Niamh Perry
Encyclopedia
Niamh Perry is an 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 and is currently portraying Fleck in the Andrew Lloyd Webber
musical Love Never Dies.
, Perry attended Our Lady and St. Patrick's College, Knock
but left during her A-Levels in early 2008 and moved to London to compete in I'd Do Anything.
In 2007 she achieved a Distinction in her Grade eight classical singing examination, for which she won the South Eastern Education and Library Board (SEELB) Outstanding Achievement Award for Contribution to the Arts She was a member of Music Theatre for Youth (MT4UTH) from when the company was founded in 2005 and she was also a member of the MT4UTH Showcase group, Footlighters. She performed with MT4UTH in productions of Sweet Charity
, in which she played the lead role of Charity, Oliver!
, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
, Guys and Dolls and West Side Story
. She also sang a solo at the re-opening of the Grand Opera House
in Belfast
. She participated in two Cinemagic
productions under the direction of Suranne Jones
, including Wicked
and she gained lead roles in both productions.
In February 2008, Perry took part in an NSPCC
campaign encouraging adults to call the NSPCC Child Protection Helpline if they had concerns about a child's welfare. She also recorded a CD for charity with two school friends, under the group name Paradis. The CD was played on several local radio stations and they were twice invited to sing live on U105
.
revival of the musical Oliver!
.
Perry was eliminated from the show in week eight. She sang "Don't Speak
", but was negatively received by the panel with Van Outen saying "That was more like a teenager having a tantrum than a leading lady." Barrowman expressed concern that her voice "wouldn't register at the back of the stalls;" Humphries said her performance was 'gritty', and that Perry small physical size would be a problem on stage. Lloyd Webber said her voice was not sufficiently mature
Perry played the lead role of Belle in the musical Only the Brave, which had its world premiere at the Edinburgh Fringe
Festival on 31 July 2008 at the George Square theatre and ran until 25 August. On 13 September 2008 she performed alongside fellow I'd Do Anything finalist Rachel Tucker
at the Proms in the Park, held at Belfast City Hall
as part of the nationwide celebration of the BBC
Last Night of the Proms.
Perry took part in Andrew Lloyd Webber's premier of act one of Love Never Dies
at the 2008 Sydmonton Festival
and also participated in the original sing-through of act two. She was a featured vocalist with the BBC Concert Orchestra
on the BBC Radio 2
programme Friday Night is Music Night
in October 2008, performing "When I Close My Eyes" from Only The Brave and "Maybe I Like it This Way" from the musical The Wild Party
.
On 16 November 2008, Perry sang at St Paul's Cathedral
in the City of London
at a fundraising and awareness raising event for Save the Children
. She was the joint lead vocalist with opera singer Mark Stone as they sang the premiere performance
of "The Cry, a requiem for a lost child". Other performers who joined them in the performance include violinist Jeanine Thorpe, pianist Adrian Snell
(who composed the song), London Oriana Choir, London Oratory School Schola
and keyboard player Dave Bainbridge
.
She appeared in pantomime
at the Devonshire Park Theatre
in Eastbourne
, East Sussex
from 12 December 2008 to 11 January 2009 in Show White and the Seven Dwarfs playing the lead role of Snow White
alongside Stefan Booth
.
In May 2009, Andrew Lloyd Webber revealed on an episode of 'Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
' that Perry would be singing one of the roles on the Original Cast Recording for Love Never Dies
, the sequel to Phantom of the Opera
, describing her as "wonderful". This has fuelled rumours that she will be cast in the show when it opens in the West End in 2010.
On Monday 15 June 2009, Niamh began playing the lead role of Sophie Sheridan in Mamma Mia!
The Musical at the Prince Of Wales Theatre, London, with Sally Ann Triplett as Donna.
In December 2009, it was revealed that Perry will create the role of Fleck in the original West End cast of Love Never Dies, which opens in March 2010.
Niamh is touring the UK in 2010/11 with Lee Mead
on his concert tour.
