also understudies Nessarose. So, once again, Wicked fans are being treated to a procession of ladies in green.

This time last year, you may recall, Stephanie J. Block revealed exclusively to BWW:UK that she had been asked by the West End producers to prepare to stay in London for a few weeks following her February cabaret at the New Players Theatre, because there weren't enough stage-ready Elphies around. In the end, Shona White was engaged to standby.

Now, after Davis-Jones went off sick last night, Ashleigh Gray (who left the show last year) replaced her just after 'Popular'. Today, Stevie Tate-Bauer, the last cast's understudy Elphie, is going green for the matinee. Tonight - who knows?

Fans of Wicked are obviously happy that the show can go on thanks to the availability and professionalism of its former stars - more than one fan told me they hope that Gray, Tate-Bauer and Earnshaw are being paid handsomely for their short engagements - but some are also a little embarrassed that fine performers are being asked to go on stage with no notice or rehearsal with what is basically a brand-new cast. One told me: "I do not enjoy watching performers I like struggle through a show with no rehearsal, it's not fair on them or the paying public."

"Wicked has such an unbelievably dedicated fanbase," says one fan. "If pretty much any other show on the West End had to bring in old cast members nobody would even blink. However, every Wicked fan has their 'favourite' and of course if that 'fave' is coming back, many would risk life and limb to get to see 'their' Elphaba or Glinda one last time. From what I can gather, Wicked regularly bring old cast members to standby backstage if there are no covers in the building, which is fair enough and quite prudent."

"Personally, I think it's all very amusing - quite akin to a pantomime," concludes one. "Surely having had four - maybe five after tonight - different Elphabas in one week must be some sort of Wicked record?! We should give them a prize!"

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