Caroline Keiff
Encyclopedia
Caroline Keiff is a British theatre performer, best known for her portrayal of Nessarose
in Wicked
. She was member of the original London cast and performed on the show's opening night of September 27, 2006. She performed in the ensemble and understudied the role of Nessarose. From July 2007, she began to understudy Glinda
. She then replaced Katie Rowley Jones
in the lead role of Nessarose on June 9, 2008, while continuing to understudy Glinda. She departed on May 9, 2009, after almost three years in the show, and was succeeded by Natalie Anderson
.
She most recently appeared in Legally Blonde The Musical
as Vivienne Kensington. She was an original London cast member and performed on the show's opening night of January 13, 2010. Keiff played her final performance on October 23, 2010, and was replaced by Siobhan Dillon
. On the 6th September, 2011, she returned to the role for a one-off performance to cover Dillon who was sick, as both other understudies were unavailable.
, in Essex
, attending St Martin's School
. After appearing in a local production of The Sound of Music
at the age of nine, she participated in many local amateur musical productions before going to the Guildford School of Acting
, graduating with a First Class BA (Hons).
Nessarose
Nessarose Thropp is the name of the woman who becomes the Wicked Witch of the East in Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire, as well as in the Broadway adaptation, Wicked...
in Wicked
Wicked (musical)
Wicked is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman. It is based on the Gregory Maguire novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West , a parallel novel of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz and L. Frank Baum's classic story The Wonderful Wizard...
. She was member of the original London cast and performed on the show's opening night of September 27, 2006. She performed in the ensemble and understudied the role of Nessarose. From July 2007, she began to understudy Glinda
Glinda
Glinda is a fictional character in the Land of Oz created by American author L. Frank Baum. She is the most powerful sorceress of Oz, ruler of the Quadling Country south of the Emerald City, and protector of Princess Ozma.- Literature :Baum's 1900 children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz...
. She then replaced Katie Rowley Jones
Katie Rowley Jones
Katie Rowley Jones is a musical theatre actress best known for her portrayal of Nessarose in Wicked.-Early life and education:...
in the lead role of Nessarose on June 9, 2008, while continuing to understudy Glinda. She departed on May 9, 2009, after almost three years in the show, and was succeeded by Natalie Anderson
Natalie Anderson
-Personal life:Anderson was born in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. She married fiancé James Shepherd at a ceremony in Harrogate on 6 June 2008.-Biography:...
.
She most recently appeared in Legally Blonde The Musical
Legally Blonde (musical)
Legally Blonde is a musical with music and lyrics by Laurence O'Keefe and Nell Benjamin and book by Heather Hach. The story is based on the novel Legally Blonde by Amanda Brown and the 2001 film of the same name. It tells the story of Elle Woods, a sorority girl who enrolls at Harvard Law School to...
as Vivienne Kensington. She was an original London cast member and performed on the show's opening night of January 13, 2010. Keiff played her final performance on October 23, 2010, and was replaced by Siobhan Dillon
Siobhan Dillon
Siobhan Patricia Dillon is an English actress and singer, who rose to fame when she performed in the British talent show-themed television series How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? on BBC One in 2006...
. On the 6th September, 2011, she returned to the role for a one-off performance to cover Dillon who was sick, as both other understudies were unavailable.
Biography
Keiff is originally from BrentwoodBrentwood, Essex
Brentwood is a town and the principal settlement of the Borough of Brentwood, in the county of Essex in the east of England. It is located in the London commuter belt, 20 miles east north-east of Charing Cross in London, and near the M25 motorway....
, in Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, attending St Martin's School
St Martin's School
St Martin's School is a comprehensive school in Hutton, Brentwood.St. Martin's is a co-educational, comprehensive, foundation school for pupils aged 11 to 19 years. In 2000 the DfES designated St. Martin's as a national beacon school of excellence and in 2005 the DfES designated St...
. After appearing in a local production of The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music is a musical by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the memoir of Maria von Trapp, The Story of the Trapp Family Singers...
at the age of nine, she participated in many local amateur musical productions before going to the Guildford School of Acting
Guildford School of Acting
Guildford School of Acting is a drama school located in Guildford, Surrey, England. It is an affiliate of the University of Surrey and is an accredited member of the National Council for Drama Training and The Conference of Drama Schools.-Overview:...
, graduating with a First Class BA (Hons).
