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Danielle Hope (born 26 April 1992) is an English actress and singer. She was the winner of the
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 ...
talent contest ''
Over The Rainbow "Over the Rainbow", also known as "Somewhere Over the Rainbow", is a ballad by Harold Arlen with lyrics by Yip Harburg. It was written for the 1939 film '' The Wizard of Oz'', in which it was sung by actress Judy Garland in her starring role ...
'' and as a result played the part of Dorothy in the
Andrew Lloyd Webber Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948) is an English composer and impresario of musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End theatre, West End and on Broadway theatre, Broad ...
production of '' The Wizard of Oz'', which began performances 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 the West End in February 2011. Following this role, she went on to play the role of Éponine in ''
Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' (, ) is a 19th-century French literature, French Epic (genre), epic historical fiction, historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published on 31 March 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. '' ...
'' in the West End, starting in June 2012.


Background

Hope lived in Urmston,
Greater Manchester Greater Manchester is a ceremonial county in North West England. It borders Lancashire to the north, Derbyshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Cheshire to the south, and Merseyside to the west. Its largest settlement is the city of Manchester. ...
, and attended Knutsford High School in
Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...
, concentrating in drama and dance. Hope appeared in many of her school's musical theatre productions, playing such roles as Carmen in the musical '' Fame'', the narrator in ''
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat ''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'' is a sung-through musical with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice, based on the character of Joseph from the Bible's Book of Genesis. This was the first Lloyd Webber and Rice ...
'' and Maria in ''
West Side Story ''West Side Story'' is a Musical theatre, musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a Book (musical theatre), book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play ''Romeo an ...
''. She also appeared in ''
We Will Rock You "We Will Rock You" is a song by the British rock band Queen from their 1977 album '' News of the World'', written by guitarist Brian May. ''Rolling Stone'' ranked it number 330 of " The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2004, and the RIAA it p ...
'' alongside Olivier Award nominee, Charlotte Wakefield. She left her part-time job as a waitress to focus on her A-level studies in Drama and Dance, and a BTEC National Award Musical Theatre. She has also studied dance privately and performed at dance festivals, including the BBC African Dance Project at Bridgewater Hall.


Career


''Over the Rainbow''

While still at school, Hope was chosen from over 9,000 girls to be in the final ten and perform live, on the BBC reality TV show ''
Over The Rainbow "Over the Rainbow", also known as "Somewhere Over the Rainbow", is a ballad by Harold Arlen with lyrics by Yip Harburg. It was written for the 1939 film '' The Wizard of Oz'', in which it was sung by actress Judy Garland in her starring role ...
'', for the chance to play Dorothy in the forthcoming West End musical adaptation of '' The Wizard of Oz''. Hope's Dorothy colour was red, and she believed that she would portray a "fiery character, with a strong opinion and mind". She was popular with the judges from the beginning of the live shows. After her performance of " Just a Little Girl" in week two, John Partridge said: "No one is going to look over you after that performance because it was your best to date. It was committed, it was intelligent and an extremely sophisticated performance for a girl your age".
Andrew Lloyd Webber Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948) is an English composer and impresario of musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End theatre, West End and on Broadway theatre, Broad ...
agreed and said "Danielle, you are really fantastic. You are a very, very strong contender". Nevertheless, Hope found herself in the bottom two with Dani Rayner the following week. After her performance of "Maybe This Time" from ''
Cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...
'', Lloyd Webber saved Hope. In week six, having performed " On My Own" from ''
Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' (, ) is a 19th-century French literature, French Epic (genre), epic historical fiction, historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published on 31 March 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. '' ...
'', she received some criticism from the judges. Lloyd Webber suggested that she needed to learn how to disguise the break in her voice, and Charlotte Church agreed, saying that her top notes could get "a little bit shouty".
Sheila Hancock Dame Sheila Cameron Hancock (born 22 February 1933) is an English actress, singer, and author. She has performed on stage in both plays and musicals in London theatres, and is also known for her roles in films and on television. Her Broadway ...
agreed with Church, but was still full of praise, saying that she saw a similar "star quality" to that of
Catherine Zeta-Jones Catherine Zeta-Jones (; born 25 September 1969) is a Welsh actress. Recognised for her versatility, she has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and a Tony Award. In 2010, she was appointed Comm ...
. In this sing-off, Hope competed against Jessica Robinson, who was the only remaining contestant not to have been in the bottom two. After performing " Take That Look Off Your Face" from '' Tell Me on a Sunday'', Lloyd Webber once again saved Hope, stating that "Both of you are really terrific girls, but I am just thinking of Dorothy here, so I am going to save Danielle". Following the double eviction of Robinson and Jenny Douglas, the remaining contestants got the chance to go home for a day. Hope went back to her old school for the first time since the filming of the live shows began; there, her classmates greeted her with a hand-made yellow brick road, along with ruby slippers, and a Toto-style cuddly dog to make her feel at home. In week seven, Hope and Lauren Samuels performed a duet of the song " Popular" from '' Wicked'', which was described as one of the highlights of the series. After the performance, Charlotte Church told host
Graham Norton Graham William Walker (born 4 April 1963), known professionally as Graham Norton, is an Irish comedian, broadcaster, actor, and writer. He is a five-time BAFTA TV Award winner for the comedy chat show ''The Graham Norton Show'' (2007–present) ...
that she thought Lloyd Webber should "write a musical for just those two". Towards the end of the show, Hope became the favourite to win with odds of 8/11, ahead of fellow contestants Sophie Evans at 15/8 and Lauren Samuels, whose odds slipped to 4/1 after appearing in the sing-off in the semi-finals shown on 16 May. The next week at the final, which aired on 22 May, Hope won the contest and the role of Dorothy.


