Suzie Mathers is a Scottish-Australian actress and theatre performer best known for her role as

Glinda Glinda is a fictional character created by L. Frank Baum for his ''Oz'' novels. She first appears in Baum's 1900 children's classic ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'', and is the most powerful sorceress in the Land of Oz, ruler of the Quadling Coun ...

the Good Witch in the Australian, Asian tour, and London productions of ''

Wicked Wicked may refer to: Books * Wicked, a minor character in the ''X-Men'' universe * ''Wicked'', a 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire that inspired the musical of the same name * ''Wicked'', the fifth novel in Sara Shepard's ''Pretty Little Liars'' ser ...

'' as well Sophie in the 10th Anniversary Australian tour of '' Mamma Mia!'' the Musical. Spouse: Laura Francis (7/3/2019)

Biography

Born in

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

, Scotland and raised in Perth, Western Australia, Suzie received a Bachelor of Arts (Music Theatre) from the

Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts The Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) at Edith Cowan University (ECU) was established in 1980 to provide performing arts tuition. WAAPA (commonly pronounced "whopp-a") operates as a part of ECU, located at the ECU campus in ...

(WAAPA) in 2007. In the few short years since graduating, Suzie has fast made her mark in the Australian and International music theatre industry.

Career

Her career in musical theater started with a spot in an amateur production of ''Jesus Christ Superstar''. In 2007, she graduated with a degree in music theater from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. While in college, she performed in various productions such as "The Good Fight" and "Annie Get Your Gun." Originally an offstage vocal swing for the 2008 Melbourne production, Mathers was cast in ''

'' straight out of drama school, and remained with the company as an ensemble member until the beginning of the Sydney season in 2009. Suzie left to play the leading role of Sophie in the 10th Anniversary Australian tour of '' Mamma Mia!'', which toured nationally in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

. After the national tour of ''Mamma Mia!'' Suzie returned to the cast of ''Wicked'' for the first Australian tour performing in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

, in the role of the Midwife, and was also the understudy for Glinda. Suzie officially took over the role of lead Glinda from

Lucy Durack Lucy Durack (born 17 November 1982) is an Australian actress, singer and television personality who played Glinda in the Australian production of ''Wicked (musical), Wicked'', and Elle Woods in the Australian production of ''Legally Blonde (musi ...

in 2012, performing in Singapore, South Korea, New Zealand and Manila to much critical acclaim. A highlight was performing to the shows composer

Stephen Schwartz Stephen Lawrence Schwartz (born March 6, 1948) is an American musical theatre lyricist and composer. In a career spanning over five decades, Schwartz has written such hit musicals as ''Godspell'' (1971), ''Pippin'' (1972), and ''Wicked'' (20 ...

, twice. She has co-starred alongside various Australian theatre performers including

Jemma Rix Jemma Rix (née Stevenson; born 25 December 1984) is an Australians, Australian theatre performer, who has played the role of Elphaba in the Melbourne, Sydney, Australian and Asian touring companies of ''Wicked (musical), Wicked''. Rix first per ...

Maggie Kirkpatrick Margaret Anne Kirkpatrick (née Downs; born 29 January 1941) is an Australian stage and screen actress who starred in the cult TV series ''Prisoner'' (otherwise known as ''Prisoner: Cell Block H'' in the UK and North America), where she was bes ...

, David Harris, Anne Wood and

Gretel Scarlett Gretel Scarlett Jahnke (), known as Gretel Scarlett (born 9 November 1987) is an Australian actress and performer. Having appeared in theatre productions including ''Wicked'' and '' Mamma Mia!'', she is best known for starring as Sandy in the ...

as well as New Zealand actor

Jay Laga'aia Jay Laga'aia (born 10 September 1963) is a New Zealand-Australian actor and singer. He is known internationally for his role as Captain Typho in the films '' Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones'' and '' Star Wars: Episode III – Rev ...

. Suzie stepped down from the role of Glinda when it returned to Australia at the end of ''Wicked'''s Manila run on 9 March 2014. Though Suzie did briefly reprise the role in

while

took leave due to injury in May 2014. Mathers then again reprised the role of Glinda for the

and

seasons of ''Wicked'', taking over once again from Lucy Durack, who left at the end of the Sydney season due to her pregnancy. During the Brisbane season Suzie reached her 500th performance as Glinda, and is expected have performed the role over 580 times when the show closes in Perth mid 2015. Mathers made her West End debut reprising the role of Glinda this time in the

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

production of ''Wicked'' at the

Apollo Victoria Theatre The Apollo Victoria Theatre is a West End theatre on Wilton Road in the Westminster district of London, across from London Victoria Station. (The theatre also has an entrance on Vauxhall Bridge Road.) Opened in 1930 as a cinema and variety th ...