In the 2011 Eurovision song contest, held in Germany that year, each country had a jury, whose votes would be added to the general public's. The jury was made up of professionals in the music industry; Niamh was one of the jury panel.
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
talent show
Talent show
A talent show is an event where participants perform their talent or talents of acting, singing, dancing, acrobatics, drumming, martial arts, playing an instrument, and other activities to showcase a unique form of talent, sometimes for a reward, trophy or prize...
-themed television series I'd Do Anything
I'd Do Anything (BBC TV series)
I'd Do Anything is a 2008 talent show-themed television series produced by the BBC in the United Kingdom and broadcast on BBC One. It premièred on 15 March 2008...
in 2008 and is currently portraying Fleck in the Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber is an English composer of musical theatre.Lloyd Webber has achieved great popular success in musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 13 musicals, a song cycle, a set of...
musical Love Never Dies.
Background
Born in Bangor, County DownBangor, County Down
Bangor is a large town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is a seaside resort on the southern side of Belfast Lough and within the Belfast Metropolitan Area. Bangor Marina is one of the largest in Ireland, and holds Blue Flag status...
, Perry attended Our Lady and St. Patrick's College, Knock
Our Lady and St. Patrick's College, Knock
Our Lady and Saint Patrick's College is a Roman Catholic diocesan grammar school in Knock, Belfast, Northern Ireland.-Foundation:The school opened on Monday, 4 September 1967 on a site at Gortgrib in the Cherryvalley area of east Belfast with Fr. Joseph Conway as President. A sister college of St...
but left during her A-Levels in early 2008 and moved to London to compete in I'd Do Anything.
In 2007 she achieved a Distinction in her Grade eight classical singing examination, for which she won the South Eastern Education and Library Board (SEELB) Outstanding Achievement Award for Contribution to the Arts She was a member of Music Theatre for Youth (MT4UTH) from when the company was founded in 2005 and she was also a member of the MT4UTH Showcase group, Footlighters. She performed with MT4UTH in productions of Sweet Charity
Sweet Charity
Sweet Charity is a musical with music by Cy Coleman, lyrics by Dorothy Fields and book by Neil Simon. It was directed and choreographed for Broadway by Bob Fosse starring his wife and muse Gwen Verdon. It is based on Federico Fellini's screenplay for Nights of Cabiria...
, in which she played the lead role of Charity, Oliver!
Oliver!
Oliver! is a British musical, with script, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. The musical is based upon the novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens....
, 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...
, Guys and Dolls and West Side Story
West Side Story
West Side Story is an American musical with a script by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and choreographed by Jerome Robbins...
. She also sang a solo at the re-opening of the Grand Opera House
Grand Opera House (Belfast)
The Grand Opera House is a theatre in Belfast, Northern Ireland, designed by the most prolific theatre architect of the period, Frank Matcham. It opened on 23 December 1895....
in Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
. She participated in two Cinemagic
CineMagic (film festival)
Cinemagic is an international children's film festival in Belfast, UK, and in Dublin, Ireland, founded in 1988 that bills itself as the World Screen Festival for young people. The organisation is a company Limited By Guarantee and a registered charity....
productions under the direction of Suranne Jones
Suranne Jones
Suranne Jones is an English actress. She first rose to prominence playing the role of Karen McDonald in ITV1's soap opera Coronation Street over a period of four years...
, including 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...
and she gained lead roles in both productions.
In February 2008, Perry took part in an NSPCC
NSPCC
The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children is a United Kingdom charity campaigning and working in child protection.-History:...
campaign encouraging adults to call the NSPCC Child Protection Helpline if they had concerns about a child's welfare. She also recorded a CD for charity with two school friends, under the group name Paradis. The CD was played on several local radio stations and they were twice invited to sing live on U105
U105
U105 is a Belfast based radio station, providing a mix of music and speech as well as hourly news bulletins. It is owned by UTV Radio and was launched at 6am on Monday 14 November 2005....
.
