Meredith Braun

Last updated

Meredith Braun
Born1973 (age 4950)
Remuera, Auckland, New Zealand
Genres Musical theatre
Occupation(s)Actor, singer
Years active1983–present
Labels Stage Door Records
Website meredithbraun.co.uk

Meredith Braun (born 1973) began her career as a child actor in her native New Zealand before relocating to the UK and starring in a number of West End musicals and touring productions.

Contents

Early life

As a child in Remuera, Auckland, [1] Braun appeared in numerous stage productions plus occasional television shows (The Haunting of Barney Palmer) [2] and advertisements.

Her mother studied at the Royal College of Music in the 1950s and at the age of 16 Braun moved from New Zealand to London. [3] In 1989, Braun earned a place at London's prestigious Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts. [4]

Career

She began her West End career six months later with a lead role in short-lived musical Bernadette at the Dominion Theatre. [3] Cameron Mackintosh then cast Meredith as Eponine in Les Miserables , a role she played in both London and Manchester. In 1993, she was cast as Betty Schaeffer in Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical version of Sunset Boulevard . Having been part of an audition process that involved 300 other potential actresses, Lloyd Webber said of Meredith "When I saw Meredith and heard her I knew she was going to be a star".

Further shows in the West End included starring as Christine in The Phantom of the Opera plus Out of the Blue with Michael McCarthy [5] [6] and Killing Rasputin. Between 2000 and 2001 Meredith starred as Lily in the RSC's production of The Secret Garden at both the Theatre Royal Stratford and the Aldwych Theatre, London.

Between 1995 and 1997, Braun returned home to her native Auckland, landing numerous roles in one of New Zealand's leading professional theatre companies, the Auckland Theatre Company. She came with the prestige as one of the starring names within New Zealand's theatre industry at the time.

Braun also appeared as Belle in Disney's 1992 holiday film The Muppet Christmas Carol opposite Michael Caine and the cast of The Muppets, [7] and has done a number of television roles in the United Kingdom.

After a ten-year absence from performing, Braun released her debut solo album Someone Else's Story in 2012 - a mix of contemporary show songs and classical crossover material. The album features musical direction and arrangements by Paul Bateman (musical director for Sarah Brightman and Lesley Garrett), and was released on Stage Door Records on March 26, 2012. [8] [3]

In 2017, Braun released her second solo album When Love Is Gone featuring a new recording of the song of the same name she performed in The Muppet Christmas Carol marking the film's 25th anniversary. The album was released by Stage Door Records in November 2017. [9]

Meredith is now the course director for The University of Chichester Conservatoire's BA (Hons) Musical Theatre (Music) Course, having previously been a lecturer for Musical Theatre Triple Threat course. [10]

Filmography

Film and television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1987The Haunting of Barney PalmerTroy [2]
1992 The Muppet Christmas Carol Belle [7]
2003 Doctors Janine Lewis
2007 New Tricks Nyreen
2009 Missing Carrie Garrison

UK theatre credits

YearTitleRoleTheatreLocation
1990BernadetteCamille Dominion Theatre West End
1991 Les Misérables Eponine Palace Theatre West End
1992-93UK National Tour
1993 Sunset Boulevard Betty Schaefer Adelphi Theatre West End
1994Out of the BlueHideko Shaftesbury Theatre West End
1998-99Killing RasputinPrincess Irina Bridewell Theatre London
1999-20 The Phantom of the Opera Christine Her Majesty's Theatre West End
2000-01 The Secret Garden Lily Aldwych Theatre / Theatre Royal Stratford East West End / Stratford
2002CordeliaJude Royal National Theatre London
2003Forever YoursJennie Southwark Playhouse Off-West End

New Zealand theatre credits

YearTitleRoleTheatreLocation
1985 The Tempest Ariel Auckland
1985 The Chalk Garden LaurelAuckland
1986The Cage BirdsGossipAuckland
1986The Secret Diary of Adrian MolePandoraAuckland
1986 Snoopy Peppermint PattyAuckland
1987 Bugsy Malone BlouseAuckland
1987 The Wizard of Oz DorothyAuckland
1987 Alice in Wonderland AliceAuckland
1987Jack the RipperPollyAuckland
1988 Fiddler on the Roof EnsembleAuckland
1995 Sweet Charity Charity Hope Valentine Mercury Theatre Auckland
1995 Footrot Flats JessMercury TheatreAuckland
1996 Jesus Christ Superstar Mary MagdaleneMercury TheatreAuckland
1996 The Sound of Music MariaMercury TheatreAuckland
1997 South Pacific Nellie ForbushMercury TheatreAuckland

Workshops

YearTitleLocation
1994 Yusupov Sydmonton Festival / Donmar Warehouse [11] [12]
1994 Jekyll Prince of Wales Theatre
2004 The Far Pavilions London

Personal life

Braun has three children by her first husband, musical director David White, [13] (twins born 1997–1998) and a son, Tiger Braun-White, a cellist, (born 2003–2004). [9] [14] Her second husband, Bill Rea, is a marine architect. [4] [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carol Kane</span> American actress (born 1952)

Carolyn Laurie Kane is an American actress. She gained recognition for her role in Hester Street (1975), for which she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. She became known in the 1970s and 1980s in films such as Dog Day Afternoon (1975), Annie Hall (1977), The Princess Bride (1987), and Scrooged (1988).

