Louise Dearman
Encyclopedia
Louise Dearman is a British
musical theatre
performer, currently playing the role of Glinda
in the West End
production of Wicked
. She has a number of other professional stage and television credits, such as Eva Perón
in Evita, and released her debut solo album, You and I, in 2005.
, Bedfordshire
, attending Linslade Middle School and Cedars Upper School. She first began dance lessons at the age of three, and started to consider a stage career after appearing as part of a children's choir in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
at the London Palladium
when she was thirteen. She then went on to train at Laine Theatre Arts
, where she won their Musical Theatre Award and Opera Award.
as the Narrator. Then, after performing in the ensemble of Whistle Down the Wind
in Bromley, she portrayed Jan in the Grease
UK tour in 2000, which she later returned to in 2003 at the Victoria Palace Theatre
. Other roles Dearman has portrayed have been Lucy Harris in the national tour of Jekyll and Hyde, Mimi and understudy to Miss Adelaide and Sarah Brown in Guys and Dolls
at the Piccadilly Theatre
(she then took over the role of Sarah Brown a year later in the touring production of the show), Debbie in Debbie Does Dallas: The Musical
at the 2007 Edinburgh Festival, Eva Perón
in the tour of Evita, and Grizabella
in Cats
in Cyprus.
Other stage credits include Kiss Me, Kate
at the Victoria Palace Theatre
, Christmas Cat and The Pudding Pirates (Highbarn, Great Bardfield), the Willian Finn revue Make Me a Song at the New Players Theatre
, Belle in the workshops of new musical Only the Brave, and the workshop production of Brick by Brick.
In addition to this, she has featured in a number of concerts; as a guest vocalist with Michael Ball
in his Michael Ball: Past and Present tour, and in her one woman concert You and I in multiple venues.
Dearman has appeared in pantomime versions of Cinderella three times; as Cinderella
in Stoke-On-Trent
in 2007 and in Milton Keynes
in 2009, and as the Fairy Godmother
in Wimbledon in 2008.
On 29 March 2010, she replaced Dianne Pilkington
as Glinda the Good Witch in the London production of Wicked
. She stars alongside Rachel Tucker
as Elphaba
. Ironically, the two had previously spoofed their roles a year earlier in So Jest End, a show parodying the West End. Dearman will play her final performance in the production on 10 December 2011 and will be replaced by Gina Beck
.
On 26 September 2010 Dearman joined composer Scott Alan at his concert Simply the Music of Scott Alan in London's West End
. The concert also featured Patina Miller
, Shoshana Bean
, Ashleigh Gray
, Sierra Boggess
, Jodie Jacobs, Alex Gaumond and Hadley Fraser. She performed the song "And There It Is", as well as performing in a group version of the song "Never, Neverland (Fly Away)".
Professional theatre credits
advert in 2005. More recently, she has appeared in Tonight's The Night
with John Barrowman
, and has embarked upon a presenting career, appearing as a presenter in Creative Pastimes, Where Can I Get One of Those?, Kitchen Secrets, Pets Paradise, and Beautiful You. She has also appeared in The Cherries, a pilot for Carlton TV. She also sings "Somebody to Love
" in the Confused.com
advert (2010) and "Chain Reaction
" (2011) which debuted during the 2011 BRIT Awards
. A third advert, a "confused karaoke" version of "YMCA
", was also released in 2011.
The album was rereleased in 2010 and was availible to buy through the Ozdust Boutique at the Apollo Victoria Theatre
, London.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
musical theatre
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
performer, currently playing the role of Glinda
Glinda
Glinda is a fictional character in the Land of Oz created by American author L. Frank Baum. She is the most powerful sorceress of Oz, ruler of the Quadling Country south of the Emerald City, and protector of Princess Ozma.- Literature :Baum's 1900 children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz...
in the West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
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...
