AVENUE Q – London Theatre Review 2026 ★★★★
April 18, 2026
Emma Kingston as Elphaba
Zizi Strallen as Glinda
Jordan Litz as Fiyero, arriving from the United States to make his West End debut. Litz has previously performed the role on both the national US tour and Broadway, and joined the company of the New York production in its 20th-anniversary year. Litz has completed more than 1,700 performances in the role — making him the longest-running Fiyero in the production’s history
Claire Machin, taking on the role of Madame Morrible. Machin is recognised for her acclaimed performance as Cora in The Girls and widely celebrated for her portrayal of Madame Thénardier in Les Misérables.
Yara Fabricante, who makes her West End debut as Nessarose.
Michael Matus (known for his Olivier Award-winning relationship with the RSC and musicals including Singin’ in the Rain and Stephen Schwartz’s The Baker’s Wife) as The Wizard
David McKechnie (Standing at the Sky’s Edge) as Doctor Dillamond
Ross Carpenter (Book of Mormon) as Boq
Laura Emmitt (Frozen: The Musical) returned to Wicked London last year as Alternate Elphaba, having previously covered the role in the West End
Lydia Gerrard (The Phantom of the Opera, UK & Ireland Tour), who last year joined as Standby for Glinda, having previously covered the role on the 2023 – 2025 tour.
The company is completed by Leo Abad, Iroy Abesamis, Elizabeth Armstrong, Steph Asamoah, Meg Astin, Rebecca Bowden, Shaun Chambers, Erin Gisele Chapman, Lauren Chia, Charles Croysdill, Oraine Frater, Emily Goodenough, Katy Hanna, Nat Ingham, Samuel John-Humphreys, Holly Lawrence, Jemima Loddy, Ellie Ann Lowe, Jamel Matthias, Marcus May, Conor O’Hara, Tom Oliver, Abbie Quinnen, Harry Robinson, Jeanie Ryan, Jessica Saisang-Rowe, Jonah Sercombe, Chris Tarsey, Hannah Taylor and Karen Wilkinson.
The current 2025 / 26 company’s final performance will take place on Sunday, 17 May 2026.
EMMA KINGSTON – Elphaba
Theatre includes: Nancy in The Purists (Kiln Theatre); Dina (at certain performances) in The Band’s Visit (Donmar Warehouse); Eva Peron in Evita (International tour directed by Hal Prince); Children of Eden (Cadogan Hall); Julie Jordan in Carousel (Kilworth House Theatre); Heather Chandler in Heathers (The Other Palace); Cathy in The Last 5 Years (Minack Theatre); Hodel in Fiddler on the Roof (Chichester Festival Theatre); Vanessa in In the Heights (King’s Cross Theatre and Southwark Playhouse); Les Misérables (Queen’s Theatre); Priscilla Queen of the Desert (UK tour) and Grease (UK Tour).
ZIZI STRALLEN – Glinda
Theatre includes: ‘Mary Poppins’ in Mary Poppins (Prince Edward – Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical Nomination); ‘Marie Antoinette’ in CAKE (The Other Palace and Lyric Theatre); ‘Carla’ in Nine (The Hopemill); ‘Q’ in Rock Follies (Chichester Festival Theatre); ‘Laurey’ in Oklahoma! in concert (Theatre Royal Drury Lane); ‘Betty Schaefer’ in Sunset Boulevard (Royal Albert Hall); ‘Young Phillis’ in Follies (National Theatre); ‘Fran’ in Strictly Ballroom (Piccadilly); ‘Fastrada’ in Pippin (Theatre Royal Drury Lane); ‘Lana’ in The Carman (Royal Albert Hall); ‘Demeter’ in Cats (London Palladium); ‘Penny Pingleton’ in Hairspray (Leicester Curve); ‘Constance’ in Rock Of Ages (Shaftesbury); ‘Meg Kincaid’ in Merrily We Roll Along (Menier Chocolate Factory and Harold Pinter); ‘Lisa’ in Dirty Dancing (Aldwych) and ‘Zaneeta’ in The Music Man (Chichester Festival Theatre).
JORDAN LITZ – Fiyero
Theatre includes: Wicked (Broadway & US Second National Tour). Legally Blonde (Argyle Theater). Radio City Christmas Spectacular (Radio City Music Hall). Numerous productions for Walt Disney World.
