Popular singer and actor Nicki French is overjoyed to be returning to the Brindley Theatre for pantomime this Christmas – 13 years after her first stint there!
Having first appeared at the Runcorn theatre as the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella, alongside Syd Little and Leah Bracknell, Nicki is playing Witch Blackweed in Jack & the Beanstalk, from 7 December until 8 January.
Nicki is probably best-known for her dance track ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’, which topped charts around the world in 1995.
In 2000 she was the UK’s representative at the Eurovision Song Contest in Sweden with ‘Don’t Play that Song Again’. Nicki didn’t win the contest itself, but her chance to be a Eurovision winner came a few years later, when she won the celebrity edition of BBC’s ‘The Weakest Link – Eurovision Special’, raising an amazing £13,000 for Cancer Research. She is frequently invited onto TV and radio programmes for her comments in the lead-up to Eurovision each year and co-hosts the huge annual London Eurovision Party with Paddy O’Connell.
She still works regularly either solo or with her live band around the world. Since 2015, she has released two successful albums worldwide – ‘Glitter to the Neon Lights’ and ‘A Very Nicki Christmas’, both of which have led to many number one slots in the iTunes charts thanks to the singles that have subsequently emanated from them, as well as releasing two EPs dedicated to Eurovision – ‘Let’s Play That Song Again’ (1 & 2).
In the past 15 years she has also been in demand for her acting, playing eight different parts in the UK tour of ‘Annie’; three of the four characters in ‘Menopause the Musical’, Ethel Merman in ‘Gee, But It’s Good to be Here – An Audience With Ethel Merman’, Helga ten Dorp in ‘Deathtrap’ and Sarah in ‘Dirty Dating.com’ (UK tour). In early 2020, she began a tour with a brand-new show ‘Menopause the Musical 2 – Cruising Through Menopause’ taking the role of Power Woman and played to packed and appreciative houses around the UK and Ireland. .
Nicki loves her panto seasons! Having played Fairy Godmother, Dandini and other ‘good’ roles, she then discovered how much more fun it was playing the baddie! She has co-starred with Bobby Crush, Bernie Clifton, Collabro’s Jamie Lambert, Syd Little, Leah Bracknell, Neil & Christine Hamilton, Matt Evers and Jonathan Ansell in various shows. She is looking forward to being back with you all this year – and cannot wait to melt all the ice creams if you don’t boo her nice and loudly!
Tickets for Jack & the Beanstalk are available from: www.thebrindley.org.uk or contact the box office on 0151 907 8360.