Lucy St. Louis
Lucy St. Louis is an English actress and singer. From 2021 to 2023, she played Christine Daaé in the West End production of The Phantom of the Opera, making her the first black performer to do so. She was then cast as Glinda in Wicked, also in the West End.
St. Louis has also played Diana Ross in Motown: The Musical, Antonia in Man of La Mancha, Guenevere in Camelot in Concert, and Little Eva in Beautiful: The [Carole King Musical].
Early life
St. Louis was born in London. She began her vocal training from the age of seven. She mentioned being inspired to pursue musical theatre by her grandmother, with whom she would watch old-style MGM musicals, "learn all the words and sing and dance around the house".She left school at sixteen to pursue the performing arts. She trained at Laine Theatre Arts, graduating in 2012 and was cast in Ragtime halfway through her final year.
Stage career
St. Louis had her career breakthrough during her last year of musical theatre school in 2012, being cast in the ensemble of Ragtime.The following year, in 2013, she was cast as first cover Nabalungi in The Book of Mormon at the Prince of Wales Theatre.
In 2015, St. Louis portrayed Shirelle/Little Eva in Beautiful: the Carole King Musical at the Aldwych Theatre, alongside Katie Brayben as Carole.
In 2021 St. Louis became the first black actress to ever portray the lead role of Christine Daaé in Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera. For this portrayal she was nominated as Best Female Actor in a Musical at the Black British Theatre Awards in the same year.
St. Louis was announced as Glinda in Wicked in London starting from March 2023. She played the role alongside Alexia Khadime as Elphaba, making this the first instance where both leading roles were played by two actors of colour.
In 2023, St. Louis joined a star-studded cast for My Favourite Things, the 80th Anniversary Concert of Rodgers and Hammerstein at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. Other performers included: Aaron Tveit, Audra McDonald, Joanna Ampil, Maria Friedman, Michael Ball, Daniel Dae Kim, Julian Ovenden, Marisha Wallace and Patrick Wilson. Rita Moreno also made an appearance during the concert. The show was filmed and a two-discs version of all songs made available the following year.