Eve Polycarpou is a British stage actress, singer and songwriter. She is best known for her roles in ''

Mother Courage and Her Children ''Mother Courage and Her Children'' () is a play written in 1939 by the German dramatist and poet Bertolt Brecht (1898–1956), with significant contributions from Margarete Steffin. Four theatrical productions were produced in Switzerland and ...

'' and ''

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 ...

''.

Early life and education

Eve Polycarpou was born in

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

to Greek Cypriot parents. She is the sister of actor

Peter Polycarpou Peter Polycarpou (born 31 March 1957) is an English-Cypriot actor, playwright and singer, known for playing the roles of Chris Theodopolopodous in the television comedy series '' Birds of a Feather'' from 1990 to 1994 and Louis Charalambos in t ...

. She studied at

Southgate Technical College Barnet and Southgate College is a further education college in North London, England. The current college was established in 2011. It has three main campuses and two other learning centres in the London Borough of Barnet and the London Borough of ...

. Polycarpou's singing style is inspired by

Shirley Bassey Dame Shirley Veronica Bassey (; born 8 January 1937) is a Welsh singer. Known for her career longevity, powerful voice and recording the James Bond music, theme songs to three James Bond films - the only artist to officially perform more than o ...

and

Vikki Carr Florencia Vicenta de Casillas-Martínez Cardona (born July 19, 1940), known by her stage name Vikki Carr, is an American vocalist. She has a singing career that spans more than five decades. Born in El Paso, Texas, to Mexican parents, she has ...

. In 1976, Polycarpou reached the final of the British TV talent show ''

New Faces ''New Faces'' is a British television talent show that aired in the 1970s and 1980s. It has been hosted by Leslie Crowther, Derek Hobson and Marti Caine. It was produced for the ITV network by ATV, and later by Central. Original series: ...

'' (''You're a Star, Superstar'') with her stage name Eve Adam. She choose a 'less foreign' sounding stage name at the time, but said she started using her real name after seeing her brother Peter proudly using his onstage.

Career

Theatre

In 1986, Polycarpou (using stage name Eve Adam) played Jenny in the National Theatre production of ''

The Threepenny Opera ''The Threepenny Opera'' ( ) is a 1928 German "play with music" by Bertolt Brecht, adapted from a translation by Elisabeth Hauptmann of John Gay's 18th-century English ballad opera, '' The Beggar's Opera'', and four ballads by François V ...

'', alongside

Tim Curry Timothy James Curry (born 19 April 1946) is an English actor and singer. He rose to prominence as Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the musical film '' The Rocky Horror Picture Show'' (1975), reprising the role he had originated in the 1973 London, 1974 L ...

as Macheath. Polycarpou joined the cast of ''

Hecuba Hecuba (; also Hecabe; , ) was a queen in Greek mythology, the wife of King Priam of Troy during the Trojan War. Description Hecuba was described by the chronicler John Malalas, Malalas in his account of the ''Chronography'' as "dark, good eyes ...

'' at the

Donmar Warehouse The Donmar Warehouse is a 251-seat, not-for-profit Off-West End theatre in Covent Garden, London, England. It first opened on 18 July 1977. Sam Mendes, Michael Grandage, Josie Rourke and Michael Longhurst have all served as artistic direc ...

in 2004, in a new version of the tragedy by

Frank McGuinness Professor Frank McGuinness (born 1953) is an Irish writer. As well as his own plays, which include '' The Factory Girls'', '' Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme'', '' Someone Who'll Watch Over Me'' and '' Dolly West's Kitche ...

. The cast included

Clare Higgins Clare Frances Elizabeth Higgins (born 10 November 1955) is an English actress. She is a three-time winner of the Olivier Award for Best Actress; for '' Sweet Bird of Youth'' (1995), ''Vincent in Brixton'' (2003), and ''Hecuba'' (2005). She mad ...

in the title role of

, Tim Piggott-Smith as

Agamemnon In Greek mythology, Agamemnon (; ''Agamémnōn'') was a king of Mycenae who commanded the Achaeans (Homer), Achaeans during the Trojan War. He was the son (or grandson) of King Atreus and Queen Aerope, the brother of Menelaus, the husband of C ...

