Vivien Carter
Encyclopedia
Vivien Carter is an Australian actress, singer and dancer. She is probably best known for playing Velma Kelly
in Chicago
at the Cambridge Theatre
, London
to critical acclaim. Most recently, Vivien starred in the Watermill Theatre
production of Radio Times, playing Amy Chapman.
, Australia
, initially training in dance with Peta Norton. In 1994, as a young ballet dancer, she played one of three aliens in Brian Trenchard-Smith
's film, Official Denial. She then went on to become involved with acting, singing and the saxophone. Upon leaving High School, Vivien travelled across the country to nurture her talents at the highly esteemed Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts
(WAAPA) in Perth. During her time there, she was involved in productions of Nick Enright
’s Spurboard, The Crucible
, Perfectly Frank
, and Fiddler on the Roof
. She also worked as a dancer, singer and actor for various events, such as the Royal Children’s Hospital Charity as well as hosting children’s shows. Vivien graduated from WAAPA in 2003 with a BA in Music Theatre.
and Ben Elton
's hit rock musical, We Will Rock You
, touring Australia and Japan between 2004 and 2005. During her time in the cast, Vivien also understudied Teacher and Scaramouche.
(Donmar Warehouse
, Picadilly: London) along with over 300 other hopefuls, and was offered a Swing role. Vivien was also given Second Cover Sarah Brown; a role which she was lucky enough to play during her time there. Upon leaving Guys and Dolls, Vivien took an ensemble role in Evita for one month (Adelphi Theatre
: London) in 2007, under Elena Roger
in the title role. After a brief time in Evita, Vivien starred in the first ever production of the musical Eurobeat: Almost Eurovision at the 2007 Edinburgh Fringe Festival (Pleasance Grand: Edinburgh). Following this, Vivien landed a place in Oklahoma!
playing Ellen (Kilworth House: Leicestershire) in 2008, and also made an appearance in the BBC short film Like Other People Do (2008).
on London's West End
. She played the role of June ("Squish") for ten months, before switching to the role of Liz ("Pop") for another nine months. At the same time, Vivien was also understudying secondary role Matron Mama Morton, and the principal role of Velma Kelly
.
, Anna-Jane Casey
and Leigh Zimmerman
were 'hugely inspiring' to her.
On 10 April 2011, she took part in Pub Plays at the Camden Arms. The short pieces - Trade and The New Black - were produced by Australian company 'IronBark' who specialise in bringing Australian playwrights and performers to a British audience, and were written by Robert Reid.
Vivien also made an appearance at the second weekend of the High Tide Festival in Suffolk (8 May 2011), in the play The Joy of Text also by Robert Reid.
On 26 June 2011, Vivien took part in the Fourth Tim Williams Awards concert, When You Hear My Voice, at the Cochrane Theatre
. She performed A Poison Tree
; a musical adaptation of the poem by William Blake
, with original composition by Corin Buckeridge - previous Musical Director of Chicago the Musical.
musical Radio Times at the Watermill Theatre
in Bagnor, near Newbury, from 4 August to 24 September. She took on the secondary role of Forces' Sweetheart Amy Chapman, opposite theatre greats Anna-Jane Casey
and Gary Wilmot
. The role of Amy required not only singing, dancing and acting, but also saxophone playing, and learning from scratch the ukulele and the kazoo. The choreography also enabled Vivien to showcase her tap and ballet dancing abilities. She sang throughout the majority of the score, and towards the end of the show, performed solo the wartime classic Sending My Blessings - a song previously sung by Vera Lynn
. She is known to have reduced audiences to tears as she recreated the wartime spirit that Britain became famous for. The show was seen on 1 September 2011 by Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber, who gave the cast a standing ovation at the curtain call.
In August 2010, Australian news broadcaster 9News aired an interview with Vivien, in which she discussed her reactions to her receiving her first principal West End role.
In October 2010, Broadway.com featured the first official published interview with Vivien - conducted by Matt Wolf - where she spoke about working in Chicago and her dreams for the future.
Following Vivien's departure from Chicago on 5 February, a list of highlights and reviews of both Vivien's final matinee and evening performances were posted on her official Facebook group.
