Ruthie Henshall

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Template:Short description Template:Use British English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox person Valentine Ruth Henshall (born 7 March 1967), known professionally as Ruthie Henshall, is an English actress, singer and dancer, known for her work in musical theatre. She began her professional stage career in 1986, before making her West End debut in Cats in 1987. A five-time Olivier Award nominee, she won the 1995 Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her role as Amalia Balash in the London revival of She Loves Me (1994).

Henshall's other Olivier nominated roles are Polly Baker in the original London production of Crazy for You (1993–1994), Roxie Hart in the revival of Chicago (1997–1998) and the title roles in the original productions of Peggy Sue Got Married (2001) and Marguerite (2008). She made her Broadway debut in 1999 as Velma Kelly in Chicago and returned to the Broadway production to play Roxie Hart in 2010. She also starred as Mrs Wilkinson for two years in the West End production of Billy Elliot the Musical (2014–2016). She returned to television acting in 2021 by appearing as Miranda Evans in the BBC soap opera Doctors.

Early and personal life

Henshall was born on 7 March 1967 in Orpington, London.<ref name="Smooth">Template:Cite news</ref> Her father, David, was a journalist, later the editor of the East Anglian Daily Times, a Suffolk morning newspaper. Henshall dated Prince Edward for a number of years,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> before becoming engaged to actor John Gordon Sinclair. After she took the role of Velma Kelly in Chicago on Broadway, the relationship ended.<ref>Jardine, Cassandra. "Ruthie Henshall: 'I felt that I was losing my mindTemplate:'", The Daily Telegraph, 12 September 2008.</ref>

She met actor and singer Tim Howar, her male co-star lead in the West End production of Peggy Sue Got Married. The couple married in 2004 and have two daughters. The couple separated in August 2009 and later divorced in January 2010.<ref name="Smooth" />

Career

Prior to making her stage debut at the age of 19, Henshall trained at Laine Theatre Arts in Epsom, Surrey.<ref name="officialbio">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Her debut performance was in the Cascade Revue at the West Cliff Theatre in Clacton-on-Sea.<ref>"History", West Cliff Theatre. Accessed 17 January 2021</ref> In the late 1980s and early 1990s, she took part in a touring production of A Chorus Line as Maggie.<ref name="officialbio" /> Her West End debut came shortly thereafter when she was cast in Cats, making appearances as Jemima, Demeter, Griddlebone and Grizabella.<ref name="agencygroup">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In 1988, at the age of 21, Henshall was cast in Miss Saigon as one of the bar girls, 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, Molière as well as a role in the musical Valentine's Day, based on You Can Never Tell by George Bernard Shaw.<ref name="officialbio" />

In 1992, at the age of 25, Henshall was cast as Fantine in Les Misérables. Her first starring role came in the 1993 trans-Atlantic transfer of the Broadway production Crazy for You which opened at the Prince Edward Theatre. Her performance earned her the first of five Olivier Award nominations.<ref name="officialbio" /> In 1995, Henshall starred in She Loves Me, winning the Olivier as Best Actress in a Musical.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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 Misérables 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 London Palladium. In 1997, Henshall originated the role of Roxie Hart in the West End transfer of the Broadway revival of Chicago. For this role, she received her third Olivier nomination for Best Actress in a Musical, which went to her co-star Ute Lemper.

Henshall was cast in the title role of the stage musical adaptation of the Francis Ford Coppola film Peggy Sue Got Married,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> which opened in London in August 2001 to mixed reviews. Although it closed after a run of just eight weeks, she was once again nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award for her performance.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

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.<ref name="RuthieHenshall.net">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Her solo recordings include The Ruthie Henshall Album, Pilgrim, and Love Is Here to Stay, a collection of Gershwin tunes.<ref name="amazon">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> She succeeded the role of Marian Halcombe from Maria Friedman 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 Schönberg. The show opened on 7 May 2008 at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, London, but closed early on 13 September 2008.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Henshall's Broadway credits include Stephen Sondheim's Putting It Together, Chicago (as both Velma and Roxie), and off-Broadway The Vagina Monologues. In 2000 she guest-starred in an episode of Law & Order titled "Panic"; she played an author named P.K. Todd. Her first feature film, a musical version of A Christmas Carol with Kelsey Grammer, aired on NBC in the United States in November 2004 and was released as a commercial attraction to theatres in the UK and Europe.<ref name="agencygroup" /> In January 2006 she appeared in the four-part BBC Television series The Sound of Musicals.

In 2008, Henshall replaced Natalia Bestemianova as a judge on the ITV1 show Dancing on Ice alongside Robin Cousins, Karen Barber, Nicky Slater and Jason Gardiner. Her appointment to The Ice Panel caused some controversy as she was the only judge with no experience in ice skating.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> She returned for a second series in 2009. Following the conclusion of the 2009 series, Henshall said on Angela and Friends the Sky1 TV programme that she was glad that she was away from Dancing on Ice. Her replacement for the 2010 series was Emma Bunton.

Henshall performed two evening concerts with Kim Criswell entitled From Broadway to Hollywood at London's Cadogan Hall in the summer of 2009.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

She returned to the role of Roxie in Chicago at the Cambridge Theatre, London, on 14 December 2009 and completed her run on 24 April 2010. This was the second time Henshall played the role in London, having created it in 1997. She stated in an interview that she felt more comfortable in the part the second time around, being in her forties. She has stated that, "Anyone who plays the role of Roxie should be in their forties, as they have lived and learned". She has also recently played Roxie in the Broadway company of Chicago.

