Spellbinding story of unlikely friendship and good girls going Wicked

Underneath the pointy hat, the green skin and the shrill cackling, is there a person with a heart?

Wicked is the award-winning West End show which tells the story of how a green girl called Elphaba became the Wicked Witch of the West.

Curtain Call spoke to Nikki Davis-Jones, who plays Elphaba in the Wicked tour which comes to Milton Keynes Theatre in February.

Nikki said: “The Witch of the West from the Wizard of Oz is made out as this big villain but in Wicked we find out why she becomes a villain. Has society made her that way, or was she born wicked? That’s the lovely journey I get to go on every day.

“Elphaba has never had any love or physical touch, she’s never been accepted by society or even her own family.

“Glinda (Emily Tierney) is the first friend she has ever had and Wicked is like a platonic love story between those two. It follows their life decisions and the sacrifices they make for each other. Everybody has a best friend so they can relate to it. It’s a really satisfying show.”

Wicked deals with some serious themes such as bullying, but the show never stops being funny and entertaining.

Nikki said: “There’s a lot of humour. The way Elphaba deals with her problems is through sarcasm, which people can relate to. Glinda is hilarious - there is lots of comedy.”

The show, which has been in the West End for seven years, is bursting with big musical numbers but Nikki says No Good Deed is her favourite to sing.

She said:”It’s musically amazing, and it’s such a good acting song. Sometimes I am in absolute tears singing it but you can feel everyone is so with you.”

Nikki has been singing and dancing since she was child and says her Grandad, who was a singer, is a big inspiration to her.

Nikki was the understudy for Elphaba in the West End version of the show and now she is making the role her own.

She said: “Elphaba is a fantastic, iconic female role to play and I am so lucky that I get to do it.”

Playing Elphaba does require a slight change in skin colour and every night Nikki has to be painted green.

She said: “It’s water-based paint so not as heavy as people think. It goes on over foundation and is quite light. It’s not as dark as people think but they put the green spotlight on it too.”

There is “no expense spared” for the Wicked tour, which has awesome sets and costumes which make it every bit as incredible as the original Broadway and West End shows.

So far the tour has been to Manchester and Dublin and Nikki said her family “come everywhere” to see her perform – eight of them travelled to Dublin and they will be watching her in Milton Keynes too.

She said: “I do get nevous when I know anyone I know is in. It’s strange. I get nervous anyway but I get extra nervous knowing they are there.”

Although audiences in different cities laugh more at different parts of the show, Nikki said the one thing that is the same everywhere they go is the buzz about the show.

She said: “As we are touring we are realising how excited people are and how much of a buzz there is about Wicked.”

See what all the fuss is about for yourself at Milton Keynes Theatre from February 4.

For tickets go to http://www.atgtickets.com/shows/wicked/milton-keynes-theatre/@LutonNewsConnie