Helena Blackman | |
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| Background information | |
| Born | 10 December 1982 |
| Origin | Southampton, England |
| Genres | Pop, Musicals, Theatre |
| Instrument(s) | Singing |
| Years active | 2006 – present |
| Website | www |
Helena Blackman (born 10 December 1982 in Southampton) is a British musical theatre actress, best known for being the runner-up in the hit BBC1 Reality TV programme How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria? .
She trained at the Guildford School of Acting.
On 29 October 2006, Blackman was seen as Gypsy Rose Lee in a production of Gypsy which was performed at the Wales Millennium Centre as part of the Cardiff International Festival of Musical Theatre. In December 2006, Blackman played Dorothy in an acclaimed run of The Wizard of Oz at the Haymarket Theatre in Leicester. [1]
Blackman is a cabaret performer at corporate events, she has been featured as a soloist in The Night of a Thousand Voices at the Royal Albert Hall and in Tim McArthur's one-man show Sister Mary McArthur Comin' At-Cha! at the Jermyn Street Theatre in London.
In May 2007, Blackman was seen mentoring contestant Ben Ellis in an episode of Any Dream Will Do and in July 2007 she appeared as a soloist on BBC Radio 2's long-running Friday Night is Music Night opposite Daniel Boys. Blackman toured the UK extensively as the lead role of "Nellie Forbush" in a successful run of Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific from 2007 - 2008.
On Christmas Eve 2007, Blackman performed with Lee Mead and Connie Fisher and some of the other 'Maria' and 'Joseph' finalists in a BBC special 'festive' reunion show called When Joseph met Maria! - celebrating both the hit Andrew Lloyd Webber BBC shows - it was recorded earlier on 2 December 2007. The BBC show, HDYSAPLM, featuring Blackman, won an international Emmy Award in New York (2007) for best non-scripted entertainment. [2]
From 10 February - 14 March 2009, Helena Blackman played the lead role of Helen in Stephen Sondheim's Saturday Night at the Jermyn Street Theatre in London.[ citation needed ]
On 14 February 2011, Blackman released her debut album, The Sound of Rodgers & Hammerstein, consisting of classic Rodgers and Hammerstein material, as well as some of their lesser known songs. [3]
From 5 to 31 December 2011, Blackman appeared in the title role of Snow White at the Redditch Palace Theatre.
From September 2013 to May 2014 she played the leading role of Milly in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers on the UK and Ireland tour.[ citation needed ]
From 7 to 20 August 2017 Blackman starred alongside Daniel Boys and Sherman Brothers' musical scion, composer Robert J. Sherman in A Spoonful of Sherman at "Live At Zedel" in London. [4]
In April 2023, she appeared in an episode of the BBC soap opera Doctors as Helen Macdonald. [5]
Blackman has been reviewed by several print and web publications. The Times' Jeremy Kingston said of her performance in The Wizard of Oz "Helena Blackman's voice soars to the yearning high notes, and yet she is not afraid to sing in the softest whisper. Every word is clear and cuts to the heart." [1] Alfred Hickling of The Guardian also gave Blackman praise in the role saying "She gives a sparklingly assured performance, marred only by the usual drawback of appearing at least 20 years too old for a pinafore dress." [6]
The Stage said of her performance as Nellie Forbrush in South Pacific "...she exudes enthusiasm in the....numbers - especially the excellent Thanksgiving Follies scenes - and she looks perfectly 1940s." [7] BBC Nottingham's Heather Hinchley also reviewed Blackman's performance positively saying "Without a doubt the star of the show was Helena Blackman". [8]
Richard Charles Rodgers was an American composer who worked primarily in musical theater. With 43 Broadway musicals and over 900 songs to his credit, Rodgers was one of the most well-known American composers of the 20th century, and his compositions had a significant influence on popular music.
The King and I is the fifth musical by the team of Rodgers and Hammerstein. It is based on Margaret Landon's novel Anna and the King of Siam (1944), which is in turn derived from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, governess to the children of King Mongkut of Siam in the early 1860s. The musical's plot relates the experiences of Anna, a British schoolteacher who is hired as part of the King's drive to modernize his country. The relationship between the King and Anna is marked by conflict through much of the piece, as well as by a love to which neither can admit. The musical premiered on March 29, 1951, at Broadway's St. James Theatre. It ran for nearly three years, making it the fourth-longest-running Broadway musical in history at the time, and has had many tours and revivals.
