Wicked fun in Manila
When Australian performers Jemma Rix and Suzie Mathers first set foot in the Philippines to play Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda, the Good Witch of the North, respectively, in the ongoing staging of “Wicked” at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) Main Theater, they didn’t know what to expect.
“Wicked is so loved worldwide, you’ll never know how a particular culture will react to the show,” Suzie told Yahoo! Philippines OMG! in an exclusive interview after the press preview last Wednesday, January 23 at the CCP.
Pleasant surprise
Imagine how pleasantly surprised she and Jemma were, when they saw the Filipino audience laughing at unexpected parts of the musical and applauding with such gusto.
“We had to stop and wait for the laughter to finish. It changes the way you continue the season, and it changes the way we react to each other. The audience keeps it fresh for us as well,” says Suzie.
Jemma smiles through her green face.
“We feel the energy. So ended up having the best night! We were laughing with the audience! It was such a good night! ”
If the first night is any indication, Suzie says she and her co-performers are having fun on stage.
“We’re off to a very good start! We’re in for a really lovely season!”
The audience out there may think that each performance is the same, night after night. But Jemma and Suzie know in their hearts that no two shows are the same. Audience reaction, changes in the cast and other unexpected things crop up.
Different intentions
“There are different intentions behind the same script. It can be subtly different for the audience. But for us, we can feel that it’s dramatically different. Then we get more real and truthful,” states Jemma.
Suzie adds that these quick adjustments make for the magic of theater.
“The challenge is no two shows are alike. We have the same script, the same score when it comes to the audience . Even if one of us is feeling a little under the weather, or you’ve got an understudy, whatever might be different it might seem exactly the same for the audience but for us, it’s quite a different change. You never feel like you’re doing the same things twice.”
Then there’s the challenge of maintaining the show’s energy night after night until February 23 (with a benefit show for Yolanda victims on January 31, 1:30 p.m.)
Staying fit
Jemma and Suzie hit the hotel gym regularly, take lots of tea and water, sleep, preserve their voice, rest and eat well to stay fit for all the singing and performing they do in the series of spectacular shows.
They keep the show fresh by listening to the “wonderful creative team” that reminds them of things they need to do, based on audience feedback and others.
“It’s like thoughts or ideas, maybe think of it this way. When you do it everyday, you want stories to be fresh,” says Jemma.
It keeps her, Suzie and the rest of the cast on their toes.Voice quality is of the essence, of course.
Hitting the high notes
Jemma makes sure she hits the high notes right by singing, even before the curtains rise.
And although “Wicked” has been staged and restaged all over the world, Jemma and Suzie don’t feel the pressure of measuring up to the sterling performances of acclaimed actresses Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, who played Elphaba and Glinda, respectively.
Jemma explains that although she feels lucky singing the role Idina played, she will not be a copycat of the American actress.
“Everybody is gonna be different, You have a different interpretation of the character. Everyone has a different style of voice and singing.”
And this, she explains, makes singing Elphaba’s lines “cool, more than anything.”
Suzie calls it bringing “our truth” to the role.
She and Jemma will not only bring out that truth for the next few weeks. They will also have fun .
Their love for their craft and the audience reaction see to that.
