Nicole Raquel Dennis (born 23 April 1994) [1] is a British musical theatre performer and singer. They are best known as one of the contestants on season eight of The Voice UK and for playing Effie White in the first UK tour of the musical Dreamgirls .
They were part of the ensemble and covered the role of Nurse Norma when the musical Waitress opened in London in 2019. The show closed in March 2020 and did not reopen the following year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [2]
In 2017 Dennis joined the cast of the UK premiere [3] of Dreamgirls , playing at the Savoy Theatre until January 2019 and starring Amber Riley in the role of Effie White. [4] [5] The show was directed and choreographed by Casey Nicholaw. After Riley's departure from the show in November 2017, the role of Effie was covered by Moya Angela, Marisha Wallace and Karen Mav. [6]
During the pandemic Dennis took part in a concert version of Hair, directed by Arlene Phillips in West End's London Palladium in June 2021 (rescheduled from April 2021). [7]
Dennis played Effie White in the UK tour of Dreamgirls from January 2022 until February 2023 ending its run in Hull. [8] In October-November 2023 they played Martha Percy in the UK Tour of Treason [9]
Year | Title | Role | Theatre |
---|---|---|---|
2016-2017 | The Book of Mormon | Ensemble | Prince of Wales Theatre |
2017-2019 | Dreamgirls | first cover Effie White | Savoy Theatre |
Mar - Sept 2019 | Waitress | Ensemble and cover Nurse Norma | Adelphi Theatre |
Nov 2019 - Mar 2020 | Dear Evan Hansen | Alana Beck | Noël Coward Theatre |
2021 | Hair The Musical in Concert | London Palladium | |
2021-2023 | Dreamgirls | Effie White | UK tour |
2023 | Treason | Martha Percy | UK Tour |
2024 | Lifeline | Amalia Fleming | Signature Theatre, Off-Broadway |
In 2020 Dennis won the Black British Theatre Award (BBTA) for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical for her role in Dear Evan Hansen . [10] The ceremony took place at the Young Vic Theatre as a socially distanced event and was broadcast on Sky Arts. [11]
In 2022 Dennis won the BBTA in the category LGBTQIA+ Champion [12] for their work on the fundraising streaming event Turn Up at Cadogan Hall in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. The event streamed for three days in July 2020 and was co-created with Ryan Carter. It included sung performances as well as readings, poetry and speeches from performers and figures in the Black community. [13] Among the performers were Melanie La Barrie, Alexia Khadime, Norm Lewis, Trevor Dion Nicholas, Ciara Renee, Danielle Steers and Layton Williams.
Dennis was a contestant on the TV programme The Voice UK during its eight season in 2019. They choose Jennifer Hudson as their coach, after Hudson, Tom Jones and Olly Murs all turned their chairs at Dennis's performance of the song Never Enough, from the movie The Greatest Showman . Hudson and Dennis also performed "And I am Telling You" from Dreamgirls , as both had previously performed the role of Effie White, Hudson in the movie version of the show in 2006 and Dennis on the West End.
During episode three they battled against teammate Luke Swatman with the song "Your Song", winning the round and moving to the knockout phase of the programme, starting on Saturday 16 March 2019. [14] Dennis was saved by their coach and moved to the Live shows.
Dennis was eliminated during week 1 of the live shows, coming in seventh out of the nine remaining contestants. [15]
Jennifer Kate Hudson, also known by her nickname J.Hud, is an American singer and actress. Having received numerous accolades for her work in music, film, television, and theater, Hudson became the youngest woman and third African-American recipient of all four major American entertainment awards: Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony (EGOT) in 2022. She was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2013, and Time named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2020.
Leslie Dennis Heseltine is an English television presenter, actor and comedian. He presented Family Fortunes from 1987 until 2002.
Dreamgirls is a Broadway musical, with music by Henry Krieger and lyrics and book by Tom Eyen. Based on the show business aspirations and successes of R&B acts such as The Shirelles, James Brown, Jackie Wilson, and others, but closely follows the story of The Supremes as the musical follows the story of a young Black female singing trio from Chicago, Illinois called "The Dreams", who become music superstars.
Franchell "Frenchie" Davis is an American Broadway performer and a soul, dance/electronica, and pop singer. She came to public attention in 2003 as a contestant on the singing competition show American Idol. Davis began performing in Rent on Broadway soon afterward, and was a member of the cast for four years. In 2011, Davis reached the top 8 on the first season of singing competition The Voice.
Jennifer Yvette Holliday is an American singer and actress. She started her career on Broadway in musicals such as Dreamgirls (1981–83), Your Arms Too Short to Box with God (1980–1981) and later became a successful recording artist. She is best known for her debut single, the Dreamgirls number and rhythm-and-blues/pop hit, "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going", for which she won a Grammy in 1983. She also won a 1982 Tony Award for Dreamgirls.
