In Profile with Nadine Cox from the cast of Mamma Mia!
There’s been a lot of speculation about the Spice Girls’ musical Viva Forever and whether or not it will do well in the West End. Until it hits here, the answer is simply: who knows? One thing that is certainly working in its favour though is the inclusion of producer Judy Craymer, whose ABBA musical Mamma Mia! is currently the longest running jukebox musical in the West End, having enjoyed thirteen glorious years to date. Based on the hit songs of ABBA, Mamma Mia uses their iconic music to tell the tale of young bride Sophie, who invites her three potential fathers to her wedding, unbeknownst to her mother, Donna.
The musical was adapted into a film in 2008, starring Hollywood A-lister Meryl Streep as Donna and Amanda Seyfried as Sophie, with Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth and Stellan Skarsgard as potential dads #1, #2 and #3. In regards to the singing in the film, the cast received a bit of a mixed reaction, with Meryl Streep and Amanda Seyfried (who can soon be seen playing Cosette in the upcoming Les Miserables film) praised for their vocals, while the likes of Pierce Brosnan got a universal thumbs-down from viewers. If you head to the West End though to see the stage musical of Mamma Mia, every single one of the cast has the voice and talent to earn the seal of approval. The principals are outstanding, no doubt, but the show’s ensemble shine in a league of their own too. That’s why I decided to feature one of them in this week’s In Profile, and this time, the spotlight has fallen on ensemble member Nadine Cox.
Cox has been following the path to a career on stage for most of her life, joining the Morgan Aslanoff School of Dance at the age of three, a school with a reputation for excelling in training for the stage. She went on to train with Geoff Colman, Head of Acting at the Central School of Speech and Drama.
Her professional stage career has certainly flourished well, as Cox has a long list of impressive credits to her name already. She has appeared as part of the ensemble in the original London casts of two West End musicals, understudying and playing Georgie/Sam in The Full Monty (Prince of Wales Theatre) and as ShenShen and 1st cover to Madame Morrible in Wicked (Apollo Victoria Theatre). Other roles include understudying and playing Dead Mum in West End musical Billy Elliot (Victoria Palace Theatre), Maxine in the play production of Stepping Out (Union Theatre), Judith in Elegies (Bridewell Theatre) and Mona Kent in Dames At Sea (Prince Regent Theatre). She has also travelled around the UK with several touring productions, including playing Mrs Bixby in Seven Brides For Seven Brothers and The Narrator in Joseph and his Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
In addition to her onstage credits, Cox has also been involved in the workshop for Little Women as Mother, along with a number of rehearsed readings for Waiting For The Dawn as Mrs Anderson (Arts Theatre) and Chewing The Scenery as Storm in a filmed reading. She also played Mrs Capaldi in the short film Ricki and Julie, and Madame Delila/Mrs Thatcher in the Doctor Who audio recording of DR Who – The Ultimate Adventure.
Cox is also somewhat of a regular on the cabaret scene, having performed at a variety of top notch cabaret events around London, such as Sunday Roast at Freedom Bar, Soho last year. Most recently, she was a guest vocalist at the cabarets of two of the UK’s most promising new musical theatre writers: She sang ‘Self Taught, Still Learning’from the debut album of singer/songwriter Chris Passey at Chris Passey and Friends at the Leicester Square Theatre in January 2012, and duetted with Wicked star Chloe Hart on Mark Petty and Barry Anderson’s ‘Love Will Find Its Way’ at the composing duo’s debut London concert A Night of Anderson & Petty at the Delfont Room in March 2012. She is also Head of Singing at the Pineapple Performing Arts School (PPAS) and has taught vocal classes London Theatre Tours and at the London Theatre Studio.
Nadine Cox is a talented performer who has earned roles in a wide range of productions and has an enviable number of big-name musicals under her belt already. It would be wonderful to see this beautiful lady with the big voice featured more prominently in the near-future however, something which I have no doubt will happen.
Follow Nadine on Twitter @NadineBetty
By Julie Robinson (@missjulie25)
Saturday 14th July 2012
