| Christina Bennington | |
| Birth Date: | 1992 1, df=y |
| Birth Place: | Lisburn, Northern Ireland |
| Genre: | Musical theatre |
| Years Active: | 2013–present |
| Origin: | Belfast, Northern Ireland |
| Associated Acts: | Jim Steinman, The Celebs |
Christina Bennington (born 30 January 1992) is a Northern Irish actress and singer. She is best known for originating the lead role of Raven in , in various productions of the show from 2017 to 2019 in both the UK and North America.
Christina was born in Lisburn, just outside Belfast.[1] She attended Methodist College Belfast, where she served as head girl. She went on to study at Guildford School of Acting in Surrey,[2] graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Musical Theatre awarded by the University of Surrey.[3] She attributes her energy levels needed to perform 8 shows a week to a Pilates regime and vegan diet.[4]
| Year | Show | Role | Theatre | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-14 | A Christmas Carol | Marilyn | Birmingham Repertory Theatre | Birmingham[5] | |
| 2014-15 | Finian's Rainbow | Sharon | Union Theatre | Off-West End | |
| 2015 | The Smallest Show on Earth | Marlene Hardcastle | Mercury Theatre | Colchester | |
| 2015 | Oklahoma! | Ensemble / Cover Laurey | UK National Tour[6] | ||
| 2016 | Show Boat | Kim / Ensemble / Understudy Magnolia | New London Theatre | London[7] | |
| 2016 | Sweeney Todd | Johanna | Derby Theatre / Mercury Theatre | Derby / Colchester[8] | |
| 2017 | Raven | Manchester Opera House | Manchester[9] | ||
| 2017 | London Coliseum | West End[10] | |||
| 2017-18 | Toronto[11] | ||||
| 2018-19 | Dominion Theatre | West End[12] | |||
| 2019-20 | New York City Center | New York[13] | |||
| 2021 | Veronica Sawyer | Theatre Royal Haymarket | West End[14] |
The show's author / composer Jim Steinman is quoted to have said of her: "Christina is so petite but she's got an incredibly big voice and stage presence. She plays Raven with the perfect amount of youthful enthusiasm and coming of age curiosity. She's beautiful and strong."[15]
According to one of the musical's producers David Sonenberg, the show itself has been "unbelievably profitable" and by August 2018 had played to over 500,000 people.[16] It also broke box office records at the Dominion Theatre, taking £350,000 in its first day of ticket sales.[17]
Bennington features heavily on the cast recording for Bat Out Of Hell The Musical in her role as Raven, singing the song Heaven Can Wait as a solo, duetting on the songs Making Love Out Of Nothing At All and For Crying Out Loud, and featuring as a lead in the songs It's All Coming Back To Me Now and I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That).[18]
In late 2018, Bennington joined two groups in recording charity singles - as one of The Celebs in a charity record Rock With Rudolph, which was written and produced by Grahame and Jack Corbyn. It was a Christmas song which aimed to raise funds for the Great Ormond Street Hospital and was released digitally on independent record label Saga Entertainment on 30 November 2018. The music video debuted exclusively with The Sun on 29 November 2018, and had its first TV showing on Good Morning Britain on 30 November 2018. The song peaked at number two on the iTunes pop chart.[19] She also participated in the "West End Friends" recording the Carole King song You Got A Friend to raise money for Barnardo's.[20] [21] [22]
In 2020 amid the COVID-19 crisis Bennington returned to join The Celebs which now included Frank Bruno and X Factor winner Sam Bailey to raise money for both Alzheimer's Society and Action for Children. They recorded a new rendition of Merry Christmas Everyone by Shakin' Stevens and it was released digitally on 11 December 2020, on independent record label Saga Entertainment. The music video debuted exclusively on Good Morning Britain the day before release. The song peaked at number two on the iTunes pop chart.[23] [24]
She also appeared as Raven in several televised performances of songs from Bat Out Of Hell. On UK television, this includes appearances on Tonight at the London Palladium,[25] This Morning,[26] Britain's Got Talent,[27] and as one of the contributing acts in the 2018 Proms In The Park, accompanied by the BBC Concert Orchestra.[28] And on US television, as part of the cast performing on The Today Show.[29]
Bennington performed two sold out solo shows at The Crazy Coqs in London on January 7, 2019.[30]
Bennington portrays Cortana in season 2 of Halo.[31]
Bennington was nominated for "Understudy of the Year" in the BroadwayWorld UK awards for Magnolia in Showboat at the New London Theatre in 2016.[32]
For her role as Raven in Bat Out Of Hell The Musical, Bennington received nominations for "Best Actress in a Musical" in two award ceremonies: the 2017 BroadwayWorld UK Awards,[33] and the 2018 WhatsOnStage Awards.[34] The show Bat Out Of Hell The Musical won The Evening Standard's "Best Musical" award in 2017, and Bennington accepted the award alongside co-star Andrew Polec.[35]