Pia Douwes (born 5 August 1964) is a Dutch actress in musical theatre in Europe. She is best known for having created the title role in the German-language musical '' Elisabeth''.

Biography

Douwes was born in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

, North Holland, The Netherlands, as ''Petronella Irene Allegonda Douwes'', to an arts dealer and a social worker, and is the grandniece of Doris Day. Initially Douwes wanted to become a nurse for mentally handicapped children, then she danced in a disco when she was 19 years old and realised that she wanted to dance. She went to

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

and searched for a dance school in the ''Yellow Pages''. She chose the ''Brooking School of Ballet''. Without any prior dance education, she auditioned (with a sprained ankle) and was accepted. One year later she attended a musical workshop with

Susi Nicoletti Susi Nicoletti (3 September 1918 – 5 June 2005) was a Bavarian-born actress best remembered today for over 100 supporting roles mostly in comedy films. She was born as Susanne Emilie Luise Adele Habersack in Munich, but spent most of her childh ...

and

Sam Cane Samuel Jordan Cane (born 13 January 1992) is a New Zealand rugby union rugby player. His regular playing position is as a loose forward. He currently plays for Chiefs and Bay of Plenty. Cane made his international debut for New Zealand in 20 ...

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

. Cane is said to have told Douwes' father at that time: "If she doesn't become a star, I'll hang myself!" In 1986, she got her first small part in the German-language premiere of '' Little Shop of Horrors'' in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

. More small parts followed, and in 1987 she got her first part in a larger production, as a Swing in '' Cats'' in

. With this production she toured

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

in 1988, playing Grizabella and Jellylorum. More parts followed, including Fantine in the original Amsterdam production of ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its origin ...

'' in 1991, but the great break came in 1992, when she got the title role in the world premiere of '' Elisabeth'' in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

. Though the Viennese papers wrote a lot of scathing criticism, such as ''"Munter geht die Sisi unter" ("Sisi perishes")'' and they denied Douwes singing and acting talent of any kind, Douwes became (along with

Uwe Kröger Uwe Kröger (; born 4 December 1964 in Hamm, West Germany) is a musical star in the German-speaking countries of the world. Besides starring on stage, Kröger has taken part in galas and concerts, as well as making television and film appearances ...

) an acclaimed musical star and reprised the title role numerous times. ''Elisabeth'' is today the most successful German-language musical of all-time. Until 1994 she played ''Elisabeth'', then played more parts like Rizzo in '' Grease'' (Vienna) and

Eva Perón María Eva Duarte de Perón (; ; 7 May 1919 – 26 July 1952), better known as just Eva Perón or by the nickname Evita (), was an Argentine politician, activist, actress, and philanthropist who served as First Lady of Argentina from June 19 ...

in '' Evita'' in the Dutch touring production. She was also active in other areas; she sang and spoke the leading part for the Dutch versions of the movies ''

Pocahontas Pocahontas (, ; born Amonute, known as Matoaka, 1596 – March 1617) was a Native American woman, belonging to the Powhatan people, notable for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. She was the daughter of ...

'' and '' Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World''. Additionally she did the gala evenings ''In love with Musical'' along with her colleagues Uwe Kröger, Marika Lichter and Viktor Gernot. In 1999 she played Velma Kelly in the Dutch premiere of ''

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

''. Then Douwes went back to her roots and played the leading part of ''Elisabeth'' again in the Dutch and German premieres of the musical. After a total of 900 performances as the Austrian empress, she went back to the Netherlands in February 2002 to take part in the Broadway musical '' Fosse'', along with Dutch musical stars Simone Kleinsma and . In March 2003 she got the chance to play

Milady de Winter Milady Laurence de Winter, often referred to as simply Milady, is a fictional character in the novel ''The Three Musketeers'' (1844) by Alexandre Dumas, père, set in 1625 France. She is a spy for Cardinal Richelieu and is one of the dominant a ...

in the world premiere of the Dutch musical '' 3 Musketiers'' (''The Three Musketeers''). The musical was later recorded (with her) and is now available on DVD. In 2004 she played Velma Kelly in ''Chicago'' again, but this time she performed in the

