Also bear in mind that Sophie's opening night audience had a lot of her family and friends, according to reports. Still, a lot of the cast members were tweeting that she did well, and I'm not going to take anything away from her. I've always liked Sophie as well, even though I had reservations about her readiness for a West End lead, especially acting and movement-wise. She has been at Arts Ed, though, so obviously she has improved, and she already had a great voice. Still, I think Danielle's fans will prefer Danielle in the role, and Sophie's fans will prefer Sophie. It doesn't matter to me, since Dan is still getting the publicity and recognition. It's not a competition anymore. That ended last year.
I am very curious as to how Sophie interprets the character, though. All I've heard online is that she was good. There have been very few details beyond that. I really like what Danielle did with the role, and I can't imagine Sophie playing it the way Dan does, as they are very different performers.
If anyone is curious, here is my review of the show (along with reviews of the four other shows I saw on my trip):
http://snoopmk.wordpress.com/2011/03...ip-uk-theatre/