South Pacific is a musical composed by Richard Rodgers, with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and book by Hammerstein and Joshua Logan. The work premiered in 1949 on Broadway and was an immediate hit, running for 1,925 performances. The plot is based on James A. Michener's Pulitzer Prize–winning 1947 book Tales of the South Pacific and combines elements of several of those stories. Rodgers and Hammerstein believed they could write a musical based on Michener's work that would be financially successful and, at the same time, send a strong progressive message on racism.
Richard Morton Sherman is an American songwriter who specialized in musical films with his brother Robert B. Sherman. According to the official Walt Disney Company website and independent fact checkers, "the Sherman Brothers were responsible for more motion picture musical song scores than any other songwriting team in film history."
Robert Bernard Sherman was an American songwriter, best known for his work in musical films with his brother, Richard M. Sherman. The Sherman brothers produced more motion picture song scores than any other songwriting team in film history. Some of their songs were incorporated into live action and animation musical films including Mary Poppins, The Happiest Millionaire, The Jungle Book, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Slipper and the Rose, and Charlotte's Web. Their best-known work is "It's a Small World " possibly the most-performed song in history.
"Some Enchanted Evening" is a show tune from the 1949 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical South Pacific. It has been described as "the single biggest popular hit to come out of any Rodgers and Hammerstein show." Andrew Lloyd Webber describes it as the "greatest song ever written for a musical".
Me and Juliet is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, and lyrics and book by Oscar Hammerstein II. The sixth stage collaboration by Rodgers & Hammerstein, it tells a story of romance backstage at a long-running musical: assistant stage manager Larry woos chorus girl Jeanie behind the back of her electrician boyfriend, Bob. Me and Juliet premiered in 1953 and was considered a modest success — it ran for much of a year on Broadway and had a limited run in Chicago, and returned a small profit to its backers.
How Do You Solve a Problem like Maria? was a British reality television talent show that documented the search for an undiscovered musical theatre performer to play the role of Maria von Trapp in the 2006 Peanuts and David Ian stage production of The Sound of Music.
Emma Williams is an English actor of stage, screen, TV and radio. She has been nominated four times for an Olivier Award.
Liliane Montevecchi was a French-Italian actress, dancer, and singer.
Regional Theatre of the Palouse (RTOP) is an established non-profit theater company based in Pullman, Washington. It was founded in 2007 by award-winning Managing Artistic Director John Rich. Its mission statement explains its goal: "make a positive difference in the Palouse region by providing an outlet for creative expression through theater arts". RTOP provides theatrical entertainment in the form of play, musicals, and theater workshops. Productions occur primarily in the RTOP Theatre. Past performances have been held at Beasley Performing Arts Coliseum and venues across the Palouse.
Daniel Boys is an English musical theatre actor, who was a contestant on the BBC talent series Any Dream Will Do in 2007 before becoming known as a stage actor in various musicals including Avenue Q, Spamalot and Falsettos.
Rachel Kelly Tucker is a Northern Irish West End and Broadway actress, best known for her portrayal of Elphaba in the hit musical Wicked. She most recently starred in Come from Away on Broadway, having originated the role on the West End. She has also starred in various other musicals and plays, including one alongside Sting.
Sarah Lark is a Welsh singer and actress who rose to fame when she competed as one of the finalists in the BBC talent show-themed television series I'd Do Anything in 2008.
Joanna Riding is an English actress. For her work in West End musicals, she has won two Laurence Olivier Awards, and has been nominated for three others.
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.
Sophie Gwen Jenkins is a Welsh singer and actress, who played Glinda in the West End production of Wicked (2017), and Dorothy in the 2011 musical The Wizard of Oz.
A Spoonful of Sherman is a musical revue written and emceed by Robert J. Sherman which premiered on January 6, 2014 at the St. James Theatre in London.
Stewart Nicholls is a British stage director and choreographer. His credits include productions of: A Spoonful of Sherman ,Bumblescratch, Bar Mitzvah Boy, Love Birds, Free As Air, Business As Usual, Jewish Legends, Salad Days and The Biograph Girl, Lunch With Marlene, Beatlemania, Gay's The Word, Over My Shoulder, South Pacific, and Carousel and Tim Rice's revival of Blondel. Choreography credits include: Iolanthe and The Mikado and Cowardy Custard. He has also directed productions in drama schools and staged numerous pantomimes.
Robert Jason Sherman, known as Robbie Sherman, is an American songwriter based in London. He was born in Los Angeles to Joyce and Robert B. Sherman, the youngest of four siblings. Stemming from a long line of songwriters and composers, spanning more than four generations, at 16 Sherman became one of the youngest songwriters ever invited to join BMI and is an alum of the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop. He is perhaps best known for his work on Love Birds: The Musical, which premiered at the 2015 Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
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