Q&A WITH REBEKAH HEAD AND CATHERINE HAYGoing green an eye opener for actress

• Date: 09 June 2021
• Published date: 09 June 2021
• Publication title: Stratford Press

The show is packed full of memorable moments, what is your favourite moment from the show?

I think the scene leading up to the song For Good. The song itself is a duet between Elphaba and Glinda and forms a kind of farewell between them. The whole scene is about the friendship between the two of them and that story is so very powerful. There’s strong emotional moments throughout the show but that moment hits me the hardest, it’s about saying goodbye to your best friend and I think that is something we can all relate to and empathise with.

If there’s one thing everyone knows about Elphaba before they see the show, it’s the fact she is green. What has it been like going green as you get into character?

It’s quite amazing actually, as soon as that makeup goes on people look differently at me and I start to feel different as a result. It really makes me get an understanding of what it would have been like for Elphaba, always being stared at and treated differently just because of the colour of her skin. We were filming some promos for the show around Taranaki and people were walking past and just absolutely staring at me. I felt really exposed and vulnerable and it gave me an insight into just how isolating it can feel. As an adult, it was a really new experience for me and quite humbling in a way. It was really good for my character development and every time that makeup goes on it helps me step fully into Elphaba’s skin.

You’ve said this role is one you have dreamed of for a long time, since you first heard the soundtrack, are there any other roles you dream of being cast in?

Yes, I would love to play the role of Cathy in the musical The Last Five Years by Jason Robert Brown. It’s a very different style show which explores a relationship between two people, Cathy and James. The way it’s done (with James’ story told in chronological order and Cathy’s in reverse chronological order and the two of them only actually interacting in one song as their timelines intersect) fascinates me. It’s a role I would really love to dig my teeth into and I would enjoy working on my character development of Cathy and figuring out her motivation. The story and the music are both beautiful so I think it would be an amazing show to be involved in.

Playwright Eve Ensler was brought in to help develop the part of Elphaba before the show first hit Broadway. She has since said Wicked is a “surprisingly feminist musical”. Do you agree?

Yes. I know when they worked on rewriting parts...