<i>Hello, Dolly!</i> (musical) 1964 Broadway musical

Hello, Dolly! is a 1964 musical with lyrics and music by Jerry Herman and a book by Michael Stewart, based on Thornton Wilder's 1938 farce The Merchant of Yonkers, which Wilder revised and retitled The Matchmaker in 1955. The musical follows the story of Dolly Gallagher Levi, a strong-willed matchmaker, as she travels to Yonkers, New York, to find a match for the miserly "well-known unmarried half-a-millionaire" Horace Vandergelder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bernadette Peters</span> American actress and singer (born 1948)

Bernadette Peters is an American actress, singer, and children's book author. Over a career spanning more than six decades, she has starred in musical theatre, television and film, performed in solo concerts and released recordings. She is a critically acclaimed Broadway performer, having received seven nominations for Tony Awards, winning two, and nine Drama Desk Award nominations, winning three. Four of the Broadway cast albums on which she has starred have won Grammy Awards.

Louise Gold is an English puppeteer, actress and singer. Her long career has included puppetry on television and roles in musical theatre in the West End, as well as other television, film and voice roles.

<i>The Phantom of the Opera</i> (1986 musical) 1986 musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber

The Phantom of the Opera is a musical with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Charles Hart, additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe and a libretto by Lloyd Webber and Stilgoe. Based on the 1910 French novel of the same name by Gaston Leroux, it tells the story of a beautiful soprano, Christine Daaé, who becomes the obsession of a mysterious, masked musical genius living in the subterranean labyrinth beneath the Paris Opéra House.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Betty Buckley</span> American actress and singer

Betty Buckley is an American actress and singer. Buckley is the winner of a Tony Award, and was nominated for an additional Tony Award, two Daytime Emmy Awards, two Grammy Awards, and an Olivier Award. In 2012, she was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elaine Paige</span> English singer, and actress (born 1948)

Elaine Jill Paige is an English singer and actress, best known for her work in musical theatre. Raised in Barnet, Hertfordshire, Paige attended the Aida Foster Theatre School, making her first professional appearance on stage in 1964, at the age of 16. Her appearance in the 1968 production of Hair marked her West End debut.

Julie Covington is an English singer and actress, best known for recording the original version of "Don't Cry for Me Argentina", which she sang on the 1976 concept album Evita.

<i>The Muppet Christmas Carol</i> 1992 film directed by Brian Henson

The Muppet Christmas Carol is a 1992 American Christmas musical film directed by Brian Henson from a screenplay by Jerry Juhl. It is the fourth theatrical film featuring the Muppets. Adapted from the 1843 novella A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, the film stars Michael Caine as Ebenezer Scrooge, alongside Muppet performers Dave Goelz, Steve Whitmire, Jerry Nelson, and Frank Oz. Although artistic license is taken to suit the aesthetic of the Muppets, The Muppet Christmas Carol otherwise follows Dickens's original story closely. It is the first Muppet film to be produced following the deaths of Muppets creator Jim Henson and performer Richard Hunt; the film is dedicated to both.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruthie Henshall</span> English entertainer (born 1967)

Valentine Ruth Henshall, known professionally as Ruthie Henshall, is an English actress, singer and dancer, known for her work in musical theatre. She began her professional stage career in 1986, before making her West End debut in Cats in 1987. A five-time Olivier Award nominee, she won the 1995 Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her role as Amalia Balash in the London revival of She Loves Me (1994).

Frances Ruffelle is an English musical theatre actress and singer. She won a Tony Award in 1987, and represented the United Kingdom in the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Lonely Symphony ", finishing 10th. The song became a UK Top 30 hit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephanie J. Block</span> American actress and singer (born 1972)

Stephanie Janette Block is an American actress and singer, best known for her work on the Broadway stage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gwyneth Herbert</span> Jazz musician, singer-songwriter and composer

Gwyneth Herbert is a British singer-songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. Initially known for her interpretation of jazz and swing standards, she is now established as a writer of original compositions, including musical theatre. She has been described as "an exquisite wordsmith" with "a voice that can effortlessly render any emotion with commanding ease" and her songs as being "impressively crafted and engrossing vignette[s] of life's more difficult moments".

