Gay Soper is an English actress and singer. Her career includes singing ''Turn Back, O Man'' in the original 1971 London production of ''

Godspell ''Godspell'' is a musical composed by Stephen Schwartz with book by John-Michael Tebelak. The show is structured as a series of parables, primarily based on the Gospel of Matthew, interspersed with music mostly set to lyrics from traditional hym ...

''. She sang the role of Madam Thenardier on the complete symphonic recording 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 origin ...

'' and she narrated the children's television show '' The Flumps.''

Education

Soper was trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art between 1963 and 1965.

Theatrical career

Soper was an alternate

Eliza Doolittle Eliza Doolittle is a fictional character and the protagonist in George Bernard Shaw's play '' Pygmalion'' (1913) and its 1956 musical adaptation, ''My Fair Lady''. Eliza (from Lisson Grove, London) is a Cockney flower woman, who comes to Prof ...

on the original UK tour of ''

My Fair Lady ''My Fair Lady'' is a musical based on George Bernard Shaw's 1913 play '' Pygmalion'', with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The story concerns Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower girl who takes speech lessons ...

'' in 1965. She was later cast in the original 1971 London production of the musical ''

'', alongside

Jeremy Irons Jeremy John Irons (; born 19 September 1948) is an English actor and activist. After receiving classical training at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, Irons began his acting career on stage in 1969 and has appeared in many West End theatre ...

David Essex David Essex (born David Albert Cook; 23 July 1947) is an English singer, songwriter, and actor. Since the 1970s, he has attained 19 Top 40 singles in the UK (including two number ones) and 16 Top 40 albums. Internationally, Essex had the most ...

Julie Covington Julie Covington (born 11 September 1946) is an English singer and actress, best known for recording the original version of " Don't Cry for Me Argentina", which she sang on the 1976 concept album Evita. Early life Julie Covington was born in ...

and

Marti Webb Marti Webb (born 13 December 1943) is an English actress and singer, who appeared on stage in '' Evita'', before starring in Andrew Lloyd Webber's one-woman show '' Tell Me on a Sunday'' in 1980. This included her biggest hit single, " Take T ...

. The production opened at

The Roundhouse The Roundhouse is a performing arts and concert venue situated at the Grade II* listed former railway engine shed in Chalk Farm, London, England. The building was erected in 1846–1847 by the London & North Western Railway as a roundhous ...

Chalk Farm Chalk Farm is a small urban district of north London, lying immediately north of Camden Town, in the London Borough of Camden. History Manor of Rugmere Chalk Farm was originally known as the Manor of Rugmere, an estate that was mentioned ...

and later transferred to Wyndhams Theatre. In 1974 she appeared as one of the two girlfriends in the original London production of the musical '' Billy,'' with lyrics by Don Black and music by John Barry, based on the story of Billy Liar. Billy was played by

Michael Crawford Michael Patrick Smith, (born 19 January 1942), known professionally as Michael Crawford, is an English tenor, actor and comedian. Crawford is best known for playing both the hapless Frank Spencer in the sitcom '' Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em'' a ...

and the other girlfriend by

Elaine Paige Elaine Jill Paige (née Bickerstaff; born 5 March 1948) is an English singer and actress, best known for her work in musical theatre. Raised in Barnet, Hertfordshire, Paige attended the Aida Foster Theatre School, making her first professiona ...

. Her other theatre work includes the second production of ''Good''; ''

Mother Courage Mother Courage (German ''Mutter Courage'') is a character from a Grimmelshausen novel ''Lebensbeschreibung der Ertzbetrügerin und Landstörtzerin Courasche'' (''The Runagate Courage'') dating from around 1670. The character had played a cameo r ...

'' ( National Theatre); and '' Sunday in the Park with George'', ''Jorrocks'', ''The Canterbury Tales'', ''

Side by Side by Sondheim ''Side by Side by Sondheim'' is a musical revue featuring the songs of Broadway and film composer Stephen Sondheim. Its title is derived from the song "Side by Side by Side" from '' Company''. History The musical had its origins when David ...

'', ''The Mitford Girls'', ''

'', ''Which Witch'', and ''

Salad Days "Salad days" is a Shakespearean idiom referring to a period of carefree innocence, idealism, and pleasure associated with youth. The modern use, chiefly in the United States, describes a heyday, when a person is/was at the peak of their abilitie ...

