Aimie Allen-Atkinson (born 5 June 1987) is an English stage actress and singer. She is known for portraying the role of

Katherine Howard Catherine Howard ( – 13 February 1542) was Queen of England from July 1540 until November 1541 as the fifth wife of King Henry VIII. She was the daughter of Lord Edmund Howard and Joyce Culpeper, a first cousin to Anne Boleyn (the second ...

in British comedy musical ''

SIX 6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number. In mathematics A six-sided polygon is a hexagon, one of the three regular polygons capable of tiling the plane. A hexagon a ...

'' on the original UK tour and in the West End production at the

Arts Theatre The Arts Theatre is a theatre in Great Newport Street, in Westminster, Central London. It opened on April 20, 1927. History It opened on 20 April 1927 as a members-only club for the performance of unlicensed plays, thus avoiding theatre cen ...

, Lyric Theatre and

Vaudeville Theatre The Vaudeville Theatre is a West End theatre on the Strand in the City of Westminster. Opening in 1870, the theatre staged mostly vaudeville shows and musical revues in its early days. The theatre was rebuilt twice, although each new buildin ...

, portraying Vivian Ward in the West End production of ''Pretty'' ''Woman'', as well as forming part of pop girl group SVN.

Early life

Atkinson was born to parents Faith Allen and Tom Atkinson in Stevenage, England. Her father played part-time in a rock band, which encouraged her to begin singing from a young age. Whilst studying at Collenswood School in Stevenage, Atkinson was part of the Fusion Performing Arts group and took part in many of their productions. Having studied to GCSE level, and then worked as an admin assistant in a music publishing company. She also ran a franchise for the Stagecraft school in Stevenage.

Career

After agreeing with a friend whilst studying at the

Arts Educational School Arts Educational Schools, or ArtsEd, is an independent performing arts school in Chiswick, West London, England. Overview ArtsEd provides specialist vocational training at secondary, further and higher education level in musical theatre and ...

that both should apply to the

BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the List of most-listened-to radio programs, most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 14 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the sta ...

Voice of Musical Theatre competition, Atkinson was told that she could only apply for the amateur competition. After winning that, she joined a final competition against the final professional contestants – those with at least five years of stage experience – and also won that. Aged 19, Atkinson left Arts Educational and became a full-time stage actress, taking her first professional job in

Howard Goodall Howard Lindsay Goodall (; born 26 May 1958) is an English composer of musicals, choral music and music for television. He also presents music-based programmes for television and radio, for which he has won many awards. In May 2008, he was name ...

's ''Days of Hope'' at the King's Head Theatre. She then took on various parts, before starting an intensive course in musical theatre at the

Royal Academy of Music The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is one of the oldest music schools in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the firs ...

. After completing two months in RAM and one month in

Arts Educational Schools Arts Educational Schools, or ArtsEd, is an independent performing arts school in Chiswick, West London, England. Overview ArtsEd provides specialist vocational training at secondary, further and higher education level in musical theatre an ...

, she left after two months to join the UK touring production of ''Zorro'', playing the part of Luisa. Subsequently, landing a part in a musical as a sassy 40-year-old singer, the producer of the show then asked Atkinson to audition for the role of Daniela in the musical ''

In The Heights ''In the Heights'' is a musical with concept, music, and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda and a book by Quiara Alegría Hudes. The story is a romance as well as a celebration of community, culture, and aspirations. It is set over the course of thr ...

'', which she subsequently played at the King's Cross Theatre. She has since played

Princess Jasmine Jasmine is a fictional character who appears in Walt Disney Pictures' animated film ''Aladdin'' (1992). Voiced by Linda Larkin with a singing voice provided by Lea Salonga Jasmine is the spirited daughter of the Sultan, who has grown weary o ...

in ''

Aladdin Aladdin ( ; , , ATU 561, 'Aladdin') is a Middle-Eastern folk tale. It is one of the best-known tales associated with '' One Thousand and One Nights'' (often known in English as ''The Arabian Nights''), despite not being part of the original ...

'' alongside

Priscilla Presley Priscilla Ann Presley (née Wagner, formerly Beaulieu; born May 24, 1945) is an American businesswoman and actress. She is the ex-wife of American singer Elvis Presley, as well as the cofounder and former chairperson of Elvis Presley Enterpris ...

