Lucy St. Louis (born 26 October 1992) is an English actress and singer. From 2021 to 2023, she played Christine Daaé in the West End production of The Phantom of the Opera, making her the first black performer to do so. She was then cast as Glinda in Wicked, also in the West End.[2][3]
Lucy St. Louis | |
|---|---|
| Born | 26 October 1992 Westminster, London, England |
| Other names |
|
| Years active | 2009–present |
| Spouse |
Ben Clare (m. 2018) |
St. Louis has also played Diana Ross in Motown: The Musical, Antonia in Man of La Mancha, Guenevere in Camelot in Concert, and Little Eva in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical.
Early life
editSt. Louis was born in London. She began her vocal training from the age of seven. She said to have been inspired to pursue musical theatre by her Grandma, with whom she would watch old-style MGM musicals, "learn all the words and sing and dance around the house".[4]
She left school at sixteen to pursue the performing arts.[5] She trained at Laine Theatre Arts, graduating in 2012 and was cast in Ragtime halfway through her final year.[6][7]
Stage career
editSt. Louis had her career breakthrough during her last year of Musical Theatre school in 2012, being cast in the ensemble of Ragtime.[8]
After this she was cast as first cover Nabalungi in The Book of Mormon at the Prince of Wales Theatre.
In 2021 she became the first black actress to ever portray the lead role of Christine Daaé, in Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera.[9] For this portrayal she was nominated as Best Female Actor in a Musical at the Black British Theatre Awards.
St. Louis was announced as the new Glinda in Wicked in London starting from March 2023. She played the role alongside Alexia Khadime as Elphaba, making this the first instance where both leading roles were played by two actors of color.[10]
In 2023, St. Louis joined a star-studded cast for My Favourite Things, the 80th Anniversary Concert of Rodgers and Hammerstein at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. Other performers included: Aaron Tveit, Audra McDonald, Joanna Ampil, Maria Friedman, Michael Ball, Daniel Dae Kim, Julian Ovenden, Marisha Wallace and Patrick Wilson. Rita Moreno also made an appearance during the concert. The show was filmed and a two-discs version of all songs made available the following year.[11]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Peter Pan | Tiger Lily | Hawth Theatre, Crawley |
| 2011 | Alan Jay Lerner Memorial | Soloist | St Paul's, Covent Garden |
| Ultimate Broadway | Vocalist | Shanghai Culture Square, Shanghai | |
| 2012 | Ragtime | Ensemble | Regent's Park Open Air Theatre, London[12] |
| Peter Pan | Tiger Lily | Venue Cymru, Llandudno | |
| 2013 | The Book of Mormon | Nabulungi (understudy) | Prince of Wales Theatre, London |
| 2015 | Beautiful: The Carole King Musical | Shirelle / Little Eva | Aldwych Theatre, London |
| 2016 | Motown: The Musical | Diana Ross | Shaftesbury Theatre, London[13][14] |
| 2019 | Man of La Mancha | Antonia | English National Opera, London Coliseum |
| 2021–23 | The Phantom of the Opera | Christine Daaé | Her Majesty's Theatre, London[15] |
| 2022 | Camelot | Guenevere | London Palladium[16] |
| 2023 | My Favourite Things, The Rodgers & Hammerstein
80 Anniversary Concert |
Self | Theatre Royal, Drury Lane |
| 2023–present | Wicked | Glinda | Apollo Victoria Theatre, London[17] |
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Beauty and the Beast | Debutante | |
| 2021 | Now or Never | Self | TV special |
| 2022 | The Silent Twins | Performer | |
| 2024 | Great Performances | Self | TV series |
| My Favourite Things: the Rodgers
and Hammerstein 80 Anniversary |
Self | Concert |
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Black British Theatre Awards | Best Female Actor in a Musical | The Phantom of the Opera | Won | [18] |
| 2024 | WhatsOnStage Awards | Best Takeover Performance | Wicked | Pending | [19] |
References
edit- ^ "Ben & Lucy's Wedding on Lake Como, Italy". Brides Abroad. 2018. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
- ^ Gans, Andrew (8 October 2021). "Checking In With… London The Phantom of the Opera Star Lucy St. Louis". Playbill. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
- ^ Sullivan, Lindsey (26 July 2021). "The Phantom of the Opera's Lucy St. Louis on Making History as Christine Daaé: 'This Is More Than a Dream Role'". Broadway. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
- ^ "In conversation with Alexia Khadime & Lucy St. Louis | Black History Month". Official London Theatre. Retrieved 2024-10-14.
- ^ "Interview with star actress Lucy St Louis - How she trained to perform Christine Daaé in The Phantom Of The Opera- Jessica Beackon The Boswells School". Gazette Standard. 26 January 2021. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
- ^ "Lucy St Louis, The World's 1st black Christine Daae in The Phantom of the Opera". Black History Month. 16 September 2021. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
- ^ "Lucy St. Louis". London Theatre. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
- ^ "Interview with star actress Lucy St Louis- How she trained to perform Christine Daaé in The Phantom Of The Opera- Jessica Beackon The Boswells School". Gazette. 2022-01-26. Retrieved 2024-10-14.
- ^ Wiegand, Chris (2021-07-18). "Black women rarely seen in roles of 'beauty, power and grace', says new Phantom stage star". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-10-14.
- ^ Gans, Andrew (November 8, 2022). "Lucy St. Louis Will Be Glinda in London's Wicked; Alexia Khadime to Return as Elphaba". Playbill.com.
- ^ "Concord Theatricals Recordings Releases Live Concert Recording of My Favorite Things: The Rodgers & Hammerstein 80th Anniversary Concert on Double CD and Digital Platforms Worldwide - Concord". concord.com. 2024-05-31. Retrieved 2024-10-14.
- ^ "Lucy St Louis - Our Heritage". Open Air Theatre. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
- ^ Cole, Emily (5 October 2015). "Lucy St. Louis and Cedric Neal to star in Motown The Musical". WhatsOnStage. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
- ^ "Interview – Lucy St Louis on the joy of playing Diana Ross in Motown the Musical". Musical Theatre Review. 4 September 2017. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
- ^ Mayo, Douglas (4 May 2021). "Lucy St Louis and Rhys Whitfield join Phantom cast for re-opening in July". British Theatre. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
- ^ Wild, Stephi (26 July 2021). "Ramin Karimloo, Lucy St. Louis, and Bradley Jaden Will Lead CAMELOT IN CONCERT at the London Palladium". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
- ^ Wood, Alex (8 November 2022). "Alexia Khadime and Lucy St. Louis to lead West End Wicked". WhatsOnStage. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
- ^ Wild, Stephi (22 November 2021). "AND BREATHE..., Ivano Turco, Lucy St Louis, and More Take Home Black British Theatre Awards". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
- ^ Millward, Tom (7 December 2023). "Nominations in full: the 24th Annual WhatsOnStage Awards". WhatsOnStage. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
External links
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