Alexia Khadime | |
|---|---|
 Khadime in 2009 | |
| Born | 9 June 1983 London, England |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, singer |
| Years active | 1999–present |
| Website | alexiakhadime |
Alexia Khadime (born 9 June 1983) [1] is a British actress and mezzo-soprano, [2] known for her roles in musical theatre and television.
Khadime made her first appearance on the stage in 1999, when she appeared in "Cinderella" at the Hackney Empire, [3] and the following year, she took part in the UK Tour Leader of the Pack .
She made her West End debut aged 17, appearing as part of the ensemble in The Lion King in 2001, additionally providing cover for the role of "Nala". In 2003, she appeared in the UK Tour of Whistle Down the Wind , playing the role of "Candy". In 2004, she returned to The Lion King – this time playing "Nala" as the lead, and she remained in the role until 2008. [4]
In early 2008, she successfully auditioned for the lead role of "Elphaba" in the musical Wicked . She began performances on her 25th birthday, and played the role for six months (temporarily replacing Kerry Ellis who was playing a limited engagement with the Broadway Company). [5] Khadime left Wicked in November 2008, but returned in May 2009 when Ellis left the company. [6] Throughout both of her spells in Wicked, Khadime played alongside Dianne Pilkington as "Glinda". In 2009, the pair were honoured at the "Woman of the Future Awards" in the Arts & Culture category. [7] Khadime's run in Wicked came to an end in March 2010 when she was succeeded by Rachel Tucker. [8] As of 2023, Khadime is the only black woman to play the role of Elphaba full-time in any production of Wicked.
After concluding her time in Wicked, she next appeared in the straight play Welcome to Thebes at the Royal National Theatre through the Summer of 2010, [9] [10] before returning to musical theatre, playing "Deb" in Ordinary Days at London's Trafalgar Studios in February and March 2011. [11]
In June 2011, she took over from Samantha Barks in the iconic role of "Éponine" in the London production of Les Misérables . She played the role for just short of a year, before being passed over to Danielle Hope. [12]
In late 2012, Khadime joined the original West End company of The Book of Mormon , playing the role of "Nabulungi", with performances starting in February 2013. [13] She won the fan voted 2014 WhatsOnStage.com Award for "Best Supporting Actress in a Musical" for her portrayal of Nabulungi, [14] as well as the West End Wilma award for "Best Supporting Cast Member". [15] Her last performance in The Book of Mormon was on 30 January 2016. [16]
Khadime played the role of Miriam in The Prince of Egypt on the stage of the Dominion Theatre, London's West End. [17]
On 7 March 2023, Khadime returned to Wicked opposite Lucy St. Louis as Glinda, marking the first time in history that both roles are being played by black actresses simultaneously. [18]
| Title | Year(s) | Role(s) | Venue(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cinderella | 1999 – 2000 | Ensemble | Hackney Empire |
| Leader of the Pack | 2000 – 2001 | Ronnie Sepctor | UK National Tour |
| The Lion King | 2001 | Ensemble/Understudy for Nala | Lyceum Theatre |
| Whistle Down the Wind | 2003 | Candy | UK National Tour |
| The Lion King | 2004 – 2008 | Nala | Lyceum Theatre |
| Wicked | June – November 2008; May 2009 – March 2010 | Elphaba | Apollo Victoria Theatre |
| Welcome to Thebes | June – September 2010 | Harmonia | Royal National Theatre |
| Ordinary Days | February – March 2011 | Deb | Trafalgar Studios |
| Les Misérables | June 2011 – June 2012 | Éponine | Sondheim Theatre |
| The Book of Mormon | February 2013 – January 2016 | Nabulungi | Prince of Wales Theatre |
| One Love: The Bob Marley Musical | March – April 2017 | Rita Marley | Birmingham Repertory Theatre |
| The Prince of Egypt | February 2020 – 2022 | Miriam | Dominion Theatre |
| Wicked | March 2023 – present | Elphaba | Apollo Victoria Theatre |
As a young actress, Khadime made her first television appearance in 1996, appearing in an episode of the BBC's The Sculptress . [19] She appeared in Grange Hill for two years, and in 1998, had a regular role as "Tanisha" in children's ITV series Comin' Atcha! [20] In 1999, she appeared as "Ellie Burns" in the BBC's The Queen's Nose , and has additional credits in The Bill , Class Action , and Sky One's Dream Team .
While appearing in Les Misérables in 2012, Khadime made a special guest appearance on RTÉ's OMG! Jedward's Dream Factory , when 11-year-old Aoife Dardis received her wish to see Les Misérables in London, and to meet Khadime, her favourite actress. Khadime also had a regular role in the children's gameshow Splatalot! , playing "Madeva", a defender. She also voices Sardonyx in the Cartoon Network series Steven Universe . [21]
Along with fellow Wicked alumni Kerry Ellis and Dianne Pilkington, Khadime appeared as a wench in the 2012 movie edition of Les Misérables . On 9 June, Khadime's birthday, The film adaptation of London Road Directed by Rufus Norris was previewed, where she appeared in a cameo role of "Radio Techy."
