Rachel McDowall | |
---|---|
Born | Whiston, Merseyside, England | 4 October 1984
Occupation | Actress |
Spouse(s) | Constantine Tzortzis (m. 2014) |
Rachel Anne McDowall (born 4 October 1984) is an English actress.
Rachel Anne McDowall was born on 4 October 1984 in Whiston, Merseyside. She developed an affinity for drama while attending Wade Deacon High School in nearby Widnes, Cheshire. She continued her acting studies at Laine Theatre Arts in Epsom, Surrey.
McDowall made her film debut as Lisa in the 2008 film Mamma Mia! The Movie , and had her last of eight film or television roles in a 2016 episode of Zoe Ever After . On stage, she played Swedish woman Ulla in Mel Brooks' musical The Producers in the West End and Velma Kelly in productions of the musical Chicago , in the West End and at the Cambridge Theatre in 2008, [1] and the Garrick Theatre in 2012. [2]
On 16 May 2014, McDowall married Constantine Tzortzis, a Greek-American restaurant owner best known for his appearance on the 2007 season of The Bachelorette . [3]
Year | Title | Role |
---|---|---|
2008 | Mamma Mia! The Movie | Lisa |
2008 | Quantum of Solace | Anna |
2010 | StreetDance 3D | Isabella |
2014 | The Stranger | Jayne |
2021 | The Shuroo Process | Edie |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2009 | The Bill | Nurse Maria Joseph | 2 episodes |
2016 | Zoe Ever After | Carissa | 1 episode |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2013 | Ryse: Son of Rome | Boudica | Voice |
Fred Ebb was an American musical theatre lyricist who had many successful collaborations with composer John Kander. The Kander and Ebb team frequently wrote for such performers as Liza Minnelli and Chita Rivera.
Chicago is a 2002 American musical black comedy crime film based on the 1975 stage musical of the same name which in turn originated in the 1927 film of the same name. It explores the themes of celebrity, scandal, and corruption in Chicago during the Jazz Age. The film stars Renée Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Richard Gere. Chicago centers on Roxie Hart (Zellweger) and Velma Kelly (Zeta-Jones), two murderesses who find themselves in jail together awaiting trial in 1920s Chicago. Roxie, a housewife, and Velma, a vaudevillian, fight for the fame that will keep them from the gallows. The film marks the theatrical directorial debut of Rob Marshall, who also choreographed the film, and was adapted by screenwriter Bill Condon, with music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb.
Chicago is a 1975 American musical with music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb, and book by Ebb and Bob Fosse. Set in Chicago in the jazz age, the musical is based on a 1926 play of the same title by reporter Maurine Dallas Watkins, about actual criminals and the crimes on which she reported. The story is a satire on corruption in the administration of criminal justice and the concept of the "celebrity criminal".
Mamma Mia! is a jukebox musical written by British playwright Catherine Johnson, based on the songs of ABBA composed by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, members of the band. The title of the musical is taken from the group's 1975 chart-topper "Mamma Mia". Ulvaeus and Andersson, who composed the original music for ABBA, were involved in the development of the show from the beginning. Singer Anni-Frid Lyngstad was involved financially in the production and she was also present at many of the premieres around the world.
Beatrice "Bebe" Neuwirth is an American actress, singer, and dancer. On television, she played Dr. Lilith Sternin, Frasier Crane's wife, on both the TV sitcom Cheers and its spin-off Frasier. The role won her two Emmy Awards. In 2005, Neuwirth was cast as Bureau Chief/ADA Tracey Kibre in the short-lived Law & Order courtroom drama series, Law & Order: Trial By Jury on NBC, which was canceled after just 12 episodes due to low ratings. On stage she played the Tony Award–winning roles of Nickie in the revival of Sweet Charity (1986) and Velma Kelly in the revival of Chicago (1996). Other Broadway musical roles include Lola in the revival of Damn Yankees (1994) and Morticia Addams in The Addams Family (2010). From 2014 to 2017, she starred as Nadine Tolliver in the CBS political drama Madam Secretary. In film, she portrayed Nora Shepherd in the original Jumanji (1995) and Jumanji: The Next Level (2019).
