Last Night Willemijn did her last show in Stuttgart. It was amazing.

The cast:
Elphaba - Willemijn Verkaik
Glinda - Lucy Scherer
Fiyero - Mathias Edenborn
Madame Akaber - Barbara Raunegger
Zauberer - Stefan Poslovski
Nessa - Janine Tippl
Dr Dillamonth - Michael Günther
Moq - Stephan Luethy

ensemble:
Emily Beaton-Young, Helena Blöcker (midwife), Vanessa Campbell, Melanie Gebhard, Jessica Lantto
Theano Makariou (Elphabas Mother), Barbara Schmid, Lanie Sumalinog, Maria Walter
Bero Antunovic, Petter Bjällö (Elphabas father) Andrea Casati, Ben Cox (Chistery 1. Act) , Jonathan Johnson, Robert Knorr, Jimmy Laremore, Tommie Luyben, Filippo Strocci, Allesandro Coccocia (Chistery 2. act)

The cast had a lot of nice ideas to say goodbye.

In the Glizz (Shiz) scenes Roberta Valentini (alternate Elphaba) had some guest appearances in the ensemble - in Glizz costume but without wig

Willemijns book in Glizz was full of little letters - I guess from collegues and from fans. Willemijns face reading these was great.

Dr. D. eated almost the whole sheet of paper – he hardly couln’t sing afterwards, his voice was very goat-like.


Popular was as expected the highlight. Lucy “forced” Willemijn to dance with her in circles. Willemijn then sat on the bed and looked a little bit dizzy. Lucy started do explain the wusch-wusch (toss toss) but paused to ask if everything was ok. Willemijns look was georgeous. Lucy did the wusch wusch, Willemijn did the wusch wusch and then Lucy said “I think somehow you just don’t get it” and then Lucy took a book. I was so exited what she was going to do. The book was called “the ultimate Glinda do-it-yourself wusch wusch book” and then she read “Understanding und living wusch wusch for Elphie”. It contained 6 points like “where to wusch wusch? Where you have the greatest audience” Lucys serious face and Willemijn half laughing half crying was great. One point was soooo sweet. “What does a wusch wusch? It lets everyone fell under your spell just like it did with me the very first time we met“

Then the goodbye from Dr. D. , he tells that this is his last day in Glizz and then he pulled out a bunch of flowers and he said something like he will especially miss Elphaba. Then they hugged and as Dr. D. was forced out and Willemijn stood there and didn’t know where to put the flowers, Dr. D. “ escaped” and took the flowers “Elphaba let me take them and put them into water” Everyone was grinning.

At the railwaystation Lucy said the normal text “We have to get by without you” –don’t know exactly whats the right text in English – and Willemijn responded “I have to get by without you too” (referring to Lucy not going to Oberhausen). The whole audience was “ohhhhhh”

At “For Good” all the fans took out lights in green and pink. It looked great.

And at the very end of the show, Lucy in the bubble sang her “who can say if I’ve been changed for the better…” in netherlands language. In the first moment Willemijn realized that something wasn’t normal, but when she realized what Lucy was doing she was crying so hard.

Then there was an enormous applause and the audience threw flowers for Willemijn. The boss from Palladium Theater came on stage with an bunch of flowers and said something like that Willemijn is a great artist and that she has a great voice and a great heart and that it’s difficult to loose such an person. And that no one here can imagine that she will be really gone tomorrow.
Oh that was hard, Willemijn was crying, the fans were crying, the cast was crying, especially Lucy.

At the stagedoor were masses of fans. When Willemijn came out there was more applause and cheering. Willemijn signed lots of stuff and took photos with the fans an got loads of presents. Her husband then brought some big boxes for the presents.
There were lots of individual presents and one present organized from the fans – a Stuttgart souvenir shirt and cap and a fanbook, done like a diplom form Glizz-University. On the first sides it contained a report of Elphabas principal – Barbara Raunegger aka Mma. Akaber.
And then Willemijn went back in to partyyy
What a great evening !!!

(please excuse my mistakes)

Oh god, what a great show! I'm sure Willemijn's very happy
And I would have cried when Lucy started singing in Dutch.

That was just about the most wonderful thing I have ever read on WoO. Thanks so much.

Ok, I think that's one of the most adorable last shows I have ever heard about <3 Especially Lucy singing in Dutch and Willemijn's 'I'll have to get by without you too'!

Sounds like an amazing show!!!!!! But one question, who replaced her??? I never knew.

Oh, I'm Dutch! I wonder what Lucy sang...

Well there's only a couple of weeks till Stuttgart closes so I think Roberta Valentini is just replacing her till then?

Thank you SO much for sharing!!! Awwwww. That made me smile so much and aww, how gorgeous is Lucy?!

Ok, does anyone know why she left so early instead of just finishing her run?

She's doing the Best of Musical tour

Thank you so much for your thoughts about Willemijn's last show in Stuttgart! It sounds like it was the BEST last show of any Wicked performer ever. Hopefully some time in the future Willemijn will perhaps get the chance to be on Broadway. I'd be there in a

Aww! I love Willemijn! The promotional clips I have seen here and there along with the German recording (which I have, even though I can't understand a wink of it) has blown me away. She shall be missed.

I agree with what wickedly dudley said; if she ever did an American production, that would be amazing!

I had tears welling up just reading that! Thanks for posting....sadly won't be seeing Willemijn in Wicked but at least get to see her in the Musical Gala in Berlin and soooo looking forward to being there for the final Stuttgart Wicked. Friend saintaelphaba got to meet both Lucy and Willleijn at the show last week (in Germany at the moment), and LOVED their performances...awaiting his full review to be posted but said they were both so lovely in person which is no surprise. LOL Lucy apologised for not being able to write something in English in his program...I thought that was just too cute! Can't wait to see her Glinda!

So sweet! I bet anyone who knew what was going on was in tears - I know I would've been.

yes, that's right

That's incredible.

Agreed, but if you replace Broadway with London! I'd love to see her perform so much.
And thanks for the review, it sounds like such a great show, and a great way to leave Wicked in Stuttgart for Willemijn!

Aw, I would've loved to see this. <3 Thanks for posting.

This made me almost start crying when I read that. That is so touching.

Thank you so much for this lovely review!