Lauren Drew
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Lauren Drew (born 17 February 1993) is a Welsh actress and singer. Known for her work in musical theatre, she won a
WhatsOnStage Award The WhatsOnStage Awards (WOS Awards), formerly known as the Theatregoers' Choice Awards, are organised by the theatre website WhatsOnStage.com. The awards celebrate outstanding achievements in UK theatre, with categories covering both regional p ...
and received a
Laurence Olivier Award The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply The Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognize excellence in West End theatre, professional theatre in London. The awards were originally known as the Society of We ...
nomination.


Early life

Drew was born in
Port Talbot Port Talbot (, ) is a town and community (Wales), community in the county borough of Neath Port Talbot, Wales, situated on the east side of Swansea Bay, approximately from Swansea. The Port Talbot Steelworks covers a large area of land which d ...
. She pursued a BTEC National Diploma in Musical Theatre at Neath Port Talbot College before going on to study at the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, graduating in 2016. That year, Drew was a finalist in the Stephen Sondheim Society Student Performer of the Year competition alongside Courtney Bowman.


Career

Upon graduating from Mountview in 2016, Drew made her professional stage debut in the ensemble of the UK tour of ''
Ghost In folklore, a ghost is the soul or Spirit (supernatural entity), spirit of a dead Human, person or non-human animal that is believed by some people to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely, from a ...
''. This was followed by her West End debut the next year in '' Kinky Boots'' at the Adelphi Theatre, and a role in '' Heathers'' at The Other Palace in 2018. Drew played Suzanne in ''
Sweet Charity ''Sweet Charity'' is a musical with music by Cy Coleman, lyrics by Dorothy Fields, and book by Neil Simon, based on the screenplay for the 1957 Italian film '' Nights of Cabiria''. It was directed and choreographed for Broadway by Bob Fosse sta ...
'' 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 ...
and was the understudy for Eva Peron in '' Evita'' at
Regent's Park Open Air Theatre Regent's Park Open Air Theatre is an open-air theatre in Regent's Park in central London, established in 1932. Originally known for its Shakespearean productions, the theatre now features a wide variety of performances, including musicals, ope ...
in 2019. Drew portrayed
Catherine of Aragon Catherine of Aragon (also spelt as Katherine, historical Spanish: , now: ; 16 December 1485 – 7 January 1536) was List of English royal consorts, Queen of England as the Wives of Henry VIII, first wife of King Henry VIII from their marr ...
on the 2019 UK tour of '' Six''. She would later reprise her role on the 2021 tour of the production as well. Also in 2021, Drew competed in the tenth series of ''
The Voice UK ''The Voice UK'' is a British singing reality competition television series. Created by John de Mol and Roel van Velzen, it premiered on BBC One on 24 March 2012. Based on the original Dutch singing competition '' The Voice of Holland'', and ...
'', auditioning with Jessie J's "Mama Knows Best" to four yeses. She was initially in Anne-Marie's team before being "stolen" by will.i.am. Drew was eliminated in the semi-finals. Drew returned to Regent's Park Open Air Theatre in 2022 when she played Brooke Wyndham in '' Legally Blonde''. For her performance, Drew was awarded the
WhatsOnStage Award The WhatsOnStage Awards (WOS Awards), formerly known as the Theatregoers' Choice Awards, are organised by the theatre website WhatsOnStage.com. The awards celebrate outstanding achievements in UK theatre, with categories covering both regional p ...
for Best Supporting Performer in a Musical. She also played Fantine on the UK tour 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. '' ...
''. The following year, Drew originated the titular character of the new musical ''Lizzie'', which ran at the Hope Mill Theatre in Manchester, Southwark Playhouse in London, and had a tour. In 2024, Drew portrayed
Céline Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion (born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Referred to as the " Queen of Power Ballads", Dion's powerful, technically skilled vocals and commercially successful works have had a significant impact on popular musi ...
in the jukebox musical '' Titanique'' at the Criterion Theatre.


Theatre


Awards and nominations


References


External links

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Lauren Drew
at Spotlight {{DEFAULTSORT:Drew, lauren Living people 1993 births Alumni of the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts People from Port Talbot The Voice UK contestants Welsh musical theatre actresses People educated at Neath Port Talbot College