Vivien Carter is an Australian actress, singer and dancer. She is probably best known for playing

Velma Kelly Velma Kelly is one of the main characters in the successful 1975 Broadway musical ''Chicago''. Kelly is based on the character "Velma", who first appeared in the 1926 play, also called ''Chicago'', who was in-turn inspired by events in the life ...

in ''

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

'' at the

Cambridge Theatre The Cambridge Theatre is a West End theatre, on a corner site in Earlham Street facing Seven Dials, London, Seven Dials, in the London Borough of Camden, built in 1929–30 for Bertie Meyer on an "irregular triangular site". Design and const ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

Early life

Carter was born in Australia and trained in acting, singing and dancing at the

Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts The Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) at Edith Cowan University (ECU) is a performing arts school in Perth, Western Australia. Established in 1980, it is notable for being the most comprehensive performing arts school in Aus ...

(WAAPA), Perth. While there she appeared in productions of

Nick Enright Nicholas Paul Enright AM (22 December 1950 – 30 March 2003) was an Australian dramatist, playwright and theatre director. Early life Enright was born on 22 December 1950 to a prosperous professional Catholic family in East Maitland, New So ...

's ''Spurboard'', ''

The Crucible ''The Crucible'' is a 1953 play by the American playwright Arthur Miller. It is a dramatized and partially fictionalized story of the Salem witch trials that took place in the Province of Massachusetts Bay from 1692 to 1693. Miller wrote ...

'', ''

Perfectly Frank ''Perfectly Frank'' is an album by Tony Bennett, released in 1992 and recorded as a tribute to his longtime friend Frank Sinatra. The album debuted on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart in the issue dated October 3, 1992, and remained on the album c ...

'', and ''

Fiddler on the Roof ''Fiddler on the Roof'' is a musical theatre, musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and musical theatre#Book musicals, book by Joseph Stein, set in the Pale of Settlement of Russian Empire, Imperial Russia in or around 19 ...

''. Carter graduated from WAAPA in 2003.

Work before ''Chicago''

* 2004–5 ''

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 ...

'', touring Australia and Japan * 2006 ''

Guys and Dolls ''Guys and Dolls'' is a musical theater, musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It is based on "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" (1933) and "Blood Pressure", which are two short stories by Damon Run ...

'', directed by

Michael Grandage Michael Grandage Order of the British Empire, CBE (born 2 May 1962) is a British theatre director and producer. He is currently artistic director of the Michael Grandage Company. From 2002 to 2012 he was artistic director of the Donmar Warehouse ...

, 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 ...

production 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 ...

: Swing * 2007 '' Evita'', directed by

Adelphi Theatre The Adelphi Theatre is a West End theatre, located on the Strand in the City of Westminster, central London. The present building is the fourth on the site. The theatre has specialised in comedy and musical theatre, and today it is a receiv ...

: Ensemble * 2007 ''Eurobeat: Almost Eurovision'' (premiere),

Edinburgh Fringe Festival 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 ...

, Pleasance Grand, Edinburgh. * 2008 ''

Oklahoma! ''Oklahoma!'' is the first musical theater, musical written by the duo of Rodgers and Hammerstein. The musical is based on Lynn Riggs's 1931 play, ''Green Grow the Lilacs (play), Green Grow the Lilacs''. Set in farm country outside the town of ...

'',

Kilworth House Kilworth House is a four star country house hotel, located west of North Kilworth, Leicestershire. History This grade II listed Italianate country house was built as a family home towards the end of the nineteenth century for John Entwisle, t ...

, Leicestershire * 2008 ''Like Other People Do'' by Alex Kelly (short film)

''Chicago''

In the summer of 2008, Vivien Carter joined the long-running production of

in the West End. She played the role of June ("Squish") for ten months and Liz ("Pop") for a further nine months. From 26 April 2010 until 5 February 2011, Carter played

, having originally been offered the role for just six weeks. Carter's portrayal of Velma was well-received. Matt Wolf at theartsdesk.com opined that ''"Vivien Carter ... ffersa crisply enunciated, sardonic, commandingly slithery take on the part...: a take-no-prisoners belter of a woman. ... A welcome Australian presence on the West End, Carter has a knack for seeming to sneer while she sings, all the while winning us over with her feral, feline command. On this evidence, she deserves to open a show so that the critical community can take proper note of her talents."'' Sian Meades, at lastminute.com, posited that ''"Vivien Carter, playing Velma Kelly, is one of the best actresses I’ve seen on stage in recent years. Her command of the stage, and the rest of the cast was nothing short of fabulous. Whenever she was on stage, you noticed her. Even if she wasn’t doing anything. When she danced, you watched. When she sang, you were rooting for her. She was the star of the show for me."''

