Now, I have a mega soft spot for Oliver, mainly (and also quite weirdly) because he's the only Fiyero I've ever seen and I can't imagine anyone else in the role but lately I've honestly felt that he's tired of the role.
He always seems so lethargic on stage and really just going through the motions.

He was mr. grumpy on tuesday night. Though him & Ash are adorable together. And he's still a legend at SD. But yes, he should have left with Kerry.

He was abit grumpy wasn't he?

He just doesn't seem to make any effort nowadays which is a pity because he has such a beautiful voice.

Him and Ash do make a cute pair tho and yes, very charming and sweet at SD but all I'm asking for is a little bit of passion on stage again is that too much to ask for?

Ive thought this since December, he's got the most amazing voice but you can see he's visable bored of the role... To be fair though, the last show I went to at the end of May, He was REALLY good, he looked very into it and it felt like when I first seen him!

I hope he finds that spark or leaves soon. I think he can as well, I heard he's on a rolling contract so needs to give something like 2 months notice and he can leave whenever.

I love Oliver, I really do, but I think a new Fiyero would be fantastic for the show. As long as they get someone who's actually good and don't stunt cast!

I saw Adam Garcia as Fiyero and he was amazing! So dreamy!



I haven’t seen Wicked since the original cast left and now reading these comments on Oli am a bit worried…hmm…well, hope he will be in good spirits when I see it next Wednesday and what is he like at SD?

Oli is a legend at SD!! He's so lovely. Don't be worried, he's a brilliant Fiyero. If you've never seen him before I'm sure you'll love him. We all still love him, so we know just how great he can be. But even Tompsett at 80% is pretty great, and you can't fault his vocals at all. I appreciate him so much more after seeing Gregor last time.

Phew! Thanks xxx

If you have seen Adam Garcia as Fiyero, then Oliver at 30% vocally is going to blow you away. LOL
As for being bored, Adam used to have conversations with the conductor whilst sitting in the class room scene, so again, whilst Oli has his off days just like any other human being, I have never seen him that unprofessional nor anywhere near as bored as Adam was at times either. :-)

It's funny, I had that conversation last night, I never appreciated Adam enough when he was there and always hoped he was off so I could see Oli. I'd still see Oli over Adam any day, but considering some of the understudies I have seen (bar Mark Evans), I would have Adam back any day over them, at least Adam was entertaining, plus quite pleasing on the eye.

Wow, that's crazy. I've only seen Wicked once, years ago, when Idina and Adam were in it, but can't believe he could be that unprofessional. Is that an apocryphal tale or something you actually witnessed? What is it about the role that bores the actors so?

What, Fiyero the two-dimensional pretty boy whose great character arc is becoming fractionally less shallow?

I have no idea.

DISCLAIMER: point has been exaggerated for comic effect.

Lol to be fair it's been aeons since I saw it! But shouldn't you leave sharpish if it's boring you to tears?

Its all personal opinion at the end of the day, but I personally completely disagree with Southstreet. Adam was far better that Oliver, he had charm, stage presence, excellent dancer and a good voice. Ive seen Oliver 5 times (ranging from when he understudied the role through to quite recently) and all the times he has been like a plank of wood. His acting is wooden, ok dancing and yeah not a bad voice I guess but he clearly doesnt like the role.

Im really surprised they keep extending his contract, there must surely we others out there who would be far better and actually enjoy the gig (as underwritten a role as it is). His performance in Wicked would actually put me off seeing him in anything else

I reckon the only reason they keep extending his contract is because he is absolutly gorgeous! I can't really think of any other reason why they would keep him tbh. Yes he has a brilliant voice but that's matched with wooden acting, half decent dancing and utter bordem with the role.

I really like Olli and thought he was brilliant when I saw him in December and when I saw him last week I think he was having a one off good show. However when I saw him in February, he was completly bored and from what I've heard from everyone saying how bored he is, I truley believe I got lucky last week as he seemed to be really enjoying himself.

He's had several "one off good shows" in a many-day'd-row lately - honestly I think he may have perked up with a new cast (which is not to say he didn't love / adore / work really well with / pick your adjective the old cast). I don't know, he is *much* more "there" in the last couple of months. And I do think his acting has come on miles in the last two years.

But is still running out of breath in DTL, which I do not understand at ALL.

I think that when he wants to, Oliver can be a brilliant Fiyero. And that's just it. He can do it when he wants to. The first few times I saw him in the role he was brilliant and every show was a little bit different from the others little riffs here and there and alot of feeling behind the vocals but the last few times which range from March last year to the most recent being June this year he just seemed to be going through the motions.

I do have a huge soft spot for Ollie tho, he's such a charmer and so polite at SD.

I really do love Oli but yesterday he seemed to bored through the production with the exception of a riff in the middle of Dancing Through Life which was very nice I have to say but still he can do so more!!!

The thing with Oli is, he's trying to do all this other stuff like his next album which he is pretty much self-funding and in a world of economic decline, he has a steady job with an income. I genuinely think that was the only reason he chose to sign on again, though I am sure his contract isn't for a year this time round. And for Wicked, Oli is a popular cast member, with fans and the company and he is so talented that even if he is only at 40% you still get a damn good vocal from him.
I always knew it was going to be hard without Kerry for him, they just bounced off each other so well. In fairness though when I saw him with Sabrina last Saturday, he looked in good spirits and was riffing the hell out of it! Though when I asked him after, he said he'd got a friend in! So maybe we just need to get his friends in at every show!