. She has a number of other professional stage and television credits, such as Eva Perón
Eva Perón
María Eva Duarte de Perón was the second wife of President Juan Perón and served as the First Lady of Argentina from 1946 until her death in 1952. She is often referred to as simply Eva Perón, or by the affectionate Spanish language diminutive Evita.She was born in the village of Los Toldos in...
in Evita, and released her debut solo album, You and I, in 2005.
Early life
Dearman grew up in LinsladeLinslade
Linslade is an English town, located on the Bedfordshire side of the Bedfordshire-Buckinghamshire border . It abuts onto the town of Leighton Buzzard with which it forms the civil parish of Leighton-Linslade. Linslade was transferred from Buckinghamshire in 1965, and was previously a separate...
, Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
, attending Linslade Middle School and Cedars Upper School. She first began dance lessons at the age of three, and started to consider a stage career after appearing as part of a children's choir in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical with lyrics by Tim Rice. The story is based on the "coat of many colors" story of Joseph from the Hebrew Bible's Book of Genesis. This was the first Lloyd Webber and Rice musical to be performed publicly...
at the London Palladium
London Palladium
The London Palladium is a 2,286 seat West End theatre located off Oxford Street in the City of Westminster. From the roster of stars who have played there and many televised performances, it is arguably the most famous theatre in London and the United Kingdom, especially for musical variety...
when she was thirteen. She then went on to train at Laine Theatre Arts
Laine Theatre Arts
Laine Theatre Arts is an independent performing arts college, based in the town of Epsom in Surrey, England. The college was founded in 1974, and developed from an earlier school, the Frecker-Laine School of Dancing...
, where she won their Musical Theatre Award and Opera Award.
Stage career
Straight after graduating from Laine in 1998, Dearman joined the touring cast of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor DreamcoatJoseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical with lyrics by Tim Rice. The story is based on the "coat of many colors" story of Joseph from the Hebrew Bible's Book of Genesis. This was the first Lloyd Webber and Rice musical to be performed publicly...
as the Narrator. Then, after performing in the ensemble of Whistle Down the Wind
Whistle Down the Wind (musical)
Whistle Down the Wind is a musical based on the 1961 film Whistle Down the Wind with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Jim Steinman, known for his work with Meat Loaf and Bonnie Tyler.-Stage Premiere:...
in Bromley, she portrayed Jan in the Grease
Grease (musical)
Grease is a 1971 musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. The musical is named for the 1950s United States working-class youth subculture known as the greasers. The musical, set in 1959 at fictional Rydell High School , follows ten working-class teenagers as they navigate the complexities of love,...
UK tour in 2000, which she later returned to in 2003 at the Victoria Palace Theatre
Victoria Palace Theatre
Victoria Palace Theatre is a West End theatre in Victoria Street, in the City of Westminster, opposite Victoria Station.-Origins:The theatre began life as a small concert room above the stables of the Royal Standard Hotel, a small hotel and tavern built in 1832 at what was then 522 Stockbridge...
. Other roles Dearman has portrayed have been Lucy Harris in the national tour of Jekyll and Hyde, Mimi and understudy to Miss Adelaide and Sarah Brown in Guys and Dolls
Guys and Dolls
Guys and Dolls is a musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It is based on "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" and "Blood Pressure", two short stories by Damon Runyon, and also borrows characters and plot elements from other Runyon stories, most notably...
at the Piccadilly Theatre
Piccadilly Theatre
The Piccadilly Theatre is a West End theatre located at 16 Denman Street, behind Piccadilly Circus and adjacent to the Regent Palace Hotel, in the City of Westminster, England.-Early years:Built by Bertie Crewe and Edward A...
