Sophie Evans (performer)
Encyclopedia
Sophie Evans is a Welsh
singer and actress. She was the runner-up on the 2010 BBC
talent show Over the Rainbow
. Beginning in 2011, Evans has been appearing on the West End
stage as the alternate Dorothy in Andrew Lloyd Webber
's The Wizard of Oz
.
, where Evans attended Tonypandy Community College as a sixth-form student. She appeared in school plays and musicals, and featured in a Joshua Foundation Show at the Millennium Centre
, Cardiff
. Evans was also a member of the Mid-Rhondda Operatic Society from a young age to her early teens. She appeared on the 2008 series of ITV
's The X Factor
. Her other television appearances include The Big Performance (CBBC), The Big Talent Show (S4C) and a centenary documentary about the Tonypandy Riots (BBC Wales).
Evans has been dating fellow Tonypandy Community College student Tom Rees since 2009. She lives in London with fellow Over the Rainbow
contestants Stephanie Fearon
and Tegan Edwards.
in Andrew Lloyd Webber
's 2011 production of The Wizard of Oz
. She advanced to the final along with Danielle Hope
and Lauren Samuels
. The final aired in two parts on 22 May 2010. Hope was the declared the winner and Evans the runner-up. Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber elected to assist Evans, with the aid of friend and casting director Bill Kenwright
, to help Evans start her career.
, London. In November 2010, WalesOnline named Evans as the 5th sexiest woman in Wales. Evans joined Only Men Aloud!
on the Cardiff dates of their December 2010 tour.
Since 8 March 2011, Evans has been appearing as the alternate Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz
on Tuesday evenings, also covering during Hope's holidays and for a week-long run of shows in May and September 2011. The show marks her professional stage debut. At first hiding her red hair under a brunette wig, Sophy was later given permission by Lloyd Webber to show her natural hair in the role. The Oxford Times
reviewed the production during Evans's first full week as Dorothy (in May 2011) replacing the vacationing Hope and wrote of Evans: "Such is her success in the role that it would be hard to imagine anyone could consider they were getting second-best." Another critic commented, "She plays a naive and tender Dorothy who you really want to befriend." A third wrote that she plays "Dorothy perfectly with great vocals in the musical numbers, "Over The Rainbow" was quite magical."
In July 2011, Evans sang as the special guest as part of an Only Boys Aloud!
concert in the Parc and Dare Hall
, Treorchy
. Also in July 2011, Evans participated in a TV reality show filmed in Pembrokeshire, cariad@iaith:love4language
, in which she and other Welsh celebrities lived together at a campsite for eight days and intensively studied the Welsh language
. She has also performed at charity events. Evans sings a duet with Welsh baritone Mark Llewelyn Evans on his debut album Let the Light In, released in November 2011.
", with the intention that the eventual winner's recording would be available for purchase shortly after the finale. Hope's recording was originally the only version released, but both Evans' and Samuels' versions of the song were ultimately made available for download on 6 June 2010.
Evans appears with the other contestants in a Wizard of Oz medley featured as a b-side on the CD single of Hope's "Over the Rainbow".
Welsh people
The Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...
singer and actress. She was the runner-up on the 2010 BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
talent show Over the Rainbow
Over the Rainbow (2010 TV series)
Over the Rainbow is a British television talent series which aired on BBC One from March to May 2010. It documents the search for a new, undiscovered musical theatre performer to play the role of Dorothy in the forthcoming Andrew Lloyd Webber stage production of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz and a...
. Beginning in 2011, Evans has been appearing on the West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
stage as the alternate Dorothy in Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber is an English composer of musical theatre.Lloyd Webber has achieved great popular success in musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 13 musicals, a song cycle, a set of...
's The Wizard of Oz
The Wizard of Oz (2011 musical)
The Wizard of Oz is a musical based on the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz and L. Frank Baum's 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The adaptation is by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jeremy Sams. The musical uses all of the Harold Arlen and E. Y...
.
Background
Evans was born and raised in the Rhondda Valley. Her parents, Michelle and David Evans, and her younger sister Beth, live in TonypandyTonypandy
Tonypandy is a town in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, within the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan, Wales, lying in the Rhondda Fawr Valley. A former industrial coal mining town, today Tonypandy is best known as the site of the Tonypandy Riots....
, where Evans attended Tonypandy Community College as a sixth-form student. She appeared in school plays and musicals, and featured in a Joshua Foundation Show at the Millennium Centre
Wales Millennium Centre
Wales Millennium Centre is an arts centre located in the Cardiff Bay area of Cardiff, Wales. The site covers a total area of . Phase 1 of the building was opened during the weekend of the 26–28 November 2004 and phase 2 opened on 22 January 2009 with an inaugural concert...
, Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
. Evans was also a member of the Mid-Rhondda Operatic Society from a young age to her early teens. She appeared on the 2008 series of ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
's The X Factor
The X Factor (UK)
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. Created by Simon Cowell, it began in September 2004 and is contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions. It is the originator of the international X Factor franchise. The seven series of the show to date...