Solo performances


After ''Over the Rainbow''

As the winner of ''Over the Rainbow'', and only 18 years old, Hope played the role of Dorothy in the new London production of '' The Wizard of Oz''. Previews commenced 7 February 2011, with the opening night on 1 March. She starred alongside
Michael Crawford Michael Patrick Smith (born 19 January 1942), known professionally as Michael Crawford, is an English actor, comedian and singer. Crawford is best known for playing the hapless Frank Spencer in the sitcom '' Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em'', Cornel ...
in the title role, with ''Over the Rainbow'' runner-up Sophie Evans as the alternate Dorothy; performing the role on Tuesday evenings and during Hope's holidays and other unforeseen absences. She won the 2011 BroadwayWorld UK Award for Best Leading Actress In a Musical and was also nominated for the whatsonstage.com Theatergoers Choice Award for Best London Newcomer. Hope played her final performance in the production on 5 February 2012, the same day that her co-star,
Michael Crawford Michael Patrick Smith (born 19 January 1942), known professionally as Michael Crawford, is an English actor, comedian and singer. Crawford is best known for playing the hapless Frank Spencer in the sitcom '' Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em'', Cornel ...
, left. Evans succeeded her in the role. She then appeared as Éponine in the West End production of ''
Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' (, ) is a 19th-century French literature, French Epic (genre), epic historical fiction, historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published on 31 March 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. '' ...
'', having joined the cast on 18 June 2012. In December 2012, she was nominated for the Whatsonstage.com Award for Best Takeover in a Role for her performance. On 16 June 2013, Hope finished her run in the show and was replaced by Carrie Hope Fletcher. It was announced on 7 January 2016 that Hope would return to the role of Éponine for a limited engagement from 15 February 2016 until 2 April 2016; taking over the role from Fletcher. On 2 April 2016, Hope finished her run in the show and was replaced by Eva Noblezada. Hope played the role of Snow White in the Birmingham Hippodrome's 2013/2014 Christmas pantomime of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, her pantomime debut. She starred alongside
Over the Rainbow "Over the Rainbow", also known as "Somewhere Over the Rainbow", is a ballad by Harold Arlen with lyrics by Yip Harburg. It was written for the 1939 film '' The Wizard of Oz'', in which it was sung by actress Judy Garland in her starring role ...
judge John Partridge. During May 2014, Hope played the role of Cathy in the two-hander musical '' The Last Five Years'' in a limited-season production which played in London and Brighton. Hope then joined the UK Tour of ''
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat ''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'' is a sung-through musical with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice, based on the character of Joseph from the Bible's Book of Genesis. This was the first Lloyd Webber and Rice ...
'', playing the Narrator. She stayed with the tour from 23 July 2014 until 29 November 2014. Following this, Hope played the part of Maria from 15 January 2015 to 1 August 2015 on the 2015 UK Tour of ''
The Sound of Music ''The Sound of Music'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, '' The Story of the Trapp Family Singers''. ...
''. During this time, Hope also staged her first concert, Bring the Future Faster at 54Below in New York. A live recording was released as a CD and digital download. Beginning 10 March 2017, Hope took on the part of Sandy in the UK Tour of '' Grease'' the Musical. Hope played her last performance on 29 January 2018 at the Menora Mivtachim Arena in
Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...
,
Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
. After Grease, Hope played the role of Sherrie in the UK tour of the jukebox musical Rock of Ages. She played the role from September–November 2018 and was subsequently replaced by Jodie Steele. Hope reprised the role of Snow White for the London Palladium's production of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs during the 2018/19 pantomime season. It was announced in October 2019 that Hope would be returning to the West End, playing the role of Betty Haynes in a limited run of White Christmas at the Dominion Theatre. Hope is currently starring in an off-Broadway production of Kinky Boots playing the role of Lauren, for a limited summer run.


Theatre credits


Discography

Hope released a single of the song "
Over the Rainbow "Over the Rainbow", also known as "Somewhere Over the Rainbow", is a ballad by Harold Arlen with lyrics by Yip Harburg. It was written for the 1939 film '' The Wizard of Oz'', in which it was sung by actress Judy Garland in her starring role ...
" that was made available to download on 23 May 2010, with a physical single available to purchase from 31 May 2010. The CD single also features "''The Wizard of Oz'' Medley" featuring Hope and fellow finalists Lauren Samuels and Sophie Evans, including the tracks "Follow the Yellow Brick Road", " We're Off to See the Wizard", "It Really Was No Miracle", " Ding Dong the Witch Is Dead", " The Merry Old Land of Oz" and "If I Only Had a Heart". The single is a charity record, raising money for both the BBC Performing Arts Fund and Prostate UK. Sales of the download single were good, with midweek charts for 26 May showing that the single had achieved a place in the UK top 20. However, when the week's charts were revealed on Sunday 30 May, the single had entered the charts at number 29. Hope also features on the cast album for the 2011 '' The Wizard of Oz'' West End show, released 9 May 2011.


References


External links

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hope, Danielle 1992 births English stage actresses Living people Actors from Urmston Reality casting show winners 21st-century English women singers 21st-century English singers Singers from Manchester Actresses from Manchester