Pia Douwes

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Pia Douwes

Pia Douwes (born 5 August 1964) is a Dutch actress in musical theatre in Europe. She is best known for having created the title role in the German-language musical Elisabeth .

Contents

Biography

Douwes was born in Amsterdam, North Holland, The Netherlands, as Petronella Irene Allegonda Douwes, to an arts dealer and a social worker, and is the grandniece of Doris Day. Initially Douwes wanted to become a nurse for mentally handicapped children, then she danced in a disco when she was 19 years old and realised that she wanted to dance. She went to London and searched for a dance school in the Yellow Pages. She chose the Brooking School of Ballet. Without any prior dance education, she auditioned (with a sprained ankle) and was accepted. One year later she attended a musical workshop with Susi Nicoletti and Sam Cane in Vienna. Cane is said to have told Douwes' father at that time: "If she doesn't become a star, I'll hang myself!"

In 1986, she got her first small part in the German-language premiere of Little Shop of Horrors in Vienna. More small parts followed and in 1987 she got her first part in a larger production, as a Swing in Cats in Amsterdam. With this production she toured Russia in 1988, playing Grizabella and Jellylorum.

More parts followed, including Fantine in the original Amsterdam production of Les Misérables in 1991, but her great break came in 1992, when she got the title role in the world premiere of Elisabeth in Vienna, Austria. Though the Viennese papers wrote a lot of scathing criticism, such as "Munter geht die Sisi unter" ("Sisi perishes") and though they denied Douwes singing and acting talent of any kind, Douwes became (along with Uwe Kröger) an acclaimed musical star and reprised the title role numerous times. Elisabeth is today the most successful German-language musical of all-time.

Until 1994 she played Elisabeth, then played more parts such as Rizzo in Grease (Vienna) and Eva Perón in Evita in the Dutch touring production.

She was also active in other areas; she dubbed the leading part for the Dutch versions of the movies Pocahontas and Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World . Additionally she did the gala evenings In love with Musical along with her colleagues Uwe Kröger, Marika Lichter and Viktor Gernot.

In 1999, she played Velma Kelly in the Dutch premiere of Chicago . Then Douwes went back to her roots and played the leading part of Elisabeth again in the Dutch and German premieres of the musical. After a total of 900 performances as the Austrian empress, she went back to the Netherlands in February 2002 to take part in the Broadway musical Fosse , along with Dutch musical stars Simone Kleinsma and Stanley Burleson  [ nl ].

In March 2003 she got the chance to play Milady de Winter in the world premiere of the Dutch musical 3 Musketiers (The Three Musketeers). The musical was later filmed (with her) and is now available on DVD.

In 2004 she played Velma Kelly in Chicago again, but this time she performed in the West End of London and then on Broadway, being the first Dutch actress to take a leading role in a production on Broadway.

Back again in the Netherlands she played Clara in Passion. Then she went back to Germany to play Milady de Winter again in the German premiere of 3 Musketiere in Theater des Westens in Berlin. She played the part until 30 October 2005.

In 2007, she appeared as a judge on Op zoek naar Evita (In search for Evita), a Dutch reality show. The winner was cast as Eva Perón, a role Douwes played over a decade ago, in a new Dutch production of Evita .

In 2008, Pia was a judge on the German reality show Ich Tarzan du Jane in which they looked for both Tarzan and Jane to star in the German production of Tarzan and returned as a judge and coach on "Op zoek naar Joseph", similar to the search for Evita, but this series searched for the male lead in the musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat .

In late 2008, she donned the turban as the infamous Norma Desmond in the Dutch touring production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Sunset Boulevard , alternating in the lead role with her friend and previous Les Misérables, Chicago and Fosse co-star, Simone Kleinsma.

In 2009 she returned yet again to judge and coach the contestants of a new Op Zoek Naar... series, this time searching for the woman who would play Mary Poppins.

After the program ended, Pia played the role 'Velma Kelly' for six weeks on the West End in 2009.

From August 2010 until January 2011 she played the 'Killer Queen' in the rock musical We Will Rock You in Utrecht.

She then toured through the Netherlands with the Dutch production of Master Class, in which she played the part of Maria Callas. The tour lasted until the end of May 2011, with two extra performances in September 2011.

Pia has played the role of Mrs. Danvers in the Stuttgart production of Rebecca, Claire Zachanassian in the Vienna production of Der Besuch der alten Dame , Diane in the Fürth production of Next To Normal and Mrs. Wilkinson in the Dutch production of Billy Elliot the Musical .

She has taken part in over 25 CD productions, and was a duet partner of José Carreras.