Work since ''Chicago''

* 2011 ''Pub Plays'' (''Trade'' and ''The New Black'') and ''The Joy of Text'', High Tide Festival * 2011 (26 June) ''When You Hear My Voice'', the fourth Tim Williams Awards concert, at the

Cochrane Theatre The Cochrane Theatre, previously known as the Jeanetta Cochrane Theatre, was a receiving and producing theatre situated in Holborn, London, that opened in 1964. It is now used for television filming. History The theatre opened in 1963 and was n ...

. Carter performed ''A Poison Tree,'' an adaptation of the poem by

William Blake William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his life, Blake has become a seminal figure in the history of the Romantic poetry, poetry and visual art of the Roma ...

, with original music by Corin Buckeridge (musical director of ''Chicago).''

''Radio Times''

In autumn 2011, Carter appeared as Forces' sweetheart Amy Chapman in the

Noel Gay Reginald Moxon Armitage (15 July 1898 – 4 March 1954) known professionally as Noel Gay. was a British composer of popular music of the 1930s and 1940s whose output comprised 45 songs as well as the music for 28 films and 26 London shows. She ...

musical ''Radio Times'' at the

Watermill Theatre The Watermill Theatre is a producing theatre in Bagnor, Berkshire. It opened in 1967 in Bagnor Mill, a converted watermill on the River Lambourn. As a producing house, the theatre has staged works that have subsequently moved on to the West E ...

, opposite

Anna-Jane Casey Anna-Jane Casey (born 15 February 1972) is an English singer, dancer and actress best known for her work in musical theatre. Personal life Casey was born in Salford, Lancashire, England. Casey married fellow actor Graham MacDuff in 1998. The ...

and

Gary Wilmot Harold Owen "Gary" Wilmot, MBE (born 8 May 1954) is a British actor who rose to fame as a contestant on ''New Faces''. As a television presenter, he is best known as the host of '' You and Me'', ''So You Want To Be Top'' and ''Showstoppers''. ...

. As well as singing and dancing, Carter played saxophone, ukulele and kazoo. On 1 September 2011 Andrew Lloyd Webber was in the audience and gave the cast a standing ovation. ''Radio Times'' received five stars in The Public Reviews. Carter's performance was also praised:

"Vivien Carter, as Amy, smolders, seduces, sings, dances, plays and ends up with real heart." - Jim Nicholson at ''The Public Reviews''

"Vivien Carter sa forces sweetheart to rival Vera Lynn." - Judi Herman at ''WhatsOnStage''

" ivien Carter asthe loveable Amy, the forces sweetheart who oozed sexuality." - Robin Strapp at ''The British Theatre Guide''

The show also toured, ending with a week at the

Theatre Royal, Plymouth Theatre Royal, Plymouth, is a theatre venue in Plymouth, Devon. It consists of a 1,300-seat main auditorium, The Lyric, which regularly hosts large-scale musicals, opera and ballet; a 200-seat studio, The Drum; and a 50-seat studio, The Lab. ...

Sara Crowe Sara Crowe (born 22 March 1966) is a Scottish film and stage actress who mainly plays comedy roles. Biography Career After beginning her career on stage and in television, Crowe began to take film roles, including a part in '' Carry On Columbus ...

took over in the role of Olive.

References

External links

''All That Jazz'' from ''Chicago'' with Vivien Carter as Velma Kelly; part of ''West End Live'' 2010

''My Own Best Friend'' from ''Chicago'' with Vivien Carter as Velma Kelly; part of ''West End Live'' 2010

Finale from ''Chicago'' with Vivien Carter as Velma Kelly; part of ''West End Live'' 2010

2010 Matt Wolf interview with Vivien Carter from Broadway.com

Facebook group devoted to Vivien Carter
Living people Australian musical theatre actresses Australian expatriates in England People from Queensland Australian expatriate actresses in the United Kingdom Australian women singers Year of birth missing (living people) {{Australia-bio-stub