Niamh Perry is a Northern Irish singer who is best known for playing Fleck in the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Love Never Dies. She came to prominence when she competed as one of the finalists in the BBC talent show-themed television series I'd Do Anything in 2008.[1]

Niamh Perry
Born
Niamh Perry

NationalityNorthern Irish
OccupationSinger
Years active2008–present

Early life

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Born in Bangor, County Down, Perry attended Our Lady and St. Patrick's College, Knock.[2]

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[3] 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,[4] Oliver!, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Guys and Dolls and West Side Story.[citation needed] She also sang a solo at the re-opening of the Grand Opera House in Belfast.[5]

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.[6]

Singing career

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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 End revival of the musical Oliver!. Perry was eliminated from the show in week eight [7] but has since gone on to have a successful career in musical theatre.

Perry played the lead role of Belle in the musical Only the Brave, which had its world premiere at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe on 31 July 2008 at the George Square theatre and ran until 25 August.[8][9] 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.[10][11]

Perry was a featured vocalist with the BBC Concert Orchestra on the BBC Radio 2 programme Friday Night is Music Night in October 2008.[12]

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".[13]

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.[14]

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".[15]

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.[16]

On 19 March 2011 she was the wedding singer for the BBC Three live musical drama Frankenstein's Wedding.[17]

In 2012, Perry gained positive reviews for her portrayal of Kim in the Boy George musical Taboo.[18]

Perry went on to impress as Johanna Barker in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street at the West Yorkshire Playhouse and then at Royal Exchange, Manchester.[19]

In February 2014, it was announced that Perry had been selected to lead the cast of the revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber musical The Beautiful Game when it returned to London.[20] She went on to receive much critical acclaim for her portrayal of Mary.[21][22][23][24]

Thomas & Friends

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Perry was confirmed as the voice of Dash by Joel Beckford. She performed a festive Wombles classic "Wombling Merry Christmas" together with Joel Beckford, Jessie Buckley, Jon Moses and the new series narrator Laura Whitmore, who did the narrating interlude.

Filmography

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Television

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Year Title Role Notes
2008 I'd Do Anything Herself
2008 BBC Last Night of the Proms Herself
2010 Frankenstein's Wedding The Wedding Singer
2013 Thomas & Friends Dash Voice

Theatre Credits

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Year Title Role Theatre Location
2005 Oliver! Ensemble MT4UTH London
2006 Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Ensemble MT4UTH London
2006 Guys & Dolls Ensemble MT4UTH London
2007 West Side Story Ensemble MT4UTH London
2007 Sweet Charity Charity MT4UTH London
2008 Only The Brave Belle George Square Theatre Edinburgh Fringe Festival
2008-09 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Snow White Devonshire Park Theatre Eastbourne
2009 Love Never Dies Fleck Adelphi Theatre West End
2009-10 Mamma Mia Sophie Sheridan Prince of Wales Theatre West End
2010-11 Lee Mead Concert Tour Herself UK National Tour
2011-12 The Little Prince Musical The Little Prince Lyric Theatre Belfast
2012 A Song Cycle for Soho Herself Soho Theatre Off-West End
2012 Taboo Kim Brixton Clubhouse Off-West End
2013 Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Johanna West Yorkshire Playhouse / Royal Exchange West Yorkshire / Manchester
2014 The Beautiful Game Mary The Union Theatre London
2014-16 Mamma Mia Sophie Sheridan International Tour
2017 Once Girl Gaiety Theatre Dublin
2018 Whisper House Female Ghost The Other Palace Off-West End
2019 Exposure Pandora St James's Theatre Off-West End
2022 Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Delphini Diggory Palace Theatre West End

References

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  1. ^ "Nancy Contestants – Niamh". BBC News. 22 March 2008. Retrieved 26 April 2008.
  2. ^ "Niamh reaches 8 in the search for NANCY". Our Lady and St. Patrick's College, Knock. 19 April 2008. Archived from the original on 5 October 2011. Retrieved 26 April 2008.
  3. ^ "SEELB Outstanding Achievement Awards 2007". Our Lady and St. Patrick's College, Knock. 2007. Retrieved 26 April 2008.
  4. ^ "Youth Arts Gallery – Music Theatre 4 Youth". Arts Council of Northern Ireland. 20 May 2008. Retrieved 14 September 2008.
  5. ^ "Niamh Perry: A superstar is born". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  6. ^ "'Talk to us', says NSPCC". Community Telegraph. 26 February 2008. Archived from the original on 3 December 2012. Retrieved 26 April 2008.
  7. ^ "Reviewing the Situation: Week Eight". BBC News. 17 May 2008. Retrieved 22 May 2008.
  8. ^ Paddock, Terri (19 June 2008). "Reality TV's Keith & Niamh Head Brave New Musical". whatsonstage.com. Retrieved 14 September 2008.
  9. ^ Apter, Kelly (20 August 2008). "Musical & Opera Review: Only The Brave". The Scotsman. UK. Retrieved 14 September 2008.
  10. ^ "Singers tune up for Proms". The News Letter. 12 September 2008. Retrieved 14 September 2008.
  11. ^ "BBC Proms in the Park". Ulster Orchestra. Retrieved 30 August 2008.[permanent dead link]
  12. ^ "Matthew Brind". Gavin Barker Associates Ltd. Retrieved 18 November 2008.
  13. ^ "Events – The Cry: A Requiem for the Lost Child". Save the Children. 16 November 2008. Archived from the original on 20 November 2008. Retrieved 18 November 2008.
  14. ^ "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs". Eastbournetheatres.co.uk. Retrieved 30 August 2008.
  15. ^ One Programmes – Friday Night with Jonathan Ross. BBC (18 July 2010). Retrieved on 18 November 2011.
  16. ^ George R Vaughan Mamma's New Bride. Womentalking.co.uk. 8 Jul 2009
  17. ^ "corsets, crafts and cupcakes: I Was A Guest At Frankenstein's Wedding...Live In Leeds". Corsetscraftsandcupcakes.blogspot.com. 20 March 2011. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  18. ^ "The Public Reviews » Taboo – Brixton Club House, London". www.thepublicreviews.com. Archived from the original on 5 November 2012. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  19. ^ Cavendish, Dominic (4 October 2013). "Sweeney Todd, West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  20. ^ "Niamh Perry to lead the cast of the Beautiful Game revival | News | the Stage". www.thestage.co.uk. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  21. ^ "The Beautiful Game (Union Theatre) | WhatsOnStage". Whatsonstage.com. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  22. ^ "The Beautiful Game @ The Union Theatre". Thegizzlereview.com. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  23. ^ "Niamh Perry Playing The Beautiful Game – Interview". Musicaltheatrereview.com. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  24. ^ "The Beautiful Game – Union Theatre, London | the Public Reviews". www.thepublicreviews.com. Archived from the original on 16 July 2014. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
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