In 2023, she took part in the television show Het Onbekende . [1]

Musical Engagements

YearProductionRoleLocationNoteRef
1986 Little Shop of Horrors Crystal Vienna, Austria
Sam, Mario & DancersEnsemble
1987 Cats Swing Gabriella & Jellylorum Amsterdam, The Netherlands
1988 Russia Tour
1988 – 1989 Vienna, Austria
1989 – 1990Adele in CasablancaEnsemble The Netherlands Tour
1990 West Side Story Maria Belgium & the Netherlands Tour
1991 – 1992 Les Misérables Fantine Amsterdam & Scheveningen
1992 – 1994 Elisabeth Empress Elisabeth Vienna, Austria
1994Other People's MoneyKate Sullivan Prague, Czech Republic
1994 West Side Story Maria Amstetten, Austria
1994 – 1995 Grease Rizzo Vienna, Austria
1995 – 1996 Cabaret Sally Bowles Bad Hersfeld, Germany
1995 Cats Grizabella Vienna, Austria Only on August 10th, 1995.
1995 – 1997 Evita Eva Péron The Netherlands Tour
1997 Rocky Horror Show Janet Bad Hersfeld, Germany
1997 – 1999Dance! Dance! Dance!Soloist Vienna, Austria
1997 – 1998Jane EyreJane Eyre The Netherlands Tour
November 1998Savanah BayYoung Woman
December 1999The Andrew Lloyd Webber Musical GalaSoloist Germany Tour
1999 Chicago Velma Kelly Utrecht, The Netherlands
1999 – 2000 Elisabeth Empress Elisabeth Scheveningen, The Netherlands
2000 Sweeney Todd Beggar Woman London (West End), England West End Debut
December 2000Cole Porter's SongbookSoloist
2001 – 2002 Elisabeth Empress Elisabeth Essen, Germany
2002 Fosse Soloist The Netherlands Tour
2003 – 2004 3 Musketiers Milady de Winter Rotterdam, The Netherlands
2004 Chicago Velma Kelly London, England
New York (Broadway), United States of America Broadway Debut
2004 – 2005 Passion Clara The Netherlands Tour
2005 3 Musketiers Milady de Winter Berlin, Germany [2]
2005 Elisabeth Empress Elisabeth Stuttgart, Germany [3]
2006 Cabaret Sally Bowles Amsterdam, The Netherlands [4]
2006 – 2007 3 Musketiers Milday de Winters Stuttgart, Germany [5]
2007Best of MusicalSoloist Switzerland & Germany Tour [6]
June – July 2007 Cats Grizabella Amsterdam, The Netherlands [7]
December 5, 2007Chicago: 10th Anniversary Gala Velma Kelly London, England [8]
2008 3 Musketiers Milady de Winter Stuttgart, Germany 04.01. – 27.01. [5]
Elisabeth Empress Elisabeth Berlin, Germany 20.04 – 06.07. [9]
2008 – 2009 Sunset Boulevard Norma Desmond Belgium & The Netherlands Tour [10]
2009 Chicago Velma Kelly London (West End), England [11]
2010 We Will Rock You Killer Queen The Netherlands [12]
2011 Master Class Maria Callas Belgium & The Netherlands [13]
2011 – 2013 Rebecca Mrs. Danvers Stuttgart, Germany [14]
2012 – 2013Kramer vs. KramerJohanna Kramer The Netherlands Tour [15]
July – September 2013 The Visit Claire Zachanassian Thun, Switzerland [16]
October 2013 Next To Normal Diana Goodman Fürth, Germany Tour [17]
2014 – 2015 Billy Elliot Mrs. Wilkinson Scheveningen, The Netherlands [18]
February – June 2014 The Visit Claire Zachanassian Vienna, Austria [19]
April – May 2015 Next To Normal Diana Goodman Fürth, Germany Tour [20]
April – May 2016 Vienna, Austria [20]
2016 Sunset Boulevard Norma Desmond Dortmund, Germany [21]
June 2016Wenn Rosenblätter FallenRose Austria & Germany Tour [22]
2016 – 2017 Spamalot Lady of the Lake Salzburg, Austria [23]
June 2017Elisabeth in Concert Empress Elisabeth Apeldoorn, The Netherlands Concert [24]
2017 – 2018 Sunset Boulevard Norma Desmond Bonn, Switzerland [25]
April 2017 Next To Normal Diana Goodman Fürth, Germany Tour [20]
Dresden, Germany [20]
May 2018Ein wenig FarbeHelena and others Vienna, Austria [26]
June 2018Elisabeth in Concert Empress Elisabeth Baarn, The Netherlands Concert [24]
September 2018Ludwig²Amme Sybille Meilhausen Füssen, Germany [27]
2018 – 2019 The Addams Family Morticia Addams The Netherlands Tour [28]
July 2019Elisabeth in Concert Empress Elisabeth Vienna, Austria Concert [29]
2022 The Prom Dee Dee Allen The Netherlands Tour [30]
2023 – 2024 Follies Sally Durant Plummer Wiesbaden, Germany [31]
2025 Elisabeth older Empress Elisabeth The Netherlands Tour [32]

Discography

Awards and nominations

Pia has also been given the award for Female Leading Role six times by the readers of the German magazine "Musicals" for her performances in Elisabeth also the best Female with the most beautiful voice.

