Katie Brayben

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Katie Brayben with Alan Morrissey in 2015 Katie Brayben with Alan Morrissey in 2015.jpg
Katie Brayben with Alan Morrissey in 2015

Katie Brayben (born 3 September) is an English actress and musician who has performed in stage plays, television and musicals and also as a singer and songwriter with her own music. She is presently best known for her portrayal of the title role of Carole King in the London production of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical , for which she won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical at the 2015 Laurence Olivier Awards. She won her second Olivier award in the same category at the 2023 Laurence Olivier Awards for her performance as the title role in Tammy Faye .

Contents

Biography

Brayben is an English actress, singer and musician who also performs as an original songwriter playing piano and guitar. [1] [2] Born Katie Burke, her parents being London blues-based performers Mick (Mike) Burke and Frances (Fran) McGillivray, she was raised in a musical household in the London borough of Lewisham; [3] her sister Jo Burke is also a folk music performer (singer and violinist). [4] She studied at the Rose Bruford College of Theatre and Performance, from which she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 2003. [1] [5] In an interview, she has stated that she chose to use a different surname than her birth name for her professional career to avoid potential confusion with the already established London born actress Kathy Burke. [6]

She made her West End debut when she took over the lead role of Sophie in the 10th anniversary production of Mamma Mia! and later starred opposite Matt Smith in the American Psycho musical. In 2014 she joined the production of Mike Bartlett's King Charles III playing Princess Diana, and moved with the show when it transferred from the Almeida Theatre to the West End. In 2015 when that show moved to Broadway, she took on the title role of Carole King in the London production of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical . [7] Her performance won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical. [8]

2022 saw Katie Brayben re-team with American Psycho and King Charles III director Rupert Goold at the Almeida for the new biographic stage musical Tammy Faye. [9] With Brayben in the title role of the queer icon, the show explored her life with lyrics by Jake Shears and music by Sir Elton John. The production would go on to receive four nominations at this year's Laurence Olivier Awards, [10] where Katie would receive her second Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical. [10]

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
2015 Vera SallyEpisode - "Changing Tides"
2017 Doctor Who EllieEpisode - "Oxygen"
King Charles III Diana, Princess of Wales TV movie
2019 Luther Penny Leyton2 Episodes
A Serial Killer's Guide to Life Lou Farntalso Associate Producer
2021 The Wheel of Time Latra Posae DecumeEpisode - "The Eye of the World"
2022 Miss Scarlet and The Duke Alice LeeEpisode - "Pandora's Box"
2023 Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story Lady Vivian Ledger2 episodes

Stage

YearTitleRoleNotes
2005Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others Lyric Hammersmith
2006-2007Mamma MiaSophie UK Tour
2009Mamma Mia (10th Anniversary)Sophie West End
2011CompanyApril Southwark Playhouse
2013–14 American Psycho Courtney Lawrence Almeida Theatre
2014 King Charles III Diana, Princess of Wales Almeida Theatre / West End
2015 Beautiful: The Carole King Musical Carole King Aldwych Theatre
2015The Iliad Almeida Theatre
2016My Mother Said I Never ShouldJackie St. James Theatre
2016The SpoilsSarah Trafalgar Studios
2018HonourClaudia The Park Theatre
2019 Girl from the North Country Elizabeth Laine Gielgud Theatre
2020Nine Lessons and Carols: stories for a long winter Almeida Theatre
2022 Tammy Faye Tammy Faye Almeida Theatre
2024 Palace Theatre

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References

  1. 1 2 "CDA London: Katie Brayben" (PDF). Cdalondon.com. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  2. ↑ "Katie Brayben". Thegooseisout.com. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  3. ↑ "Katie Brayben: 'You have to make it known if you want a certain role'". Thestage.co.uk. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  4. ↑ "Jo Burke". Joburkemusic.com. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  5. ↑ Smith, Reiss (10 May 2017). "Who is Katie Brayben, the actress who plays Princess Diana's ghost in King Charles III?". Express.co.uk. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  6. ↑ Underwood, Kitty (12 December 2019). "Tell Us In 10: Katie Brayben". officiallondontheatre.com. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
  7. ↑ "Katie Brayben cast as Carole King in Beautiful". Whatsonstage.com. 25 September 2014. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  8. ↑ "Katie Brayben is Best Actress in a Musical | Official London Theatre". Archived from the original on 4 August 2016. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
  9. ↑ "Tammy Faye". Almeida Theatre. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  10. 1 2 "Olivier awards 2023: full list of winners". The Guardian. 2 April 2023. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 9 August 2023.
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