, Serena in ''

Legally Blonde ''Legally Blonde'' is a 2001 American comedy film directed by Robert Luketic and written by Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith, based on Amanda Brown's novel. It stars Reese Witherspoon, Luke Wilson, Selma Blair, Matthew Davis, Victo ...

'' at Kilworth House, and ''

Snow White "Snow White" is a German fairy tale, first written down in the early 19th century. The Brothers Grimm published it in 1812 in the first edition of their collection ''Grimms' Fairy Tales'', numbered as Tale 53. The original title was ''Sneewittch ...

'' opposite

Jerry Hall Jerry Faye Hall (born July 2, 1956) is an American model and actress. She began modeling in the 1970s and became one of the most sought-after models in the world. She transitioned into acting, appearing in the 1989 film ''Batman''. Hall was the ...

at Richmond Theatre. She has also originated the role of

in the West End production of ''

''. On 13 February 2020, Atkinson began playing the role of Vivian Ward in the West End production of '' Pretty Woman: The Musical'' alongside

Danny Mac Danny Mac (born 26 February 1988) is an English actor. Known for a variety of roles on stage and screen. He has received a number of awards and nominations including Best Actor, Best Newcomer, Best Actor in a Visiting Production. Early and per ...

at the

Piccadilly Theatre The Piccadilly Theatre is a West End theatre located at the junction of Denman Street and Sherwood Street, near Piccadilly Circus, in the City of Westminster, London. It opened in 1928. In its early years the theatre presented a wide range of ...

. The show later officially opened on 2 March 2020, but closed only two weeks later due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. Atkinson returned to the show for its reopening at the

Savoy Theatre The Savoy Theatre is a West End theatre in the Strand in the City of Westminster, London, England. The theatre was designed by C. J. Phipps for Richard D'Oyly Carte and opened on 10 October 1881 on a site previously occupied by the Savoy ...

on 8 July 2021. The show closed in June 2023 and announced a UK and Ireland tour. In May 2023 it was announced that '' Death Note: The Musical'' will have its English premiere at the

London Palladium The London Palladium () is a Grade II* West End theatre located on Argyll Street, London, in Soho. The theatre was designed by Frank Matcham and opened in 1910. The auditorium holds 2,286 people. Hundreds of stars have played there, many wit ...

in August. Cast included Atkinson as Rem,

Adam Pascal Adam Pascal (born October 25, 1970) is an American actor, singer, and musician, known for his performance as Roger Davis in the original Broadway and West End productions of Jonathan Larson's musical ''Rent'', the 2005 movie version of the musi ...

as Ryuk, Frances Mayli McCann as Misa,

Dean John-Wilson Dean John-Wilson (born 6 June 1989) is a British actor. During 2008, he went on ''Britain's Got Talent'', where he was a semi-finalist. He subsequently played the title role in the original West End production of Disney's ''Aladdin'' at the Prin ...

as L and

Joaquin Pedro Valdes Joaquin Pedro Valdes is a Filipino stage actor and singer residing in London. He began his career as a child actor and was a member of the boyband 17:28. He has since become known for playing Light in the London production of ''Death Note: The Mu ...

as Light. The show is due to transfer to the Lyric Theatre in September 2023 for six additional performances with Georgie Maguire, Jessica Lee and Carl Man taking on the roles of Ryuk, Misa and alternate L respectively. In February 2024, she was selected to compete in the final of '' Una voce per San Marino 2024'', the Sammarinese national selection for the

Eurovision Song Contest 2024 The Eurovision Song Contest 2024 was the 68th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Malmö, Sweden, following the country's victory at the with the song "Tattoo (Loreen song), Tattoo" by Loreen. Organised by the European Br ...

, with the song "A Dare for Love". In September 2024,

Playbill ''Playbill'' is an American monthly magazine for Audience, theatergoers. Although there is a subscription issue available for home delivery, most copies of ''Playbill'' are printed for particular productions and distributed at the door as the ...

announced that '' Figaro: An Original Musical'' will have its West End Concert premiere at the

. Cast included Atkinson as Lucia, Cayleigh Capaldi as Sienna, and Jon Robyns as Figaro.

Recording and music

Atkinson released her debut studio album ''Step Inside of Love'' with Jay Records in 2017. As a member of the girl group Goldstone, she competed in '' Eurovision: You Decide 2018'' with the song "I Feel The Love". Atkinson's recordings include: *''Step Inside Love'' – debut solo album *''I Feel The Love'' –

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

*''100 Greatest Musicals'' – recorded at

Abbey Road Studios Abbey Road Studios (formerly EMI Recording Studios) is a music recording studio at 3 Abbey Road, London, Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of ...

