Liza Kate Pulman (born 1969) is a British singer and actress. She is an acclaimed solo singer and comedienne and one third of the satirical comedy trio

Fascinating Aïda Fascinating Aïda is a British comedy singing group and satire, satirical cabaret act founded in March 1983. The line-up consists of founder member Dillie Keane; Adèle Anderson, who joined in 1984; and Liza Pulman, who first joined in 2004. T ...

. As a member of the group, she received Drama Desk Award nominations in 2005 and 2010. Pulman has an extensive career that encompasses music, theatre, comedy, writing and presenting.

Biography

Early life

Born in 1969 in

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, B ...

, Pulman is the daughter of the actress Barbara Young and the screenwriter

Jack Pulman Jack Pulman (11 July 1925 – 20 May 1979) was an award-winning British television screenwriter, most famous for the critically acclaimed 1976 BBC television series, ''I, Claudius'', based on the novels ''I, Claudius'' and ''Claudius the God' ...

. She has an older sister, Cory, and when they were teenagers they sang together as "the Pulman Sisters", singing numbers from the

Roaring Twenties The Roaring Twenties, sometimes stylized as Roaring '20s, refers to the 1920s decade in music and fashion, as it happened in Western society and Western culture. It was a period of economic prosperity with a distinctive cultural edge in the ...

through to the 1940s in the foyers of the Royal Festival Hall and the National Theatre. Pulman then trained at the

Guildhall School of Music and Drama The Guildhall School of Music and Drama is a conservatoire and drama school located in the City of London, United Kingdom. Established in 1880, the school offers undergraduate and postgraduate training in all aspects of classical music and jazz ...

for six years and was taken on as a junior principal with the Glyndebourne Chorus.

Personal life

Pulman married firstly the Irish-born actor David Ganly and secondly Steve Hutt, the manager of Fascinating Aida. She lives in

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

with her husband. Pulman was on the

London Underground The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or by its nickname the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and Hertfordshire in England. The ...

train which was bombed in the

7 July 2005 London bombings The 7 July 2005 London bombings, often referred to as 7/7, were a series of four coordinated suicide attacks carried out by Islamic terrorists in London that targeted commuters travelling on the city's public transport system during the mo ...

; her mobile phone footage of the experience was broadcast on international television, and her article was published in the G2 section of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

''.

Career

Pulman appeared in ''

The Gondoliers ''The Gondoliers; or, The King of Barataria'' is a Savoy Opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on 7 December 1889 and ran for a very successful 554 performances (at that time the ...

'' and ''The Coffee House'' at the

Chichester Festival Theatre Chichester Festival Theatre is a theatre and Grade II* listed building situated in Oaklands Park in the city of Chichester, West Sussex, England. Designed by Philip Powell and Hidalgo Moya, it was opened by its founder Leslie Evershed-Mart ...

. Her acting credits include her portrayal of Violet in the

London Palladium The London Palladium () is a Grade II* West End theatre located on Argyll Street, London, in the famous area of Soho. The theatre holds 2,286 seats. Of the roster of stars who have played there, many have televised performances. Between 1955 a ...

's production of '' Chitty Chitty Bang Bang'', and she starred opposite

Phillip Schofield Phillip Bryan Schofield (born 1 April 1962) is an English television presenter who works for ITV. He is currently the co-presenter of ITV's '' This Morning'' (2002–present) and ''Dancing on Ice'' (2006–2014, 2018–present) alongside Holl ...

and

Russ Abbot Russ Abbot (born Russell Allan Roberts; 18 September 1947) is an English musician, comedian and actor. Born in Chester, he first came to public notice during the 1970s as the singer and drummer with British comedy showband the Black Abbots, la ...

in the British national tour of ''

Doctor Dolittle Doctor John Dolittle is the central character of a series of children's books by Hugh Lofting starting with the 1920 '' The Story of Doctor Dolittle''. He is a physician who shuns human patients in favour of animals, with whom he can speak in th ...

''. She has also played Cathy in ''

Wuthering Heights ''Wuthering Heights'' is an 1847 novel by Emily Brontë, initially published under her pen name Ellis Bell. It concerns two families of the landed gentry living on the West Yorkshire moors, the Earnshaws and the Lintons, and their turbulent re ...

'' (European tour), Eurydice in the world premiere of

Harrison Birtwistle Sir Harrison Birtwistle (15 July 1934 – 18 April 2022) was an English composer of contemporary classical music best known for his operas, often based on mythological subjects. Among his many compositions, his better known works include '' T ...