CLAIRE MACHIN – Madame Morrible
Theatre Credits include: Madame Thenardier in Les Miserables (Sondheim Theatre); Mrs Brill in Mary Poppins (Prince Edward Theatre); Whore/Claire in Amour (Charing Cross Theatre); Violet Butterfield in Flowers for Mrs. Harris (Chichester Festival Theatre); Alice Beane in Titanic (UK Tour); Rosie in MAMMIA MIA! (Cyprus); Cora in Girls the Musical (Phoenix Theatre London); Barbara Castle in Made in Dagenham (Queens Theatre); Alice Beane in Titanic (Charing Cross Theatre); Mamma Gladys in the original cast of Memphis (Shaftesbury Theatre); Mabel in The Pajama Game (Chichester Festival Theatre & Shaftesbury Theatre); Mrs. Metcalf in Betty Blue Eyes (Novello Theatre); Widow Corney in Oliver! (Theatre Royal Drury Lane & UK Tour); Tim’s Mother & Asphynxia in Salad Days (Riverside Studios); Mamie Eisenhower in First Lady Suite (Union Theatre); Ms Darbus in High School Musical (Churchill Theatre & UK Tour); Miss Lark, Mrs Brill & Mrs Corry in the original cast of Mary Poppins (Bristol Hippodrome & Prince Edward Theatre); Clara Eynsford Hill in My Fair Lady (Theatre Royal Drury Lane); Les Miserables (Palace Theatre); Charlotte in Oliver! (London Palladium).
MICHAEL MATUS – The Wizard
Theatre includes: Little Shop of Horrors (Sheffield Crucible); The Baker’s Wife (Menier Chocolate Factory); Twelfth Night (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre); Aspects of Love (Lyric Theatre); HEX (National Theatre); La Cage aux Folles (Park Theatre); The Phantom of the Opera (Her Majesty’s Theatre); The Sound of Music (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre); Peter and the Starcatcher (Royal and Derngate); Lend Me a Tenor (Gielgud); A Christmas Carol (West End); The Canterbury Tales and Eastward Ho! (Gielgud and RSC); A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Timon of Athens (Globe); Imagine This (New London) and Martin Guerre (Prince Edward).
ROSS CARPENTER – Boq
Theatre Includes: ‘Elder Grant’ in The Book of Mormon (The Prince of Wales); ‘Angel’ in Kinky Boots in Concert (Theatre Royal Drury Lane); ‘Cyril’ in Mrs Henderson Presents (Royal Alexander Theatre, Toronto); ‘Peter Pan’ in Peter Pan (Northampton, Wolverhampton Manchester & Milton Keynes); ‘Rob’ in An Evening of Dirty Dancing (UK tour); ‘Bobby C’ in Saturday Night Fever (Jersey); understudy ‘Scarecrow’ in The Wizard of Oz (Royal Caribbean Cruise Line).
DAVID MCKECHNIE – Doctor Dillamond
Theatre includes: The Pirates of Penzance (UK tour); Standing at the Sky’s Edge (Sheffield Crucible and the National Theatre); Flowers of Mrs Harris (Riverside Studios); Stepping Out (Stephen Joseph, Scarborough); The Merry Wives of Windsor (Oxford Shakespeare Company); The Miracle Worker (Civic, Chelmsford); The Pirates of Penzance, HMS Pinafore and The Mikado (Sasha Regan’s All-Male Opera Company); Top Hat (UK tour); Peter Pan (Lichfield Garrick); That’s Jewish Entertainment (Gatehouse); Pageant (Vaudeville) and Chicago (Adelphi).
YARA FABRICANTE – Nessarose
LAURA EMMITT – Alternate Elphaba
Theatre includes: understudy ‘Elsa’ in Frozen (Theatre Royal Drury Lane); ‘Grizabella’ in Cats (international tour); Anton du Beke on Tour (UK tour); understudy ‘Elphaba’ in Wicked (Apollo Victoria); ‘Alternate Eva Peron’ in Evita (UK tour); ‘Snow White’ in Snow White (Bromley Churchill Theatre); The Sound Of Music (international tour); Save The Last Dance For Me (UK tour); White Christmas (Pitlochry Theatre) and Don’t Stop Believin’ Glee (UK tour).
ENSEMBLE
IROY ABESAMIS – Ensemble, Chistery
Theatre includes: Guys & Dolls (Bridge Theatre); understudy ‘Mike Masaoka’ in Allegiance – A New Musical (Charing Cross Theatre); ‘Bloody Mary’s Assistant’ in South Pacific (Chichester Festival Theatre and UK national tour); The King And I (UK and international tour); MissSaigon (UK and international tour); Aladdin (Cambridge Arts Theatre); Mickey and the Wonderous Book and Festival of the Lion King (Hong Kong Disneyland); Bluebird Of Happiness (Hong Kong) and Midsummer Night’s Dream (Manila, Philippines).
