“An Absolute Spectacle” – Her.ie Speaks To Wicked’s Liam Doyle

Wicked tells the untold story of the friendship between two girls who grow up to become Glinda The Good and Wicked Witch of the West from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. It has also become a West End hit and is one of the most popular musicals ever to grace the stage with songs including Defying Gravity and Wonderful. And this week we caught up with Liam Doyle who will be taking to stage as Fiyero this month when the show hits the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre in Dublin.                                       So Liam, what attracted you to audition for Wicked? It was one of the first shows I saw in London when I decided to go to drama school so it was one of those things that, once I saw it, I always wanted to audition for it but it never really fitted for me until now. If I’m honest this is my dream job. I’ve always said I wanted to be in and I’m absolutely over the moon to be part of the show. Are you feeling the pressure of being in such a well-loved production? It is a kind of pressure because I remember what it was like watching the show and I want everyone to feel the same way when they’re watching it. I love it and the audiences we’ve had so far have been incredible. I enjoy it so much that I don’t really think about the pressure. The two lead roles are women. Do you think that is reflected in the audience? I think it appeals to everybody. The two girls, Nikki (Davis-Jones) and Emily (Tierney), are phenomenal in their roles... I’ve got the easiest job in the world playing alongside those two. There are characters in the show that everyone can relate to in some way and that’s what I think it does so well. How does it differ to what you’ve done before? Wicked is such a big spectacle. I’ve just finished a year in Mamma Mia in the West End. The costumes and everything are so extravagant. Visually it’s incredible to watch so yes, I’ve never been in something that’s been as big a spectacle as this. Can you relate to your character Fiyero? He is quite a cheeky chappy and he’s a charming prince but then you find out there’s more to him than that. My mum told me that she sometimes finds it hard to differentiate who’s who on stage. I think with all characters you play you find a part of yourself to put into it and that makes it more real. And you have family in Ireland. Are you excited about performing in front of your home crowd? I can’t wait. In the second week I’ve got 25 of my family coming to watch. I’ve got family spread across Cork and Wicklow... It’ll be nice to see them and spend some time with them because when I’m working I hardly get the time. Dublin is one of my favourite cities in the world so it’ll be great. Last but not least, can you describe Wicked in three words? An absolute spectacle.   Wicked is showing at the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre from November 27^th 2013 to January 18th 2014. Tickets are available from Ticketmaster and start from €20.