. Her other television appearances include The Big Performance (CBBC), The Big Talent Show (S4C) and a centenary documentary about the Tonypandy Riots (BBC Wales).
Evans has been dating fellow Tonypandy Community College student Tom Rees since 2009. She lives in London with fellow Over the Rainbow
Over the Rainbow (2010 TV series)
Over the Rainbow is a British television talent series which aired on BBC One from March to May 2010. It documents the search for a new, undiscovered musical theatre performer to play the role of Dorothy in the forthcoming Andrew Lloyd Webber stage production of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz and a...
contestants Stephanie Fearon
Stephanie Fearon
Stephanie Leanne Fearon is a British stage and television actress most noted for her TV appearances in the CITV show My Parents Are Aliens and the BBC talent-search Over The Rainbow....
and Tegan Edwards.
Over the Rainbow
Evans auditioned for Over the Rainbow, a reality show in which young actress/singers competed to play the role of Dorothy GaleDorothy Gale
Dorothy Gale is the protagonist of many of the Oz novels by American author L. Frank Baum, and the best friend of Oz's ruler Princess Ozma. Dorothy first appears in Baum's classic children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and reappears in most of its sequels...
in Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber is an English composer of musical theatre.Lloyd Webber has achieved great popular success in musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 13 musicals, a song cycle, a set of...
's 2011 production of The Wizard of Oz
The Wizard of Oz (2011 musical)
The Wizard of Oz is a musical based on the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz and L. Frank Baum's 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The adaptation is by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jeremy Sams. The musical uses all of the Harold Arlen and E. Y...
. She advanced to the final along with Danielle Hope
Danielle Hope
Danielle Hope is an English actress and singer. She is the winner of the BBC talent contest Over The Rainbow and as a result is currently playing the part of Dorothy in the Andrew Lloyd Webber production of The Wizard of Oz, which began performances in the West End at the London Palladium in...
and Lauren Samuels
Lauren Samuels
Lauren Samuels is an English singer/actress and was a contestant on the 2010 BBC UK TV series Over the Rainbow. Since appearing on the show she has gone on to appear in West End theatre, including playing the lead role of Sandy in Grease.-Background:Samuels was born Lauren Bonner...
. The final aired in two parts on 22 May 2010. Hope was the declared the winner and Evans the runner-up. Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber elected to assist Evans, with the aid of friend and casting director Bill Kenwright
Bill Kenwright
Bill Kenwright CBE is a leading West End theatre producer and film producer.He is also the Chairman of Everton Football Club, an English professional football club from the city of Liverpool....
, to help Evans start her career.
Solo performances
| Solo Song | |
|---|---|
| Week one (03/04/10) | "If I Were a Boy If I Were a Boy "If I Were a Boy" is a pop song recorded by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles. It was composed by Toby Gad and BC Jean. Jean initially recorded her version of the song which was rejected by Jean's record company. Knowles then recorded a new version for her third studio album, I Am... Sasha Fierce... " (Beyoncé Knowles Beyoncé Knowles Beyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child... ) |
| Week two (10/04/10) | "That Don't Impress Me Much That Don't Impress Me Much That Don't Impress Me Much is a song by Canadian singer Shania Twain. It was the sixth country single released from her 1997 album Come on Over. It was third to pop and fourth to international markets. The song was written by Robert John "Mutt" Lange and Shania Twain, and was originally released to... " (Shania Twain Shania Twain Shania Twain, OC is a Canadian country pop singer-songwriter. Her album The Woman in Me , brought her fame and her 1997 album Come On Over, became the best-selling album of all time by a female musician in any genre, and the best-selling country album of all time. It has sold over 40 million... ) |
| Week three (17/04/10) | "I'm with You" (Avril Lavigne Avril Lavigne Avril Ramona Lavigne is a Canadian singer-songwriter. She was born in Belleville, Ontario, but spent most of her youth in the small town of Napanee. By the age of 15, she had appeared on stage with Shania Twain; by 16, she had signed a two-album recording contract with Arista Records worth more... ) |
| Week four (24/04/10) | "Love Song Love Song (Sara Bareilles song) "Love Song" is Sara Bareilles' first single, released in 2007. She has stated during live performances that it was actually written in response to her record label's request that she write a "marketable love song," rather than about an actual person... " (Sara Bareilles Sara Bareilles Sara Beth Bareilles is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. She achieved mainstream success in 2007 with the hit single "Love Song", which brought her into the number one spot on the Billboard Pop 100 chart. She has sold over 1 million records in the United States alone and has been... ) |
| Week five (01/05/10) | "What a Wonderful World What a Wonderful World "What a Wonderful World" is a song written by Bob Thiele and George David Weiss. It was first recorded by Louis Armstrong and released as a single in 1968. Thiele and Weiss were both prominent in the music world . Armstrong's recording was inducted in the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999... " (Louis Armstrong Louis Armstrong Louis Armstrong , nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana.... ) |
