Amy Ross, who plays Elphaba in the musical phenomenon Wicked, says she is "really looking forward" to seeing the Irish reaction to the show.
The West End and Broadway hit flies into the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre on July 17 for a seven-week run, and Ross says that she's expecting a great response from Irish audiences as she has performed here before.
"I’ve played here before and I do find that the Irish let go more, they’re not as reserved," she told RTÉ Entertainment. "So the response was amazing, really loud, they laughed at all the places they were supposed to laugh...
"I’m really looking forward to coming back here for that."
We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
Ross has been inhabiting the role of Elphaba alongside Helen Woolf as Glinda since November 2017 in the musical that tells the untold story of the Witches of Oz. The stage star says she still has genuine pinch-me moments while performing the iconic musical.
"I love it, I absolutely love it. To get out these and to sing those epic songs and do the beautifully written script, I’m so lucky," she said.
"I genuinely have moments where, mid-show, I’ll be doing an iconic scene or song and I’ll go 'Is this happening?' It’s still sinking in!"
The actress said that the musical's "beautiful story of friendship" between Elphaba and Glinda sets it apart from other stage shows.
"It’s so lovely, with so many musicals the story centres around a love relationship, so it is lovely to put their friendship out there. The two women are so different and yet they learn to embrace other’s differences and love each other’s differences. That’s a lovely message to put out there."
The Wicked cast also features former EastEnders star Aaron Sidwell who previously told RTÉ Entertainment that his favourite song to perform is As Long As You're Mine.
Ross said her most loved number is No Good Deed, explaining: "She’s [Elphaba] in emotional turmoil by that point so as well as the score being that epic, and the orchestrations underneath the singing are so exciting, you’ve got all this gritty acting to get your teeth into, so I love that one."
The actress went on to explain why she enjoys stepping into her character's shoes every night, and a similarity the two share.
"She’s always true to herself, she’s so passionate and she’s a rebel with a cause", Ross said. "She’s always fighting for what’s right. She cares so much about people and she’s honest.
"She’s a bit like me in that sometimes I want to tell her to count to ten before she speaks!", she added with a laugh.
Wicked opens at the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre for a seven week run from July 17 until September 1.