In February 2003, credited simply as "Alexia", Khadime released a single entitled "Ring" through Virgin Records. It entered the UK Singles Chart at No. 48. [22] In 2008, she recorded a duet with Ben James-Ellis entitled "Enchanted" for the album Act One – Songs From The Musicals of Alexander S. Bermange. In 2011, along with her Ordinary Days co-star Daniel Boys, Khadime contributed the duet "Looking Back" to Michael Bruce's "Unwritten Songs". Her voice can also be heard on the film soundtracks for Pride and Amazing Grace.
Wicked is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, and a book by Winnie Holzman. It is a loose adaptation of the 1995 Gregory Maguire novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, which in turn is based on L. Frank Baum's 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and its 1939 film adaptation. The musical is told from the perspective of two witches, Elphaba and Galinda, before and after Dorothy's arrival in Oz. The story explores the complex friendship between Elphaba and Galinda. Their relationship is tested by their contrasting personalities, conflicting viewpoints, shared love interest, reactions to the corrupt rule of the Wonderful Wizard, and ultimately, Elphaba's tragic fall.
Kendra Kassebaum is an American theatre actress, who has performed in many different musicals, and is perhaps best remembered for playing the role of Glinda in the first national tour, Broadway, and San Francisco casts of the blockbuster musical Wicked.
Helen Dallimore is an Australian stage, television and film actress, known for originating the role of Glinda in the West End production of Wicked.
Kerry Jane Ellis is an English actress and singer who is best known for her work in musical theatre and subsequent crossover into music. Born and raised in Suffolk, Ellis began performing at an early age before training at Laine Theatre Arts from the age of 16.
Ashleigh Gray is a Scottish actress and musical theatre performer best known for playing Elphaba in the London and UK & Ireland touring productions of Wicked.
Dianne Lesley Pilkington is an English theatre actress and singer.
Rachel Kelly Tucker is a Northern Irish stage actress, best known for her portrayal of Elphaba in the musical Wicked. She also starred in Come from Away on Broadway, having originated the role on the West End. Rachel has starred in various other musicals and plays, including one alongside Sting.
Samantha Jane Barks is a Manx actress and singer who rose to fame after placing third in the BBC talent show-themed television series I'd Do Anything in 2008.
Willemijn Verkaik is a Dutch singer and actress. She is best known for her stage roles in Wicked and Elisabeth, and for providing the singing voice for Elsa in both the German and Dutch versions of Disney's Frozen. She was the longest running Elphaba in the musical Wicked, having played the role over 2,000 times, and is the only person to have played the role in three languages. Her first performance as Elphaba was on 31 October 2007, in Stuttgart, Germany, and her final performance was on 22 July 2017 in the West End of London.
Gina Beck is a British stage actress and singer, mainly known for playing major roles in various West End musicals. She played the characters of Miss Honey in the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of Matilda the Musical, Magnolia Hawks in Daniel Evans' acclaimed production of the 1927 musical Show Boat, Glinda the Good Witch in Wicked, both in the London production and the 1st national tour, Christine Daaé in the West End production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1986 musical The Phantom of the Opera, and Cosette in Les Misérables.
Erin Ashley Mackey is an American stage actress and singer, known for playing the role of Glinda in the Chicago, Los Angeles, Broadway, and Second National Tour productions of the musical Wicked. She was also a double in 1998's The Parent Trap.
Kara Lynn Massey, known professionally as Kara Lindsay, is an American stage actress and singer, best known for her roles as Katherine Plumber in Newsies (2012) and Glinda in Wicked.
Jemma Rix is an Australian theatre performer, who has played the role of Elphaba in the Melbourne, Sydney, Australian and Asian touring companies of Wicked. Rix first performed the role in the shortened 30-minute version of the show at Universal Studios Japan. She was an original cast member of the Australian premiere production as the standby for Elphaba.
Louise Dearman is a British actress and singer, perhaps best known for playing Glinda and Elphaba in the West End production of the musical Wicked. Notably, she is the only actress to have played both witches in any production of Wicked full-time. She has a number of other professional stage and television credits, such as Eva Perón in Evita, Sarah Brown and Miss Adelaide in Guys and Dolls, and Daisy Hilton in Side Show. She released her solo albums, You and I, Here Comes the Sun and It's Time, in 2005, 2012 and 2013 respectively.
The Wizard of Oz is a 2011 musical based on the 1939 film of the same name in turn based on L. Frank Baum's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, with a book adapted by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jeremy Sams. The musical uses the Harold Arlen and E. Y. Harburg songs from the film and includes some new songs and additional music by Lloyd Webber and additional lyrics by Tim Rice. It is the third stage musical adaptation of the film following the 1942 version for the St. Louis Municipal Opera and the 1987 version for the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Jackie Burns is an American actress and singer best known for her work in musical theatre.
Sarah Earnshaw is a British actress known for her work in musical theatre.
Jennifer "Jenny" DiNoia is an American singer and stage actress. She is best known for her work in musical theatre, especially Wicked, playing the lead role of Elphaba in various productions around the world.
Alison Nicole Luff is an American singer and stage actress. She is best known for her extensive work in musical theatre, notably for her roles as Elphaba in the First National Tour of Wicked and Jenna in the Broadway production of Waitress. From 2021 to 2023, she has appeared in a lead role in the Starz drama series Heels.
Lucy St. Louis 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.
