In Profile with Lily Frazer
The very first edition of In Profile had a very positive response from readers, and was followed up with a piece on Lily Frazer, who was appearing in Les Miserables at the time
I went to see Les Miserables twice in 2011 following the show’s June cast change, and it was one of the strongest casts Les Mis has had, with some wonderful talent leading the way. It’s not only the leads who are worthy of the spotlight though; there is also, as always, the ensemble.
Originally from the West Midlands, the petite Frazer spent three years at the Arts Educational School London, graduating in 2011. Roles during her training there included Simone/Tanya in Babies, Soloist/Ensemble in Dreams, Ensemble in Mercury, Soloist/Ensemble in Muse, Mrs Lovett in Sweeney Todd, Mrs Mullin in Carousel, Ensemble in Our House and Thea in Spring Awakening. In her final year at ArtsEd, Jennifer Reischel covered the BA Arts Educational Musical Theatre Showcase for The Stage and made mention of Frazer, referring to her performance in Tusk Tusk as “outstanding, coupled with fantastic singing.”
Frazer joined the cast of Les Miserables at the Queen’s Theatre straight out of school, making her West End début in what is the longest-running musical in town. She stood out from the crowd in the ensemble, where she played the roles of Whore/Urchin. She was also second cover for the role of Thernadier’s daughter, Eponine. Young, beautiful and with a strong, clear voice, she made quite the impression in her first professional job out of drama school. While a member of the company, she took part in the Les Mis Gives…at Christmas cabaret in December 2011 with fellow cast members who gave their time to support The Make A Difference Trust. I was present on the night, and as well as the company/all-girl numbers she was a part of, she wowed the audience with a solo Christmas song, accompanied by three of her fellow Les Mis girls acting as back-up singers. It was a beautifully simple and classic performance which afforded her the opportunity to fully display her impressive vocal ability.
After leaving Les Miserables, she took part in the workshop of the Spice Girls musical, Viva Forever!, where she played the role of Diamond. She then joined the Arena Tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Jesus Christ Superstar, which starred Ben Forster following his win on the ITV casting competition, Superstar. Frazer appeared in an ensemble capacity as the show toured around the country, launching in London at the O2 Arena on 21st September 2012 and continuing into 2013. She also features on the filmed live performance DVD, alongside the show’s other stars, such as Tim Minchin, Melanie Chisholm and Chris Moyles.
Following her time with Jesus Christ Superstar, she continued to travel with another touring production. She joined the cast of classic musical Cats, playing her first leading role in the form of Demeter.
Other theatre credits include performances in the choirs for Broadway to West End and the BBC Proms – Sondheim at 80.
Her most recent role was not on stage but television, after she started filming for the popular E4 drama Drifters. She appears in the show’s second series, which began airing on 23rd October 2014, as Suzy.
Lily Frazer is a highly talented actress who is still at the beginning of her career. She got off to a great start with Les Miserables, but there are surely a whole other range of roles/shows waiting for her. The name of Lily Frazer is one that will surely be around for many more years to come.
You can follow Lily on Twitter: @LilyFrazer
By Julie Robinson: @missjulie25
Updated 8th November 2014