Singing career
In March 2008, Perry was announced as one of the final 12 contestants in the BBC1 programme I'd Do Anything, which premiered on 15 March 2008 and aimed to find a performer to play Nancy in a West EndWest 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...
revival of the musical Oliver!
Oliver!
Oliver! is a British musical, with script, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. The musical is based upon the novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens....
.
Perry was eliminated from the show in week eight. She sang "Don't Speak
Don't Speak
"Don't Speak" is a song by the American rock band No Doubt. It was released in 1996 as the third single from the band's third studio album, Tragic Kingdom...
", but was negatively received by the panel with Van Outen saying "That was more like a teenager having a tantrum than a leading lady." Barrowman expressed concern that her voice "wouldn't register at the back of the stalls;" Humphries said her performance was 'gritty', and that Perry small physical size would be a problem on stage. Lloyd Webber said her voice was not sufficiently mature
Perry played the lead role of Belle in the musical Only the Brave, which had its world premiere at the Edinburgh Fringe
Edinburgh Fringe
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the world’s largest arts festival. Established in 1947 as an alternative to the Edinburgh International Festival, it takes place annually in Scotland's capital, in the month of August...
Festival on 31 July 2008 at the George Square theatre and ran until 25 August. On 13 September 2008 she performed alongside fellow I'd Do Anything finalist 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...
at the Proms in the Park, held at Belfast City Hall
Belfast City Hall
Belfast City Hall is the civic building of the Belfast City Council. Located in Donegall Square, Belfast, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, it faces north and effectively divides the commercial and business areas of the city centre.-History:...
as part of the nationwide celebration of the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Last Night of the Proms.
Perry took part in Andrew Lloyd Webber's premier of act one of Love Never Dies
Love Never Dies
Love Never Dies may refer to:*Love Never Dies , an American silent drama directed by King Vidor*Love Never Dies , an Argentine romantic drama directed and written by Luis César Amadori...
at the 2008 Sydmonton Festival
Sydmonton Festival
The Sydmonton Festival is a summer arts festival presented in a deconsecrated 16th century chapel on the grounds of Sydmonton Court, Andrew Lloyd Webber's Hampshire estate...
and also participated in the original sing-through of act two. She was a featured vocalist with the BBC Concert Orchestra
BBC Concert Orchestra
The BBC Concert Orchestra is a British orchestra based in London, one of the British Broadcasting Corporation's five radio orchestras. With around fifty players, it is the only one of the five which is not a full-scale symphony orchestra....
on the BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
programme Friday Night is Music Night
Friday Night is Music Night
Friday Night is Music Night is a long running live BBC radio concert programme featuring the BBC Concert Orchestra, broadcast most Fridays on BBC Radio 2 at 8.00pm. It is the world's longest-running live music radio programme....
in October 2008, performing "When I Close My Eyes" from Only The Brave and "Maybe I Like it This Way" from the musical The Wild Party
The Wild Party (Lippa musical)
The Wild Party is a musical with book, lyrics, and music by Andrew Lippa. It is based on Joseph Moncure March's 1928 narrative poem of the same name...
.
On 16 November 2008, Perry sang at St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral, London, is a Church of England cathedral and seat of the Bishop of London. Its dedication to Paul the Apostle dates back to the original church on this site, founded in AD 604. St Paul's sits at the top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London, and is the mother...
in the City of London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
at a fundraising and awareness raising event for Save the Children
Save the Children
Save the Children is an internationally active non-governmental organization that enforces children's rights, provides relief and helps support children in developing countries...
. She was the joint lead vocalist with opera singer Mark Stone as they sang the premiere performance
Premiere
A premiere is generally "a first performance". This can refer to plays, films, television programs, operas, symphonies, ballets and so on. Premieres for theatrical, musical and other cultural presentations can become extravagant affairs, attracting large numbers of socialites and much media...
of "The Cry, a requiem for a lost child". Other performers who joined them in the performance include violinist Jeanine Thorpe, pianist Adrian Snell
Adrian Snell
Adrian Snell is an English pianist, keyboard player, singer and composer.-Biography:Classically trained at the Leeds College of Music and with a music diploma to his name , Adrian's musical career spans twenty-five years. During this time he has produced six major concept works and thirteen solo...
