Where I've Been
The Wicked Witch of the West
“I DO EIGHT PERFORMANCES A WEEK AS the Wicked Witch, working from Monday to Saturday. With that kind of schedule, if I don’t eat healthily I get run down. I drink a litre and a half of water a day, have very little coffee, and eat all my greens. The Wicked Witch is an iconic role and I love playing her. I’m so lucky to do this for a job. I think sometimes the Wicked fans forget that it is a job.
“I don’t get a lot of free time in which I can leave London. When I can, I go home to Belfast to see my family. One of the things I love about Ireland is that it’s so easy to drive to the coast and get out into nature.
“If I had more time off I’d like to go on some winter city breaks to places like Berlin, Stockholm and Oslo. I know there’s a lot going on in Berlin in terms of museums and theatre. I like to do something different to the typical summer holiday. I feel very at home in cold climates. I don’t really like the sun or sunbathing, although I sometimes give it a go. It doesn’t matter if I get tan lines because I’m always green on stage.
“Before I was in Wicked I toured the UK when I was in the musicals Tommy and The Full Monty. I particularly liked visiting Edinburgh on tour. My favourite restaurant there is called The Witchery by the Castle [Castlehill, tel: +44 (0)131 225 5613, www. thewitchery.com]. It’s incredible. I go up for the Edinburgh Festival when I can, too.
“One of the things I love about Wicked is seeing how much children get out of the show, but it also asks a lot of big questions, such as whether anyone is ever born evil or if a society makes you that way. It’s a powerful piece of work. It takes a story you think you know and turns it on its head. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie brought their children to see the show earlier this year. They’re Hollywood royalty so it was incredible knowing that they’d come to see us perform. I hope to go to the States to act on Broadway one day.” INTERVIEW BY SOPHY GRIMSHAW
SEE WICKED AT THE APOLLO VICTORIA THEATRE IN LONDON. FOR MORE DETAILS, AND TO BOOK TICKETS, VISIT WWW.WICKEDTHEMUSICAL.CO.UK