ELIZABETH ARMSTRONG
Theatre includes: Dance Captain – Charlie & The Chocolate Factory (Grimaldi Forum); Midnight (Sadlers Wells); Brigadoon (Regents Park); W2 / understudy ‘Peggy Schuyler/Maria Reynolds’ – Hamilton (Victoria Palace Theatre); ‘Tammy’ / understudy ‘Amber’, ‘Penny’ & ‘FAF’ – Hairspray (UK Tour); Broadway to Hollywood (Festival Jardins Pedralbes).
STEPH ASAMOAH
Theatre includes: ‘Buzz’/ ‘Francois’ in Homo Alone (The Other Palace); ‘Ms Sheinkopf’ in School of Rock (International Tour); ‘Minerva’ in Noughts and Crosses (UK Tour); Ensemble and understudy ‘Grandma’ in Billy Elliot (Leicester Curve).
MEG ASTIN
Theatre includes: swing in Wicked (Apollo Victoria); ‘Rumpleteazer’ in Cats (International Tour); ‘Anybody’s’ in West Side Story (Kilworth House Theatre); ensemble and swing in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Theatre Royal, Drury Lane); ‘Handmaiden’ and understudy ‘Narrator’ in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat (UK Tour) and ensemble in Cinderella (Milton Keynes Theatre).
REBECCA BOWDEN
Theatre includes: ‘Surgeon’ in The Little Big Things (Soho Place); ‘Pirelli’ in Sweeney Todd (88 London Road); ‘Bamba’ in The Last Maharaja (Wyndhams); Neighbourhood Voices (Young Vic); ‘Gemma’ in Zoe (Glyndbourne) and ‘Kareena’ in Kali’s Toenail (Theatre Royal Stratford East).
SHAUN CHAMBERS
Theatre includes: Party Games! (UK Tour); Young Frankenstein and The Hound of the Baskervilles (English Theatre Frankfurt); Uncle Vanya (Boris Shchukin Institute Moscow) and Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Twickenham Theatre).
ERIN GISELE CHAPMAN
Theatre includes: Aladdin (UK & Ireland Tour); ‘Cassandra’ and understudy ‘Bombalurina’ in Cats (International Tour).
LAUREN CHIA
Theatre Credits include: ‘Janet’ in The Rocky Horror Show (Dominion/UK Tour); ‘Sister Sophia’ in The Sound of Music (Chichester Festival Theatre); Frozen (Drury Lane); Mame (Hopemill); ‘Maria’ in West Side Story (Ledreborg Slitskoncert Denmark); understudy ‘Jasmine’ in Aladdin (Prince Edward); understudy ‘Kathy Selden’ in Singin’ in the Rain (Kilworth); Here Lies Love (National Theatre).
CHARLES CROYSDILL
Theatre credits include: Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club (Playhouse Theatre), Cats The Musical (International Tour), Cats The Musical (Royal Caribbean International), Chrysalis London Dance Company, Oliver! ( UK Tour), Oliver! (Theatre Royal Drury Lane)
ORAINE FRATER
Theatre includes: The Lion King (UK & International Tour); BOP Jazz Dance company; Tavaziva Dance Company; Edinburgh Multicultural Festival; Classically British & Co.
EMILY GOODENOUGH
Theatre includes: Come Fall In Love (Manchester Opera House); Kiss Me Kate (Barbican); White Christmas (Sheffield Crucible); The Third Man (Menier Chocolate Factory); CHICAGO (International Tour); 42nd Street (Théâtre du Châtelet); Guys and Dolls (Théâtre Marigny); Follies (National Theatre); Cats (International Tour); The Wizard of Oz (London Palladium). Associate Choreographer for Sunny Afternoon (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre); Gypsy (Royal Exchange); The Witches of Eastwick (Cirkus, Stockholm).
KATY HANNA
Theatre: Understudy Carlotta in The Phantom of the Opera (Her Majesty’s Theatre), Understudy Madame Morrible in Wicked (Apollo Victoria), Understudy Madame Thenardier in Les Miserables (Queens Theatre), The Phantom of the Opera 25th Anniversary (The Royal Albert Hall), Les Miserables 25th Anniversary (O2 Arena), and Sweeney Todd (Royal Festival Hall).