Dreamgirls is a 2006 American musical drama film written and directed by Bill Condon and jointly produced and released by DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures. Adapted from the 1981 Broadway musical of the same name, Dreamgirls is a film à clef, a work of fiction taking strong inspiration from the history of the Motown record label and its superstar act the Supremes. The story follows the history and evolution of American R&B music during the 1960s and 1970s through the eyes of a Detroit girl group known as "The Dreams" and their manipulative record executive.
Layton Williams is an English actor, singer, dancer and musical theatre performer known for playing the role of Stephen Carmichael in the television series Bad Education and his work in the West End theatre. His first job was at the age of twelve playing the title role in Billy Elliot the Musical in London's West End.
"I Am Changing" is a song from the second act of the long-running Broadway musical Dreamgirls. Written by Henry Krieger and Tom Eyen, the song was performed by the character Effie White, originally portrayed on Broadway by Jennifer Holliday.
"And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" is a torch song from the Broadway musical Dreamgirls, with lyrics by Tom Eyen and music by Henry Krieger. In the context of the musical, "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" is sung by the character Effie White, a singer with the girl group The Dreams, to her manager, Curtis Taylor Jr., whose romantic and professional relationship with Effie is ending. The lyrics to "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going", often considered the show's signature tune, describe Effie's love for Curtis, both strongly devoted and defiant. She refuses to let Curtis leave her behind, and boldly proclaims to him, "I'm staying and you ... you're gonna love me."
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.
"Love You I Do" is a song recorded by American singer and actress Jennifer Hudson for the soundtrack of the 2006 musical film Dreamgirls. The music for the song was written by Henry Krieger, composer of the original Broadway play, with lyrics by Siedah Garrett. It is one of the four songs featured in the film that are not present in the original Broadway play. It was nominated for the 2007 Academy Award for Best Original Song, and won the 2008 Grammy Award for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media.
Jennifer Hudson is the debut studio album by American singer and actress Jennifer Hudson. It was first released in Australia, and it physically released in North America on September 30, 2008, by Arista and J Records. Hudson worked with several producers and songwriters on the album, including R. City, Missy Elliott, Brian Kennedy, Ne-Yo, Salaam Remi, T-Pain, Tank, Timbaland and The Underdogs, among others.
Casey Nicholaw is an American theatre director, choreographer, and performer. He has been nominated for several Tony Awards for his work directing and choreographing The Drowsy Chaperone (2006), The Book of Mormon (2011), Aladdin (2014), Something Rotten! (2015), Mean Girls (2018), The Prom (2019), and Some Like It Hot (2023) and for choreographing Monty Python's Spamalot (2005), winning for his co-direction of The Book of Mormon with Trey Parker and his choreography of Some Like It Hot. He also was nominated for the Drama Desk Awards for Outstanding Direction and Choreography for The Drowsy Chaperone (2006) and Something Rotten! (2015) and for Outstanding Choreography for Spamalot (2005).
Aimie Allen-Atkinson is an English stage actress and singer. She is known for portraying the role of Katherine Howard in British comedy musical Six on the original UK tour and in the West End production at the Arts Theatre, Lyric Theatre and Vaudeville Theatre, portraying Vivian Ward in the West End production of PrettyWoman, as well as forming part of pop girl group SVN.
Amber Patrice Riley sometimes known mononymously as RILEY, is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her portrayal of Mercedes Jones on the Fox comedy-drama series Glee (2009–2015). For her performance on the series, she was nominated for three NAACP Image Awards, and won a shared Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series. As a member of the cast, Riley charted over 200 entries on the Billboard Hot 100, and was nominated for a Grammy Award.
This page lists only acting roles and other projects undertaken in film, television and theater in the post-Idol career of American Idol contestants. It does not include guest musical performances or interviews on TV shows, or any pre-Idol work. It is also not intended to be a comprehensive list of all acting roles, appearances, awards nominated or won by any particular alum. Where there are multiple entries, only the more significant may be listed. Please see the appropriate links and references for individual alum for such more complete lists.
Marisha Wallace is an American actress and singer, best known for her work in musical theatre.
The Stage Debut Awards are theatre awards recognising individuals making their professional debuts in the performing arts in the UK. The annual ceremony was launched in 2017 by The Stage and include accolades for Best Performer in a Play, Best Writer, Best Designer and the Best West End Debut Performer. Recipients of these awards have gone on to star in West End shows, television series and films.
The Black British Theatre Awards (BBTAS) are presented annually and recognise excellence among Black performers and creatives in the UK.
Jocasta Almgill is a British actress, singer and dancer. She is best known for playing Diana in A Chorus Line at London's Sadler's Wells and Lady Capulet in the original West End cast of & Juliet.