Rebecca McKinnis is a British actress and singer who is best known for playing Margaret New in Everybody's Talking about Jamie and Heidi Hansen in the original West End cast of Dear Evan Hansen.
McKinnis grew up in Scotland[1] and graduated in musical theatre from Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in 2001.[2]
McKinnis first role in a theatre production was in Boy George's Taboo.
In 2012 McKinnis was part of the ensemble of Viva Forever! a comedy musical by Jennifer Saunders, featuring songs from the Spice Girls.[3] The show ran at the Piccadilly Theatre between 2012 and 2013, closing in 6 months.[4]
In 2015 she was part of the cast of The Sound of Music Live, a British TV production with Julian Ovenden in the role of Captain Von Trapp and Maria Friedman in that of Mother Abbess.[5]
McKinnis joined the cast of the musical Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown in October 2022 as Cristina. The UK version of the show included Tamsin Greig as Pepa, Haydn Gwynne as Lucia, with Dutch actress Willemijn Verkaik playing Paulina.[6]
in 2018 it was announced that McKinnis will be playing Margaret, Jamie's mum, in the West End cast of Everybody's Talking About Jamie, alongside John McCrea (Jamie) and Shobna Gulati (Ray), part of the original cast.[7] A movie version of the show was announced in 2021. In 2023 McKinnis joined Ivano Turco and Shobna Gulati in the second UK tour of the musical.[8] The show played at London's Peacock Theatre, before embarking on the national tour. John Partridge was also part of the cast as Loco Chanelle with Sam Bailey playing Miss Hedge in spring-summer 2024.[9] [10]
From the end of 2019 McKinnis was Heidi Hansen, Evan's mum, in the first UK production of Dear Evan Hansen, alongside newcomer Sam Tutty in the role of Evan.[11] The show reopened in October 2021, after the COVID-19 pandemic, with McKinnis and Tutty in the same roles.[12]
| Year | Production | Role | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taboo | Virus / cover Kim and Big Sue | UK tour | ||
| We Will Rock You | Teacher and u/s Killer Queen | Dominion Theatre | ||
| 2009 - 2010 | Les Miserables | Madame | UK Tour | |
| 2012 - 2013 | Viva Forever! | Ensemble | Piccadilly Theatre | |
| 2014 - 2015 | Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown | Cristina | Playhouse Theatre | |
| 2016 - 2017 | Mamma Mia | u/s and Donna and Tanya | Prince of Wales Theatre | |
| 2017 - 2019 | Everybody's Talking about Jamie | u/s and Margaret New | Apollo Theatre | |
| 2019 - 2022 | Dear Evan Hansen | Heidi Hansen | Noël Coward Theatre | |
| 2023 | Wish You Were Dead | Tessa | UK tour | |
| 2023 - 2024 | Everybody's Talking about Jamie | Margaret New | Peacock Theatre | |
| 2024 | Everybody's Talking about Jamie | Margaret New | UK tour |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Shelf Life | Clarissa | Short Film | |
| 2017 | Beauty and the Beast | villager |