Frances Ruffelle (b. 29 August 1965) is a British musical theatre actress and recording artist. Her mother is Dame Sylvia Young, the founder of the famous theatre school at which Frances trained and where she began performing at the age of seven. She is best known for originating the role of Eponine in the English language version of Les Misérables for which she won the Tony. She has also notably appeared in Starlight Express, Children of Eden and Chicago. is the 241st day of the year (242nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1965 Gregorian calendar. ... Les Misérables (pronunciation ), colloquially known as Les Mis, is a musical composed in 1980 by French composer Claude-Michel Schönberg on a libretto by Alain Boublil. ... What is popularly called the Tony Award (formally, the Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre) is an annual award celebrating achievements in live American theater, including musical theater, primarily honoring productions on Broadway in New York. ... Broadway Logo, 1987 Starlight Express is a contemporary rock musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber (music) and by Richard Stilgoe (lyrics), with later revisions by Don Black (lyrics) and David Yazbek (music and lyrics). ... Children of Eden is a two-act musical play with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz based on a book by John Caird. ... Chicago is a musical, based on the play Chicago by Maurine Dallas Watkins. ...

Music career

Frances's first musical performance was at age 16 in Gavin the Monster. Three years later she took on the role of Dinah in Andrew Lloyd Webber's roller skating musical Starlight Express in the Original London Premiere cast. It was her work on Starlight Express where she first came into contact with renowned stage director Trevor Nunn. Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948) is a highly successful English composer of musical theatre, and also the elder brother of Julian Lloyd Webber. ... Sir Trevor King (born 14 January 1940) is a loser and film director. ...

A year later, she had left Starlight and joined the original London cast of Les Misérables as Eponine. Though virtually an unknown outside of the West End, she and Colm Wilkinson were invited to reprise their roles for the Broadway launch. Ruffelle was nominated for and won multiple awards (including the Tony) for her role. She returned to the role she originated in 1997 on the West End. Lea Salonga took over the role Ruffelle had created for the Tenth Anniversary concert after Frances turned down an offer to appear. Colm Wilkinson’s life is surrounded by music. ... Lea Salonga-Chien (born Maria Ligaya Carmen Imutan Salonga on February 22, 1971 in Angeles City) is a Tony, Drama Desk, and Theatre World Award-winning Filipino singer and actress who is best known for her portrayal of Kim in the musical Miss Saigon. ...

Her subsequent work on stage included the Ian Dury musical Apples in 1989 and Stephen Schwartz's Children of Eden in 1990, featuring on the cast albums of both. She has also starred as the female lead Roxie Hart in Chicago, as well as appearing in Lucky Stiff and The Prince and the Showgirl, and more recently in Schwartz Stories. Ian Dury, in a look combining Gene Vincent with a Cockney pearly king. ... Stephen Schwartz Stephen Schwartz (born March 6, 1948) is an American musical theater lyricist and composer. ... Lucky Stiff is a musical; it was the first collaboration for the musical theater team of Lynn Ahrens (book and lyrics) and Stephen Flaherty (music). ... The Prince and the Showgirl is a 1957 Hollywood film starring Marilyn Monroe and co-starring Laurence Olivier who also directed and produced it. ...

The creative team behind Les Misérables, Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, also used Ruffelle's vocals as Kim while writing Miss Saigon, the role of which went to Lea Salonga. Andrew Lloyd Webber also used her while workshopping Sunset Boulevard and Whistle Down the Wind, and she took part in both at the Sydmonton Festival. Claude-Michel Schönberg (born July 6, 1944 in Vannes, France) is a French record producer, actor, singer, popular songwriter, and musical theatre composer, best known for his collaborations with the librettist Alain Boublil. ... Alain Boublil is a librettist, best known for his collaborations with the composer Claude-Michel Schönberg. ... Miss Saigon is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, with lyrics by Richard Maltby, Jr. ... Sunset Boulevard (officially known as West Sunset Boulevard, except in Beverly Hills) is a street in the western part of Los Angeles County, California, that stretches from Figueroa Street in downtown Los Angeles to the Pacific Coast Highway at the Pacific Ocean in the Pacific Palisades. ... Whistle Down the Wind is a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the 1961 film Whistle Down the Wind. ...

