Top Image: Danny Kaan (Danny with a Camera)
Jade Davies, a performer in Wicked at the Wales Millennium Centre, chats to Editor Sam Cook about her deep connection to the musical and Wales, where she grew up.
“It’s a dream come true,” Jade admitted as she discussed her role in the UK tour of Wicked, which was performed at the Wales Millennium Centre in November. The actress, who was born in Denbigh, north Wales and is the sister of Love Island star Amber Davies, added that the show was the reason she “fell in love with theatre in the first place”. She told Sam: “I went to watch the show when I was about 11 years old. Mum and Dad took me down from north Wales to London, and the whole show was kind of the reason why I fell in love with theatre in the first place. I remember watching the end of Act One, which is of course Defying Gravity, and I was like, ‘I have to do this as a career.’ It was life-changing for me.”
Wicked retells the story of the Wicked Witch of the West from L. Frank Baum’s classic novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The musical focuses on the lives of two women, Elphaba and Glinda, who become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch. The musical delves into themes of friendship, identity, and the blurred lines between good and evil.
In the UK tour Jade, who trained at the Urdang Academy in London, is a Swing and is also the understudy for the lead role of Elphaba — something which she said she “cried for hours” about. “It’s one of the most iconic roles in musical theatre for women,” she explained. “Just to get to sing those roles and those songs was a dream come true. I tried for many, many years to be a part of the show, and finally getting the call to say you’re going to be Swing/Understudy Elphaba was just mind-blowing, to be honest.
“It’s incredibly daunting. So many incredible women have sung these songs. They’re all iconic. I’ve seen so many phenomenal Elphabas, and they all have put their stamp on it. It’s also just incredibly special, and to be a part of it at such an iconic time when the film is about to come out is amazing.”
In November, Wicked received the movie treatment in a film directed by Jon M. Chu, who was behind the 2018 flick Crazy Rich Asians. Featuring an all-star cast including Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda, the film was praised for its stunning visuals, powerful performances, and unforgettable music. Speaking ahead of the film’s release Jade said: “[The whole cast of Wicked the tour] are going to watch it together. We’re probably going to be sitting in all the merch of Wicked – Wicked jumpers, Wicked everything because we just love the show so much.”
The role of Elphaba requires actors to be painted in green. “You imagine for so many years how it’s going to look,” Jade said. “The costumes are iconic and just getting to put them on in the green with the glasses on was the best feeling ever.”
Reflecting on her early days in the industry, Jade described how it all started with Disney. Much like many others interested in theatre, she went on to attend singing and dance lessons. After training in London for three years, Jade has now been working in the industry for 11 years. When asked what advice she’d give younger people looking to follow a similar path, she said: “I would say, never let anyone tell you that you can’t do it. I had a lot of people who doubted me — I was a quiet girl from north Wales.
“It’s a hard industry to be in, but it’s so worth it. Things will pay off eventually when you know you’ve worked hard. Keep going to dance lessons, have those singing lessons and do any workshops that you can. I did them all. Before going down to London, I just wanted to learn so much.”
Jade isn’t the only member of her family to go into musical theatre. Her younger sister Amber has had big roles in Back to the Future and 9 to 5 the Musical. Discussing her sister’s success, Jade said: “I’m so proud of her. Every time I watch her on stage, I’m crying because it’s just this big sister thing of, ‘God, that’s my little sister. Look at her go!’”
Despite her triumph in the industry, Jade hasn’t forgotten her Welsh roots. “I am Welsh through and through and it will never leave me. I’ll always be connected to Wales forever, no matter where I am in the world.
