Meredith Braun (born 1973) began her career as a child actor in her native

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

before relocating to the UK and starring in a number of West End musicals and touring productions.

Early life

As a child in

Remuera Remuera is an affluent inner city suburb of Auckland, New Zealand. It is located four kilometres southeast of the city centre. Remuera is characterised by many large houses, often Edwardian or mid 20th century. A prime example of a "leafy" sub ...

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

, Braun appeared in numerous stage productions plus occasional television shows (''The Haunting of Barney Palmer'') and advertisements. Her mother studied at the

Royal College of Music The Royal College of Music is a music school, conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the Undergraduate education, undergraduate to the Doctorate, doctoral level in a ...

in the 1950s and at the age of 16 Braun moved from New Zealand to London. In 1989, Braun earned a place at London's prestigious

Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts The Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts is a performing arts conservatoire based in Woking, England. It was founded in 1911 by Italia Conti, an actress. The first production at Italia Conti Academy was the play ''Where the Rainbow Ends''. For ...

Career

She began her West End career six months later with a lead role in short-lived musical ''Bernadette'' at the Dominion Theatre.

Cameron Mackintosh Sir Cameron Anthony Mackintosh (born 17 October 1946) is a British theatrical producer and theatre owner notable for his association with many commercially successful musicals. At the height of his success in 1990, he was described as being "th ...

then cast Meredith as Eponine in '' Les Miserables'', a role she played in both London and Manchester. In 1993, she was cast as Betty Schaeffer in

Andrew Lloyd Webber Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948), is an English composer and impresario of musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 21 musicals, ...

's musical version of ''

Sunset Boulevard Sunset Boulevard is a boulevard in the central and western part of Los Angeles, California, that stretches from the Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades east to Figueroa Street in Downtown Los Angeles. It is a major thoroughfare in t ...

''. Having been part of an audition process that involved 300 other potential actresses, Lloyd Webber said of Meredith "When I saw Meredith and heard her I knew she was going to be a star". Further shows in the West End included starring as Christine in ''

The Phantom of the Opera ''The Phantom of the Opera'' (french: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra) is a novel by French author Gaston Leroux. It was first published as a serial in from 23 September 1909 to 8 January 1910, and was released in volume form in late March 1910 by Pierr ...

'' plus '' Out of the Blue'' with Michael McCarthy and ''Killing Rasputin''. Between 2000-2001 Meredith starred as Lily in the RSC's production of ''

The Secret Garden ''The Secret Garden'' is a novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett first published in book form in 1911, after serialisation in ''The American Magazine'' (November 1910 – August 1911). Set in England, it is one of Burnett's most popular novels and ...

'' at both the Theatre Royal Stratford and the Aldwych Theatre, London. Between 1995 and 1997, Braun returned home to her native

, landing numerous roles in one of

's leading professional theatre companies, the

Auckland Theatre Company Auckland Theatre Company (ATC) is a professional theatre company in Auckland. It was founded in 1992 and since 2016 has been based in ASB Waterfront Theatre in the Wynyard Quarter in central Auckland. History Auckland Theatre Company (ATC) wa ...

. She came with the prestige as one of the starring names within New Zealand's theatre industry at the time. Braun also acted as Belle in Disney's 1992 holiday film ''

The Muppet Christmas Carol ''The Muppet Christmas Carol'' is a 1992 American Christmas musical comedy drama film directed by Brian Henson (in his feature directorial debut) from a screenplay by Jerry Juhl. Adapted from the 1843 novella ''A Christmas Carol'' by Charles Dic ...

'' opposite

Michael Caine Sir Michael Caine (born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite; 14 March 1933) is an English actor. Known for his distinctive Cockney accent, he has appeared in more than 160 films in a career spanning seven decades, and is considered a British film ico ...

and the cast of

The Muppets The Muppets are an American ensemble cast of puppet characters known for an absurdist, burlesque, and self-referential style of variety- sketch comedy. Created by Jim Henson in 1955, they are the focus of a media franchise that encompasses ...

, and has done a number of television roles in the United Kingdom. After a ten-year absence from performing, Braun released her debut solo album ''Someone Else's Story'' in 2012 - a mix of contemporary show songs and classical crossover material. The album features musical direction and arrangements by Paul Bateman (musical director for

Sarah Brightman Sarah Brightman (born 14 August 1960) is an English classical crossover soprano singer, actress and dancer. Brightman began her career as a member of the dance troupe Hot Gossip and released several disco singles as a solo performer. In 1981, ...

and

Lesley Garrett Lesley Garrett, Order of the British Empire, CBE (born 10 April 1955) is an English soprano singer, musician, broadcaster and media personality. She is noted for being at home in opera and "crossover music". Early life Garrett was born in the ...

), and was released on

Stage Door Records Stage Door Records is a UK-based label founded in 2007 by Tim Hutton that specializes in cast recordings and vocalist albums from stars of stage and screen. The label has issued a number of cast albums on CD for the first time, including ''Mutiny ...

on March 26, 2012. In 2017, Braun released her second solo album ''When Love Is Gone'' featuring a new recording of the song of the same name she performed in ''The Muppet Christmas Carol'' marking the film's 25th anniversary. The album was released by

in November 2017. Meredith now works as a lecturer for The

University of Chichester , mottoeng = By teaching, we learn , type = public university, Public , established = 2005 , administrative_staff = 600 , vice_chancellor = Jane Longmore , city = Chichester, West Sussex , country ...

Conservatoire A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music academy, music faculty, college of music, music department (of a larger ins ...

's BA (hons) Musical Theatre (Music) Course, having previously been a lecturer for Musical Theatre Triple Threat.

Filmography

Film and television

UK theatre credits

New Zealand theatre credits

Workshops

Personal life

Braun has three children by her first husband, musical director David White, :''See also'': :: (twins born 1997-1998) and a son, Tiger Braun-White, a cellist, (born 2003-2004). Her second husband, Bill Rea, is a marine architect.

References

External links

* *
London Musicals Online
{{DEFAULTSORT:Braun, Meredith 1973 births Living people 21st-century New Zealand women singers New Zealand film actresses New Zealand musical theatre actresses New Zealand television actresses People from Auckland 20th-century New Zealand women singers New Zealand emigrants to the United Kingdom