(she then took over the role of Sarah Brown a year later in the touring production of the show), Debbie in Debbie Does Dallas: The Musical
Debbie Does Dallas: The Musical
Debbie Does Dallas: The Musical is an Off-Broadway musical with a book by Susan L. Schwartz, composed by Andrew Sherman, with Tom Kitt and Jonathan Callicutt providing additional music and lyrics. It is based on the 1978 pornographic film Debbie Does Dallas...
at the 2007 Edinburgh Festival, Eva Perón
Eva Perón
María Eva Duarte de Perón was the second wife of President Juan Perón and served as the First Lady of Argentina from 1946 until her death in 1952. She is often referred to as simply Eva Perón, or by the affectionate Spanish language diminutive Evita.She was born in the village of Los Toldos in...
in the tour of Evita, and Grizabella
Grizabella
Grizabella is the "Glamour Cat" in the musical production Cats. She does not appear in T. S. Eliot's work Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, but she is a prominent character in the stageplay. It appears that she is the feline version of the woman mentioned in T.S...
in Cats
Cats (musical)
Cats is a musical composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot...
in Cyprus.
Other stage credits include Kiss Me, Kate
Kiss Me, Kate
Kiss Me, Kate is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. It is structured as a play within a play, where the interior play is a musical version of William Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. The original production starred Alfred Drake, Patricia Morison, Lisa Kirk and Harold Lang.Kiss...
at the Victoria Palace Theatre
Victoria Palace Theatre
Victoria Palace Theatre is a West End theatre in Victoria Street, in the City of Westminster, opposite Victoria Station.-Origins:The theatre began life as a small concert room above the stables of the Royal Standard Hotel, a small hotel and tavern built in 1832 at what was then 522 Stockbridge...
, Christmas Cat and The Pudding Pirates (Highbarn, Great Bardfield), the Willian Finn revue Make Me a Song at the New Players Theatre
Players' Theatre
The Players' Theatre was a theatre in London as well as a theatre club for music hall in the style of the BBC programme "The Good Old Days".-Origins:...
, Belle in the workshops of new musical Only the Brave, and the workshop production of Brick by Brick.
In addition to this, she has featured in a number of concerts; as a guest vocalist with Michael Ball
Michael Ball (singer)
Michael Ashley Ball, born 27 June 1962) is a British actor, singer, and radio and TV presenter who is best known for the song "Love Changes Everything" and musical theatre roles such as Marius in Les Misérables, Alex in Aspects of Love, Caractacus Potts in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Edna Turnblad...
in his Michael Ball: Past and Present tour, and in her one woman concert You and I in multiple venues.
Dearman has appeared in pantomime versions of Cinderella three times; as Cinderella
Cinderella
"Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper" is a folk tale embodying a myth-element of unjust oppression/triumphant reward. Thousands of variants are known throughout the world. The title character is a young woman living in unfortunate circumstances that are suddenly changed to remarkable fortune...
in Stoke-On-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent , also called The Potteries is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Stoke forms The Potteries Urban Area...
in 2007 and in Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes , sometimes abbreviated MK, is a large town in Buckinghamshire, in the south east of England, about north-west of London. It is the administrative centre of the Borough of Milton Keynes...
in 2009, and as the Fairy Godmother
Fairy godmother
In fairy tales, a fairy godmother is a fairy with magical powers who acts as a mentor or parent to someone, in the role that an actual godparent was expected to play in many societies...
in Wimbledon in 2008.
On 29 March 2010, she replaced Dianne Pilkington
Dianne Pilkington
Dianne Lesley Pilkington is an English theatre actress and singer.- Life :Pilkington was born in Wigan. She trained at the Guildford School of Acting, graduating in 1997 with the Principal's Award....
as Glinda the Good Witch in the London 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...
. She stars alongside Rachel Tucker
Rachel Tucker
Rachel Tucker is a Northern Irish singer and actress who competed as one of the finalists in the BBC talent show-themed television series I'd Do Anything in 2008...
as 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...
. Ironically, the two had previously spoofed their roles a year earlier in So Jest End, a show parodying the West End. Dearman will play her final performance in the production on 10 December 2011 and will be replaced by Gina Beck
Gina Beck
Gina Beck is an English actress and singer known primarily for her roles in leading musical theatre productions. Gina recently starred as Christine Daaé in Cameron Mackintosh's production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera in London's West End for two years...