Velma Kelly
Velma Kelly is one of the main characters in the successful Broadway musical Chicago. The Velma Kelly in Chicago: The Movie is a nightclub singer/vaudevillian who was accused of murder of her husband and sister. She is sent to the Cook County Jail where she hires the best soliciting lawyer, Billy...
in Chicago
Chicago (musical)
Chicago is a musical set in Prohibition-era Chicago. The music is by John Kander with lyrics by Fred Ebb and a book by Ebb and Bob Fosse. The story is a satire on corruption in the administration of criminal justice and the concept of the "celebrity criminal"...
at the Cambridge Theatre
Cambridge Theatre
The Cambridge Theatre is a West End theatre, on a corner site in Earlham Street facing Seven Dials, in the London Borough of Camden, built in 1929-30. It was designed by Wimperis, Simpson and Guthrie; interior partly by Serge Chermayeff, with interior bronze friezes by sculptor Anthony Gibbons...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to critical acclaim. Most recently, Vivien starred in the Watermill Theatre
Watermill Theatre
The Watermill Theatre is an award -winning, professional repertory theatre with charitable status. It is a converted watermill with gardens beside the River Lambourn, in Bagnor, near Newbury, Berkshire, England...
production of Radio Times, playing Amy Chapman.
Early life
Vivien Carter grew up in QueenslandQueensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, initially training in dance with Peta Norton. In 1994, as a young ballet dancer, she played one of three aliens in Brian Trenchard-Smith
Brian Trenchard-Smith
Brian Trenchard-Smith is an English film and television director, producer, writer, consultant and actor who is notable for his contributions to the horror and action genre during the 1970s and 1980s in Australia. Most of his work has been in television, and the majority of his films have been...
's film, Official Denial. She then went on to become involved with acting, singing and the saxophone. Upon leaving High School, Vivien travelled across the country to nurture her talents at the highly esteemed Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts
Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts
The Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts , Edith Cowan University was established in 1980 to provide performing arts tuition comparable to the highest calibre of national and international training benchmarks to be able to meet industry needs around the globe.The school is located in the...
(WAAPA) in Perth. During her time there, she was involved in productions of Nick Enright
Nick Enright
-Life:He was drama captain of St Ignatius' College, Riverview in 1964, where, like Gerard Windsor and Justin Fleming, he was taught by Melvyn Morrow. At that school, he won the 1sts Debating Premiership in both 1966 and 1967....
’s Spurboard, The Crucible
The Crucible
The Crucible is a 1952 play by the American playwright Arthur Miller. It is a dramatization of the Salem witch trials that took place in the Province of Massachusetts Bay during 1692 and 1693. Miller wrote the play as an allegory of McCarthyism, when the US government blacklisted accused communists...
, Perfectly Frank
Perfectly Frank
Perfectly Frank is an album by Tony Bennett, released in 1992, recorded as a tribute to Frank Sinatra.Part of Bennett's late-in-life comeback to commercial success, it achieved gold record status in the United States and in 1993 won the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance.In...
, and Fiddler on the Roof
Fiddler on the Roof
Fiddler on the Roof is a musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein, set in Tsarist Russia in 1905. It is based on Tevye and his Daughters by Sholem Aleichem...
. She also worked as a dancer, singer and actor for various events, such as the Royal Children’s Hospital Charity as well as hosting children’s shows. Vivien graduated from WAAPA in 2003 with a BA in Music Theatre.
Post-Graduation, 2004-5
After graduating in 2003, Vivien landed her first role as an ensemble member in Brian MayBrian May
Brian Harold May, CBE is an English musician and astrophysicist most widely known as the guitarist and a songwriter of the rock band Queen...
and Ben Elton
Ben Elton
Benjamin Charles "Ben" Elton is an English comedian, author, playwright and director. He was a leading figure in the British alternative comedy movement of the 1980s, as a writer on such cult series as The Young Ones and Blackadder, as well as also a successful stand-up comedian on stage and TV....
's hit rock musical, We Will Rock You
We Will Rock You
"We Will Rock You" is a song written by Brian May and recorded and performed by Queen for their 1977 album News of the World. Rolling Stone ranked it #330 of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2004, and the RIAA placed it at #146 on its list of Songs of the Century...
, touring Australia and Japan between 2004 and 2005. During her time in the cast, Vivien also understudied Teacher and Scaramouche.
London 2006-7, Regional and Other Work 2007-8
Following We Will Rock You, Vivien travelled Europe before settling in London. There, she attended an open audition for Guys and DollsGuys 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...
(Donmar Warehouse
Donmar Warehouse
Donmar Warehouse is a small not-for-profit theatre in the Covent Garden area of London, with a capacity of 251.-About:Under the artistic leadership of Michael Grandage, the theatre has presented some of London’s most memorable award-winning theatrical experiences, as well as garnered critical...
