| Rebecca Caine | |
| Birth Date: | 1959 11, mf=yes |
| Birth Place: | Toronto, Canada |
| Alma Mater: | Guildhall School |
| Years Active: | 1980–present |
Rebecca Caine (born 25 November 1959) is a Canadian light lyric soprano, and musical theatre performer.
Caine was born in Toronto, Ontario and studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. She is the daughter of Australian statistician Geoffrey Watson and the granddaughter of British constitutional law scholar Sir William Ivor Jennings.[1] Caine currently resides in London.
Caine's career has been divided between opera and musical theatre. She made her West End debut at the age of 19 in the role of Laurey in Oklahoma!. She then sang the role of Eliza in My Fair Lady on a national tour. While making her debut at Glyndebourne as Amor in L'incoronazione di Poppea, she was asked to join the Royal Shakespeare Company where she created the role of Cosette in Les Misérables.[2]
After a successful West End run, she joined the original cast of The Phantom of the Opera to play Christine opposite Michael Crawford as alternate (performing 2 shows a week) when original Christine Sarah Brightman left the show and was replaced by the original alternate, Claire Moore.[3]
When the rights to a Canadian production of Phantom were secured, producer Garth Drabinsky aggressively pursued Caine to reprise the role in Toronto.[4] Andrew Lloyd Webber, who greatly admired Caine's portrayal of Christine in the London production, also strongly suggested she take the role. At the time, Caine was very close to signing a contract to star in another West End show.[5] Ultimately, she chose Phantom and relocated to Toronto and also spent time in New York in early 1989 for principal cast rehearsals with director Hal Prince.
The Canadian production of The Phantom of the Opera premiered on September 20, 1989, at the restored Pantages Theatre, with Susan Cuthbert playing Christine two performances per week as Caine's alternate. The show broke then box office records for advance ticket sales, and ran for just over ten years. During her run in Toronto, she joined the Canadian Opera Company to make her North American operatic debut in the title role of Alban Berg's Lulu. This led to offers from numerous international opera companies ranging from Claudio Monteverdi to Peter Maxwell Davies, including Pamina, Despina, Susanna, Aminta (Il re pastore), Vixen, Michaela, Musetta, Ophelie, Leila, Marguerite, Violetta, Julietta (Bohuslav Martinů) and Adina for companies such as the Canadian Opera Company, Scottish Opera, English National Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, Spoleto Festival, Opéra de Nice, Vlaamse Opera, New Zealand Opera, National Theatre of Prague, and Opera North. In 2006 she performed as Hanna Glawari in Franz Lehár's The Merry Widow for Opera Holland Park in London in 2006.
In 1996, Caine made a guest appearance on The Future Sound of London's album Dead Cities, performing operatic vocals on the song "Everyone in the World Is Doing Something Without Me".
On October 7, 2006, Caine reunited with her former cast colleagues from the original London production of Les Misérables to sing "One Day More" after a performance in celebration of the show's 21st anniversary making it the longest running musical in the world. The original cast reunited again in 2010 to celebrate the show's 25th anniversary at the O2 Arena in London.
In May 2009, Caine made her Chicago debut in the Chicago Opera Theater's production of Benjamin Britten's Owen Wingrave.
In December 2010, Caine returned to the musical theatre stage as Lady Raeburn in Salad Days produced by Tête à Tête.
In May 2011, Caine played Ottavia in a jazz adaptation of The Coronation of Poppea directed by Mark Ravenhill.
In the summer of 2012, Caine played Baroness Elsa Schraeder in the Sound of Music at the Kilworth House Theatre in Leicestershire. The production also featured Helena Blackman as Maria and Jan Hartley as Mother Abbess.
In March 2013, Caine played Lady Vale in Darling of the Day at the Union Theatre, London, marking the show's UK premiere after an initial 31-performance run on Broadway over four decades previously in 1968.[6]
From November 2014-January 2015, Caine played Katisha in The Mikado at London's Charing Cross Theatre.[7]
In December 2015-February 2016, Caine joined the Asolo Repertory Theatre Company in Sarasota, Florida making her straight acting debut as Raquel De Angellis in Living On Love.[8]
In April 2015, Caine appeared as the Mother Abbess in a production of The Sound of Music in Lebanon. The following year she performed the role in a UK tour of the show from July–September 2016.
Caine appeared at the Sheffield Crucible in the world premiere of the new musical Flowers for Mrs Harris in the role of Lady Dant/Mme. Colbert from May to June 2016.[9]
In addition to her work with opera and theatre companies, Caine continues to perform concerts and solo cabaret performances throughout Britain and North America. Caine has also taught for multiple years at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in Greenwich.