References

  1. ↑ "Deze zeven verrassende BN'ers doen mee aan Het Onbekende" [These seven surprising Dutch celebrities are taking part in Het Onbekende]. Televizier (in Dutch). 21 April 2023. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
  2. ↑ michelhonold (2005-04-06). "3 Musketiere (Berlin 2005)" (in German). Retrieved 2025-08-25.
  3. ↑ michelhonold (2005-03-06). "Elisabeth (Stuttgart 2005)" (in German). Retrieved 2025-08-25.
  4. ↑ Blume, Juliane (2014-05-19). "Cabaret" (in German). Retrieved 2025-08-25.
  5. 1 2 Heyden, Christian. "3 Musketiere (2006 – 2008) Apollo Theater, Stuttgart". musicalzentrale (in German).
  6. ↑ Leonhardt, Claudia. "Best of Musical 2007". musicalzentrale (in German).
  7. ↑ "Cats-ster Pia Douwes op de bres voor Poezenboot | Radiowereld" (in Dutch). 2007-06-28. Retrieved 2025-08-25.
  8. ↑ "Chicago Razzle Dazzles on 10th anniversary". Official London Theatre. Retrieved 2025-08-25.
  9. ↑ michelhonold (2008-04-18). "Elisabeth (Berlin 2008)" (in German). Retrieved 2025-08-25.
  10. ↑ Redactie (2018-09-16). "Musical Sunset Boulevard (2008)". Musicalweb.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 2025-08-25.
  11. ↑ "Pia Douwes returns as Velma in Chicago at the Cambridge Theatre from 14 Sep 2009". London Theatre. 2016-06-08. Retrieved 2025-08-25.
  12. ↑ "Stage Entertainment Nederland - Archief".
  13. ↑ "Masterclass: Maria Callas - Pia Douwes". www.theater.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 2025-08-13.
  14. ↑ "Musicalworld".
  15. ↑ "'Kramer vs Kramer' | Puur Theater". www.puurtheater.nl. Retrieved 2025-08-25.
  16. ↑ michelhonold (2013-07-16). "Der Besuch der alten Dame (Thun 2013)" (in German). Retrieved 2025-08-13.
  17. ↑ "Stück". www.stadttheater.de (in German). Retrieved 2025-08-14.
  18. ↑ "Milan uit Diemen speelt in de musical Billy Elliot". www.diemernieuws.nl (in Dutch). 2015-07-10. Retrieved 2025-08-14.
  19. ↑ michelhonold (2014-04-13). "Der Besuch der alten Dame" (in German). Retrieved 2025-08-13.
  20. 1 2 3 4 "Next To Normal - Fast Normal (2013 – 2017) Tournee (Stadttheater, Fürth)" (in German).
  21. ↑ Obens, Detlef (2016-10-09). "Ganz großes Hollywood-Kino im Dortmunder Opernhaus: Premiere des Erfolgsmusicals SUNSET BOULEVARD von Andrew Lloyd Webber". DAS OPERNMAGAZIN (in German). Retrieved 2025-08-13.
  22. ↑ birgitbernds (2016-05-22). "Wenn Rosenblätter fallen (Tour 2016)" (in German). Retrieved 2025-08-14.
  23. ↑ "Landestheater startet mit Monty-Python-Musical". salzburg.orf.at (in German). 2016-09-17. Retrieved 2025-08-14.
  24. 1 2 "Elisabeth in Concert".
  25. ↑ "Sunset Boulevard (2017–2018)" (in German).
  26. ↑ birgitbernds (2018-04-21). "Ein wenig Farbe (Wien 2018)" (in German). Retrieved 2025-08-13.
  27. ↑ "Das Ludwig²-Musical feiert eine gelungene Premiere im Festspielhaus". www.kreisbote.de (in German). 2018-05-07. Retrieved 2025-08-13.
  28. ↑ "The Addams Family". musicalzentrale.
  29. ↑ "ELISABETH 2019 - Die Hauptdarsteller stehen fest | News - News - MusicalVienna". musicalvienna.at (in German). Retrieved 2025-08-13.
  30. ↑ "It's time to celebrate: „The Prom" in den Niederlanden". kulturfeder.de – Onlinemagazin für Musical, Oper und mehr (in German). 2022-09-29. Retrieved 2025-08-13.
  31. ↑ "Follies - musicalzentrale.de - Berichte, Rezensionen, Forum". musicalzentrale.de - News, Termine, Rezensionen, Forum (in German). 2023-10-29. Archived from the original on 2024-09-13. Retrieved 2025-08-13.
  32. ↑ "News » PIA DOUWES – Actress // Singer // Coach" (in German). Retrieved 2025-03-05.
  33. ↑ "Somewhere in the Audience | Sleeve Notes | Eric Woolfson". www.ericwoolfsonmusic.com. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
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