, Picadilly: London) along with over 300 other hopefuls, and was offered a Swing role. Vivien was also given Second Cover Sarah Brown; a role which she was lucky enough to play during her time there. Upon leaving Guys and Dolls, Vivien took an ensemble role in Evita for one month (Adelphi Theatre
Adelphi Theatre
The Adelphi Theatre is a 1500-seat West End theatre, located on the Strand in the City of Westminster. The present building is the fourth on the site. The theatre has specialised in comedy and musical theatre, and today it is a receiving house for a variety of productions, including many musicals...
: London) in 2007, under Elena Roger
Elena Roger
Elena Silvia Roger is an Argentine actress who won the 2009 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her portrayal of Édith Piaf in Piaf. She has also appeared in the West End in Evita, Boeing-Boeing, and Passion...
in the title role. After a brief time in Evita, Vivien starred in the first ever production of the musical Eurobeat: Almost Eurovision at the 2007 Edinburgh Fringe Festival (Pleasance Grand: Edinburgh). Following this, Vivien landed a place in Oklahoma!
Oklahoma!
Oklahoma! is the first musical written by composer Richard Rodgers and librettist Oscar Hammerstein II. The musical is based on Lynn Riggs' 1931 play, Green Grow the Lilacs. Set in Oklahoma Territory outside the town of Claremore in 1906, it tells the story of cowboy Curly McLain and his romance...
playing Ellen (Kilworth House: Leicestershire) in 2008, and also made an appearance in the BBC short film Like Other People Do (2008).
Chicago 2008-10, Ensemble & Understudy
In the summer of 2008, Vivien was offered a place in the ensemble of the long-running production of ChicagoChicago (musical)
Chicago is a musical set in Prohibition-era Chicago. The music is by John Kander with lyrics by Fred Ebb and a book by Ebb and Bob Fosse. The story is a satire on corruption in the administration of criminal justice and the concept of the "celebrity criminal"...
on 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...
. She played the role of June ("Squish") for ten months, before switching to the role of Liz ("Pop") for another nine months. At the same time, Vivien was also understudying secondary role Matron Mama Morton, and the principal role of Velma Kelly
Velma Kelly
Velma Kelly is one of the main characters in the successful Broadway musical Chicago. The Velma Kelly in Chicago: The Movie is a nightclub singer/vaudevillian who was accused of murder of her husband and sister. She is sent to the Cook County Jail where she hires the best soliciting lawyer, Billy...
.
Chicago 2010-11, Velma Kelly
From 26 April 2010 until 5 February 2011, Vivien played Velma Kelly in Chicago, to critical acclaim. At the beginning of 2010, when her ensemble contract was about to end, Vivien was offered the role of Velma for just six weeks, beginning her contract on 26 April. When her contract finally ended on 5 February 2011, Vivien had played the role for nine months, with her contract having been extended five times.Influences
Vivien claims that actresses whom she has worked with in Chicago such as Amra Faye-Wright, Pia DouwesPia Douwes
Pia Douwes is a Dutch musical theatre actress who is extremly successful in Europe.- Biography :Douwes was born in Amsterdam, North Holland as Petronella Irene Allegonda Douwes, to an arts dealer and a social worker and the grandniece of Doris Day...
, Anna-Jane Casey
Anna-Jane Casey
Anna-Jane Casey is an English singer, dancer and actress best known for her work in musical theatre.-Personal life:Casey was born in Salford, Lancashire, England...
and Leigh Zimmerman
Leigh Zimmerman
Leigh Zimmerman is an American actress, singer and dancer. She has appeared on Broadway in The Will Rogers Follies, Crazy for You and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum with Nathan Lane and in London's West End in The Seven Year Itch and Chicago.In 1992, she had a minor role in Home...
were 'hugely inspiring' to her.
Critical Reception: Chicago
Vivien's portrayal of Velma was met with positive responses from both critics and audience members alike."Vivien Carter ... [offers] a crisply enunciated, sardonic, commandingly slithery take on the part...: a take-no-prisoners belter of a woman. ... A welcome Australian presence on the West End, Carter has a knack for seeming to sneer while she sings, all the while winning us over with her feral, feline command. On this evidence, she deserves to open a show so that the critical community can take proper note of her talents." - Matt Wolf at theartsdesk.com
"Vivien Carter, playing Velma Kelly, is one of the best actresses I’ve seen on stage in recent years. Her command of the stage, and the rest of the cast was nothing short of fabulous. Whenever she was on stage, you noticed her. Even if she wasn’t doing anything. When she danced, you watched. When she sang, you were rooting for her. She was the star of the show for me." - Sian Meades at lastminute.com
Low Key Performances Since Chicago
After her departure from Chicago in February 2011, Vivien was been involved in a number of performances:On 10 April 2011, she took part in Pub Plays at the Camden Arms. The short pieces - Trade and The New Black - were produced by Australian company 'IronBark' who specialise in bringing Australian playwrights and performers to a British audience, and were written by Robert Reid.
