Victoria Hamilton-Barritt
Encyclopedia
Victoria Hamilton-Barritt is a British
actress and singer known primarily for her roles in leading musical theatre
productions. Most recently she played the role of 'Alex Owens' in the West End production of Flashdance
alongside Matt Willis
at the Shaftesbury Theatre
at The Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead and studied at Central School of Ballet and the Urdang Academy, London.
Victoria comes from a musical and artistic background; her father was a singer in London's Soho scene in the sixties, her mother an aspiring dancer, and her two uncles (on her mother's side) were musician's in rock and jazz bands of the seventies. They both worked the music scene of some of London's biggest gig venues like Ronnie Scott's.
Victoria is also many a great granddaughter of Guiseppe Garibaldi, an Italian general and leader of the fight to unify Italy
. He has been dubbed the "Hero of the Two Worlds" in tribute to his military expeditions in both South America and Europe and considered an Italian National Hero.
, Germany
from January to June 2002. She finished off the tour with a one month residency at The Sporting Club in Monte Carlo
where she also understudied Sheila Ferguson
in the role of 'Roxy Rochelle'. In 2002, Hamilton-Barritt played the role of 'Connie' in the Saturday Night Fever
Scandinavian Arena Tour.
Hamilton-Barritt's West End
debut in came in 2003 with Mamma Mia, where she understudied the role of 'Lisa'. She then returned to Saturday Night Fever in the original cast 2004 UK tour, this time playing the leading role of 'Stephanie Mungano'. From September 2004 to September 2005 she returned to the West End to play the leading role of 'Carmen Diaz' in Fame
at the Aldwych Theatre
. Hamilton-Barritt played the role of 'Anita' in the 2006 International Tour of West Side Story
visiting Germany
, Japan
and Thailand
. In 2007 she performed the role of 'Maria' understudying the leading role of 'Susan' in the first production of Desperately Seeking Susan the musical at the Novello Theatre
in the West End.
From June 2008 until May 2009, Hamilton-Barritt starred in the UK tour of Flashdance The Musical
, playing the lead role of 'Alex'. A new musical based on the 1983 film Flashdance
, she starred alongside Noel Sullivan
, Bernie Nolan and Bruno Langley
. Later in 2009, Hamilton-Barritt went on tour with Yusef Islam (formerly known as Cat Stevens
) performing songs from his musical Moonshadow
. She provided backing vocals for the well-known artist in venues up and down the UK and Ireland, finishing the tour at The Royal Albert Hall. In January 2010, she played "Rizzo" in 'Grease' at the Piccadilly Theatre
, alongside Noel Sullivan
and Toby Anstis
. From September 2010 until January 2011, she starred as Alex Owens in the original West End production of Flashdance. The cast of the show were originally given year-long contracts, however the production closed early in January 2011.
Victoria Hamilton-Barritt was Nominated for a What's On Stage Award in 2011 as Best Actress in a Musical and was up against six other actresses for this award all who had higher profiles than her own.She was quoted in an Interview for What's On Stage explaining she was just grateful and amazed to have received enough votes to get nominated amongst very talented women.
, starring Burt Reynolds
, in which she played a Hollywood Director’s Assistant.
Victoria also appeared in a BBC special of A Tale Of Two Cities' which was narrated by Michael York
.
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
actress and singer known primarily for her roles in leading musical theatre
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
productions. Most recently she played the role of 'Alex Owens' in the West End production of Flashdance
Flashdance
Another song used in the film, "Maniac", was also nominated for an Academy Award. It was written by Michael Sembello and Dennis Matkosky, and was inspired by the 1980 horror film Maniac. The lyrics about a killer on the loose were rewritten so that it could be used in Flashdance...
alongside Matt Willis
Matt Willis
Matthew James Willis is an English singer-songwriter. He found fame as a founding member of the band Busted.- Early years :...
at the Shaftesbury Theatre
Shaftesbury Theatre
The Shaftesbury Theatre is a West End Theatre, located on Shaftesbury Avenue, in the London Borough of Camden.-History:The theatre was designed for the brothers Walter and Frederick Melville by Bertie Crewe and opened on 26 December 1911 with a production of The Three Musketeers, as the New...