's '' The Second Mrs. Kong'' (

Glyndebourne Festival Opera Glyndebourne Festival Opera is an annual opera festival held at Glyndebourne, an English country house near Lewes, in East Sussex, England. History Under the supervision of the Christie family, the festival has been held annually since 1934, ...

), and leading roles with Music Theatre London, the

D'Oyly Carte Opera Company The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company is a professional British light opera company that, from the 1870s until 1982, staged Gilbert and Sullivan's Savoy operas nearly year-round in the UK and sometimes toured in Europe, North America and elsewhere. The ...

and the

Carl Rosa Opera Company The Carl Rosa Opera Company was founded in 1873 by Carl Rosa, a German-born musical impresario, and his wife, British operatic soprano Euphrosyne Parepa-Rosa to present opera in English in London and the British provinces. The company premiered ...

. Her many cabaret performances include ''Listen Up!'' with composer and lyricist

Jason Carr Jason ( ; ) was an ancient Greek mythological hero and leader of the Argonauts, whose quest for the Golden Fleece featured in Greek literature. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcos. He was married to the sorceress Medea. He wa ...

. She appeared in '' Dick Whittington'' at the

Watford Palace Theatre Watford Palace Theatre, opened in 1908, is an Edwardian Grade II listed building in Watford, Hertfordshire. The 600-seat theatre on Clarendon Road was refurbished in 2004. It houses its own rehearsal room, wardrobe, cafe and bar. History The ...

from November 2008 to January 2009."Dick Whittington and His Cat", Watford Palace Theatre, Watford, Hertfordshire, 27 November 2008 to 3 January 2009
What's on Stage In 2016, Pulman toured with her solo show 'Liza Pulman Sings Hollywood'. In 2017 she created the solo show "Liza Pulman Sings Streisand" which she continued to tour in 2018. This played to sell-out houses and had 5-Star reviews at numerous theatres, including London's Cadogan Hall, Wilton's Music Hall, Andrew Lloyd-Webber's

The Other Palace The Other Palace is a theatre in London's Off West End which opened on 18 September 2012 as the St. James Theatre. It features a 312-seat main theatre and a 120-seat studio theatre. It was built on the site of the former Westminster Theatre, w ...

, and a run at the Lyric Theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue. In 2021 Pulman's new show "The Heart of It" had to be postponed until April 2022, when it opened at the

Riverside Studios Riverside Studios is an arts centre on the banks of the River Thames in Hammersmith, London, England. The venue plays host to contemporary performance, film, visual art exhibitions and television production. Having closed for redevelopment i ...

, Hammersmith, together with the release of her new album recorded at Peter Gabriel's Real World Studios, produced by Chris Porter. In 2021 and 2022 she again toured with Fascinating Aida around the British Isles.

Fascinating Aïda

Pulman joined Fascinating Aïda in 2004 and has sung in their albums, including ''Absolutely Fascinating'', and in the DVD ''Silver Jubilee''. As a member of Fascinating Aïda, she received a '' Drama Desk Award'' nomination in 2005 for the group's performances in New York. In 2015, she was touring England with ''Charm Offensive Fascinating Aïda'', soon after the group had completed a new CD and DVD called ''Cheap Flights''. In August 2016 it had a run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe called 'Back in the Saddle' and released a DVD and CD.

Credits

*2022 "Liza Pulman The Heart of It," Riverside Studios, Joseph Atkins *2021-2022 Fascinating Aïda, Brand New Show, UK Tour, Paul Foster *2017–2018 "Liza Pulman Sings Streisand" *2016,

, "Back in the Saddle", Fringe *2016, "Liza Pulman Sings Hollywood" *2013, Fascinating Aïda, Charm Offensive, UK tour, Pip Broughton *2013, Stage, Amanda, Sleeping Arrangements, Landor Theatre, Rob McWhir *2011, Stage, Lead, Let's Misbehave, Salisbury Playhouse, Simon Green *2011, Stage, Margaret, Molly Wobbly's Tit Factory, Lyric, Belfast, Paul Boyd *2011, Stage, Company, Mean Time (Workshop), Menier Chocolate Factory,

Jonathan Butterell Jonathan Butterell is an English choreographer, stage director, and film director. He has worked in the West End, on Broadway, and Off-Broadway. Biography Butterell grew up in "a tough part of Sheffield, England", and was an actor and dancer. ...

