| Name |
Ruthie Henshall |
| Height |
|
| Naionality |
English |
| Date of Birth |
7-March-1967 |
| Place of Birth |
Bromley, Greater London, England |
| Famous for |
Singing |
Valentine Ruth Henshall, better known as Ruthie Henshall, is an English singer, dancer, and actress best known for her work in musical theatre. Henshall attended the Laine Theatre Arts school in Epsom, Surrey before making her first professional appearance on stage in 1986. Her appearance in the 1987 production of Cats marked her West End debut.
Prior to making her stage debut at the age of 19, Ruthie Henshall trained at Laine Theatre Arts in Epsom, Surrey. Her debut performance was in the Cascade Revue at the West Cliff Theatre in Clacton-on-Sea. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, she took part in a touring production of A Chorus Line as Maggie. Her West End debut came shortly thereafter when she was cast in Cats, making appearances as Jemima, Demeter, Griddlebone and Grizabella.
In 1988, at the age of 21, she was cast in Miss Saigon as Ellen, showing at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. She then went on to originate the role of Aphra in Children of Eden at the Prince Edward Theatre. The summer of 1989 saw her at the Chichester Festival Theatre performing in plays by Shakespeare, Moliere as well as a role in the musical Valentine's Day, based on You Can Never Tell by George Bernard Shaw.
In 1992, at the age of 25, she was cast as Fantine in Les Miserables. Her first starring role came in the 1993 trans-Atlantic transfer of the Broadway smash Crazy for You which opened at the Prince Edward Theatre. Her performance earned her the first of five Olivier Award nominations. In 1995, Henshall starred in She Loves Me, winning the Olivier as Best Actress in a Musical. That same year, she performed a concert of Gershwin songs at London's Royal Festival Hall. Later, in October, she recreated her role of Fantine for the 10th Anniversary Concert performance of Les Miserables at the Royal Albert Hall. In 1996, she took on the role of Nancy in producer Cameron Mackintosh's hit revival of Oliver! at the famed London Palladium. In 1997, Henshall originated the role of Roxie Hart in the West End transfer of the successful Broadway revival of Chicago. For this role, she received an her second Olivier nomination for Best Actress in a Musical, which went to her co-star Ute Lemper.
Henshall has also appeared at the Chichester Festival Theatre, has toured Britain in the revue The Magnificent Musicals, and has performed in Hey, Mr. Producer!, a celebration of the works of Cameron Mackintosh. Her solo recordings include The Ruthie Henshall Album, Pilgrim, and Love Is Here to Stay, a collection of Gershwin tunes. She succeeded the role of Marian Halcombe from Maria Freidman in Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Woman in White, from July 2005 until February 2006. She was also cast in the title role in Marguerite, a new musical from the pens of Michel Legrand, Herbert Kretzmer, Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg. The show opened on 7 May 2008 at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, London, but closed early on 13 September 2008.
