Willemijn leaving Wicked London early

From Wicked UK FB page:
We are sorry to announce that Willemijn Verkaik will play her final performance as Elphaba this Saturday 19 July 2014 at 7.30pm, as she departs the production in order to have surgery to address an ongoing back condition.

Willemijn said: “To be given the chance to play Elphaba in four different countries is something I am incredibly grateful for. Now I have to cut my West End run short and it’s absolutely devastating to me. I’ve been fighting this injury for a few months but was determined not to let anything get in the way of my West End debut and certainly not wanting to disappoint the audiences. But I have to face the facts. I thank producers David Stone and Michael McCabe and our General Managers, Playful Productions, the cast and crew and all of you so much for all your support in this difficult time. I promise I’ll be back on stage soon, in better shape than ever!”

Kerry Ellis is replacing Willemijn from August 4-October 25 2014

What do you guys think?

I feel so bad for her. Does anybody know how serious this injury is exactly?

Well, a little hope is that she is at least able to perform the evening shows till Saturday, so it can´t be that bad, that would be if she couldn´t move at all. Nevertheless it´s a suggery and that is always serious. I would guess that she has a spinal disc herniation and because of that the operation, if everything goes well she should be fine after 6 months I hope.

I am feeling so sorry for Willemijn, but Kerry Ellis returning is a surprise!
A wonderful surprise, at that. She was always my favorite in the role!

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