. She performed the role at the 10th anniversary performance on 27 September 2016.

Rachel Tucker Rachel Kelly Tucker (born 29 May 1981) is a Northern Irish West End and Broadway actress, best known for her portrayal of Elphaba in the hit musical ''Wicked''. She most recently starred in Come from Away on Broadway, having originated the role o ...

and

Willemijn Verkaik Willemijn Verkaik (; born 16 June 1975) is a Dutch singer and actress. She is best known for her stage roles in '' Wicked'' and '' Elisabeth'', and for providing the singing voice for Elsa in both the German and Dutch versions of Disney's '' F ...

performed as Elphaba alongside her. She left the production on 22 July 2017.

Stage credits

Other performances

Suzie's other appearances include An Afternoon with

Stephen Sondheim Stephen Joshua Sondheim (; March 22, 1930November 26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. One of the most important figures in twentieth-century musical theater, Sondheim is credited for having "reinvented the American musical" with sho ...

at Her Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne in 2012, both the 2011 and 2012

Rob Guest Robert John Guest (17 July 19501 October 2008) was a New Zealand-Australian actor, television personality and host and singer, who started his career in pop music in New Zealand, before becoming best known for his work in Australian musical th ...

Endowment Concerts, headlining artist at the 2012 Apex Carols By Candlelight, the 2009

Helpmann Awards The Helpmann Awards are accolades for live entertainment and performing arts in Australia, presented by industry group Live Live Performance Australia (LPA) since 2001. The annual awards recognise achievements in the disciplines of musical t ...

, the role of Edith Faulkner in the 2007 New York Music Theatre Festival production of David King and Nick Enright's The Good Fight. Suzie also guest starred in David Harris' sold-out show Time is a Traveller at the

Hayes Theatre The Hayes Theatre is a 111-seat theatre specialising in music theatre and cabaret in Potts Point, Sydney, Australia. It is named after the Australian performer Nancye Hayes. Hayes Theatre Co was established at the former Darlinghurst Theatre afte ...

in Sydney. She recently appeared in a one night concert, "Hello Jerry! The Music of Jerry Herman" at The National Concert Hall, Dublin featuring music from the spectacular Broadway musicals of twice Tony Award winner

Jerry Herman Gerald Sheldon Herman (July 10, 1931December 26, 2019) was an American composer and lyricist, known for his work in Broadway theatre. One of the most commercially successful Broadway songwriters of his time, Herman was the composer and lyricis ...

. The concert was conducted by

John Wilson (conductor) John Wilson (born 1972) is a British conductor, arranger and musicologist, who conducts orchestras and operas, as well as big band jazz. He is the creator of the John Wilson Orchestra and Associate Guest Conductor of the BBC Scottish Symphony ...

with music by The

RTÉ (RTÉ) (; Irish language, Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the Public broadcaster, national broadcaster of Republic of Ireland, Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on RTÉ Television, telev ...

Orchestra. The performance also featured West End's Annalene Beechey, and American musical entertainer and actress

Kim Criswell Kim Criswell (born July 19, 1957) is an American musical entertainer and actress. Life and career Criswell was born in Hampton, Virginia, United States, and grew up in Chattanooga, Tennessee. After she graduated from Hixson High School in subur ...

. In June 2015 Suzie returned to where her career began to help celebrate 30 years of Musical Theatre at the West Australia Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA), performing at the ''WAAPA Grads Say Thanks'' gala concert at the Geoff Gibbs Theatre at

Edith Cowan University Edith Cowan University (ECU) is a public university in Western Australia. It is named in honour of the first woman to be elected to an Parliaments of the Australian states and territories, Australian parliament, Edith Cowan, and is the only Aust ...

. Suzie performed in the title role of Cinderella, for the 2015 family pantomime at

Cambridge Arts Theatre Cambridge Arts Theatre is a 666-seat theatre on Peas Hill and St Edward's Passage in central Cambridge, England. The theatre presents a varied mix of drama, dance, opera and pantomime. It attracts some of the highest-quality touring productions ...

References

External links

*
Waapa.ecu.edu.au
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mathers, Suzie Living people Australian musical theatre actresses Australian women singers 1984 births