Fallon, Amanda Smith, is no newcomer to the role of a princess due to her previous work in the theatre.
Smith, who has long brown hair and hazel eyes, has portrayed plenty of Disney princesses, including Jane from Tarzan, Ariel from The Little Mermaid, and, of course, Belle from Beauty and the Beast. Smith, however, changed from her usual damsel-in-distress roles to a calmer, somewhat more wicked one a few years ago.
Smith will take up the role of Nessarose for the Greensboro performance of Wicked on Thursday. She’ll be repeating the role after a year of waiting due to the epidemic.
Smith adds, “She’s been one of my main stars to play because her beginning and ending points are so unique mentally, emotionally, and physically.” “Taking myself there six nights a week is a commitment, but it’s a fantastic challenge.”
The Wicked Witch of the East, or younger sister of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, is Nessarose. The character of Nessarose is missing in L. Frank Baum’s original Wizard of Oz, whereas Elphaba has no name. Based on Gregory Maguire’s book Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, which was published in 1995 and inspired the famous 2003 Broadway musical Wicked, both characters acquire their own origin tales to become the primary figures of Wicked. Unlike most of Smith’s previous Disney roles, she claims she fell in love with Nessarose because of her character’s depth and her turbulent connection with her sister.
Smith adds, “I’ve always liked Nessa since she’s someone who does everything she does because she loves so hard.” “She just tries so hard to love.”
Unlike traditional Disney stories, which often center on love interests and pit female characters against one another for a man’s attention, Wicked mainly focuses on the connection between Elphaba and Glinda the Good Witch, examining the complexities of female relationships, whether between sisters or friends.
“It’s a nice relationship between women characters and women, which you don’t see very often in entertainment,” Smith explains. “This is a beautiful love story between two friends,”.
Smith has been in the entertainment business for almost ten years and first saw Wicked in middle school.
“Seeing everything from the sets to the outfits was so beautiful,” she says. “You have a great sense of being immersed in the world.”