(who composed the song), London Oriana Choir, London Oratory School Schola
London Oratory School Schola
The London Oratory School Schola was established in 1996 and is a choir for Catholic boys. The current director of the Schola is Lee Ward. The choir's patrons are Princess Michael of Kent, the barrister Cherie Booth, the actor Simon Callow and the composer James MacMillan .-Directors of the...
and keyboard player Dave Bainbridge
Dave Bainbridge
Dave Bainbridge is a keyboard player and guitarist who with Dave Fitzgerald co-founded the Christian progressive and Celtic folk themed band Iona.-Biography:...
.
She appeared in pantomime
Pantomime
Pantomime — not to be confused with a mime artist, a theatrical performer of mime—is a musical-comedy theatrical production traditionally found in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, South Africa, India, Ireland, Gibraltar and Malta, and is mostly performed during the...
at the Devonshire Park Theatre
Devonshire Park Theatre
The Devonshire Park Theatre is a Grade II listed Victorian theatre with a seating capacity of 936, located in the town of Eastbourne, in the coastal region of East Sussex. The theatre was designed by Henry Currey and was built in 1884...
in Eastbourne
Eastbourne
Eastbourne is a large town and borough in East Sussex, on the south coast of England between Brighton and Hastings. The town is situated at the eastern end of the chalk South Downs alongside the high cliff at Beachy Head...
, East Sussex
East Sussex
East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...
from 12 December 2008 to 11 January 2009 in Show White and the Seven Dwarfs playing the lead role of Snow White
Snow White
"Snow White" is a fairy tale known from many countries in Europe, the best known version being the German one collected by the Brothers Grimm...
alongside Stefan Booth
Stefan Booth
Stefan Booth is an English actor and singer currently starring in the BBC soap opera EastEnders as Greg Jessop. He left the series in August 2011 and will return to the show.-Background:...
.
In May 2009, Andrew Lloyd Webber revealed on an episode of 'Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
Friday Night with Jonathan Ross was a British comedy chat show presented by Jonathan Ross. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 2 November 2001. The programme featured Ross's take on current topics of conversation, guest interviews and live music from both a guest music group and the house band...
' that Perry would be singing one of the roles on the Original Cast Recording for Love Never Dies
Love Never Dies
Love Never Dies may refer to:*Love Never Dies , an American silent drama directed by King Vidor*Love Never Dies , an Argentine romantic drama directed and written by Luis César Amadori...
, the sequel to Phantom of the Opera
The Phantom of the Opera (1986 musical)
The Phantom of the Opera is a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the French novel Le Fantôme de l'Opéra by Gaston Leroux.The music was composed by Lloyd Webber, and most lyrics were written by Charles Hart, with additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe. Alan Jay Lerner was an early collaborator,...
, describing her as "wonderful". This has fuelled rumours that she will be cast in the show when it opens in the West End in 2010.
On Monday 15 June 2009, Niamh began playing the lead role of Sophie Sheridan in Mamma Mia!
Mamma Mia!
Mamma Mia! is a stage musical written by British playwright Catherine Johnson, based on the songs of ABBA, composed by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, former members of the band. Although the title of the musical is taken from the group's 1975 chart-topper "Mamma Mia", the plot is fictional, not...
The Musical at the Prince Of Wales Theatre, London, with Sally Ann Triplett as Donna.
In December 2009, it was revealed that Perry will create the role of Fleck in the original West End cast of Love Never Dies, which opens in March 2010.
Niamh is touring the UK in 2010/11 with Lee Mead
Lee Mead
Lee Stephen Mead is an English musical theatre actor, best known for winning the title role in the 2007 West End revival of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat through the BBC reality TV casting show Any Dream Will Do...
on his concert tour.
In the 2011 Eurovision song contest, held in Germany that year, each country had a jury, whose votes would be added to the general public's. The jury was made up of professionals in the music industry; Niamh was one of the jury panel.