Caine made her second appearance in a play from February–March 2018 as Mrs Chasen in Harold and Maude, alongside Sheila Hancock and later Linda Marlowe as Maude, at Charing Cross Theatre.[10]
Caine returned to the role of Mother Abbess in The Sound of Music between December 2018-January 2019 at the Pattihio Theatre and Strovolos Municipal Theatre in Cyprus.
From September–October 2019, Caine appeared in the UK premiere of Preludes by Dave Malloy as hypnotherapist Nikolai Dahl at Southwark Playhouse. The cast later reunited in May 2021 for two livestreamed concert performances of the production from the same venue.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Caine taught independently and also appeared in standalone concerts such as A Merry Little Christmas Celebration at Chichester Festival Theatre in December 2020.[11]
In November 2021, Caine appeared in the 10th Anniversary Concert of Howard Goodall and Stephen Clark's musical Love Story alongside the show's original performers, Michael D Xavier and Emma Williams.
From November 2018, Caine has been involved in the development of Conor Mitchell's opera Abomination: A DUP Opera with the Belfast Ensemble as British politician, Iris Robinson. A full staging of the show was mounted in November 2019 at Outburst Queer Arts Festival at the Lyric Theatre in Belfast, where it was filmed and subsequently streamed to worldwide audiences in April 2020. Caine reunited with the ensemble from March–April 2022 to perform the opera at Ireland's national theatre, the Abbey Theatre, and then again at the Lyric Theatre in Belfast.
Caine performed the role of Margaret Johnson in The Light in the Piazza at Central City Opera in Colorado from 2–28 July in 2022.[12]
Between 8 October-5 November, Caine premiered the role of Magda in Propaganda: A New Musical at the Lyric Theatre as part of the 2022 Belfast International Arts Festival. The new work, devised and directed by Conor Mitchell in a co-production between the Lyric Theatre and the Belfast Ensemble, is set during the Cold War in 1949 in East Berlin and described as a “Soviet love story…embroiled in the chaos of circumstance, art, love and American jazz”.[13] Earlier initial development of the piece included a concert reading in April 2019 at the Lyric, under the title ‘The Young Pornographers’.[14] [15]
In May 2007, Caine released Leading Ladies, a collection of songs paying tribute to past "Leading Ladies of the British Musical Theatre Stage", from Gertrude Lawrence to Julie Andrews, with her then-collaborator and vocal coach Gerald Martin Moore on piano and vocals, playing a selection of their leading men, including Noël Coward.[16]
They created two cabaret shows based on their Leading Ladies concept (the second show is entitled Leading Ladies of Hollywood) and have performed for sold-out crowds throughout the United Kingdom in venues such as the Jermyn Street Theatre in London and the Newbury Festival in Sydmonton.[17]
Caine's world premieres have included: Jezebel, presented by the Toronto Symphony (title role; oratorio by Robertson Davies and Derek Holman); Playing Away, presented by Opera North (role: L.A. Lola; by Howard Brenton and Benedict Mason); The Golden Ass, presented by the Canadian Opera Company (role: Fotis; by Robertson Davies and Randolph Peters); Mr Emmet Takes a Walk, presented by Psappha (6 female roles; by David Pountney and Peter Maxwell Davies); Mathilde, a musical by Conor Mitchell directed by Simon Callow (Edinburgh Fringe Festival); Intolerance, a one-woman opera by Mark Ravenhill and Conor Mitchell presented by Tête-à-Tête.
| Show | Role | Date | Company, theatre, city, notes | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma! | Laurey | August–September 1981 | The Palace Theatre, London | [18] | |
| My Fair Lady | Eliza Doolittle | December 1981-February 1982 April 1982 | UK National Tour Royal Alexandra Theatre, Toronto (North American Musical Debut) | [19] | |
| Perchance to Dream | Melinda, Melanie and Melody | Winter 1983 | UK Tour | [20] | |
| Les Misérables | Cosette | October–December 1985 December 1985 – 1987 | Royal Shakespeare Company, The Barbican, London The Palace Theatre, London | [21] [22] | |
| The Phantom of the Opera | Christine Daaé (alternate) (principal) | April 1987-March 1988 September 1989-February 1992 | Her Majesty's Theatre, London The Pantages Theatre, Toronto | [23] [24] | |
| Of Thee I Sing | Mary Turner | July 1996 | Atlanta Opera, Atlanta | [27] | |
