Leila Benn Harris (born 1983) is a British actress and soprano singer.
She trained at
Arts Educational School
Arts Educational Schools, or ArtsEd, is an independent performing arts school based in Chiswick in the London Borough of Hounslow.
Overview
ArtsEd provides specialist vocational training at secondary, further and higher education level in m ...
in London and graduated with a BA in Musical Theatre. Upon graduation, she was cast in the lead role of Carmen in the No.1 National Tour of
''Fame''. She then made her West-End debut in the same role at the Aldwych Theatre.
She understudied and played the role of The Mistress in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s West-End revival of
''Evita'' at the
Adelphi Theatre
The Adelphi Theatre is a West End theatre, located on the Strand in the City of Westminster, central London. The present building is the fourth on the site. The theatre has specialised in comedy and musical theatre, and today it is a receiv ...
, directed by
Michael Grandage. She was also part of the original cast recording.
Leila then starred as Christine in
''The Phantom of the Opera'' at Her Majesty’s Theatre, for which she was nominated for a 2008 Whatsonstage.com Theatregoers’ Choice Award for Best Takeover in a Role. To follow, Leila starred in the 2008 Production
Imagine This
''Imagine This'' is a musical with music by Shuki Levy, lyrics by David Goldsmith and a book by Glenn Berenbeim. Set in the Warsaw Ghetto during World War II, it focuses on a family of actors trying to stage a play about the siege at ancient Masa ...
at the New London Theatre in the title role of Rebecca, for which she was nominated for her second 2008 Whatsonstage.com Theatregoers' Choice Award, this time for Best Leading Actress in a Musical.
Other theatre performances include: the title role of Emily in ''From Up Here'' at Trafalgar Studios 2 and ''Liberation Day'' at The National Theatre Studio.
She completed several workshops of the Cat Stevens musical ''Moonshadow'' in which she played the lead role of Anees, and appeared in ''Chess'' in Concert with Idina Menzel & Josh Groban, to be released on DVD.
She then completed the run of John Doyle's revival of
Oklahoma! at The Chichester Festival Theatre -playing the title role of Laurey.
Then, she appeared in the critically acclaimed ''Enron'' at The Noël Coward Theatre in association with The Royal Court, directed by Rupert Goold.
Stage credits
Plays
*''Enron'' (Newsreader/Prostitute), Noël Coward Theatre and National UK Tour
Musicals
*''Les Miserables'' (Eponine), MCC Malta
*''Evita'', Adelphi Theatre
*''The Phantom of the Opera" (Christine), Her Majesty's Theatre
2008 Whatsonstage.com Theatregoers Choice Nomination - Best Takeover in a Role
*''Imagine This'' (Rebecca), New London Theatre
2008 Whatsonstage.com Theatregoers Choice Nomination - Best Leading Actress in a Musical
*''Oklahoma!'' (Laurey), Chichester Festival Theatre
*''Liberation Day'', The National Theatre Studio
*''From Up Here'' (Emily), Trafalgar Studios 2
Television
*''Manchild'' (Chica), BBC
*''Identity'', BBC
Radio
*''Friday Night Is Music Night'', BBC
Discography
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Benn Harris, Leila
Living people
English musical theatre actresses
English women singers
1983 births
21st-century English actresses