Alexia Khadime (born 9 June 1983) is a British actress and

mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano or mezzo (; ; meaning "half soprano") is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A below middle C ...

, known for her roles in musical theatre and television.

Career

Theatre

Khadime made her first appearance on the stage in 1999, when she appeared in "Cinderella" at the

Hackney Empire Hackney Empire is a theatre on Mare Street, in the London Borough of Hackney. Originally designed by Frank Matcham it was built in 1901 as a music hall, and expanded in 2001. Described by ''The Guardian'' as ‘the most beautiful theatre in L ...

, and the following year, she took part in the UK Tour ''

Leader of the Pack "Leader of the Pack" is a song written by George "Shadow" Morton, Jeff Barry, and Ellie Greenwich. It was a number one pop hit in 1964 for the American girl group the Shangri-Las. The single is one of the group's best known songs as well as ...

''. She made her West End debut aged 17, appearing as part of the ensemble in ''

The Lion King ''The Lion King'' is a 1994 American animated musical drama film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 32nd Disney animated feature film and the fifth produced during the Disney Renaissance, it ...

'' in 2001, additionally providing cover for the role of "Nala". In 2003, she appeared in the UK Tour of '' Whistle Down the Wind'', playing the role of "Candy". In 2004, she returned to ''The Lion King'' – this time playing "Nala" as the lead, and she remained in the role until 2008. In early 2008, she successfully auditioned for the lead role of " Elphaba" in the musical ''

Wicked Wicked may refer to: Books * Wicked, a minor character in the ''X-Men'' universe * '' Wicked'', a 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire that inspired the musical of the same name * ''Wicked'', the fifth novel in Sara Shepard's ''Pretty Little Liars'' s ...

''. She began performances on her 25th birthday, and played the role for six months (temporarily replacing

Kerry Ellis Kerry Jane Ellis (born 6 May 1979) is an English actress and singer who is best known for her work in musical theatre and subsequent crossover into music. Born and raised in Suffolk, Ellis began performing at an early age before training at La ...

who was playing a limited engagement with the Broadway Company). Khadime left ''Wicked'' in November 2008, but returned in May 2009 when Ellis left the company. Throughout both of her spells in Wicked, Khadime played alongside

Dianne Pilkington Dianne Lesley Pilkington (born 7 June 1975) is an English theatre actress and singer. Personal life Pilkington was born in Wigan. She trained at the Guildford School of Acting, graduating in 1997 with the Principal's Award. Pilkington marrie ...

as "Glinda". In 2009, the pair were honoured at the "Woman of the Future Awards" in the Arts & Culture category. Khadime's run in ''Wicked'' came to an end in March 2010 when she was succeeded by

Rachel Tucker Rachel Kelly Tucker (born 29 May 1981) is a Northern Irish West End and Broadway actress, best known for her portrayal of Elphaba in the hit musical '' Wicked''. She most recently starred in Come from Away on Broadway, having originated the role ...

. As of 2021, Khadime is the only black woman to play the role of Elphaba full-time in any production of ''Wicked''. After concluding her time in ''Wicked'', she next appeared in the straight play ''

Welcome to Thebes ''Welcome to Thebes'' is a 2010 play by Moira Buffini. It premiered on 15 June 2010 in a production at the Olivier Theatre of the Royal National Theatre in London directed by Richard Eyre. Plot Set in 'a city named Thebes, somewhere in the 20 ...

'' at the

Royal National Theatre The Royal National Theatre in London, commonly known as the National Theatre (NT), is one of the United Kingdom's three most prominent publicly funded performing arts venues, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Opera House. I ...

through the Summer of 2010, before returning to musical theatre, playing "Deb" in ''

Ordinary Days ''Ordinary Days'' is a sung-through musical with music and lyrics by American composer Adam Gwon. Set in New York City, the musical follows four characters, Claire, Jason, Warren, and Deb, exploring how their ordinary lives connect in the most am ...

'' at London's Trafalgar Studios in February and March 2011. In June 2011, she replaced

Samantha Barks Samantha Jane Barks (born 2 October 1990) is a Manx people, Manx actress and singer who rose to fame after placing third in the BBC talent show-themed television series ''I'd Do Anything (BBC TV series), I'd Do Anything'' in 2008. She has rele ...

in the iconic role of "

Éponine Éponine Thénardier (; ), also referred to as the "Jondrette girl", is a fictional character in the 1862 novel ''Les Misérables'' by Victor Hugo. The character is introduced as a spoiled and pampered child, but appears later in the novel as a r ...

" in the London production of ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its original ...

.'' She played the role for just short of a year, before being succeeded by

Danielle Hope Danielle Hope (born 26 April 1992) is an English actress and singer. She was the winner of the BBC talent contest '' Over The Rainbow'' and as a result played the part of Dorothy in the Andrew Lloyd Webber production of '' The Wizard of Oz'', w ...

. In late 2012, Khadime joined the original West End company of ''

The Book of Mormon The Book of Mormon is a religious text of the Latter Day Saint movement, which, according to Latter Day Saint theology, contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from 600 BC to AD 421 and during an interlude dat ...

'', playing the role of "Nabulungi", with performances starting in February 2013. She won the fan voted 2014 WhatsOnStage.com Award for "Best Supporting Actress in a Musical" for her portrayal of Nabulungi, as well as the West End Wilma award for "Best Supporting Cast Member". Her last performance in The Book of Mormon was on 30 January 2016. Khadime played the role of Miriam in ''

The Prince of Egypt ''The Prince of Egypt'' is a 1998 American animated musical drama film produced by DreamWorks Animation and released by DreamWorks Pictures. The first feature film from DreamWorks to be traditionally animated, it is an adaptation of the Bo ...

