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Rebecca Storm | |
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| Birth name | Elizabeth Caroline Hewlett |
| Born | 17th August 1957 Shipley, Yorkshire, England |
| Genres | musical theatre |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, actress |
| Years active | 1984–present |
| Website | rebeccastorm |
Rebecca Storm is a British singer and musical theatre actress. Best known for her role as Mrs Johnstone in smash hit musical Blood Brothers. Her 1985 hit single "The Show" was the theme to the ITV television series Connie .
Rebecca Storm found her passion for singing when she was 11, although she began singing nine years earlier. [1] After studying Music and Drama at Leeds University, Storm toured the United Kingdom and mainland Europe with her own band singing folk and rock songs. At 23, she auditioned for and landed a role in Blood Brothers , her first musical show. [2] Although a little young to play the character of Mrs. Johnstone, the Catholic Liverpudian mother of seven, [2] author Willy Russell was captivated by her voice and gave her the role, aided by wardrobe and make-up. An album of songs from the show, Rebecca Storm Sings Blood Brothers, was released by CBS Ireland. [3] She went on to play the role for several years. [4]
Her role as Mrs. Johnstone gained rave reviews which catapulted her into the world of Musical theatre. [5] [6] [7] Throughout her career she has played some of the most demanding roles for a leading lady including Eva Peron in Evita , Fantine in Les Misérables , Florence in Chess , Rose in Aspects of Love , Edith Piaf in Piaf , and Joan of Arc in Jeanne amongst others. [8]
In 2003, she returned to the role of Mrs. Johnstone for a short run at the Cork Opera House, Belfast and Gaiety Theatre Dublin. In 2011 she again returned to the role of Mrs. Johnstone in the Gaiety Theatre Dublin.
In 2018/19 she appeared as Chris in Gary Barlow and Tim Firths production of Calendar Girls the Musical as it toured the Uk and Ireland gaining rave reviews
In 1992 Storm starred in Hollywood Ladies, her tribute to influences from the silver screen including Barbra Streisand, Judy Garland, Julie Andrews and Gracie Fields which was awarded "Best Musical Review '92". On television, she has appeared on several shows including Wogan , Top of the Pops , The Late Late Show and her own hour-long specials, An Evening with Rebecca Storm and Rebecca Storm at the Cork Opera House.
She sang for the King of Norway at his coronation in 1991 and performed numerous times for the British royal family.
With an orchestra and backing singers, she performed "You Don't Bring Me Flowers – The Streisand Songbook" at the Cork Opera House and the National Concert Hall in Dublin.
In 2008 she acted as a mentor for the RTÉ TV show JAM – The Musical. [9]
Storm was scheduled to perform in Annie The Musical for a short run in the Olympia Theatre, Dublin, in July 2009 and at the Cork Opera House in August 2009. [10]
Storm is a past President of Hospital Radio Bedside, a radio station that broadcasts to hospitals in Bournemouth, Poole, Christchurch & Wimborne, UK.
In 1985, Storm released the single with "The Show", the theme to the ITV drama series Connie , which peaked at number 15 in the UK. [11] The song was written by Willy Russell and Ron Hutchinson (who created the series itself). This was followed by a second single "Mr. Love" in July 1986 which was from the film of the same name, though this did not chart. A third single "The Wrong Girl", B-side "Swansong", in August 1986 was followed by a 1988 single of two tracks from Evita.
Storm has received awards for her albums Ovation, Broadway by Storm and Ireland by Storm. In 2000 she released I Want to Know What Love Is and in 2003 she released Celtic n'Broadway (Sony BMG). To celebrate her 25 years in the entertainment industry, Storm was set to release an album of old and new material in 2009.
Albums
Singles
Storm lives with her husband Kenny Shearer, a musician, arranger & producer, in County Kildare, Ireland. She has a daughter Becky from a previous relationship, who is a teacher & singer-songwriter, having starred in the musical "Once".
Evita is a musical with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. It concentrates on the life of Argentine political leader Eva Perón, the second wife of Argentine president Juan Perón. The story follows Evita's early life, rise to power, charity work, and death.
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.
Blood Brothers is a musical with book, lyrics, and music by Willy Russell and produced by Bill Kenwright. The story is a contemporary nature versus nurture plot, revolving around fraternal twins Mickey and Eddie, who were separated at birth, one subsequently being raised in a wealthy family, the other in a poor family. The different environments take the twins to opposite ends of the social spectrum, one becoming a councillor, and the other unemployed and in prison. They both fall in love with the same girl, causing a rift in their friendship and leading to the tragic death of both brothers. Russell says that his work was based on a one-act play that he read as a child "about two babies switched at birth ... it became the seed for Blood Brothers."
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Stephanie Lawrence was a British musical theatre actress.
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Events from the year 2009 in Ireland.
The Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical is an annual award presented by the Society of London Theatre in recognition of achievements in commercial London theatre. The awards were established as the Society of West End Theatre Awards in 1976, and renamed in 1984 in honour of English actor and director Laurence Olivier.
Operation Transformation is a health and fitness programme airing on RTÉ One in Ireland. The show is a cross-media event broadcast via radio, web and television on RTÉ 2fm, RTÉ.ie and RTÉ One since 2008. Prior to this it had been limited to radio but has since expanded onto the web and television. It is comparable to US television show The Biggest Loser.
Alexandria Sharpe is an Irish soprano singer and actress mostly known for her live roles in London's West End and on the Irish stage. In the United States she is best known as one of the former members of Celtic Woman from 2008 to 2010.
Killian Donnelly is an Irish tenor singer and stage actor. He has appeared in musicals such as Les Misérables, The Phantom of the Opera, and Kinky Boots.
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Bessie Sudlow was the stage name of Barbara Eliza (Bessie) Johnstone, active in the United States as a burlesque performer from 1867 to 1874, then in Britain as an opera bouffe soprano from 1874 to 1880.
William A. Murphy, better known as Bill Murphy, is an Irish theatre and screen actor, writer and producer. He has appeared in films such as Ordinary Decent Criminal (2000), My Brother's War (1997), Criminal Affairs (1997) and Moving Target (2000). He has also had roles in TV series such as Jack Taylor (2010), Titanic: Blood and Steel (2012), Vikings: Valhalla (2022) and The Gone (2023), and he portrayed Nick Barret on the RTÉ One soap opera Fair City in 2003. He has had roles in theatre and concert productions of Once (2015–2024), The Country Girls (2019), and Joyce's Women (2022). In 2022 he wrote, produced and starred in the short film Lily's Theme.
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