| Background: | person |
| Krysten Cummings | |
| Origin: | Pennsauken, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Genre: | Pop, R&B |
| Occupation: | Singer, actress |
| Instrument: | Vocals, guitar |
| Years Active: | 1996–present |
| Label: | J:Funk Recordings, Soulfuric Trax |
| Current Member Of: | OffWorld |
Krysten Cummings (born) is a stage and film actress. She is also a musician. She appeared as Tina in the 1997 production of The Fix, and as Mimi in the 1998 version of the musical Rent for which she was a 1999 Olivier Award nominee.
Cummings is originally from Pennsauken Township, New Jersey.[1] As a stage actress, she got her start at age 17 at the Ritz Theatre in Haddon Township, New Jersey.[2] She graduated in 1992 from Camden Catholic High School.[3] By 2014, she had been in more than 20 theatrical productions, and musically performed in more than 30 countries. Her career has taken her from Broadway to the West End in London.[4]
She had a co-starring role in the 2009 horror, .[5]
While she was in London, she came in to contact with Richard Archer, who fronted the rock band Hard-Fi. Certain recent-then events in the media put them both in a musical collaboration.[6]
Cummings played the original part of Tina in See Jane Run which premiered at London's Donmar Warehouse in 1997.[7]
In 2014, she performed a one-woman show at the Ritz Theatre for the "Build Jake's Place" project.[8]
In 2015, she played the part of Mimi Marquez, a woman with HIV positive in the production of Rent which played at the Ritz Theater in Haddon Township NJ.[9] In late 2015, it was announced that Cummings along with Debbie Kurup and Damien Flood would be appearing in the Seasons of Larson concert, a celebration of the life of Broadway composer Jonathan Larson. The concert was to be held at London's Lyric Theatre.[10]
In late 2017, she played the Fairy Godmother in the Cinderella at the Hackney Empire Theatre.[11]
She is a co-creator of The Bisley Boy, a gothic musical fantasy that follows the private life of Bram Stoker, which was to run at the Ritz Theatre from September 16 to October 2 in 2022.[12] [13]
Cummings provided the voice for Submerge in the 2009 sci-fi film, Ghost Machine which was directed by Chris Hartwill.[14]
She played the role of Deputy Elen Rios in , a horror film about cave crawling creatures. It was the sequel to the 2005 film, The Descent.[15] [16] Cummings' character Rios was the only one to survive the ordeal following Shauna Macdonald's character Sarah sacrificing herself to let her escape.[17]
In 2009, the single, "Sunrise" by Hoxton Whores feat. Krysten Cummings was released.[18]
In 2013, she backed Bonnie Tyler on her song, "Believe in Me at the Eurovision Song Contest that year.[19] She later backed Elnur Huseynov on his song, "Hour of the Wolf" at the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest.[20]
In 2020, Cummings was a member of the band OffWorld which was made up of Richard Archer, herself, Wolsey White, Smiley Barnard and Dale Davis. Playing a mixture of blues, gospel and soul, on April 9 they released their EP, Brave to Be Alive. Later that month they released a single, "Burnt Out Star".[21] [22] Also that month Cummings and Richard Archer performed a set of songs from his home which included songs from the EP and some Hard-Fi songs. It was part of the Royal Albert Home sessions. The songs were transmitted from the homes of the artists while the Royal Albert Hall was closed.[23] [24]