West End of London The West End of London (commonly referred to as the West End) is a district of Central London, west of the City of London and north of the River Thames, in which many of the city's major tourist attractions, shops, businesses, government build ...

and then on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

, being the first Dutch actress to take a leading role in a production on Broadway. Back again in the Netherlands she played Clara in ''Passion''. Then she went back to Germany to play Milady de Winter again in the German premiere of ''3 Musketiere'' in Theater des Westens in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

. She played the part until 30 October 2005. In 2007, she was seen as a judge on ''Op zoek naar Evita'' (In search for Evita), a Dutch reality show. The winner was cast as Eva Perón, a role Douwes played over a decade ago, in a new Dutch production of '' Evita''. In 2008, Pia was a judge on the German reality show ''Ich Tarzan du Jane'' in which they looked for both Tarzan and Jane to star in the German production of ''

Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton II, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adv ...

'' and returned as a judge and coach on "Op zoek naar Joseph", similar to the search for Evita, but this series searched for the male lead in the musical '' Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat''. In late 2008, she donned the turban as the infamous

Norma Desmond ''Sunset Boulevard'' (styled in the main title on-screen as ''SUNSET BLVD.'') is a 1950 American black comedy film noir directed and co-written by Billy Wilder, and produced and co-written by Charles Brackett. It was named after a major street ...

in the

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

touring production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's ''

Sunset Boulevard Sunset Boulevard is a boulevard in the central and western part of Los Angeles, California, that stretches from the Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades east to Figueroa Street in Downtown Los Angeles. It is a major thoroughfare in ...

'', alternating in the lead role with her friend and previous ''Les Misérables'', ''Chicago'' and ''Fosse'' co-star, Simone Kleinsma. In 2009 she returned yet again to judge and coach the contestants of a new ''Op Zoek Naar...'' series, this time searching for the woman who would play Mary Poppins. After the program ended, Pia played the role 'Velma Kelly' for six weeks on the West End in 2009. From August 2010 until January 2011 she played the 'Killer Queen' in the rock musical ''

We Will Rock You "We Will Rock You" is a song written by Brian May and recorded by British rock band Queen for their 1977 album ''News of the World''. ''Rolling Stone'' ranked it number 330 of " The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2004, and it placed at num ...

'' in Utrecht. She then toured all over the Netherlands with the Dutch production of

Master Class A master class is a class given to students of a particular discipline by an expert of that discipline—usually music, but also science, painting, drama, games, or on any other occasion where skills are being developed. "Masterclass" is als ...

, in which she played the part of Maria Callas. The tour lasted until the end of May 2011, with two extra performances in September 2011. Pia has played the role of Mrs. Danvers in the Stuttgart production of Rebecca, Claire Zachanassian in the Vienna production of '' Der Besuch der alten Dame'', Diane in the Fürth production of ''

Next To Normal ''Next to Normal'' (stylized in all lowercase) is a 2008 American rock musical with book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey and music by Tom Kitt. The story centers on a mother who struggles with worsening bipolar disorder and the effects that managing ...

'', and currently she is playing Mrs. Wilkinson in the Dutch production of ''

Billy Elliot the Musical ''Billy Elliot: The Musical'' is a coming-of-age stage musical based on the 2000 film of the same name. The music is by Elton John, and the book and lyrics are by Lee Hall, who wrote the film's screenplay. The plot revolves around Billy, a ...

''. Pia Douwes is the most famous European musical actress alongside Ute Lemper. She has taken part in over 25 CD productions, and was a duet partner of José Carreras.

Musical Engagements

* 1986 - ''Little Shop of Horrors'', Crystal in Vienna * 1986 - 1987''Sammy Mario and Dancers'', Dancer in Vienna * 1987 - ''Cats'', Swing, Grizabella, Jellylorum in Amsterdam * 1988 - 1989 ''Cats'', Grizabella, Jellylorum, Demeter in Vienna * 1988 - ''Cats'', Grizabella, Jellylorum at the tour through Russia * 1990 - ''West Side Story'', Maria at the tour through Belgium and the Netherlands * 1991 - 1992 ''Les Misérables'', Fantine in Amsterdam & Schevenigen * 1992 - 1994 ''Elisabeth'', Empress Elisabeth in Vienna * 1994 ''Other People's Money'', Kate Sullivan in Prague * 1994 ''West Side Story'', Maria in Summer of Musical Amstetten * 1994 - 1995 ''Grease'', Rizzo in Vienna * 1995 / 1996 ''Cabaret'',