In 1994, Ruffelle was chosen to represent the United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest. She sang all 8 songs at the preselection, and British televoters chose Lonely Symphony to represent the UK, by televoting. It went on to come 10th at the contest in Dublin. When asked about her motivations for joining the competition, she jokingly replied that since none of the four constituent nations of the UK (Wales, Scotland, England and Northern Ireland) had qualified for that year's football World Cup finals, it was her responsibility to try to restore some national pride. The modern logo was introduced for the 2004 Contest to create a consistent visual identity. ... Lonely Symphony (We will be free) was the UK entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1994. ... The Spire at night WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: , Statistics Province: Leinster County: Dáil Éireann: Dublin Central, Dublin North Central, Dublin North East, Dublin North West, Dublin South Central, Dublin South East European Parliament: Dublin Dialling Code: 01, +353 1 Postal District(s): D1-24, D6W Area: 114. ...

"Lonely Symphony" was released as a single in the UK, as well as in other countries, and also appeared on her first solo album, Fragile. Fragile included several songs co-written by Ruffelle, but after the relatively disappointing performance of "Lonely Symphony" in the UK charts, Virgin pulled the album release. It did come out in Japan, and later gained a limited release in Germany and other areas of Europe. Nevertheless, several singles did emerge in the UK, to little success. Virgin Records is a British recording label founded by British entrepreneur Richard Branson, and Nik Powell in 1972. ... World map showing the location of Europe. ...

Ruffelle's second album was simply entitled Frances Ruffelle, and came out in 1998, on the small Dress Circle label. It was a change in direction, featuring stripped down, maudlin arrangements of mostly musical songs, as well as a couple of classics, original songs and covers. In 2004, she released Showgirl on her own label, a return to fuller arrangements, but far from a pop sound. Ruffelle also collaborated with Sam Bonner in the group, paTala, making an album called Purify, featuring "a fusion of traditional Sanskrit chants with unique arrangements of contemporary Western beats".

She has performed at Ronnie Scott's in London to promote her albums, and a new album, Live At Ronnie Scott's, has been recorded and mixed and is currently awaiting a release date. Ronnie Scott (left) with Tubby Hayes. ...

Ruffelle was set to appear in a revival of the Sherman Brothers musical Over Here! in January 2007, alongside Donna McKechnie, Diane Langton and Richard Fleeshman, however it was postponed, and little has been heard about a potential opening date. Robert B. Sherman & Richard M. Sherman at the London Palladium in 2002 during the premiere of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: The Stage Musical. ... Over Here! is a musical with music and lyrics by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman and a book by Will Holt. ... Donna McKechnie is a Tony Award-winning American musical theater dancer, singer. ... Diane Langton, born in Somerset, is an actress. ... Richard Jonathan Fleeshman (born 8 June 1989 in Manchester) is an English child actor, who is most famous for playing character Craig Harris in soap opera, Coronation Street. ...

Other performances

Frances also appeared in the films Road to Ithaca (1999, unreleased) and Secret and Lies. Her TV appearances included Wildcats of St Trinians, Headless (for which she also composed music), and An Audience With Ricky Martin (singing 'A Little Fall Of Rain' from Les Misérables). She was also featured in the Sky One TV series Dream Team, playing the role of Dawn Daniel-Spears. The tone or style of this article or section may not be appropriate for Wikipedia. ... Dream Team was a British television series produced by Hewland International and aired on Sky One and Sky Three, that chronicles the on-field and off-field affairs of the fictional Harchester United F.C.. A significant part of the action, including game play, is shot at The New Den...