Adaptations of <i>A Christmas Carol</i> Works based on Charles Dickenss 1843 novella

A Christmas Carol, the 1843 novella by Charles Dickens (1812–1870), is one of the English author's best-known works. It is the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, a greedy miser who hates Christmas, but is transformed into a caring, kindly person through the visitations of four ghosts. The classic work has been dramatised and adapted countless times for virtually every medium and performance genre, and new versions appear regularly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samantha Barks</span> Manx actress and singer

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. She has released three studio albums: Looking in Your Eyes (2007), Samantha Barks (2016), and Into the Unknown (2021), and made her film debut as Éponine in the Tom Hooper-directed Les Misérables in 2012. Her performance in the film won her the Empire Award for Best Female Newcomer and a shared National Board of Review Award with the film's cast.

Scrooge: The Musical is a 1992 stage musical with book, music and lyrics by Leslie Bricusse. Its score and book are closely adapted from the music and screenplay of the 1970 musical film Scrooge starring Albert Finney and Charles Dickens' 1843 novella A Christmas Carol. Bricusse was nominated for an Academy Award for the song score he wrote for the film, and most of those songs were carried over to the musical.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jade Ewen</span> British singer and actress

Jade Louise Ewen is a British singer, actress and a former member of the girl group Sugababes. She began her singing career in a girl group named Trinity Stone, which signed with Sony BMG in 2005 but disbanded in 2007 without releasing an album. In 2009, after winning the right, she represented the United Kingdom in the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest by performing the Andrew Lloyd Webber / Diane Warren penned "It's My Time". She finished in fifth place.

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.

Jessica Ruth Mueller is an American actress and singer. She started her acting career in Chicago and won two Joseph Jefferson Awards in 2008 and 2011 for her roles as Carrie Pipperidge in Carousel and Amalia Balash in She Loves Me. In 2011, she moved to New York City to star in a Broadway revival of musical On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, for which she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. She won the 2014 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical for her performance as Carole King in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. She went on to receive two additional Best Actress in a Musical Tony Award nominations for her leading roles in Waitress (2016) and the Broadway revival of Carousel (2018).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carrie Hope Fletcher</span> English entertainer and author (born 1992)

Carrie Hope Fletcher is an English actress, singer-songwriter, author and internet personality. Having played the roles of Éponine and Fantine in Les Misérables, she has also starred in the original British production of Heathers: The Musical and originated the role of Cinderella in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cinderella.

References

  1. Matheson, John (1987). "Coveted role to Meredith" . Retrieved 22 October 2018 via actorz.ru.
  2. 1 2 "The Haunting of Barney Palmer (1987)". bfi.org.uk. British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 3 November 2018. Retrieved 22 October 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 Fernandez, Ligia (March 2012). "5 Questions For... Meredith Braun". Broadway Cafe Society. Archived from the original on 25 June 2012. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  4. 1 2 Churchill, Penny (7 April 2016). "Country houses in Kent and Hampshire: A Hampshire gem near Bedales". Country Life . Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  5. "Out of the Blue: Cast". lilyrose.org. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
  6. Braun, Meredith; Tokura, Shun-Ichi; Sand, Paul (1994). Out of the Blue (Media notes). Cast: Simon Burke, David Burt, Greg Ellis, Lynden Edwards, James Graeme, Paulette Ivory, Michael McCarthy, Andrew Newey, Charles Shirvell, Andrew Wale. Stage Door Records. ASIN   B0042FXIKS. Barcode: 5055122190257.
  7. 1 2 "The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)". bfi.org.uk. British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 2 June 2017. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  8. Gans, Andrew (27 July 2011). "Sunset Boulevard star Meredith Braun at work on debut solo recording". Playbill . Archived from the original on 21 October 2012. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  9. 1 2 Hewitt, Phil (5 January 2018). "New album from Meredith Braun". Chichester Observer. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  10. "Meredith Braun". chi.ac.uk. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  11. "MEREDITH BRAUN & HAL FOWLER - SO NEARLY PERFECT (from Yusupov) 1994" via www.youtube.com.
  12. "MEREDITH BRAUN - YUSUPOV (SOLILOQUY) ACT TWO" via www.youtube.com.
  13. Staff writer (16 March 2012). "Meredith Braun: "'Someone Else's Story' is full of stories, each song is a journey"". todoMUSICALES. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
    See also:
    "David White, BA, FRAM: Musical Theatre - Specialist Musical Theatre Coach and Vocal Coach". ram.ac.uk. Royal Academy of Music . Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  14. Meredith Braun - Official "Team Braun" (18 December 2017). "Tiger Braun-White - Debut Cello Recital in aid of Skylight". facebook.com/meredithbraunofficial. Facebook . Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  15. "Welcome To Rea McAllister Yachts". yachtworld.com/reamcallisteryachts. Rea McAllister Yachts Ltd. Archived from the original on 23 October 2018. Retrieved 24 October 2018.