In March 2011, Henshall took the role of Elvira in the classic play Blithe Spirit in the West End, after playing the role in several regional theatre engagements.<ref>Gray, Christopher."'Blithe Spirit': Milton Keynes Theatre and Apollo Theatre, London, next month" Template:WebarchiveThe Oxford Times, 16 February 2011</ref><ref>Woolman, Natalie."Ruthie Henshall to star in Blithe Spirit", thestage.co.uk, 31 August 2010</ref>

In 2011 she also appeared as a theatre actor in an episode of the HBO comedy Curb Your Enthusiasm that aired 14 August, as well as a lawyer in The Case, a 5-part legal drama that aired from 31 October to 4 November on BBC One.<ref>Best British TV.Template:Usurped bestbritishtv.com, 18 October 2011</ref><ref>BBC News."Ruthie Henshall hosts charity show at Ipswich Regent", bbc.co.uk, 18 November 2011</ref>

In February 2012 it was announced that Henshall will headline a concert of Side by Side by Sondheim in Australia. Henshall took a purely acting role as billionaire Stephanie Gaunt in the CBBC series Wizards vs Aliens in 2012. Henshall and Daniel Bowling (director of musicals) have written a book, So You Want to Be in Musicals?, published in 2012.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> In 2014, it was announced that she would play Mrs Wilkinson in Billy Elliot the Musical from 12 May. After two years in the production, she became the final actress to take on the role before the show's closure.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2020, it was confirmed that Henshall would be participating in the twentieth series of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here. She was eliminated on 29 November, finishing in 11th place.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In March 2021, she began appearing in the BBC soap opera Doctors as Miranda Evans.<ref>Template:Cite episode</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2022, Henshall starred in the revival of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's musical Passion at the Hope Mill Theatre in Manchester, playing Fosca.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In 2025, Henshall is set to join the revival of Cabaret in the West End as Fräulein Schneider.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1992 Get Back Rita Henderson Series 1; Episode 2: "We Can Work It Out"
1994–1995 That's Showbusiness Herself - Panellist Series 6; Episode 25, and Series 7; Episodes 19 & 24
1995 Great Performances Fantine Series 24; Episode 10: "Les Misérables in Concert"
2000 Law & Order P.K. Todd Series 10; Episode 13: "Panic"
2001 Deadline Sweeney Episode 11: "Just Lie Back"
Putting It Together: Direct from Broadway The Young Woman Television films
2004 A Christmas Carol: The Musical Scrooge's Mother
2005 Celebrate 'Oliver!' Nancy
2008–2009 Dancing on Ice Herself - Judge Series 3 & 4; 31 episodes
2009 All Star Family Fortunes Herself - Contestant Series 3; Episode 12: Ruthie Henshall vs Shane Lynch
2011 Curb Your Enthusiasm Ally Series 8; Episode 6: "The Hero"
The Case Valerie Mornay Mini-series; Episodes 1–5
2012 Wizards vs Aliens Stephanie Gaunt Series 1; Episodes 7 & 8: "Friend or Foe, Parts 1 & 2"
2014 Billy Elliot the Musical Live Mrs. Wilkinson Video. Live recording of Billy Elliot the Musical
2018 Isabella Amanda Short film
2020 I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! Herself - Contestant Series 20; 19 episodes
2021 Doctors Miranda Evans Recurring role. Series 22; 7 episodes
Celebrity Chase Herself - Contestant Series 11; Episode 11: "Christmas Special"
2022 Olivier Awards Herself - Guest Presenter 1 episode
Celebrity Mastermind Herself - Contestant Series 20; Episode 2
Shakespeare & Hathaway: Private Investigators Beattie Delamar Series 4; Episode 2: "If Music Be the Food of Love"
2023 Pointless Celebrities Herself - Contestant Series 15; Episode 19
2023–2024 Coronation Street Estelle Harrington Recurring role (4 episodes)
2024 Richard Osman's House of Games Herself - Contestant Series 8; Episodes 46–50 (Week 10)

Stage credits

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  • Guys and Dolls (Concert version, Cadogan Hall, 2012) as Adelaide
  • Billy Elliot (West End cast, Victoria Palace Theatre, 2014–2016) as Mrs.Wilkinson
  • Chicago (West End revival, Phoenix Theatre, 2018) as Mama Morton<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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  • Children Of Eden (30th anniversary concert, Cadogan Hall, 2021) as The Snake
  • Passion (Hope Mill Theatre, revival, 2022) as Fosca
  • 42nd Street (West End revival, 2023–2024) as Dorothy Brock<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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  • Cabaret (West End revival, 2025-2026) as Fräulein Schneider<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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Olivier nominations

Henshall has been nominated five times for the UK's most prestigious theatre award, the Laurence Olivier Award, winning once.

Publications

Discography

Year Title Role Notes
1990 The Making of Miss Saigon Ellen
1995 Les Misérables: The Dream Cast in Concert Fantine
1998 Hey, Mr. Producer! Herself
2001 Putting It Together: Direct from Broadway The Young Woman Final performance
2003 Some Enchanted Evening: Richard Rodgers Tribute Gala Herself
2004 Broadway – The Golden Age, By the Legends Who Were There
A Christmas Carol Mrs. Scrooge (Scrooge's Mother)
2005 Voices For Darfur Herself Charitable performance
2006 Lesley Garrett: Music from the Movies

Solo albums

  • I've Loved these Days
  • The Ruthie Henshall Album
  • Pilgrim
  • Ruthie Henshall Sings Gershwin

Guest vocals and compilations

  • I Love Musicals
  • Sondheim – The Stephen Sondheim Album
  • Showstoppers: Dudu Fisher
  • Brent Barrett: The Kander and Ebb Album

Cast recordings

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References

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