*''Postman and The Poet'' *

Kurt Weill Kurt Julian Weill (; ; March 2, 1900April 3, 1950) was a German-born American composer active from the 1920s in his native country, and in his later years in the United States. He was a leading composer for the stage who was best known for hi ...

's ''

One Touch of Venus ''One Touch of Venus'' is a 1943 musical with music written by Kurt Weill, lyrics by Ogden Nash, and book by S. J. Perelman and Nash, based on the 1885 novella ''The Tinted Venus'' by Thomas Anstey Guthrie, and very loosely spoofing the Pygma ...

'' * ''SIX: The Musical (Studio Cast Recording)'' In 2021, Atkinson formed a seven piece girl group called SVN with six other members of the original West End cast of ''SIX'', Millie O'Connell, Natalie Paris, Alexia McIntosh,

Jarnéia Richard-Noel Jarnéia Richard-Noel (born 12 June 1994) is an English stage actress and singer. She is known for portraying the role of Catherine of Aragon in the musical ''Six (musical), SIX'' on the original UK tour and in the West End production at the Art ...

, Maiya Quansah-Breed, and Grace Mouat. In 2022, the group released a number of singles such as "Woman" and "Free" On 18 June 2021, Atkinson released the single "Pretty Woman", a contemporary reimagining of Roy Orbison's Pretty Woman.

Personal life

Atkinson has dated both women and men. She is currently married to fellow West End actor John Dalgleish. Her Charity work includes a ‘24 Hour Musical-A-Thon’ live stream with her flatmate at the time of Thomas ‘Tom’ Gribby on

Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...

for

Save the Children The Save the Children Fund, commonly known as Save the Children, is an international non-governmental organization. It was founded in the UK in 1919; its goal is to improve the lives of children worldwide. The organization raises money to imp ...

’s ‘Coronavirus Charity Appeal’ to which in total raised over £10,421 during the

COVID-19 Pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

on the 30th-31st of May 2020.

Discography

Concert performances

* ‘'Fridays Night is Music Night’' on many occasions. * ''

Barbara Windsor Dame Barbara Windsor (born Barbara Ann Deeks; 6 August 193710 December 2020) was an English actress, known for her roles in the Carry On (franchise), ''Carry On'' films and for playing Peggy Mitchell in the BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders''.

's 70th Birthday''

live from

Hackney Empire Hackney Empire is a theatre on Mare Street, in Hackney in the London Borough of Hackney. Originally designed by Frank Matcham it was built in 1901 as a music hall, and expanded in 2001. Described by ''The Guardian'' as "the most beautiful theat ...

. * Great British Musical (Perfect Pitch) – What's On Stage Awards. * Stephen Sondheim's 70th Birthday Concert.

Filmography

* Nikki Martin – ''Doctors'',

. * Anna Karenina –

American Express American Express Company or Amex is an American bank holding company and multinational financial services corporation that specializes in payment card industry, payment cards. It is headquartered at 200 Vesey Street, also known as American Expr ...

Commercial. *

Voice over Voice-over (also known as off-camera or off-stage commentary) is a production technique used in radio, television, filmmaking, theatre, and other media in which a descriptive or expository voice that is not part of the narrative (i.e., non-d ...

for Thompson Holidays. * Snow White I-dents – Christmas Special,

GMTV GMTV (an initialism for Good Morning Television), now legally known as ''ITV Breakfast, ITV Breakfast Broadcasting Limited'', was the name of the national ITV (TV network), ITV breakfast television contractor/licensee, broadcasting in the Uni ...

. * Snow White Documentary 'Seven Dwarfs',

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

, *

Backing vocalist A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are u ...

s for ' The Michael Ball Show' and '

Britain's Got Talent ''Britain's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated to ''BGT'') is a televised British talent show competition, and part of the global '' Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. Presented by Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly (colloquial ...

', ITV. * BBC Wales ‘Search for a Musical Theatre Star’ and subsequently ‘A Musical Star is Born’.

Audio

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Atkinson, Aimie Living people 1987 births 21st-century English actresses 21st-century English women singers 21st-century English LGBTQ people Actresses from Hertfordshire English musical theatre actresses English stage actresses British LGBTQ actresses English LGBTQ actors English LGBTQ singers Actors from Stevenage Singers from London LGBTQ women singers