'' on the stage of the

Dominion Theatre The Dominion Theatre is a West End theatre and former cinema on Tottenham Court Road, close to St Giles Circus and Centre Point, in the London Borough of Camden. Planned as primarily a musical theatre, it opened in 1929, but the following year ...

London's West End The West End of London (commonly referred to as the West End) is a district of Central London, west of the City of London and north of the River Thames, in which many of the city's major tourist attractions, shops, businesses, government buil ...

. On 7 March 2023, Khadime will return to ''Wicked'' opposite Lucy St. Louis as Glinda, marking the first time in history that both roles are being played by black actresses simultaneously.

Television

As a young actress, Khadime made her first television appearance in 1996, appearing in an episode of the BBC's ''

The Sculptress ''The Sculptress'' (1993) is a crime novel by English writer Minette Walters. She won an Edgar and a Macavity Award for the book. The novel was adapted as a BBC-TV series in 1996, starring Pauline Quirke as Olive Martin. Synopsis Olive Mart ...

''. She appeared in ''

Grange Hill ''Grange Hill'' is a British Children's television series, children's television drama series, originally produced by the BBC and portraying life in a typical Comprehensive school (England and Wales), comprehensive school. The show began its ru ...

'' for two years, and in 1998, had a regular role as "Tanisha" in children's ITV series '' Comin' Atcha!'' In 1999, she appeared as "Ellie Burns" in the BBC's ''

The Queen's Nose ''The Queen's Nose'' is a children's novel by Dick King-Smith, first published by Gollancz in 1983 with illustrations by Jill Bennett. Set in England, where King-Smith lived, it features a girl who can use a fifty pence coin to make wishes. ...

'', and has additional credits in ''

The Bill ''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, first broadcast on ITV from 16 August 1983 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, '' Woodentop'', broadcast in August 1983. The programme focused on ...

'', ''

Class Action A class action, also known as a class-action lawsuit, class suit, or representative action, is a type of lawsuit where one of the parties is a group of people who are represented collectively by a member or members of that group. The class actio ...

'', and Sky One's ''

Dream Team Dream Team may refer to: Sport Basketball * Dream Team, the 1992 United States men's Olympic basketball team in Barcelona * Dream Team II, the 1994 U.S. men's national basketball team at the FIBA World Championship * Dream Team III, the 1996 ...

''. While appearing in ''

'' in 2012, Khadime made a special guest appearance on

RTÉ (RTÉ) (; Irish language, Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the Public broadcaster, national broadcaster of Republic of Ireland, Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on RTÉ Television, telev ...

's '' OMG! Jedward's Dream Factory'', when 11-year-old Aoife Dardis received her wish to see Les Misérables in London, and to meet Khadime, her favourite actress. Khadime also had a regular role in the children's gameshow ''

Splatalot! ''Splatalot!'' is a medieval-themed physical game show which premiered in Canada on YTV on 14 March 2011, hosted by Jason Agnew and Matt Chin. It premiered in the United Kingdom on CBBC on 13 June 2011 with Dick and Dom as hosts and in Austr ...

'', playing "Madeva", a defender. She also voices Sardonyx in the Cartoon Network series ''

Steven Universe ''Steven Universe'' is an American animated television series created by Rebecca Sugar for Cartoon Network. It tells the coming-of-age story of a young boy, Steven Universe ( Zach Callison), who lives with the Crystal Gems—magical, mineral ...

''.

Film

Along with fellow ''Wicked'' alumni

and

, Khadime appeared as a wench in the 2012 movie edition of ''

''. On 9 June, Khadime's birthday, The film adaptation of London Road Directed by Rufus Norris was previewed, where she appeared in a cameo role of "Radio Techy."

Music

In February 2003, credited simply as "Alexia", Khadime released a single entitled "Ring" through Virgin Records. It entered the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

at No. 48. In 2008, she recorded a duet with

Ben James-Ellis Benjamin James Ellis (born 22 December 1988 in Scarborough, North Yorkshire) is an English stage and script actor who starred in the role of Link Larkin in the West End production of the musical ''Hairspray'' from its opening in October 2007 ...

entitled "Enchanted" for the album ''Act One – Songs From The Musicals of

Alexander S. Bermange Alexander S. Bermange is a composer and lyricist whose musicals and theatre productions have enjoyed successful runs in the West End and around the world, whose comic writing is regularly listened to by millions of listeners to BBC Radio, and wh ...

''. In 2011, along with her ''

'' co-star

Daniel Boys Daniel Boys (born 26 March 1979) is an English musical theatre actor, who was a contestant on the BBC talent series '' Any Dream Will Do'' in 2007 before becoming known as a stage actor in various musicals including ''Avenue Q'', ''Spamalot'' an ...

, Khadime contributed the duet "Looking Back" to Michael Bruce's "Unwritten Songs". Her voice can also be heard on the film soundtracks for ''

Pride Pride is defined by Merriam-Webster as "reasonable self-esteem" or "confidence and satisfaction in oneself". A healthy amount of pride is good, however, pride sometimes is used interchangeably with "conceit" or "arrogance" (among other words) wh ...

'' and ''

Amazing Grace "Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn published in 1779 with words written in 1772 by English Anglican clergyman and poet John Newton (1725–1807). It is an immensely popular hymn, particularly in the United States, where it is used for both ...

.''

References

External links

Alexia Khadime

Alexia Khadime at Amanda Howard Associates (agent)

''Wicked''
West End site

BWW INTERVIEWS: Alexia Khadime, London's Elphaba In WICKED
{{DEFAULTSORT:Khadime, Alexia English stage actresses English musical theatre actresses English women singers Living people 1983 births Black British actresses English people of Nigerian descent People educated at Susi Earnshaw Theatre School