Family

Frances married Trevor Nunn's co-director, John Caird, and had two children, Eliza and Nathaniel. Caird also directed Frances in Children of Eden, before the couple divorced. It has been rumoured that their separation was very messy and was the reason behind her decision to decline the invitation to perform in the Tenth Anniversary Concert of Les Misérables. However, in her latest New York concert, Caird was seen in the audience. She also had a third child, Felix, with former boyfriend Rob Manley. Children of Eden is a two-act musical play with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz based on a book by John Caird. ...

Discography

Cast Recordings

• Starlight Express Original London Cast (1984)
• Les Misérables Original London Cast (1985)
• Les Misérables Original Broadway Cast (1987)
• Mack and Mabel In Concert (1988)
• Apples Original London Cast (1989)
• Children of Eden Original London Cast (1991)

Broadway Logo, 1987 Starlight Express is a contemporary rock musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber (music) and by Richard Stilgoe (lyrics), with later revisions by Don Black (lyrics) and David Yazbek (music and lyrics). ... Les Misérables (translated variously from French as The Miserable Ones, The Wretched, The Poor Ones, The Wretched Poor, The Victims) (1862) is a novel by French author Victor Hugo, and among the best-known novels of the 19th century. ... Les Misérables (translated variously from French as The Miserable Ones, The Wretched, The Poor Ones, The Wretched Poor, The Victims) (1862) is a novel by French author Victor Hugo, and among the best-known novels of the 19th century. ... Mack & Mabel is a Broadway musical play. ... For other uses, see Apple (disambiguation). ... Children of Eden is a two-act musical play with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz based on a book by John Caird. ...

Solo albums

• Fragile (1994)
• Frances Ruffelle (1998)
• Showgirl (2004)
• Purify as paTala with Sam Bonner (2005)
• Live at Ronnie Scott's (forthcoming)

Albums featured on

• Back of my Mind (Christopher Cross album) (1988) - duets on "I Will (Take You Forever)"
• Michael Crawford Performs Andrew Lloyd Webber (1991) - duets on "Only You"
• Save the Children - A Christmas Spectacular of Carols and Songs (1992) - "I Watch You Sleeping", and featured on "Save the Children"
• The Definitive Christopher Cross (2001) - duets on "I Will (Take You Forever)"

Michael Crawford (right) as Frank Spencer in Some Mothers Do Ave Em Michael Crawford, OBE (born Michael Patrick Dumble-Smith, 19 January 1942 in Salisbury, Wiltshire), is an English actor and singer. ... Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948) is a highly successful English composer of musical theatre, and also the elder brother of Julian Lloyd Webber. ...

Awards for performance in Les Miserables

• Tony Award
• Helen Hayes Award
• Theatreworld Award
• Outer Critics Circle Award

What is popularly called the Tony Award (formally, the Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre) is an annual award celebrating achievements in live American theater, including musical theater, primarily honoring productions on Broadway in New York. ... Begun during the 1949-1950 theater season, the Outer Critics Circle Awards are presented annually for theatrical achievements both on and Off-Broadway. ... Bebe Neuwirth Beatrice Bebe Neuwirth (born December 31, 1958) is an American theater, television, and film actress. ... Sweet Charity, based on Federico Fellinis screenplay for Nights of Cabiria, is a musical directed and choreographed by Bob Fosse, with music by Cy Coleman, lyrics by Dorothy Fields, and book by Neil Simon. ... The Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical is awarded to the actress who is voted the best non-starring actress in a musical, whether a new production or a revival. ... Les Misérables (pronunciation ), colloquially known as Les Mis, is a musical composed in 1980 by French composer Claude-Michel Schönberg on a libretto by Alain Boublil. ... Appeared with the Santa Fe Opera (1985, 1990), the NYC opera (1989), NY Philharmonic (1990), Boston Pops Orchestra (1990) and the London Symphony Orchestra (1990). ... The Phantom of the Opera is a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the novel by French novelist Gaston Leroux. ...

Further discussion

• darkestnight: the works of Alain Boubil & Claude-Michel Schönberg

External links

• The Official Frances Ruffelle Website