*2011, Stage, Fairy Godmother, Pericles, Regents Park Open Air Theatre, Natalie Abrahami *2010, Fascinating Aïda, Pearls before Wine, UK tour, Frank Thompson *2009, Fascinating Aïda, Absolutely Miraculous, UK tour, Frank Thompson *2008, Fairy Bowbells, Dick Whittington,

, Joyce Branagh *2008, Fascinating Aïda, UK tour, Frank Thompson *2008, The Black & White Ball,

King's Head Theatre The King's Head Theatre, founded in 1970 by Dan Crawford, is an off-West End venue in London. It is the second oldest operating pub theatre in the UK. In 2021, Mark Ravenhill became Artistic Director and the theatre focusses on producing LGBTQ ...

, Matthew White *2007, The Mother, Take Flight,

Menier Chocolate Factory The Menier Chocolate Factory is a 180-seat off-West End theatre, which comprises a restaurant, bar and rehearsal rooms. It is located in a former 1870s Menier Chocolate Company factory at 53 Southwark Street, a major street in the London Boro ...

, Sam Buntrock *2007, Mrs Lindburgh, Take Flight, Menier Chocolate Factory, Sam Buntrock *2007, Mrs Darling, Peter Pan, QDOS/

Bristol Hippodrome The Bristol Hippodrome () is a theatre located in The Centre, Bristol, England, United Kingdom with seating on three levels giving a capacity of 1,951. It frequently features shows from London's West End when they tour the UK, as well as re ...

*2006, Little Red Riding Hood, Into the Woods, Derby Playhouse, Karen Louise Hebbdon *2006, Midsomer Murders, TV series, episode "Dance With the Dead", as a 1940s crooner. *2006, Fascinating Aïda, Absolutely Fabulous, Theater Row, 42nd Street, New York, Simon Green *2005, Fanny in ''Fanny'' (

Sadler's Wells Sadler's Wells Theatre is a performing arts venue in Clerkenwell, London, England located on Rosebery Avenue next to New River Head. The present-day theatre is the sixth on the site since 1683. It consists of two performance spaces: a 1,500-seat ...

, Lost Musicals Season) *Violet in the original cast of '' Chitty Chitty Bang Bang'' (London Palladium) *2003, Tessa in ''The Gondoliers''

*Nephew's Wife in '' A Christmas Carol'' (

) *Emma Fairfax in ''Doctor Dolittle'' opposite

(UK tour) *Mrs Darling in ''Peter Pan'' (Swindon) *Goldilocks in ''Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Book'' (Soho Theatre) *Lady Nelson in ''Nelson The Musical'' (

Soho Theatre The Soho Theatre is a theatre and registered charity in the Soho district of the City of Westminster, in London, England. It produces and presents new works of theatre, together with comedy and cabaret, across three performance spaces. The the ...

) *Maid Marian in ''Robin Hood'' (Nuffield Theatre, Southampton) *2003, Vittoria in ''The Coffee House'' (Minerva, Chichester) *Tatyana in ''Eugene Onegin'' *Adele in ''

Die Fledermaus ' (, ''The Flittermouse'' or ''The Bat'', sometimes called ''The Revenge of the Bat'') is an operetta composed by Johann Strauss II to a German libretto by Karl Haffner and Richard Genée, which premiered in 1874. Background The original li ...

'' (

Lyric Hammersmith The Lyric Theatre, also known as the Lyric Hammersmith, is a theatre on Lyric Square, off King Street, Hammersmith, London.

/Tour) *Cathy in ''

'' (European Tour) *1998, Brenda Blossom in ''

Hollywood Pinafore ''Hollywood Pinafore, or The Lad Who Loved a Salary'' is a musical comedy in two acts by George S. Kaufman, with music by Arthur Sullivan, based on Gilbert and Sullivan's ''H.M.S. Pinafore''. The work premiered on May 8, 1945, at Ford's Grand Opera ...

'' ( Barbican Cinema 1) *Belinda in ''Otherwise Engaged'' (Perth Rep) *Yum-Yum in ''

The Mikado ''The Mikado; or, The Town of Titipu'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, their ninth of fourteen Gilbert and Sullivan, operatic collaborations. It opened on 14 March 1885, in London, whe ...

'' (Carla Rosa,

Richmond Theatre The present Richmond Theatre, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, is a British Victorian theatre located on Little Green, adjacent to Richmond Green. It opened on 18 September 1899 with a performance of ''As You Like It''. One of ...

, Tour) *Gabrielle in ''La Vie Parisienne'' (D'Oyly Carte)

References

External links

*
Liza Pulman at ''ColeKitchenn'' (agent)

* ttp://www.fascinatingaida.co.uk/ Fascinating Aïda official website {{DEFAULTSORT:Pulman, Liz Cabaret singers English women singers English stage actresses Alumni of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama Living people 1969 births