Alfred Burke Alfred Burke (28 February 1918 – 16 February 2011) was an English actor who played Frank Marker in the drama series '' Public Eye'', which ran on television for ten years. Early life Born in London's southeast district of Peckham, the son of ...

Talthybius Talthybius () was herald and friend to Agamemnon in the Trojan War. Talthybius is a Greek soldier who serves as both a messenger and a herald during the time of the Trojan War. Only two mortal men are present in Euripides’ play The Trojan Women ...

Susan Engel Susan Engel (born 25 March 1935) is a British actress. She was born in Vienna, Austria. Career Theatre Engel's work in theatre includes: ''Angels in America'' (1992), ''Richard III (play), Richard III'', ''King Lear'' (1990), ''The Good Perso ...

as the speaking chorus,

Kate Fleetwood Kate Fleetwood (born 24 September 1972) is an English actress and voice over artist. She was nominated for a Tony Award for her performance as Lady Macbeth in ''Macbeth'', at Chichester Festival Theatre and the West End and Broadway and an O ...

Polyxena In Greek mythology, Polyxena (; ) was the youngest daughter of King Priam of Troy and his queen, Hecuba. She does not appear in Homer, but in several other classical authors, though the details of her story vary considerably. After the fall of ...

Finbar Lynch Finbar Lynch (born 28 August 1959) is an Irish actor. Early life Lynch was born in Dublin and, at the age of 11, moved with his family to the village of Inverin, County Galway, where his father ran a clothing factory under a scheme to encourage ...

Polymestor In Greek mythology, Polymestor or Polymnestor () was a king of the Bistonians in Thrace. Polymestor appears in Euripides' play ''Hecuba'' and in the Ovidian myth "Hecuba, Polyxena and Polydorus". Polymestor was also the name of a Greek king of A ...

and

Eddie Redmayne Edward John David Redmayne OBE (; born 6 January 1982) is an English actor. His accolades include an Academy Award, a Tony Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Golden Globe Award, and two Olivier Awards. Redmayne began his professional ac ...

Polydorus In Greek mythology, Polydorus (; , i.e. "many-gift d) or Polydoros referred to several different people. *Polydorus, son of Phineus and Cleopatra, and brother of Polydector (Polydectus). These two sons by his first wife were blinded by Phineus be ...

. Polycarpou starred in the title role in ''

'' at

The Lowry Lowry is a theatre and gallery complex at Salford Quays, Salford, Greater Manchester, England. It is named after the early 20th-century painter L. S. Lowry, known for his paintings of industrial scenes in North West England. The complex opened ...

in Salford in 2013. In 2014, Polycarpou was part of the

Southwark Playhouse Southwark Playhouse is a theatre in London with two venues, both located between Borough and Elephant and Castle tube stations. History The Southwark Playhouse Theatre Company was founded in 1993 by Juliet Alderdice and Tom Wilson. They ident ...

version of ''

'' as Abuela Claudia. The cast included

David Bedella David Bedella (born September 25, 1962) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles in '' Jerry Springer: The Opera'', '' In The Heights'', and '' & Juliet''. He has won three Olivier Awards. Early life Bedella was born in Gary, India ...

as Kevin Rosario,

Victoria Hamilton-Barritt Victoria Hamilton-Barritt (born 8 May 1982) is an English actress and singer known primarily for her roles in musical theatre. She is a Grammy Award, two-time Laurence Olivier Award, and four-time WhatsOnStage Award nominee. Background Hamilto ...

as Daniela, Sam Mackay as Usnavi de la Vega, Christina Modestou as Nina Rosario and Josie Benson as Camila Rosario. The show was directed by Luke Sheppard. In the same year, Polycarpou also joined the cast of the musical revue ''

Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris ''Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris'' is a musical revue of the songs of Jacques Brel. Brel's songs were translated into English by Eric Blau and Mort Shuman, who also provided the story. The original 1968 Off-Broadway product ...

'' at the

Charing Cross Theatre The Charing Cross Theatre is an Off West End theatre under The Arches off Villiers Street below Charing Cross station. Founded in 1936, the venue occupied several premises in the West End of London before locating to its present site. The cur ...

. She sang

Jacques Brel Jacques Romain Georges Brel (; 8 April 1929 – 9 October 1978) was a Belgian singer and actor who composed and performed theatrical songs. He generated a large, devoted following—initially in Belgium and France, but later throughout the world ...