.
On 26 September 2010 Dearman joined composer Scott Alan at his concert Simply the Music of Scott Alan in London's West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
. The concert also featured Patina Miller
Patina Miller
Patina Miller is an American actress and singer.Miller is best known for originating the role of disco diva wannabe Deloris Van Cartier in the 2009 West End and 2011 Broadway productions of Sister Act the Musical.-Early life:...
, Shoshana Bean
Shoshana Bean
Shoshana Elise Bean is an American stage actress and singer known for her roles in Broadway musicals. She is best known for playing Elphaba on Broadway in the musical Wicked.-Early life and education:...
, Ashleigh Gray
Ashleigh Gray
Ashleigh Gray is a British musical theatre performer who recently appeared as the standby for Elphaba in the London production of Wicked.-Early life:Gray was born in Fife, Scotland and educated at Newbattle Community High School in Dalkeith...
, Sierra Boggess
Sierra Boggess
Sierra Boggess is an American theater actress and soprano singer. She was born and raised in Denver, Colorado, with her two sisters, Summer and Allegra. The three of them were members of the Colorado Children's Chorale. Her parents are Kellun Turner and Michael Boggess...
, Jodie Jacobs, Alex Gaumond and Hadley Fraser. She performed the song "And There It Is", as well as performing in a group version of the song "Never, Neverland (Fly Away)".
| Start date | End date | Production | Role(s) | Venue(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 March 2010 | 10 December 2011 | 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... |
Glinda | Apollo Victoria Theatre Apollo Victoria Theatre The Apollo Victoria Theatre is a West End theatre, located on Wilton Road near Victoria station in the City of Westminster. Opened as a cinema and variety theatre, the Apollo Victoria became a venue for musical theatre, beginning with The Sound of Music in 1981, and including the long-running... |
Television
Dearman's first television appearance was as a singing customer in a KFCKFC
KFC, founded and also known as Kentucky Fried Chicken, is a chain of fast food restaurants based in Louisville, Kentucky, in the United States. KFC has been a brand and operating segment, termed a concept of Yum! Brands since 1997 when that company was spun off from PepsiCo as Tricon Global...
advert in 2005. More recently, she has appeared in Tonight's The Night
Tonight's The Night
-Films:* Tonight's the Night , a 1934 British film starring Leslie Fuller* An alternative title for the 1954 film Happy Ever After-Musicals:*To-Night's the Night...
with John Barrowman
John Barrowman
John Scot Barrowman is a Scottish-American singer, actor, dancer, musical theatre performer and media personality. Born in Glasgow yet growing up in Illinois after his family emigrated to the United States when he was eight years old, Barrowman was encouraged to further his love for music and...
, and has embarked upon a presenting career, appearing as a presenter in Creative Pastimes, Where Can I Get One of Those?, Kitchen Secrets, Pets Paradise, and Beautiful You. She has also appeared in The Cherries, a pilot for Carlton TV. She also sings "Somebody to Love
Somebody to Love (Queen song)
"Somebody to Love" is a song by British rock band Queen. Written by lead vocalist and pianist Freddie Mercury, the track featured on their 1976 album A Day at the Races, and also appears on the band's compilation album, Greatest Hits...
" in the Confused.com
Confused.com
Confused.com, part of the Admiral Group, is a British price comparison website specialising in insurance and financial services.-History:Confused.com launched in 2002, becoming the UK’s first car insurance comparison site. It is based in Cardiff, Wales with its offices located near the headquarters...
advert (2010) and "Chain Reaction
Chain Reaction (song)
"Chain Reaction" is a melodic Pop song, sung by Diana Ross, written by the Bee Gees, who also provided the backing vocals for the single. The track was released on the album Eaten Alive in 1985 and as a single twice - in 1985 and again in 1986....
