WICKED Cast Change: Flashback - Alexia Khadime And Dianne Pilkington

By KJP and MM

Pairing 4 - Alexia Khadime/Dianne Pilkington

In this duo, the difference in their playing age, particularly in Act 1, seems to interfere with their chemistry. Khadime's Act 1 Elphaba appears to be extremely young compared with Pilkington's much older (though not necessarily more mature) Glinda. If we consider Khadime's Elphaba independently of Glinda, her character transition from one act to the next works very well, changing from a young, naïve girl to an older, wiser and stronger woman. Yet this doesn't blend with Pilkington's portrayal of Glinda in earlier scenes in the show; one could argue that Elphaba was so clever that she'd been moved up a year or two in school, and that Glinda's blonde moments had led to her doing quite the opposite, yet this is perhaps pushing things a little too far. Vocally, however, the two leading ladies work rather well together. Overall, much better chemistry than was evident in the Ellis/Dallimore combination, but not as strong as with Ellis/Pilkington