Vivien also made an appearance at the second weekend of the High Tide Festival in Suffolk (8 May 2011), in the play The Joy of Text also by Robert Reid.
On 26 June 2011, Vivien took part in the Fourth Tim Williams Awards concert, When You Hear My Voice, at the Cochrane Theatre
Cochrane Theatre
The Cochrane Theatre is a receiving and producing theatre that aims to present all aspects of the performing arts within a proscenium arch. The theatre is situated in Holborn, London.-History:...
. She performed A Poison Tree
A Poison Tree
A Poison Tree is a poem written in 1794 by the poet William Blake as a part of his collection of poems, Songs of Experience. Although it is one of Blake's less known poems, it is full of meaning and is sometimes considered to be one of his finest poems....
; a musical adaptation of the poem by William Blake
William Blake
William Blake was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his lifetime, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of both the poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age...
, with original composition by Corin Buckeridge - previous Musical Director of Chicago the Musical.
Radio Times
In July 2011, it was announced that Vivien would be starring in the Noel GayNoel Gay
Noel Gay was born Reginald Moxon Armitage. He also used the name Stanley Hill professionally. He was a successful British composer of popular music of the 1930s and 1940s whose output comprised 45 songs as well as the music for 28 films and 26 London shows...
musical Radio Times at the Watermill Theatre
Watermill Theatre
The Watermill Theatre is an award -winning, professional repertory theatre with charitable status. It is a converted watermill with gardens beside the River Lambourn, in Bagnor, near Newbury, Berkshire, England...
in Bagnor, near Newbury, from 4 August to 24 September. She took on the secondary role of Forces' Sweetheart Amy Chapman, opposite theatre greats Anna-Jane Casey
Anna-Jane Casey
Anna-Jane Casey is an English singer, dancer and actress best known for her work in musical theatre.-Personal life:Casey was born in Salford, Lancashire, England...
and Gary Wilmot
Gary Wilmot
Gary Wilmot is an English actor, writer, comedian, impressionist and singer. He rose to fame in the 80s through a number of television appearances, and subsequently moved into theatre.- Career :...
. The role of Amy required not only singing, dancing and acting, but also saxophone playing, and learning from scratch the ukulele and the kazoo. The choreography also enabled Vivien to showcase her tap and ballet dancing abilities. She sang throughout the majority of the score, and towards the end of the show, performed solo the wartime classic Sending My Blessings - a song previously sung by Vera Lynn
Vera Lynn
Dame Vera Lynn, DBE is an English singer-songwriter and actress whose musical recordings and performances were enormously popular during World War II. During the war she toured Egypt, India and Burma, giving outdoor concerts for the troops...
. She is known to have reduced audiences to tears as she recreated the wartime spirit that Britain became famous for. The show was seen on 1 September 2011 by Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber, who gave the cast a standing ovation at the curtain call.
Critical Reception: Radio Times
Radio Times was well received by audiences and critics alike, being awarded 5 stars in a write-up by The Public Reviews. In addition to this, Vivien also received exceptionally positive comments from critics."Vivien Carter, as Amy, smolders, seduces, sings, dances, plays and ends up with real heart." - Jim Nicholson at The Public Reviews
"Vivien Carter [is] a forces sweetheart to rival Vera Lynn." - Judi Herman at WhatsOnStage
"[Vivien Carter as] the loveable Amy, the forces sweetheart who oozed sexuality." - Robin Strapp at The British Theatre Guide
In The Media
In 2009 and 2010, Vivien Carter took part in London's annual celebration of musical theatre, West End Live, as part of the cast of Chicago. The 2010 performances of All That Jazz, My Own Best Friend and the Hot Honey Rag, with Vivien in the lead role of Velma Kelly, were filmed by broadcasting channel todoMUSICALEStv, and can be found on YouTube.In August 2010, Australian news broadcaster 9News aired an interview with Vivien, in which she discussed her reactions to her receiving her first principal West End role.
In October 2010, Broadway.com featured the first official published interview with Vivien - conducted by Matt Wolf - where she spoke about working in Chicago and her dreams for the future.
Following Vivien's departure from Chicago on 5 February, a list of highlights and reviews of both Vivien's final matinee and evening performances were posted on her official Facebook group.