Theatre credits
- The Far PavilionsThe Far PavilionsThe Far Pavilions is an epic novel of British-Indian history by M. M. Kaye, first published in 1978, which tells the story of an English officer during the Great Game. The novel, rooted deeply in the romantic epics of the 19th century, has been hailed as a masterpiece of storytelling...
as Alice, u/s Belinda (Shaftesbury Theatre) - Guys and DollsGuys and DollsGuys and Dolls is a 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" and "Blood Pressure", two short stories by Damon Runyon, and also borrows characters and plot elements from other Runyon stories, most notably...
as Sarah Brown (Courtyard Theatre) - Little Shop of HorrorsLittle Shop of Horrors (musical)Little Shop of Horrors is a rock musical, by composer Alan Menken and writer Howard Ashman, about a hapless florist shop worker who raises a plant that feeds on human blood. The musical is based on the low-budget 1960 black comedy film The Little Shop of Horrors, directed by Roger Corman...
as Chiffon (Jersey Opera House) - Hedda GablerHedda GablerHedda Gabler is a play first published in 1890 by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. The play premiered in 1891 in Germany to negative reviews, but has subsequently gained recognition as a classic of realism, nineteenth century theatre, and world drama...
as Thea Elvsted (Norwich Playhouse) - CabaretCabaret (musical)Cabaret is a musical based on a book written by Christopher Isherwood, music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb. The 1966 Broadway production became a hit and spawned a 1972 film as well as numerous subsequent productions....
as Sally Bowles (Yvonne Arnaud Theatre) - Snow White and the Seven DwarfsSnow White and the Seven Dwarfs (musical)Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is a musical with music by Frank Churchill and Jay Blackton, lyrics by Larry Morey and Joe Cook, book by Joe Cook, based on the 1937 animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs....
(Yvonne Arnaud Theatre) - 42nd Street42nd Street (musical)42nd Street is a musical with a book by Michael Stewart and Mark Bramble, lyrics by Al Dubin, and music by Harry Warren. The 1980 Broadway production, directed by an ailing Gower Champion and orchestrated by Philip J. Lang, won the Tony Award for Best Musical and became a long-running hit...
as Anytime Annie (Octagon Theatre, Yeovil) - Summer Holiday (UK Tour)
- Songs for a New WorldSongs for a New WorldSongs for a New World is a work of musical theater written and composed by Jason Robert Brown. Its original off-Broadway production ran for 28 performances at the WPA Theater in New York City in 1995. The show sits on the boundary between musical and song cycle, but it is neither; it is an abstract...
(Guildford Playhouse) - Beauty and the BeastBeauty and the Beast (musical)Beauty and the Beast is a musical with music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice and a book by Linda Woolverton, based on the 1991 Disney film of the same name. Seven new songs were written for the stage musical...
as Belle (Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmunds) - Dick Whittington as Alice Fitzwarren (Perth Theatre)
- Mother GooseMother GooseThe familiar figure of Mother Goose is an imaginary author of a collection of fairy tales and nursery rhymes which are often published as Mother Goose Rhymes. As a character, she appears in one "nursery rhyme". A Christmas pantomime called Mother Goose is often performed in the United Kingdom...
as Jill (Perth Theatre) - WickedWicked (musical)Wicked is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman. It is based on the Gregory Maguire novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West , a parallel novel of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz and L. Frank Baum's classic story The Wonderful Wizard...
as Ensemble, u/s Nessarose, u/s Glinda (Apollo Victoria Theatre) - WickedWicked (musical)Wicked is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman. It is based on the Gregory Maguire novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West , a parallel novel of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz and L. Frank Baum's classic story The Wonderful Wizard...
as Nessarose, u/s Glinda (Apollo Victoria Theatre) - The Rise And Fall Of Little VoiceThe Rise and Fall of Little VoiceThe Rise and Fall of Little Voice is a 1992 play written by English dramatist Jim Cartwright. Sam Mendes directed stars Jane Horrocks and Alison Steadman at the Royal National Theatre before transferring to the Aldwych Theatre in London's West End....
(Sheringham Theatre) - Legally BlondeLegally Blonde (musical)Legally Blonde is a musical with music and lyrics by Laurence O'Keefe and Nell Benjamin and book by Heather Hach. The story is based on the novel Legally Blonde by Amanda Brown and the 2001 film of the same name. It tells the story of Elle Woods, a sorority girl who enrolls at Harvard Law School to...
as Vivienne Kensington (Savoy Theatre) - The Secret GardenThe Secret GardenThe Secret Garden is a novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett. It was initially published in serial format starting in the autumn of 1910, and was first published in its entirety in 1911. It is now one of Burnett's most popular novels, and is considered to be a classic of English children's...
as Lily / Rose (Birmingham Rep Theatre) - CarmenCarmenCarmen is a French opéra comique by Georges Bizet. The libretto is by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée, first published in 1845, itself possibly influenced by the narrative poem The Gypsies by Alexander Pushkin...
as Carmen (Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough & The New Vic Theatre, Stoke)