Sharlene Hector is an English musical theatre actress and singer. She is best known as one of the Muses, Clio, in Disney's Hercules and for being the lead vocalist of the British band Basement Jaxx.
Hector was the singer for the electronic music duo Basement Jaxx as well as providing backing vocals for Sam Sparro, Natasha Bedingfield, Boy George and Mary J. Blige. [1]
Hector made her West End debut in the cast of Hairspray, at the London Coliseum, in the role of Lorraine and 1st cover for Motormouth Maybelle. [2]
Hector then played the lead role of Effie White (as an alternate to Nicole Raquel Dennis) in the UK tour of Dreamgirls from 2021 to 2023. [3] [4] The production was directed and choreographed by Casey Nicholaw , with set and costume design by Tim Hatley, lighting design by Hugh Vanstone.
In February 2024, Hector joined the cast of Standing at the Sky's Edge as Grace/Alice, when the show transferred in the West End at the Gillian Lynne Theatre, after a successful run at the National Theatre and Sheffield Theatres. [5]
Hector joined the cast of the UK premiere of Michael R. Jackson's A Strange Loop at the Barbican Theatre as Thought 1. [6] The show was only the tenth musical to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, previously won by Hamilton. [7]
In November 2024 Hector played Vel King in Here & Now at The Alexandra, in Birmingham. The show was produced by the British pop group Steps in collaboration with theatre company ROYO and Pete Waterman and featured many of the band's most famous songs. [8] The show became the venue's fastest selling show, with half of the run being sold in the first 24 hours from ticket release. Also in the cast were Blake Patrick Anderson, Rebecca Lock and Hiba Elchikhe. [9]
In January 2025 full cast for Hercules at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane was announced, with Hector in role role of Clio, one of the five muses, joining other Muses Candace Furbert (as Thalia), Brianna Ogunbawo (as Melpomene), Malinda Parris (as Calliope), and Robyn Rose-Li (as Terpsichore). Luke Brady starred in the titular role, with Mae Ann Jorolan (as Meg) Trevor Dion Nicholas (as Phil) and Stephen Carlile (as Hades). [10] A special Halloween performance was then announced for the evening on 31 October 2025, with a new third act with Hades taken over and a special performance by original Disney's Meg Susan Egan. [11]
| Year(s) | Production | Role | Location | Category | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Hairspray | Lorraine / 1st cover Motormouth Maybelle | London Coliseum | West End | |
| 2021-2023 | Dreamgirls | Alternate Effie White | UK tour | UK tour | [12] |
| 2023 | A Strange Loop | Thought 1 | Barbican Theatre | [13] | |
| 2024 | Standing at the Sky's Edge | Grace / Alice | Gillian Lynne Theatre | West End | [14] |
| 2024 | Here & Now | Vel King | The Alexandra | Regional | [15] [16] |
| 2025 | Hercules | Clio | Theatre Royal, Drury Lane | West End |
| Year(s) | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name That Tune | House band vocalist | [17] |
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