| Week six (08/05/10) | "I Enjoy Being a Girl I Enjoy Being a Girl (song) "I Enjoy Being a Girl" is a show tune from the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Flower Drum Song. It was originally performed in 1958, as the showpiece for the Linda Low showgirl character... " (from Flower Drum Song Flower Drum Song Flower Drum Song was the eighth stage musical by the team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. It was based on the 1957 novel, The Flower Drum Song, by Chinese-American author C. Y. Lee. The piece opened in 1958 on Broadway and was afterwards presented in the West End and on tour... ) |
| Week seven (semi-final) (15/05/10) | "Reflection Reflection (song) "Reflection" is a song featured on the soundtrack of the 1998 animated film Mulan, recorded by American recording artist Christina Aguilera. In the months before the recording of the track, Aguilera approached RCA, which gave her the chance to record the theme song to the film Mulan... " (from Mulan) |
| Week eight (final) (22/05/10) | "Tomorrow Tomorrow (1977 song) "Tomorrow" is a song from the musical Annie, with music by Charles Strouse and lyrics by Martin Charnin, published in 1977.-Production history in the musical:... " (from Annie Annie (musical) Annie is a Broadway musical based upon the popular Harold Gray comic strip Little Orphan Annie, with music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin, and the book by Thomas Meehan. The original Broadway production opened in 1977 and ran for nearly six years with a blonde Annie as the poster... ) |
After Over the Rainbow
Following her appearances on Over the Rainbow, Evans received funding from Andrew Lloyd Webber to continue her training as a performer at a one-year musical theatre course at the Arts Educational Schools in ChiswickChiswick
Chiswick is a large suburb of west London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It is located on a meander of the River Thames, west of Charing Cross and is one of 35 major centres identified in the London Plan. It was historically an ancient parish in the county of Middlesex, with...
, London. In November 2010, WalesOnline named Evans as the 5th sexiest woman in Wales. Evans joined Only Men Aloud!
Only Men Aloud!
Only Men Aloud! is a male voice choir from Wales. The choir came to national prominence in the UK when they won the Last Choir Standing competition run by BBC television during 2008.-Overview:...
on the Cardiff dates of their December 2010 tour.
Since 8 March 2011, Evans has been appearing as the alternate Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz
The Wizard of Oz (2011 musical)
The Wizard of Oz is a musical based on the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz and L. Frank Baum's 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The adaptation is by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jeremy Sams. The musical uses all of the Harold Arlen and E. Y...
on Tuesday evenings, also covering during Hope's holidays and for a week-long run of shows in May and September 2011. The show marks her professional stage debut. At first hiding her red hair under a brunette wig, Sophy was later given permission by Lloyd Webber to show her natural hair in the role. The Oxford Times
The Oxford Times
The Oxford Times is a weekly newspaper, published each Thursday in Oxford, England. It is published from a large production facility at Osney Mead, west Oxford, and is owned by Newsquest, the UK subsidiary of US-based Gannett Company....
reviewed the production during Evans's first full week as Dorothy (in May 2011) replacing the vacationing Hope and wrote of Evans: "Such is her success in the role that it would be hard to imagine anyone could consider they were getting second-best." Another critic commented, "She plays a naive and tender Dorothy who you really want to befriend." A third wrote that she plays "Dorothy perfectly with great vocals in the musical numbers, "Over The Rainbow" was quite magical."
In July 2011, Evans sang as the special guest as part of an Only Boys Aloud!
Only Men Aloud!
Only Men Aloud! is a male voice choir from Wales. The choir came to national prominence in the UK when they won the Last Choir Standing competition run by BBC television during 2008.-Overview:...
concert in the Parc and Dare Hall
Parc and Dare Hall
The Parc and Dare Hall is a former Miners' institute but now serves as a large entertainment venue in the village of Treorchy, in the Rhondda Valley of Wales...
, Treorchy
Treorchy
Treorchy is a village, although it used to be and still has characteristics of a town, in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, lying in the Rhondda Fawr valley...
. Also in July 2011, Evans participated in a TV reality show filmed in Pembrokeshire, cariad@iaith:love4language
Cariad@iaith:love4language
cariad@iaith:love4language is an S4C reality television series in which people attempt to learn the Welsh language.-History:Commissioned in 2002 from an idea by Fflic production staff, cariad@iaith:love4language originally involved members of the public who wished to learn Welsh, spending six weeks...
, in which she and other Welsh celebrities lived together at a campsite for eight days and intensively studied the Welsh language
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
. She has also performed at charity events. Evans sings a duet with Welsh baritone Mark Llewelyn Evans on his debut album Let the Light In, released in November 2011.
Discography
Evans and the other two finalists of Over the Rainbow each recorded a version of the song "Over the RainbowOver the Rainbow
"Over the Rainbow" is a classic Academy Award-winning ballad song with music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by E.Y. Harburg. It was written for the movie The Wizard of Oz, and was sung by Judy Garland in the movie...
", with the intention that the eventual winner's recording would be available for purchase shortly after the finale. Hope's recording was originally the only version released, but both Evans' and Samuels' versions of the song were ultimately made available for download on 6 June 2010.
Evans appears with the other contestants in a Wizard of Oz medley featured as a b-side on the CD single of Hope's "Over the Rainbow".