Kaye Elizabeth Tuckerman [1] is an Australian actress, director and designer. She played the role of Donna Sheridan in a US national tour of Mamma Mia! . [2]
Tuckerman was born and raised in the Northern Beaches, Sydney, Australia. [3] She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Music Theatre from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) in 1992. [4] She received a Post-Graduate Diploma in Directing from the National Institute of Dramatic Art. [5]
Tuckerman is best known for her portrayal of Donna Sheridan in a North American tour of Mamma Mia! from 2010 to 2012. [6] One reviewer wrote "if you can tear your eyes away from an incandescent Kaye Tuckerman belting out 'The Winner Takes It All' and look at the faces of the audience [t]hey are enraptured". [7] Another said, "Tuckerman embodies the role better than any this reviewer has seen. Even in the production numbers it is nearly impossible to tear one's eyes from her. Her movement, her passion, her artistry ... every fluid movement is precise and sure. ... Her raw emotions in 'The Winner Takes It All' ... is the best moment of the show." [8] Another reviewer commented that "she is over-shadowed on some ensemble numbers, though not in 'Dancing Queen'. But she's terrific as a low-key solo balladeer on 'Slipping Through My Fingers' and 'The Winner Takes It All'." [9]
She also played roles in Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 (Shanghai, 2024), [10] Wicked (2019), [11] Absinthe (2007-2008) [12] [13] and Dusty – The Original Pop Diva (2006). [14] In Summer: The Donna Summer Musical (Broadway, 2018) she appeared as Don Engel, Pete Bellotte and in the ensemble. [15] [16] She has been an ensemble member in productions of Shane Warne: The Musical , [17] Les Misérables , [18] Jesus Christ Superstar , [19] The Boy From Oz [20] and Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story . [21]
Tuckerman performed at the Adelaide Cabaret Festival in 2007 in Licence to Thrill, a collection of James Bond songs, [22] and in 2019 in Broadway Bound (But Not Gagged). [3] [23] [24] In film, she appeared in The Girl Who Got Away (2021). [25]
She co-directed Entanglement (2022), a documentary film exploring women's experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. [26] [27] Her design work on From a Whisper (2008) [28] earned a nomination for an Africa Movie Academy Awards Achievement in Art Direction award. [29]
| Year | Opera, Musical, etc | Theatre | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | The Importance of Being Earnest with Hinge and Bracket | Playhouse, Sydney Opera House | Cecily Cardew | [1] [30] |
| 1997 | aloft! | Riverside Theatres Parramatta | Mrs Penfold | [31] |
| 2006 | Dusty – The Original Pop Diva | Victorian Arts Centre, Melbourne | Peg (Dusty's dresser) | [14] |
| 2007 | Absinthe | Collins Park, Miami Beach | The Chanteuse | [12] [13] |
| 2008 | Absinthe | Pier 17, South Street Seaport, Lower Manhattan | The Chanteuse | [32] |
| 2010 - 2012 | Mamma Mia! | North American tour | Donna Sheridan | [7] [9] [33] |
| 2018 | Summer: The Donna Summer Musical | Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, Broadway | Don Engel; Pete Bellotte; ensemble member | [15] |
| 2019 | Wicked | Home of the Arts, Gold Coast | Madame Morrible | [11] |
| 2023-2024 | Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 | Shanghai, China | Marya D | [10] |
[T]he players are thoroughly engaging, and that goes double for ... and Kaye Tuckerman as Penfold-Taylor's wife, who has the best lyrical song of the night.