Sally Bowles Sally Bowles () is a fictional character created by English-American novelist Christopher Isherwood and based upon 19-year-old cabaret singer Jean Ross. The character debuted in Isherwood's 1937 novella ''Sally Bowles'' published by Hogarth Press ...

in Bad Hersfeld, Germany * August 10, 1995 ''Cats'', Grizabella and guest at the premiere in Vienna * 1995 - 1996 and January 1997 ''Evita'', Eva Péron at the tour through the Netherlands * 1997 ''Rocky Horror Show'', Janet in Bad Hersfeld, Germany * 1997 - 1999 ''Dance! Dance! Dance!'', Soloist in Vienna * 1997 - 1998 ''Jane Eyre'', Jane Eyre at the tour through the Netherlands * November 1998 ''Savanah Bay'', Young Woman in the Netherlands * December 1999 ''The Andrew Lloyd Webber Musical Gala'', Soloist at the tour through Germany * 1999 ''Chicago'', Velma Kelly in Utrecht * 1999 - 2000 ''Elisabeth'', Elisabeth in Schevenigen * 2000 ''Sweeney Todd'', Beggar Woman, Debut in the West End of London * December 2000 ''Cole Porter's Songbook'', Soloist * 2001 - 2002 ''Elisabeth'', Empress Elisabeth in Essen * 2002 ''Fosse'', Soloist at the tour through the Netherlands * 2003 - 2004 ''3 Musketiers'', Milady de Winter in Rotterdam * 2004 ''Chicago'', Velma Kelly in London * 2004 ''Chicago'', Velma Kelly, Debut on broadway * 2004 - 2005 ''Passion'', Clara at the tour through the Netherlands * 2005 ''3 Musketiere'', Milady de Winter in Berlin * 2006 ''Cabaret'' in Amsterdam * 2006 ''Elisabeth'', Empress Elisabeth in Stuttgart * November 2006 - March 4, 2007 ''3 Musketiere'', Milady de Winter in Stuttgart * April - June 2007 ''Best of Musical 2007'' * July 2007 ''Cats'', Grizabella * December 5, 2007, ''Chicago'': 10th Anniversary Gala" as Velma Kelly. * 2008 04.01. - 27.01. ''Die drei Musketiere'', Milady de Winter in Stuttgart * 2008 20.04 - 06.07 ''Elisabeth'', Empress Elisabeth in Berlin * 2008-2009 ''Sunset Boulevard'' * 2009 14.09 - 24.10 ''Chicago'', West End as Velma Kelly * September 2010 - December 2010 ''We will rock you'', The Netherlands as Killer Queen * December 2011 - 2013 '' Rebecca'', Stuttgart,

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

as Mrs. Danvers * October 2013 ''Next to normal - fast normal'' German Premiere as "Diana" * 2014 11.30 ''

Billy Elliot ''Billy Elliot'' is a 2000 British coming-of-age comedy-drama film directed by Stephen Daldry and written by Lee Hall. Set in County Durham in North East England during the 1984–1985 miners' strike, the film is about a working-class boy w ...

'' - Mrs. Wilkinson (Scheveningen, 2014.11.30 - ) * 2018 ''The Addams Family'' - Morticia Addams * 2019 ''Elisabeth in Concert'' - as Empress Elisabeth (Schloss Schönbrunn, Vienna) * 2022 '' The Prom (Musical)'' - Dee Dee Allen (Holland Tour)