NAT INGHAM
Wicked marks Nat’s West End debut.
SAMUEL JOHN-HUMPHREYS
Theatre Credits include: Assistant Dance Captain in Elf The Musical (West End), Assistant Dance Captain in The Great Gatsby (Original West End), Singin’ in the Rain (International Tour), Sister Act (UK Tour), Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (UK Tour & Toronto), White Christmas (UK Tour), Curtains (West End & UK Tour), Evita (UK & International Tour), Dirty Dancing (West End & UK Tour), Top Hat (UK Tour), Priscilla Queen of the Desert (NCL).
HOLLY LAWRENCE
Theatre Credits: Dance Captain, ensemble and understudy ‘Frenchy’ in Grease and Columbus the Musical (Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas); Dance Captain, ensemble, understudy ‘Annie’ and ‘Winnie’ in Annie Get Your Gun (The Lavender Theatre); ensemble in Wicked (UK and Ireland Tour), swing and understudy ‘Nessarose’ in Wicked (Apollo Victoria Theatre).
JEMIMA LODDY
Theatre includes: Carousel (Kilworth House Theatre); 9 to 5: The Musical (UK Tour); Snow White (London Palladium); The Bodyguard (Toronto); Dick Whittington (London Palladium); The Last Tango (UK Tour, West End) and Dance till Dawn (UK Tour).
ELLIE ANN LOWE
Theatre: Factory Girl/1st Cover Fantine in Les Misérables (West End); Lead Vocalist for BKCP (Seabourn Quest); Adriana in Comedy of Errors (Antic Disposition); Pauline Clench in One Man, Two Guvnors (Theatre Royal Windsor); Anna Truman in Deadly Nightcap (Theatre Royal Windsor); Dusty Springfield in DUSTY (Charing Cross Theatre); Connie u/s Annette in Saturday Night Fever (UK Tour); Love Story (Union Theatre).
JAMEL MATTHIAS
Theatre includes: Why Am I So Single? (Garrick Theatre), The Great Gatsby (London Coliseum), Personality (Southbank Centre).
MARCUS MAY
Theatre Credits Include: ‘Mungojerrie’ and cover ‘Skimbleshanks’ in Cats the Musical (International Tour); ‘Handyman’ in Choir of Man (Norwegian Cruise Line); ‘Bruce’ and ‘Tommy’ in Matilda the Musical (Royal Shakespeare Company).
CONOR O’HARA
Theatre includes: Ensemble/Cover Boq in Wicked (UK & Ireland Tour 2023-2025); Charlie Rawlins in the World Premiere cast of Bedknobs and Broomsticks (UK Tour); Swing in A Christmas Carol (RSC).
TOM OLIVER
Theatre includes: Shucked (Original Cast at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre); The Little Big Things (Original West End Cast at @sohoplace); Jersey Boys (Trafalgar Studios); Grease (RCCL).
ABBIE QUINNEN
Theatre includes: The Bodyguard (UK Tour); ‘Karen Davidson’ and ‘Sharon Percy’ in Billy Elliot (Victoria Palace Theatre); ‘White Cat’ in Cats (Royal Caribbean); Get on the Floor! (Arena Tour); AJ Live (Arena Tour) and Cinderella and Goldilocks & The Three Bears (Bristol Hippodrome).
HARRY ROBINSON
Theatre: Ensemble in I’m Every Woman (Peacock Theatre); Swing/Dance Captain and Samuel Seabury in Hamilton (UK & Ireland Tour); Mungojerrie in CATS (International Tour).
JEANIE RYAN
Theatre includes: Flashdance the Musical (International tour).
JESSICA SAISANG-ROWE
Theatre includes: Grease (European Tour).
JONAH SERCOMBE
Theatre credits include: Ensemble/Cover Sky in MAMMA MIA! (West End); Songs For A New World (Upstairs at the Gatehouse); Thomas Malloy in The Beautiful Game (ArtsEd); Ensemble/Dance Captain in Sweeney Todd (ArtsEd)
CHRIS TARSEY
Theatre includes: ‘Swing, Doctor Dillamond U/S’ in Wicked (Apollo Victoria, London), ‘Lord Clapham’ in Something Rotten (English Theatre Frankfurt).
KAREN WILKINSON
Theatre credits include: Standing at the Sky’s Edge (The Gillian Lynne Theatre), A Christmas Carol (Sheffield Crucible) The Phantom of the Opera (Her Majesty’s Theatre), Spend Spend Spend (The Royal Exchange, Manchester).