Background
Victoria Hamilton-Barritt was born in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
at The Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead and studied at Central School of Ballet and the Urdang Academy, London.
Victoria comes from a musical and artistic background; her father was a singer in London's Soho scene in the sixties, her mother an aspiring dancer, and her two uncles (on her mother's side) were musician's in rock and jazz bands of the seventies. They both worked the music scene of some of London's biggest gig venues like Ronnie Scott's.
Victoria is also many a great granddaughter of Guiseppe Garibaldi, an Italian general and leader of the fight to unify Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. He has been dubbed the "Hero of the Two Worlds" in tribute to his military expeditions in both South America and Europe and considered an Italian National Hero.
Musical theatre
Upon graduating in 2001, Hamilton-Barritt was cast in the musical Oh What a Night! playing the role of 'Cat' for the 2001 UK tour, continuing with the show in HamburgHamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
from January to June 2002. She finished off the tour with a one month residency at The Sporting Club in Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo is an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco....
where she also understudied Sheila Ferguson
Sheila Ferguson
Sheila Ferguson is an American singer, and was one of the longest serving singers of 1970s American female soul music group The Three Degrees.Ferguson settled in the UK after marrying an Englishman...
in the role of 'Roxy Rochelle'. In 2002, Hamilton-Barritt played the role of 'Connie' in the Saturday Night Fever
Saturday Night Fever (musical)
This is an article about the stage musical. For the article on the 1977 film, see Saturday Night FeverSaturday Night Fever is a musical with a book by Nan Knighton and music and lyrics by the Bee Gees.Based on Nik Cohn's 1975 New York Magazine article "Tribal Rites of the New Saturday Night" and...
Scandinavian Arena Tour.
Hamilton-Barritt's 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...
debut in came in 2003 with Mamma Mia, where she understudied the role of 'Lisa'. She then returned to Saturday Night Fever in the original cast 2004 UK tour, this time playing the leading role of 'Stephanie Mungano'. From September 2004 to September 2005 she returned to the West End to play the leading role of 'Carmen Diaz' in Fame
Fame (musical)
A stage musical based on the 1980 musical film Fame has been staged under two titles. The first, 'Fame – The Musical' conceived and developed by David De Silva, is a musical with a book by Jose Fernandez, music by Steve Margoshes and lyrics by Jacques Levy. The musical premiered in 1988 in Miami,...
at the Aldwych Theatre
Aldwych Theatre
The Aldwych Theatre is a West End theatre, located on Aldwych in the City of Westminster. The theatre was listed Grade II on 20 July 1971. Its seating capacity is 1,200.-Origins:...
. Hamilton-Barritt played the role of 'Anita' in the 2006 International Tour of West Side Story
West Side Story
West Side Story is an American musical with a script by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and choreographed by Jerome Robbins...
visiting Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
. In 2007 she performed the role of 'Maria' understudying the leading role of 'Susan' in the first production of Desperately Seeking Susan the musical at the Novello Theatre
Novello Theatre
The Novello Theatre is a West End theatre on Aldwych, in the City of Westminster.-History:The theatre was built as one of a pair with the Aldwych Theatre on either side of the Waldorf Hotel, both being designed by W. G. R. Sprague. The theatre opened as the Waldorf Theatre on 22 May 1905, and was...
in the West End.
From June 2008 until May 2009, Hamilton-Barritt starred in the UK tour of Flashdance The Musical
Flashdance The Musical
Flashdance The Musical is a stage adaptation of the 1983 musical film Flashdance. The show had its world premiere in July 2008 at the Theatre Royal Plymouth, followed by a tour of the United Kingdom. The show finished its UK Tour in May 2009 and will opened at the Shaftesbury Theatre, in London's...