" (2011) which debuted during the 2011 BRIT Awards
Brit Awards
The Brit Awards are the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain" or "Britannia", but subsequently became a backronym for British Record Industry Trust...
. A third advert, a "confused karaoke" version of "YMCA
YMCA (song)
"Y.M.C.A." is a song recorded by American disco group Village People. It was released in 1978 as the only single from the album Cruisin. The song reached No. 2 on the U.S. charts in early 1979 and reached No.1 in the UK around the same time, becoming the group's biggest hit...
", was also released in 2011.
Album
Dearman released her debut album You and I in 2005, with renditions of songs from well known musicals. The track listing is as follows:The album was rereleased in 2010 and was availible to buy through the Ozdust Boutique at the Apollo Victoria Theatre
Apollo Victoria Theatre
The Apollo Victoria Theatre is a West End theatre, located on Wilton Road near Victoria station in the City of Westminster. Opened as a cinema and variety theatre, the Apollo Victoria became a venue for musical theatre, beginning with The Sound of Music in 1981, and including the long-running...
, London.
Other recordings
- "In the Bleak MidwinterIn the Bleak Midwinter"In the Bleak Midwinter" is a Christmas carol based on a poem by the English poet Christina Rossetti written before 1872 in response to a request from the magazine Scribner's Monthly for a Christmas poem....
" / "A Winter's TaleA Winter's Tale (song)"A Winter's Tale" is a song by Queen, from the album Made in Heaven, released in 1995 after Freddie Mercury's death in 1991. It was written after the Innuendo sessions, inspired as Mercury was staring out the windows of their recording studio, at Lake Geneva...
" with Ashleigh GrayAshleigh GrayAshleigh Gray is a British musical theatre performer who recently appeared as the standby for Elphaba in the London production of Wicked.-Early life:Gray was born in Fife, Scotland and educated at Newbattle Community High School in Dalkeith...
and Paul Spicer and "All Those Christmas Clichés" on the album Christmas in New York by the Notes From New YorkNotes From New YorkNotes From New York is a successful London based concert series, created primarily to showcase the output of contemporary musical theatre writers.- Creators and Collaborators :...
team (November 2009) - "Sometimes" on the album Scrapbook: The Songs of Rob Archibald and Verity Quade (August 2010)
- "Free" with Stuart Matthew Price on the album All Things in Time (September 2010)
- "FallenFallen (song)"Fallen" is a song by American recording artist Mýa from her third studio album, Moodring . The track contains a sample from the Pharcyde track, "Runnin'" which, in turn, contains excerpts and elements of Brazilian musician Luiz Bonfá's 1963 song "Saudade Vem Correndo", penned by Bonfá and Maria...
" on the album More with Every Line - The Music of Tim Prottey-Jones (December 2010) - "Sex on FireSex on Fire"Sex on Fire" is the first single to be taken from Kings of Leon's fourth studio album Only by the Night and as of September 2009, the second most-downloaded digital single ever in the United Kingdom...
", "Live and Let DieLive and Let Die (song)"Live and Let Die" is the main theme song of the 1973 James Bond film Live and Let Die and was performed by Paul McCartney & Wings for the movie soundtrack and appears on the soundtrack album. The song was one of Wings' most successful singles, and the most successful Bond theme to that point...
" and "Dry CountyDry County (song)"Dry County" is a song by Bon Jovi from their 1992 album Keep the Faith. It was written by Jon Bon Jovi. Dry County stands as the band's longest song released so far, with a length of 9 minutes 52 seconds...
" on the album Chick Rock (Rock Divas) - "Confused.comConfused.comConfused.com, part of the Admiral Group, is a British price comparison website specialising in insurance and financial services.-History:Confused.com launched in 2002, becoming the UK’s first car insurance comparison site. It is based in Cardiff, Wales with its offices located near the headquarters...
", Dearman sings the voice over to the Confused.com TV ads. The song is altered from the original YMCA.
External links
- Louise Dearman on TwitterTwitterTwitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...