Niamh Perry Explained

Niamh Perry
Birth Name:Niamh Perry
Birth Place:Bangor, County Down, UK
Nationality:Northern Irish
Occupation:Singer
Yearsactive:2008–present

Niamh Perry is a Northern Irish singer who is best known for playing Fleck in the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Love Never Dies. She came to prominence when she competed as one of the finalists in the BBC talent show-themed television series I'd Do Anything in 2008.[1]

Early life

Born in Bangor, County Down, Perry attended Our Lady and St. Patrick's College, Knock.[2]

In 2007, she achieved a Distinction in her Grade eight classical singing examination, for which she won the South Eastern Education and Library Board (SEELB) Outstanding Achievement Award for Contribution to the Arts[3] She was a member of Music Theatre for Youth (MT4UTH) from when the company was founded in 2005 and she was also a member of the MT4UTH Showcase group, Footlighters. She performed with MT4UTH in productions of Sweet Charity, in which she played the lead role of Charity,[4] Oliver!, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Guys and Dolls and West Side Story. She also sang a solo at the re-opening of the Grand Opera House in Belfast.[5]

In February 2008, Perry took part in an NSPCC campaign encouraging adults to call the NSPCC Child Protection Helpline if they had concerns about a child's welfare.[6]

Singing career

In March 2008, Perry was announced as one of the final 12 contestants in the BBC1 programme I'd Do Anything, which premiered on 15 March 2008 and aimed to find a performer to play Nancy in a West End revival of the musical Oliver!. Perry was eliminated from the show in week eight [7] but has since gone on to have a successful career in musical theatre.

Perry played the lead role of Belle in the musical Only the Brave, which had its world premiere at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe on 31 July 2008 at the George Square theatre and ran until 25 August.[8] [9] On 13 September 2008 she performed alongside fellow I'd Do Anything finalist Rachel Tucker at the Proms in the Park, held at Belfast City Hall as part of the nationwide celebration of the BBC Last Night of the Proms.[10] [11] Perry was a featured vocalist with the BBC Concert Orchestra on the BBC Radio 2 programme Friday Night is Music Night in October 2008.[12]

On 16 November 2008, Perry sang at St Paul's Cathedral in the City of London at a fundraising and awareness raising event for Save the Children. She was the joint lead vocalist with opera singer Mark Stone as they sang the premiere performance of "The Cry, a requiem for a lost child".[13]

She appeared in pantomime at the Devonshire Park Theatre in Eastbourne, East Sussex from 12 December 2008 to 11 January 2009 in Show White and the Seven Dwarfs playing the lead role of Snow White alongside Stefan Booth.[14]

In May 2009, Andrew Lloyd Webber revealed on an episode of 'Friday Night with Jonathan Ross' that Perry would be singing one of the roles on the Original Cast Recording for Love Never Dies, the sequel to Phantom of the Opera, describing her as "wonderful".[15]

On Monday 15 June 2009, Niamh began playing the lead role of Sophie Sheridan in Mamma Mia! The Musical at the Prince of Wales Theatre, London, with Sally Ann Triplett as Donna.[16]

On 19 March 2011 she was the wedding singer for the BBC Three live musical drama Frankenstein's Wedding.[17]

In 2012, Perry gained positive reviews for her portrayal of Kim in the Boy George musical Taboo.[18]

Perry went on to impress as Johanna Barker in at the West Yorkshire Playhouse and then at Royal Exchange, Manchester.[19]

In February 2014, it was announced that Perry had been selected to lead the cast of the revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber musical The Beautiful Game when it returned to London.[20] She went on to receive much critical acclaim for her portrayal of Mary.[21] [22] [23] [24]

Thomas & Friends

Perry was confirmed as the voice of Dash by Joel Beckford. She performed a festive Wombles classic "Wombling Merry Christmas" together with Joel Beckford, Jessie Buckley, Jon Moses and the new series narrator Laura Whitmore, who did the narrating interlude.