| Salad Days | Lady Raeburn | January–February 2011 | Riverside Studios, London | [28] | |
| Darling of the Day | Lady Vale | March–April 2012 | Union Theatre, London | ||
| The Sound of Music | Elsa Schraeder | August–September 2012 | Kilworth House Theatre, Leicestershire | [29] | |
| The Sound of Music | Mother Abbess | April 2015 July–September 2016 December 2018-January 2019 | Beirut, Lebanon UK Tour | [30] [31] [32] [33] [34] | |
| Flowers for Mrs Harris | Lady Dant / Madame Colbert | May–June 2016 | Sheffield Crucible Theatre, Sheffield | [35] [36] | |
| Preludes | Dahl | September–October 2019 May 2021 | Southwark Playhouse, London Streamed performances from Southwark Playhouse, London | [37] [38] | |
| Love Story | Mrs Barrett | 28 November 2021 | 10th Anniversary concert, Cadogan Hall, London | [39] | |
| The Light in the Piazza | Margaret Johnson | June–July 2022 | Central City Opera, Colorado | [40] | |
| Propaganda: A New Musical | Magda | Oct–Nov 2022 | Lyric Theatre, Belfast – world premiere by Conor Mitchell | ||
| Carousel | Nettie Fowler | July 2024 | Royal Festival Hall | [41] |
| Role | Date | Company, theatre, city, notes | Ref | ||
| Lulu | Lulu | April 1991 | Canadian Opera Company (COC), Toronto | [42] | |
| The Magic Flute | Pamina | July 1992 September–December 1993 October–November 1994 April 1995 | Glimmerglass Opera, New York – American operatic debut Canadian Opera Company (COC), Toronto English National Opera (ENO), London – English operatic debut | [43] [44] | |
| Così fan tutte | Despina | November 1992 November 2001-May 2002 December 2002 | Canadian Opera Company (COC), Toronto Scottish Opera Company, Scotland and Brighton Festival | [48] [49] [50] [51] | |
| Fidelio | Marzelline | February–March 1993 | Tulsa Opera, Oklahoma | [52] | |
| The Barber of Seville | Rosina | May 1993 | Tulsa Opera, Oklahoma | [53] | |
| Jezebel | Jezebel | June 1993 | The Joy of Singing Festival, Toronto – world premiere by Robertson Davies and Derek Holman | [54] | |
| Carmen | Micaela | September–October 1993 | Canadian Opera Company (COC), Toronto | [55] | |
| Playing Away | LA Lola | June–July 1994 | Opera North, Leeds then North UK Tour – world premiere by Howard Brenton and Benedict Mason | [56] | |
| Rigoletto | Gilda | September 1994 | Opera Lyra Ottawa (OLO), Ottawa | [57] | |
| L'incontro improvviso | Balkis | June 1995 | Opéra de Nice, Nice | [58] | |
| Hamlet | Ophelia | September 1995 - February 1996 | Opera North, Leeds then North UK Tour | [59] | |
| La Boheme | Musetta | June 1996 June–July 2001 | English National Opera (ENO), London | [60] [61] | |
| La Traviata | Violetta | July–September 1996 | Opera Northern Ireland (ONI), Belfast | [62] | |
| The Marriage of Figaro | Susanna | February 1997 | English National Opera (ENO), London | [63] | |
| Faust | Marguerite | June 1997 | New Jersey Opera Festival, New Jersey | [64] | |
| Julietta | Julietta | October–November 1997 March 2000 March–April 2003 July 2005 | Opera North, Leeds and North UK Tour Národní Divadlo Prague Opera, Prague Opera North, Leeds and North UK Tour Ravenna Festival, Italy | [65] [66] [67] [68] | |
| Cunning Little Vixen | Sharp-Ears, the Vixen | January–February 1998 June–July 1998 | Canadian Opera Company (COC), Toronto Spoleto Festival, Italy | [70] | |
| Il re pastore | Aminta | September–October 1998 | Opera North, Leeds then North UK Tour | [71] | |
| The Golden Ass | Fotis | April 1999 | Canadian Opera Company (COC), Toronto – world premiere by Robertson Davies & Randolph Peters | [72] | |
| Figaro’s Wedding | Susanna | October 1999 | English National Opera (ENO), London | [73] | |
| Mr. Emmet Takes a Walk | 6 Female Roles with Psappha | June–July 2000 | St Magnus Festival, Orkney, Scotland | [74] | |
| The Pearlfishers | Princess Leila | June 2002 | Minnesota Opera, Atlanta | [75] | |
| The Elixir of Love | Adina | March 2004 | NBR New Zealand Opera, New Zealand | [76] | |
| The Seven Deadly Sins | Anna 1 | May–June 2004 | Opera North, Leeds then UK Tour | [77] | |
| The Merry Widow | Hanna Glawari | July 2006 | Opera Holland Park, London | [78] | |
| Owen Wingrave | Mrs Coyle | May 2009 | Chicago Opera Theatre, Chicago | [79] | |
| Intolerance | Helen | August 2010 | Tête à Tête opera festival, London – world premiere by Conor Mitchell | [80] | |
| The Coronation of Poppea | Ottavia | April–May 2011 | King's Head Theatre, London | [81] | |