Bonita Melody Lysette Langford is an English actress, dancer and singer. She came to prominence as a child star in the 1970s, when she had a notable role in the TV series Just William. In the 1980s, she played companion Mel Bush in Doctor Who. She has also been known for appearing in various musicals in the West End and on Broadway, including shows such as Peter Pan, Cats, The Pirates of Penzance and Chicago. From 2015 to 2018, she portrayed the role of Carmel Kazemi on the BBC soap opera EastEnders, for which she received the 2016 British Soap Award for Best Newcomer.
Hairspray is an American musical with music and lyrics by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman and a book by Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan, based on John Waters's 1988 film of the same name. The songs include 1960s-style dance music and "downtown" rhythm and blues. Set in 1962 Baltimore, Maryland, the production follows teenage Tracy Turnblad's dream is to dance on The Corny Collins Show, a local TV dance program based on the real-life Buddy Deane Show. When Tracy wins a role on the show, she becomes a celebrity overnight, leading to social change as Tracy campaigns for the show's integration.
Chita Rivera, is an American actress, singer and dancer best known for originating roles in Broadway musicals including Anita in West Side Story, Velma Kelly in Chicago, and the title role in Kiss of the Spider Woman. She is a ten-time Tony Award nominee and a three-time Tony Award recipient, including one for Lifetime Achievement. She is the first Latina and the first Latino American to receive a Kennedy Center Honor and is a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
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).
Wicked is a musical, with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman. It is based on the 1995 Gregory Maguire novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, based on the characters and setting of the classic 1900 novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum and the 1939 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film The Wizard of Oz. The musical is told from the perspective of, and focuses on, the witches of the Land of Oz; its plot begins before and continues after Dorothy Gale arrives in Oz from Kansas. Wicked tells the story of two unlikely friends, Elphaba and Galinda, whose relationship struggles through their opposing personalities and viewpoints, rivalry over the same love-interest, reactions to the Wizard's corrupt government, and, ultimately, Elphaba's private fall from grace.
The Drowsy Chaperone is a musical with book by Bob Martin and Don McKellar and music and lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison. It is a parody of American musical comedy of the 1920s. The story concerns a middle-aged, asocial musical theatre fan. As he plays the record of his favorite musical, the fictional 1928 hit The Drowsy Chaperone, the show comes to life onstage, as he wryly comments on the music, story, and actors.
Leigh Zimmerman is an American actress, singer and dancer. She has appeared on Broadway in The Will Rogers Follies, Crazy for You and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum with Nathan Lane and created the role of Go-To-Hell-Kitty in the 1996 Broadway production of Chicago The Musical. Leigh is also known for London's West End productions of The Seven Year Itch, Chicago, role of Velma Kelly, Contact, role of The Girl in the Yellow Dress, The Producers, role of Ulla and A Chorus Line, role of Sheila, for which she won an Olivier Award in 2013.
Rachel York is an American actress and singer. She is known for stage roles in City of Angels, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Les Misérables, Victor/Victoria, Kiss Me, Kate, Sly Fox, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and Anything Goes. She also has many film and television credits, including her portrayal of Lucille Ball in the CBS biographical film Lucy.
The Phoenix Theatre is a West End theatre in the London Borough of Camden, located in Charing Cross Road. The entrances are on Phoenix Street and Charing Cross Road. The Phoenix Theatre was built on the site of a former factory and then music hall Alcazar before.
Michele Pawk is an American actress and singer. She is also an associate professor for theatre.
Elizabeth Anne Seal is a British actress. In 1961, she won the Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical for her performance in the title role of Irma La Douce.
Caroline Ann O'Connor is a Helpmann Award-winning, Olivier Award-nominated Anglo-Australian singer, dancer and actress. For her theatre work she has won three Helpmann Awards: Best Female Actor in a Play for Edith Piaf in Piaf in 2001 and the same category for Judy Garland in End of the Rainbow in 2006, and Best Female Actor in a Musical for Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes in 2015.
Samantha Jane Barks is a British actress and singer who has performed on stage and screen as well as television. She rose to fame after coming in third in the BBC talent show-themed television series I'd Do Anything in 2008. In 2012, she starred alongside Jonathan Bailey in the Disney Channel series Groove High, and made her film debut as Éponine in the film version of the musical Les Misérables.
Anna-Jane Casey is an English singer, dancer and actress best known for her work in musical theatre.
Six is a British musical comedy with book, music, and lyrics by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss. The musical is a modern retelling of the lives of the six wives of Henry VIII presented as a pop concert, as the wives take turns singing and telling their story to see who suffered the most due to Henry and should, therefore, become the group's lead singer.