, playing the lead role of 'Alex'. A new musical based on the 1983 film Flashdance
Flashdance
Another song used in the film, "Maniac", was also nominated for an Academy Award. It was written by Michael Sembello and Dennis Matkosky, and was inspired by the 1980 horror film Maniac. The lyrics about a killer on the loose were rewritten so that it could be used in Flashdance...
, she starred alongside Noel Sullivan
Noel Sullivan
Noel Sullivan , is a Welsh singer and actor. He was a member of the British pop group Hear'Say. Like the other members of the group, he won his part through the talent show Popstars.-Early life and career:...
, Bernie Nolan and Bruno Langley
Bruno Langley
Bruno Langley is an English actor. He is best known for playing Todd Grimshaw in Coronation Street and Adam Mitchell in Doctor Who.- Early life :...
. Later in 2009, Hamilton-Barritt went on tour with Yusef Islam (formerly known as Cat Stevens
Cat Stevens
Yusuf Islam , commonly known by his former stage name Cat Stevens, is an English singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, educator, philanthropist, and prominent convert to Islam....
) performing songs from his musical Moonshadow
Moonshadow
Moonshadow or Moon Shadow may refer to:* "Moon Shadow" , a song by Cat Stevens* "Moon Shadow", a song by English folk singer Kate Rusby from her 2005 album The Girl Who Couldn't Fly...
. She provided backing vocals for the well-known artist in venues up and down the UK and Ireland, finishing the tour at The Royal Albert Hall. In January 2010, she played "Rizzo" in 'Grease' at the Piccadilly Theatre
Piccadilly Theatre
The Piccadilly Theatre is a West End theatre located at 16 Denman Street, behind Piccadilly Circus and adjacent to the Regent Palace Hotel, in the City of Westminster, England.-Early years:Built by Bertie Crewe and Edward A...
, alongside Noel Sullivan
Noel Sullivan
Noel Sullivan , is a Welsh singer and actor. He was a member of the British pop group Hear'Say. Like the other members of the group, he won his part through the talent show Popstars.-Early life and career:...
and Toby Anstis
Toby Anstis
Toby Anstis is a radio presenter on Global Radio's Heart Network of stations. He presents his morning show weekdays from 10.00am - 1.00pm across the Heart branded network....
. From September 2010 until January 2011, she starred as Alex Owens in the original West End production of Flashdance. The cast of the show were originally given year-long contracts, however the production closed early in January 2011.
Victoria Hamilton-Barritt was Nominated for a What's On Stage Award in 2011 as Best Actress in a Musical and was up against six other actresses for this award all who had higher profiles than her own.She was quoted in an Interview for What's On Stage explaining she was just grateful and amazed to have received enough votes to get nominated amongst very talented women.
Film
In 2009 Hamilton-Barritt appeared in a small role in A Bunch of AmateursA Bunch of Amateurs
A Bunch of Amateurs is a 2008 British comedy film directed by Andy Cadiff and starring Burt Reynolds, Derek Jacobi, Alistair Petrie and Samantha Bond...
, starring Burt Reynolds
Burt Reynolds
Burton Leon "Burt" Reynolds, Jr. is an American actor. Some of his memorable roles include Bo 'Bandit' Darville in Smokey and the Bandit, Lewis Medlock in Deliverance, Bobby "Gator" McCluskey in White Lightning and sequel Gator, Paul Crewe and Coach Nate Scarborough in The Longest Yard and its...
, in which she played a Hollywood Director’s Assistant.
Victoria also appeared in a BBC special of A Tale Of Two Cities' which was narrated by Michael York
Michael York
Michael York may refer to:* Michael York , English actor* Michael York * Michael York , Australian former field hockey defender* Mike York , ice hockey player...
.