Professional Theatre Credits
| Start date | End date | Production | Role(s) | Venue(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unknown start, 2004 | 24 August 2005 | We Will Rock You We Will Rock You "We Will Rock You" is a song written by Brian May and recorded and performed by Queen for their 1977 album News of the World. Rolling Stone ranked it #330 of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2004, and the RIAA placed it at #146 on its list of Songs of the Century... |
Ensemble Cover Scaramouche and Teacher |
Australia Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... (Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane, Sydney) Japan Japan Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south... (Tokyo) |
| 6 March 2006 | 3 February 2007 | Guys & Dolls | Swing Sarah Brown (Second Cover) |
Donmar Warehouse Donmar Warehouse Donmar Warehouse is a small not-for-profit theatre in the Covent Garden area of London, with a capacity of 251.-About:Under the artistic leadership of Michael Grandage, the theatre has presented some of London’s most memorable award-winning theatrical experiences, as well as garnered critical... : London |
| 16 April 2007 | 26 May 2007 | Evita | Ensemble | Adelphi Theatre Adelphi Theatre The Adelphi Theatre is a 1500-seat West End theatre, located on the Strand in the City of Westminster. The present building is the fourth on the site. The theatre has specialised in comedy and musical theatre, and today it is a receiving house for a variety of productions, including many musicals... : London |
| 1 August 2007 | 27 August 2007 | Eurobeat: Almost Eurovision |
Greece Sweden Hungary |
Pleasance Grand: Edinburgh |
| Unknown start, 2008 | Unknown end, 2008 | Oklahoma! Oklahoma! Oklahoma! is the first musical written by composer Richard Rodgers and librettist Oscar Hammerstein II. The musical is based on Lynn Riggs' 1931 play, Green Grow the Lilacs. Set in Oklahoma Territory outside the town of Claremore in 1906, it tells the story of cowboy Curly McLain and his romance... |
Ellen | Kilworth House Kilworth House Kilworth House is a four star country house hotel, located west of North Kilworth, Leicestershire.- History :This grade II listed Italianate country house was built as a family home towards the end of the nineteenth century for John Entwisle, the High Sheriff of Leicestershire.John Entwistle was... : Leicestershire |
| 4 August 2008 | 11 July 2009 | Chicago Chicago (musical) Chicago is a musical set in Prohibition-era Chicago. The music is by John Kander with lyrics by Fred Ebb and a book by Ebb and Bob Fosse. The story is a satire on corruption in the administration of criminal justice and the concept of the "celebrity criminal"... |
June (“Squish”) | Cambridge Theatre Cambridge Theatre The Cambridge Theatre is a West End theatre, on a corner site in Earlham Street facing Seven Dials, in the London Borough of Camden, built in 1929-30. It was designed by Wimperis, Simpson and Guthrie; interior partly by Serge Chermayeff, with interior bronze friezes by sculptor Anthony Gibbons... : London |
| 13 July 2009 | 24 April 2010 | Chicago Chicago (musical) Chicago is a musical set in Prohibition-era Chicago. The music is by John Kander with lyrics by Fred Ebb and a book by Ebb and Bob Fosse. The story is a satire on corruption in the administration of criminal justice and the concept of the "celebrity criminal"... |
Liz (“Pop”) | Cambridge Theatre Cambridge Theatre The Cambridge Theatre is a West End theatre, on a corner site in Earlham Street facing Seven Dials, in the London Borough of Camden, built in 1929-30. It was designed by Wimperis, Simpson and Guthrie; interior partly by Serge Chermayeff, with interior bronze friezes by sculptor Anthony Gibbons... : London |
| 26 April 2010 | 5 February 2011 | Chicago Chicago (musical) Chicago is a musical set in Prohibition-era Chicago. The music is by John Kander with lyrics by Fred Ebb and a book by Ebb and Bob Fosse. The story is a satire on corruption in the administration of criminal justice and the concept of the "celebrity criminal"... |
Velma Kelly Velma Kelly Velma Kelly is one of the main characters in the successful Broadway musical Chicago. The Velma Kelly in Chicago: The Movie is a nightclub singer/vaudevillian who was accused of murder of her husband and sister. She is sent to the Cook County Jail where she hires the best soliciting lawyer, Billy... |
Cambridge Theatre Cambridge Theatre The Cambridge Theatre is a West End theatre, on a corner site in Earlham Street facing Seven Dials, in the London Borough of Camden, built in 1929-30. It was designed by Wimperis, Simpson and Guthrie; interior partly by Serge Chermayeff, with interior bronze friezes by sculptor Anthony Gibbons... : London |
| 3 August 2011 | 24 September 2011 | Radio Times | Amy Chapman | The Watermill Theatre Watermill Theatre The Watermill Theatre is an award -winning, professional repertory theatre with charitable status. It is a converted watermill with gardens beside the River Lambourn, in Bagnor, near Newbury, Berkshire, England... : Bagnor, Newbury |