| Ruthie Henshall | |
|---|---|
| Born | Valentine Ruth Henshall 7 March 1967 Bromley, Greater London, England |
| Spouse(s) | Tim Howar (2004-2009) |
| Official website | |
Valentine Ruth Henshall (born 7 March 1967), 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.
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Henshall was born in Bromley, South East London, England. Her father David was a journalist, later the editor of the East Anglian Daily Times, the Suffolk morning newspaper. Henshall's early ambition was to be a ballet dancer, but she lacked the necessary physique. Her sister, Noel, died in 2007 of a drugs overdose while living in San Francisco, California.[1]
Henshall dated Prince Edward "solidly" for two years, but "on and off for five years"[2], before becoming engaged to actor John Gordon Sinclair. After she took the role of Velma Kelly in Chicago on Broadway, New York, they broke up, after which Henshall admitted going through a process of excessive drinking and considering suicide.[3]
She then met Tim Howar, theatre actor and lead singer of the band Van Tramp, and her male co-star lead in the West End production of "Peggy Sue Got Married". The couple married in 2004 and have two children together, Lily Amalia (born 16 February 2003) and Dolly Olivia (born 14 January 2005)[4] They lived close to her parents on the Essex/Suffolk border.[5] The couple announced their split in August 2009, with Henshall stating that she remains "good friends" with Howar.[6] They divorced in January 2010.[7]
Prior to making her stage debut at the age of 19, Ruthie Henshall trained at Laine Theatre Arts in Epsom, Surrey.[8] Her debut performance was in the Cascade Review 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 Theatre debut came shortly thereafter when she was cast in Cats, making appearances as Jemima, Demeter, Griddlebone and Grizabella.[9]
In 1988, at the age of 21, she was cast as Ellen in Miss Saigon 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, Molliere as well as a role in the musical Valentine's Day, based on You Can Never Tell by George Bernard Shaw.[8]
In 1992, at the age of 25, she was cast as Fantine in Les Misérables. Her first starring role would not come until the 1993 trans-Atlantic transfer of the Broadway smash Crazy for You, with a score by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin, which opened at the Prince Edward Theatre. Her performance earned her the first of four Olivier Award nominations.[8] In 1995, Henshall starred in She Loves Me, winning the Olivier as Best Actress in a Musical.[10] 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 Mis 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. From 1997-1998, Henshall starred as Roxie Hart in the West End revival of Chicago.
Henshall was cast in the title role of the stage musical adaptation of the Francis Ford Coppola film Peggy Sue Got Married,[11] 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 an Olivier for her performance.[12]
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.[13][14] Her solo recordings include The Ruthie Henshall Album, Pilgrim, and Love Is Here to Stay, a collection of Gershwin tunes[15]. 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 Schönberg. The show opened on 7 May at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, London, but closed early on 13 September.[16]
Henshall's Broadway credits include Stephen Sondheim's Putting It Together and The Vagina Monologues. 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.[9] In January 2006 she appeared in the four-part BBC Television series The Sound of Musicals.
In 2008 and 2009, Henshall appeared as an Ice Judge on the ITV1 show Dancing On Ice. Her appointment to the panel caused some controversy as she is the only judge with no experience in ice skating.[17]
Henshall performed two evening concerts with Kim Criswell entitled From Broadway to Hollywood at London's Cadogan Hall in the summer of 2009.[18]
She returned to the role of Roxie Hart in Chicago at the Cambridge Theatre, London, on 14 December 2009 for a nine week engagement.[19]
   | Ruthie Henshall's Official Website - The Official Website of Ruthie Henshall |
| | Patron of Red Shoes Appeal - Red Shoe Appeal |
| | Van Tramp - Van Tramp Official Homepage |
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