In my opinion though that is no excuse not to give your all in a performance. I love him I really do but other individuals in the cast have done other things as well as Wicked. At one point Dianne was filming, albeit small, part in an upcoming film and still manages to give a sound performance every night giving 100% to what she does. Knowing that Oliver can do so much more just gets me more infuriated when he doesn't do it!! Last wednesday's matinee was, for me a sign of that, where he might have looked bored but his singing, for me, was brilliant and included the first riff I have heard from him outside of youtube. I also think that it was difficult for the cast in general when Kerry left considering she had been the leading lady for 2 1/2 years and involved in the show from the start. Oliver has a great chemistry with Alexia and Sabrina (that I have heard) and with Ashleigh which I saw personally. He just needs to buck up a bit start giving nearer 100% instead of the 40% that we are seeing so regularly now.

would have loved to have seen him when he started off as fiyero, when he got promoted. i bet he gave 120% and that would've been something to see!

I saw him when he was understudying and when he took over the role and to be honest he was just as poor then. I really dont get the fuss over him, yes he has a nice enough voice but his acting is shocking

I saw both Oliver Tompsett and Adam Garcia. Oliver Tompsett has got a great voice, but Adam Garcia is a much better actor even if his voice isn't as good or strong.

I'll probably be completely shot down for saying this, I fully confess that I've only seen Wicked once, so I've only ever got that one show for example, but even then I thought that Oliver was a bit poor. Good voice, ok acting, but really nothing special at all.
I kind of feel there's need for some new blood in the role. There's a few actors I'd like to see have a go, and Oliver has been with the show for what seems like forever.

No shooting you down from me, I completly agree with you..and he has been with the show since it opened in September 2006. He was Adam Garcias understudy

Errr, I honestly don't know what to say. I've seen him be brilliant and then not so good in the space of a week.. I'm happy with him there after seeing Gregor. No offense to Gregor because I think he'll grow with time...

Don't get the whole "it was going to be hard without Kerry" thing. Yes, they're friends. As are Alexia/Oli. But it's work at the end of the day and I'm pretty sure it's not that big a deal who he works with (unless he hates them)

Adam Garcia, in my opinion, was just a name to open the show with. His vocals were shocking. Oli has a wonderful voice and can act when he puts his mind to it. I won't comment on the dancing because we all know it isn't his strength.
Gregor is a sweet guy, and I'm sure as his confidence grows his performance will as well. Though how often he'll go on outside of Oli's holiday dates I don't know. And I'd rather not remember Dougal please.

I've yet to see Oli. I saw Dougal when I went to Wicked. I wasn't that impressed really!

Somtimes I just want to give him a huge kick up the backside.
When you've seen what he's capable of vocally then to see him give a really safe sometimes mediocre performance it just makes it more frustrating to watch.

I think Oli gets far too much stick. He has a lovely voice, is a great performer and such a nice guy. Leave 'im alone

i think the reason why people may be a little harsh on him, well my reason is, is that i know he has sssoooo much potential and i know that he can do better (from the times i have seen him) so i just want him to reach his full potential. I don't think there is any real harm in wanting that.......

Yes I love him. He is a good all round performer but he does need a bit of a kick up the bum to actually perform to the standard that we all know he can do so well.

I don't see what him being a nice guy has to do with anything - I agree that he's very talented, but if his performances are lazy, i.e. not to the best of his ability, then he absolutely deserves to be criticised for that. There's no excuse for not giving 100%.

I love his vocals. I think he has an astonishing voice. Especially some of the riffs in DTL and ALAYM he comes out with from time to time! Beautiful!

His acting gets me every time. Every line is rushed and has a sighhhh behind it... at the start that's fine, cos the character is 'deeply shallow', but after ALAYM when he's reassuring Elphaba of their future together he's like sighhhhhhh you can see houses sighhhhhh can't you sighhhhhh... you know?!

(I spoiler tagged as it struck me perhaps some people don't know the story inside out!)

He didn't used to rush those lines ... that along with the weird sighing puts me on the "he's bored" bandwagon. (In fact, most of the cast seems to be rushing lines these days - I reckon the show is shorter by a good 15 minutes than in 2007, when it would end bang on 10:30.) Agree his vocals are top notch, but not alas in Dancing Through Life because he's so out of breath!

I can't imagine a different Fiyero... if Oli leaves at Cast Change I will die if Gregor is promoted... I actually will die. And not in the good sense.

Does anyone know when the cast change is?

I agree the show's definitely got faster/shorter since it began, though I'd put the differance as more like 10 mins than 15.


According to a post last week on Wicked's Twitter the next one is in March.

I agree, Oli is the nicest guy you could ever want to meet. He takes his time with fans and always has a grin on his face (until you take a camera out) but as someone said earlier, he needs a kick up the arse to get him performing at his peak. When I saw him, just after he took over from Adam he was always on the ball and putting effort into it. Nowadays, I haven't seen him put effort in apart from when he knows he's got someone in the audience which to me, isn't fair to the people that have paid £60 for a ticket!
I love him but he needs to move on.

He is the nicest cast member of any show i've met but the last time i saw him he was looking very bored when he wasn't talking he was fine when the spotlight was on him but after that.............. he gave in
The other times i've seen him he's been in character all the way through

Oliver's strength is his vocals. He has possibly the best voice the West End has seen in years. His recordings are a showcase for his range and versatility. " Wicked "gives him little opportunity to show this talent. Even when he gives way to the occasional "riff" the management won't like it.
Lets face it, the show is completely dominated by the two femail leads--and what a fabulous job they make of it. Olivers job is mainly to support them and enhance their performances.
Oliver is a genuine and likeable guy. He would never upstage anyone and is very popular with the cast and his many fans. After more than 3 years he may have his off-days but the last 2 performances I have seen he was 110%.