Discography

* 1987 ''Cats'', Cast recording * 1989 ''It's time to say we care'', Single for the benefit of the Aids-Gala in Vienna * 1991 ''Les Misérables'', Cast recording * 1992 ''Hier sta ik'', Single * 1992 ''Ich gehör nur mir / I belong to me'', Single * 1992 ''Elisabeth'', Cast recording * 1994 Aidan Bell: ''Time Warp Duett: Maybe we can make it'' * 1994 ''Grease'', Live recording * 1995 ''Living Water'', Benefit CD * 1995 ''Musical Christmas in Vienna'', Sampler * 1995 ''Pocahontas'', Original Soundtrack Holland * 1995 ''Evita'', Cast recording * 1995 ''Cabaret'', Cast recording * 1996 ''Stars singen Weihnachtslieder'', Sampler * 1996 ''Rocky Horror Show'', Cast recording * 1997 ''Still in love with Musical'', Live recording * 1997 ''Shades of night, Musicals go rock'', Sampler * 1998 ''10 für Zehn'', Benefit CD * 1998 ''Pocahontas II'', Original Soundtrack Holland * 1998 ''Joop van den Enden presenteert: De beste uit de musicals'', Sampler * 1998 ''Chicago'', Cast recording * 1999 ''Elisabeth'', Cast recording (Netherlands) * 1999 ''Mijn leven is van mij'', Single (Dutch version of ''Ich gehör nur mir'' / ''I belong to me'') * 2000 ''Die fantastische Welt des Musicals'', Sampler * 2000 ''Alles Musical'', Sampler * 2000 ''Hoogtepunten uit de musicals, aangeboden door Persil'', Sampler * 2000 ''Hilversum Calling'', Sampler * 2000 ''Zing dan! Luisterliedjes'', Sampler * 2001 ''Ernst Daniel Smit e amici: Una voce particulare - Duet'', Sampler "Tu Cosa Fai Stasera" * 2001 ''Elisabeth'', Cast recording in Essen, Germany * 2001 ''3 CD-Track: "Ich gehör nur mir"'', Single * 2001 ''In love with musical again'', Live recording * 2001 ''Steve Barton memorial concert'', Live recording * 2001 ''Uwe Kröger: Only the best'' * 2001 ''Uwe Kröger: Musical Moments'' * 2002 ''Het mooiste uit de nederlandse musicals'', Sampler * 2002 ''Fosse (Bye bye, blackbird)'', Promotional single * 2003 ''De drie Musketiers'', Cast recording * 2003 ''De drie Musketiers - Special Edition'', Cast recording, extra's CD & DVD * 2003 ''Uwe Kröger: Musical Moments 2'' * 2004 ''Het mooiste uit de nederlandse musicals II'', Sampler * 2004 ''Passion'', Cast recording * 2005 ''Die drei Musketiere'', Cast recording * 2006 ''Cabaret'', Cast recording * 2007 ''Dezemberlieder'' (December Songs), Solo CD of Maury Yeston's famous song cycle in German language * 2009 ''Sunset Boulevard'' CD to the Dutch Tourproduction, complete live recording with Simone Kleinsma (disc 1) and some studiotracks with Pia Douwes (disc 2)

Awards and nominations

* Image 1996 for ''Elisabeth'' in Vienna on* 1996 Bad Hersfeld Audience Award for ''Cabaret'' in Bad Hersfeld on* 2000 John Kraaijkamp Musical Award, Best Actress in a Leading Role for ''Elisabeth'' in Scheveningen ominated* 2002 John Kraaijkamp Musical Award, Best Actress Abroad for ''Elisabeth'' in Essen on* 2003 John Kraaijkamp Musical Award, Best Actress in a Leading Role for ''3 Musketiers'' in Rotterdam ominated* 2005 John Kraaijkamp Musical Award, Best Actress in a Supporting Role for ''Passion'' in the Netherlands ominated* 2006 Da Capo Award, Best Musical Actress for ''3 Musketiere'' in Berlin on* 2006 Da Capo Award, Best Female Voice on she won this award 6 times. * 2014 John Kraaijkamp Musical Award, Best Actress in a Leading Role for

in Scheveningen ominated Pia has also been given the award for Female Leading Role six times by the readers of the German magazine "Musicals" for her performances in ''Elisabeth'' also the best Female with the most beautiful voice.

References

External links

Official website and fanclub: www.piadouwes.com
(in Dutch, German and English) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Douwes, Pia 1964 births Actresses from Amsterdam Dutch musical theatre actresses Dutch sopranos Dutch women singers Living people