Nicole Raquel Dennis

Nicole Raquel Dennis (born 23 April 1994)[1] is a British musical theatre performer and singer. She is best known as one of the contestants on season eight of The Voice UK and for playing Effie White in the first UK tour of the musical Dreamgirls.

Musical theatre

She was part of the ensemble and cover the role of Nurse Norma when the musical Waitress opened in London in 2019. The show closed in March 2020 and didn't reopen the following year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[2]

In 2017 Dennis joined the cast of the UK premiere[3] of Dreamgirls, playing at the Savoy Theatre until January 2019 and starring Amber Riley in the role of Effie White.[4][5] The show was directed and choreographed by Casey Nicholaw. After Riley's departure from the show in November 2017, the role of Effie was covered by Moya Angela, Marisha Wallace and Karen Mav.[6]

During the pandemic Dennis took part in a concert version of Hair, directed by Arlene Phillips at the Turbine Theatre, with a follow up performance in West End's London Palladium in June 2021 (rescheduled from April 2021).[7]

Most recently Dennis played Effie White in the UK tour of Dreamgirls from January 2022 until February 2023 ending its run in Hull.[8]

Theatre credits
Year Title Role Theatre
2016-2017 The Book of Mormon Ensemble Prince of Wales Theatre
2017-2019 Dreamgirls first cover Effie White Savoy Theatre
Mar - Sept 2019 Waitress Ensemble and cover Nurse Norma Adelphi Theatre
Nov 2019 - Mar 2020 Dear Evan Hansen Alana Beck Noël Coward Theatre
2021 Hair The Musical in Concert Turbine Theatre and London Palladium

and Mayflower Theatre (Southampton)

2021-2023 Dreamgirls Effie White UK tour

Awards

In 2020 Dennis won the Black British Theatre Award (BBTA) for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical for her role in Dear Evan Hansen.[9] The ceremony took place at the Young Vic Theatre as a socially distanced event and was broadcast on Sky Arts.[10]

In 2022 Dennis won the BBTA in the category LGBTQIA+ Champion[11] for her work on the fundraising streaming event Turn Up at Cadogan Hall in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. The event streamed for three days in July 2020 and was co-created with Ryan Carter. It included sung performances as well as readings, poetry and speeches from performers and figures in the Black community.[12] Among the performers Melanie La Barrie, Alexia Khadime, Norm Lewis, Trevor Dion Nicholas, Ciara Renee, Danielle Steers and Layton Williams.

Music career

Dennis was a contestant on the TV programme The Voice UK during its eight season in 2019. She choose Jennifer Hudson (JHud) as her coach, after her, Tom Jones and Olly Murs all turned their chairs at Dennis's performance of the song Never Enough, from the movie The Greatest Showman. JHud and Dennis also performed "And I am Telling You" from the musical Dreamgirls, as both Hudson and Dennis performed the role of Effie White, the first in the movie version of the show in 2006 and the second in the UK musical revival in 2022.

During episode three she battles against teammate Luke Swatman with the song "Your Song", winning the round and moving to the knockout phase of the programme, starting on Saturday 16 March 2019.[13] She was saved by her coach and moved to the Live shows.

Dennis was eliminated during week 1 of the live shows, coming in seventh out of the nine remaining contestants.[14]

References
  1. "Nicole Raquel Dennis | West End Performers | London Theatre Direct". www.londontheatredirect.com. Retrieved 2023-06-11.
  2. Embley, Jochan (2020-03-13). "Sara Bareilles and Gavin Creel to leave Waitress early". Evening Standard. Retrieved 2023-06-11.
  3. "Dreamgirls Tickets | Savoy Theatre | London, UK". London Theatre. Retrieved 2023-06-11.
  4. "Dreamgirls at Savoy Theatre London". Retrieved 2023-06-11.
  5. "Dreamgirls Tickets | Savoy Theatre | London, UK". London Theatre. Retrieved 2023-06-11.
  6. Gans, Andrew (October 18, 2017). "Amber Riley Will Depart London Dreamgirls; 3 Actors Will Share Role of Effie White".
  7. "Hair the Musical Tickets - The London Palladium, London – Official Box Office". LW Theatres. Retrieved 2023-06-11.
  8. "Dreamgirls Musical Tour | Musicals On Tour UK". 2023-02-10. Retrieved 2023-06-11.
  9. "Winners of the 2020 Black British Theatre Awards announced". West End Best Friend. Retrieved 2023-06-11.
  10. Campbell, Joel (2020-09-30). "BBTA'S - It's important now more than ever to celebrate black talent". Voice Online. Retrieved 2023-06-11.
  11. Official, Michelle Sciarrotta-TAL (2022-10-18). "The Black British Theatre Awards 2022: All The Winners". TheatreArtLife. Retrieved 2023-06-11.
  12. "Turn Up | Cadogan Hall". cadoganhall.com. Retrieved 2023-06-11.
  13. "The Voice 2019 guest mentors revealed". Radio Times. Retrieved 2023-06-11.
  14. "The Voice UK 2019 Voting Stats". April 9, 2019.
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