Filmography

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
2008 I'd Do Anything Herself
2008 BBC Last Night of the Proms Herself
2010 Frankenstein's Wedding The Wedding Singer
2013 Thomas & Friends Dash Voice

Theatre Credits

YearTitleRoleTheatreLocation
2005 Oliver! Ensemble MT4UTH London
2006 Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Ensemble MT4UTH London
2006 Guys & Dolls Ensemble MT4UTH London
2007 West Side Story Ensemble MT4UTH London
2007 Sweet Charity Charity MT4UTH London
2008 Only The Brave Belle George Square Theatre Edinburgh Fringe Festival
2008-09 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Snow White Eastbourne
2009 Love Never Dies Fleck West End
2009-10 Mamma Mia Sophie Sheridan West End
2010-11 Lee Mead Concert Tour Herself UK National Tour
2011-12 The Little Prince Musical The Little Prince Belfast
2012 A Song Cycle for Soho Herself Off-West End
2012 Taboo Kim Brixton Clubhouse Off-West End
2013 Johanna West Yorkshire / Manchester
2014 The Beautiful Game Mary London
2014-16 Mamma Mia Sophie Sheridan International Tour
2017 Once Girl Dublin
2018 Whisper House Female Ghost Off-West End
2019 Exposure Pandora Off-West End
2022 Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Delphini Diggory West End

Notes and References

  1. News: Nancy Contestants – Niamh . BBC News . 22 March 2008. 26 April 2008.
  2. News: Niamh reaches 8 in the search for NANCY . Our Lady and St. Patrick's College, Knock. 19 April 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20111005182405/http://www.knock.co.uk/ItemDetail.aspx?id=64a4addb-9d08-458f-b2fc-739539feb7db&mid=1601 . dead . 5 October 2011 . 26 April 2008.
  3. News: SEELB Outstanding Achievement Awards 2007 . Our Lady and St. Patrick's College, Knock. 2007. 26 April 2008.
  4. News: Youth Arts Gallery – Music Theatre 4 Youth. Arts Council of Northern Ireland. 20 May 2008. 14 September 2008.
  5. News: Niamh Perry: A superstar is born. BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. 2019-02-04. en-GB. 0307-1235.
  6. News: 'Talk to us', says NSPCC . . 26 February 2008. https://archive.today/20121203003316/http://www.thect.co.uk/north-down/news/article3466573.ece . dead . 3 December 2012 . 26 April 2008.
  7. News: Reviewing the Situation: Week Eight . BBC News . 17 May 2008. 22 May 2008.
  8. News: Paddock . Terri . Reality TV's Keith & Niamh Head Brave New Musical . whatsonstage.com . 19 June 2008. 14 September 2008.
  9. News: Apter . Kelly . Musical & Opera Review: Only The Brave . The Scotsman . UK . 20 August 2008. 14 September 2008.
  10. News: Singers tune up for Proms . . 12 September 2008. 14 September 2008.
  11. News: BBC Proms in the Park . . 30 August 2008 .
  12. News: Matthew Brind . Gavin Barker Associates Ltd . 18 November 2008.
  13. News: Events – The Cry: A Requiem for the Lost Child . . 16 November 2008 . 18 November 2008 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20081120101515/http://www.savethechildren.org.uk/en/48_6711.htm . 20 November 2008 .
  14. News: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs . Eastbournetheatres.co.uk . 30 August 2008.
  15. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006m99d One Programmes – Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
  16. George R Vaughan Mamma's New Bride. Womentalking.co.uk. 8 Jul 2009
  17. Web site: corsets, crafts and cupcakes: I Was A Guest At Frankenstein's Wedding...Live In Leeds. Corsetscraftsandcupcakes.blogspot.com. 20 March 2011. 30 July 2020.
  18. Web site: The Public Reviews » Taboo – Brixton Club House, London . www.thepublicreviews.com . 13 January 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121105081522/http://www.thepublicreviews.com/taboo-brixton-club-house-london/ . 5 November 2012 . dead.
  19. Web site: Sweeney Todd, West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds. Dominic. Cavendish. 4 October 2013. 30 July 2020. Telegraph.co.uk.
  20. Web site: Niamh Perry to lead the cast of the Beautiful Game revival | News | the Stage . www.thestage.co.uk . 13 January 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160305023008/https://www.thestage.co.uk/news/2014/niamh-perry-lead-cast-beautiful-game-revival/ . 5 March 2016 . dead.
  21. Web site: The Beautiful Game (Union Theatre) | WhatsOnStage. Whatsonstage.com. 30 July 2020.
  22. Web site: The Beautiful Game @ The Union Theatre. Thegizzlereview.com. 30 July 2020.
  23. Web site: Niamh Perry Playing The Beautiful Game – Interview. Musicaltheatrereview.com. 30 July 2020.
  24. Web site: The Beautiful Game – Union Theatre, London | the Public Reviews . www.thepublicreviews.com . 13 January 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140716204321/http://www.thepublicreviews.com/the-beautiful-game-union-theatre-london/ . 16 July 2014 . dead.