| The Mikado | Katisha | December 2014-January 2015 | Charing Cross Theatre, London | [82] | |
| Abomination: A DUP Opera | Iris Robinson | 17 November 2018 November 2019 April 2020 March–April 2022 | Concert with the Belfast Ensemble, Belfast – world premiere by Conor Mitchell The Belfast Ensemble, Outburst Queer Arts Festival, Lyric Theatre, Belfast Streamed proshot from the Lyric Theatre, Belfast The Belfast Ensemble, Abbey Theatre, Dublin and Lyric Theatre, Belfast | [83] |
| Show | Role | Date | Company, theatre, city and notes | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Living on Love | La Diva/Raquel DeAngelis | January–February 2016 | Asolo Repertory Theatre, Florida – straight acting debut | ||
| Harold and Maude | Mrs Chasen | February–March 2018 | Charing Cross Theatre, London |
Caine can be heard on numerous recordings including:
Caine's BBC broadcasts include:
| Date | Notes | Ref | ||
| Imeneo | 29 Apr 1984 | BBCR3. Broadcast of Handel's Imeneo by the Handel Opera Society from Sadler's Wells Theatre in London, sung in an English translation by Robert Farncombe, conducted by Charles Farncombe. Cast members included: Penelope Walker, Neil Jansen, Richard Jackson, Rebecca Caine, and Marilyn Hill Smith. | [87] | |
| Playing Away | 14 Jun 1994 | BBCR3. The first broadcast performance of a new opera with music by Benedict Mason and text by Howard Brenton, given by Opera North at the Grand Theatre, Leeds. | [88] | |
| One Touch of Venus | 3 Apr 1995 | BBCR3. As a prelude to Radio 3's Kurt Weill Weekend, John McGlinn conducts the BBC Singers and the BBC Concert Orchestra in a production of Weill's 1943 musical One Touch of Venus, a humorous indictment of the suburban American Dream. The production features previously neglected numbers. | [89] | |
| Candide | 27 Mar 1996 | BBCR3. Concert version of Leonard Bernstein's theatre-piece based on Hugh Wheeler's adaptation of Voltaire's satirical work, recorded at The Hippodrome, Golders Green. | [90] | |
| Trouble in Tahiti and The Telephone | 30 Apr 1997 | BBCR3. A double bill of American opera from the forties and fifties with works by Bernstein and Menotti, recorded in the BBC Broadcasting House Radio Theatre with the BBC Concert Orchestra. | [91] | |
| Side by Side by... Leonard Bernstein | 3 Jun 1998 | BBCR3. A celebration of the stage works of Leonard Bernstein, presented from the stage of The Palace Theatre, London, featuring excerpts from Candide, On The Town, Trouble in Tahiti, West Side Story, Wonderful Town and 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. | [92] | |
| Side by Side by... Cole Porter | 10 Jun 1998 | BBCR3. A celebration of the stage works of Cole Porter with the BBC Singers and the BBC Concert Orchestra, conducted by John McGlinn, with music including: Let's Do It (Paris), Night and Day (Gay Divorce), Miss Otis Regrets (Hi Diddle Diddle), Blow, Gabriel, Blow (Anything Goes), Begin the Beguine (Jubilee), Where Is the Life That Late I Led? (Kiss Me Kate) and I Love Paris (Can-Can). | [93] | |
| Side by Side by... Jerome Kern | 23 Dec 1999 | BBCR3. A celebration of the musicals of Jerome Kern with the Maida Vale Singers and BBC Concert Orchestra at the Peacock Theatre in London as part of the BOC Covent Garden Festival, featuring music including: Bill (Oh, Lady, Lady), Look For The Silver Lining (Sally), The Bullfrog Patrol (She’s a Good Fellow), Make Believe (Show Boat), Smoke Gets in Your Eyes (Roberta), The Way You Look Tonight (Swing Time) and All the Things You Are (Very Warm for May). | [94] | |
| Julietta | 26 Apr 2003 | BBCR3. Martinu's surrealist opera Julietta (The Book of Dreams) in David Pountney's new English translation and production for Opera North, from the Grand Theatre, Leeds. | [95] | |
| The Seven Deadly Sins | 30 May 2004 | BBCR3. The last two of Opera North's ‘Eight Little Greats’ from the company's festival of one act operas put on to celebrate their 25th anniversary, at the Grand Theatre in Leeds. | [96] | |
| Friday Night Is Music Night | 28 Dec 2007 8 Aug 2008 | BBCR2. Jerry Herman Gala. Aled Jones recalls the best live performances of the past year, including Juan Diego Florez, Andrea Bocelli, the Band of the Grenadire Guards, Nancy Griffith, Joe Stilgoe, Rebecca Caine, Jonathan Gunthorpe, David Childs and Ailish Tynan. BBCR2. Ken Bruce introduces Barry Wordsworth conducting the BBC Concert Orchestra at Watford Colosseum, with guest singers soprano Rebecca Caine and baritone Graeme Danby. | [97] |