's famous song "

Ne me quitte pas "Ne me quitte pas" (''"Don't leave me"'') is a 1959 song by Belgian singer-songwriter Jacques Brel. It has been covered in the original French by many artists and has also been translated into and performed in many other languages. A well-known ...

" in French as part of the show. The cast starred

Gina Beck Gina Beck (born on 30th December 1981 in Buckinghamshire) is a British stage actress and singer, mainly known for playing major roles in various West End musicals. She played the characters of Miss Honey in the Royal Shakespeare Company's produc ...

and

Daniel Boys Daniel Boys (born 26 March 1979) is an English actor. He starred in the West End productions of the musicals ''Rent'' and ''Grease'' before being a 2007 contestant on the BBC talent series '' Any Dream Will Do''. Boys went on to star in many ...

. Polycarpou then reprised the role of Abuela Claudia in ''In the Heights'', when the show transferred to the

Kings Cross Theatre The Kings Cross Theatre was located at the corner of Darlinghurst Road and Victoria Street, Sydney, between 1916 and 1966. History The Kings Cross Theatre and opened on Friday 14 April 1916. The Theatre was managed by Waddigton's and boasted 200 ...

in 2015–2016. David Bedella returned to his role as Kevin Rosario, so did Sam Mackay as Usnavi and Victoria Hamilton-Barritt as Daniela. New cast members included

Cleve September Cleve September (born 15 October 1993) is a South African-born actor. He originated the role of John Laurens/Philip Hamilton in the West End production of ''Hamilton''. For his performance, he was nominated for Laurence Olivier and WhatsOnStag ...

as Sonny de la Vega,

Lily Frazer Lily Francesca Plummer-Frazer (born 17 September 1988) is an English actress. She was nominated for a WhatsOnStage Award for her performance in the West End production of '' In the Heights''. On television, she is known for her roles in the iP ...

as Nina and Joe Aaron Reid as Benny. In 2018, Polycarpou joined the cast of the musical ''Strictly Ballroom'' as Abuela for its West End run 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 ...

. She played the role of Drosoula in the 2019 first major adaptation of the novel ''

Captain Corelli's Mandolin ''Captain Corelli's Mandolin'', released simultaneously in the United States as ''Corelli's Mandolin'', is a 1994 novel by the British writer Louis de Bernières, set on the Greek island of Cephalonia during the Italian and German occupation ...

.'' The show opened at the

Curve In mathematics, a curve (also called a curved line in older texts) is an object similar to a line, but that does not have to be straight. Intuitively, a curve may be thought of as the trace left by a moving point. This is the definition that ...

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...

, before embarking on a UK tour. The play later transferred to London's West End at the

Harold Pinter Theatre The Harold Pinter Theatre, known as the Comedy Theatre until 2011,

for a limited summer season. In 2022, Polycarpou joined the cast of the revival of ''

From Here to Eternity ''From Here to Eternity'' is a 1953 American romantic Drama (film and television)#War drama, war drama film directed by Fred Zinnemann and written by Daniel Taradash, based on the 1951 From Here to Eternity (novel), novel of the same name by J ...

'' as Mrs. Kipfer, at the

Donna & Kebab

In 1987, Polycarpou joined British Cypriot Martha D Lewis in a performance at the

Edinburgh Festival Fringe The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as the Edinburgh Fringe, the Fringe or the Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest performance arts festival, which in 2024 spanned 25 days, sold more than 2.6 million tickets and featur ...

, which led them to start a very successful collaboration as duo "Donna & Kebab". Their performances combine comedy, improvisation and original music. From 1994, they mainly focused on music and changed their name to "Donna & Kbb" and with time they became and are now known as Martha and Eve. The duo have recorded five albums together, of which their most popular remains Donna and Kbb are Martha and Eve (1996). In 2023, the duo was back at the Edinburgh Fringe celebrating 35 years of partnership with a new show ''Donna & Kebab are Martha and Eve – A Celebration!,'' a celebration of past and present successes.

Theatre credits

Filmography

Awards

References

External links

In the Heights, London

Strictly Ballroom the Musical, London

Martha and Eve official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Polycarpou, Eve Living people Actresses from Brighton British musical theatre actresses British women comedians Cypriot actresses English people of Greek Cypriot descent Year of birth missing (living people)