Willemijn Verkaik
Encyclopedia
Willemijn Verkaik is a Dutch
singer and actress. She was born in Son en Breugel
, Netherlands
, but grew up in Nuenen
near Eindhoven. She graduated from the Rotterdam Conservatory.
She recently originated the role of Elphaba
in the Stuttgart
production of Wicked
, which began performances on November 1, 2007. She played her final performance on January 6, 2010, and was replaced by Roberta Valentini, until the show's closure on January 29, 2010. Verkaik then took part in the Best of Musical 2010 Gala tour. Wicked later transferred to Oberhausen
. Previews began March 5, 2010, however Verkaik joined from March 9 (opening night), due to her involvement with the tour. During previews, the role was played by Roberta Valentini, who had returned as Verkaik's alternate. She can be heard on Wickeds German-language cast recording
. At the end of 2011, she will take the same role in the Dutch language production of "Wicked," showing in the Netherlands. Her other musical theatre credits include Elisabeth
, Jeans, The Three Musketeers
, Eternity, AIDA, and We Will Rock You
.
She was also involved in the 2004 Eurovision Song Contest pre-selection. Verkaik was chosen as the "Favorite Current Elphaba", among all the actresses who are playing the role, in an online November 2010 poll with over 16,000 voters.
Verkaik finished her run with the Oberhausen production of Wicked on February 27, 2011, after playing a record-breaking three consecutive years in the role, making her the actress to play the role (as lead) the longest. She is currently reprising her role in the Dutch-language production which will premiere in The Netherlands in late 2011.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
singer and actress. She was born in Son en Breugel
Son en Breugel
Son en Breugel is a municipality in the southern Netherlands just outside of Eindhoven. 15,204 lived in this municipality as of June 1, 2005. Son en Breugel is 26,67 km² . Son en Breugel used to be two different towns 'Son' and 'Breugel'. The border between these towns is made by the stream...
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, but grew up in Nuenen
Nuenen
Nuenen is a town in the municipality of Nuenen, Gerwen en Nederwetten, in the Netherlands.Vincent Van Gogh resided in Nuenen from 1883-1885. During that time he painted many character studies of peasants and weavers that culminated in The Potato Eaters...
near Eindhoven. She graduated from the Rotterdam Conservatory.
She recently originated the role of Elphaba
Elphaba
Elphaba Thropp is a fictional character in Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire, as well as in the Broadway and West End adaptations, Wicked. In the original L. Frank Baum book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the Wicked Witch of the West is unnamed and little...
in the Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
production of Wicked
Wicked (musical)
Wicked is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman. It is based on the Gregory Maguire novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West , a parallel novel of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz and L. Frank Baum's classic story The Wonderful Wizard...
, which began performances on November 1, 2007. She played her final performance on January 6, 2010, and was replaced by Roberta Valentini, until the show's closure on January 29, 2010. Verkaik then took part in the Best of Musical 2010 Gala tour. Wicked later transferred to Oberhausen
Oberhausen
Oberhausen is a city on the river Emscher in the Ruhr Area, Germany, located between Duisburg and Essen . The city hosts the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen and its Gasometer Oberhausen is an anchor point of the European Route of Industrial Heritage. It is also well known for the...
. Previews began March 5, 2010, however Verkaik joined from March 9 (opening night), due to her involvement with the tour. During previews, the role was played by Roberta Valentini, who had returned as Verkaik's alternate. She can be heard on Wickeds German-language cast recording
Cast recording
A cast recording is a recording of a musical that is intended to document the songs as they were performed in the show and experienced by the audience. An original cast recording, as the name implies, features the voices of the show's original cast...
. At the end of 2011, she will take the same role in the Dutch language production of "Wicked," showing in the Netherlands. Her other musical theatre credits include Elisabeth
Elisabeth (musical)
Elisabeth is a Viennese, German-language musical commissioned by the Vereinigte Bühnen Wien , with book/lyrics by Michael Kunze and music by Sylvester Levay. It portrays the life and death of the Empress consort of Austria, Elisabeth of Bavaria, wife of Emperor Franz Joseph I...
, Jeans, The Three Musketeers
The Three Musketeers (musical)
The Three Musketeers is a musical with a book by William Anthony McGuire, lyrics by Clifford Grey and P. G. Wodehouse, and music by Rudolf Friml. It is based on the classic 1844 novel by Alexandre Dumas, père....
, Eternity, AIDA, and We Will Rock You
We Will Rock You (musical)
We Will Rock You is a jukebox musical, based on the songs of Queen and named after their hit single of the same name. The musical was written by British comedian and author Ben Elton in collaboration with Queen members Brian May and Roger Taylor...
.
She was also involved in the 2004 Eurovision Song Contest pre-selection. Verkaik was chosen as the "Favorite Current Elphaba", among all the actresses who are playing the role, in an online November 2010 poll with over 16,000 voters.
Verkaik finished her run with the Oberhausen production of Wicked on February 27, 2011, after playing a record-breaking three consecutive years in the role, making her the actress to play the role (as lead) the longest. She is currently reprising her role in the Dutch-language production which will premiere in The Netherlands in late 2011.
Discography
- Scott Alan's What I Wanna Be When I Grow Up, singing the track Watch Me Soar