'' ( West End). She was in the original cast of the 1970s musical ''Betjemania'' based on the poems of John Betjeman. In 2010, she appeared with

Opera della Luna Opera della Luna (OdL), founded in 1994, is a British touring theatre troupe of actor-singers focusing on comic works. Led by artistic director Jeff Clarke, it takes its name from Haydn's operatic setting of Goldoni's farce '' Il mondo della lun ...

as Little Buttercup in Gilbert and Sullivan's ''

H.M.S. Pinafore ''H.M.S. Pinafore; or, The Lass That Loved a Sailor'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It opened at the Opera Comique in London, on 25 May 1878 and ran for 571 performances, whic ...

''. In 2011 at the Brighton Festival she played Rattigan’s mother Vera in ''The Art of Concealment'', a new play; and toured the UK as Norah in '' Star Quality'' by Noël Coward, as Matron in ''Doctor In The House'', as Verity Carr in ''Morse'', in ''House of Ghosts'', and as Helena in ''Maurice’s Jubilee'' by Nichola MacAuliffe. She was Mrs Pearce in ''My Fair Lady'' at Kilworth House Theatre, 2013; Gay later played Mrs Higgins in the musical on a tour of Denmark. At the

Birmingham Rep Birmingham Repertory Theatre, commonly called Birmingham Rep or just The Rep, is a producing theatre based on Centenary Square in Birmingham, England. Founded by Barry Jackson, it is the longest-established of Britain's building-based theatre ...

she was the Storyteller in Stiles and Drew’s new musical version of ''

Peter Pan Peter Pan is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood having adventures on the mythi ...

'', and Fraulein Schneider in ''Cabaret'' at Frankfurt; played in ''Cole'' in Hong Kong, ''Betjemania'' and ''Narnia'' in New York, and Ruth in ''Blithe Spirit'' in Stockholm, and Cherry May Waterton in Coward's ''Nude with Violin'' at the Royal Exchange Manchester for Marianne Elliott. In 2008, Soper performed the lead role of Sister Wendy Beckett in Postcards from God - The Sister Wendy Musical at Hackney Empire Studio and reprised the role for the concept cast recording in 2010. In 2012 she received plaudits for her performance in The Busy Body at the

Southwark Playhouse Southwark Playhouse is a theatre in London, located between Borough and Elephant and Castle tube stations. History The Southwark Playhouse Theatre Company was founded in 1993 by Juliet Alderdice and Tom Wilson. They identified the need for a ...

in London. Soper appeared in the original production of ''

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time ''The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time'' is a 2003 mystery novel by British writer Mark Haddon. Its title refers to an observation by the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes (created by Arthur Conan Doyle) in the 1892 short story ...

'' at the ''

Gielgud Theatre The Gielgud Theatre is a West End theatre, located on Shaftesbury Avenue, at the corner of Rupert Street, in the City of Westminster, London. The house currently has 986 seats on three levels. The theatre was designed by W. G. R. Sprague and ...

'' in London''.

Recorded musical career

Soper sung the role of Madam Thenardier on the complete symphonic recording of ''

.'' Her solo album, ''Flying Fish and Fallen Angels'', was released on the Dress Circle label and featured special guest Barry James.

Film and television career

Soper's film roles include an appearance as "blond girl in bed" in '' Love Is a Splendid Illusion'' (1970) and a lead role as "Maisie" in '' The Ups and Downs of a Handyman'' (1975). She appeared in the third and fourth series of ''

Romany Jones ''Romany Jones'' is a British sitcom made by London Weekend Television, broadcast between 1972 and 1975, involving the comic misadventures of two layabout families living on a caravan site. The show was designed as a vehicle for James BeckJames ...

.'' She also appeared alongside

Sid James Sidney James (born Solomon Joel Cohen; 8 May 1913 – 26 April 1976) was a British actor and comedian whose career encompassed radio, television, stage and screen. He was best known for numerous roles in the Carry On film series. Born to a mi ...

as Angela "hot pants" in '' Bless This House''.

Selected filmography

* '' Love Is a Splendid Illusion'' (1970) * '' The Ups and Downs of a Handyman'' (1975) * '' The Flumps'' (1976)

Personal life

Soper is married to actor Barry Stokes. They had a son, Matthew Stokes (1976–2009), who was also an actor.

Bibliography

*Simon Sheridan (2011) ''Keeping the British End Up: Four Decades of Saucy Cinema'' (

Titan Books Titan Publishing Group is the publishing division of Titan Entertainment Group, which was established in 1981. The books division has two main areas of publishing: film and television tie-ins and cinema reference books; and graphic novels and c ...

; 4th edition) *

References

External links

Gay Soper Official Website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Soper, Gay Year of birth missing (living people) Living people English musical theatre actresses English stage actresses Alumni of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art English voice actresses 20th-century English women artists 21st-century English women artists 20th-century English actors 21st-century English artists