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Cassidy Janson

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Cassidy Janson
Born (1980-07-30) 30 July 1980 (age 44)
Alma materLondon Studio Centre
Millennium Dance
The Impulse Company
OccupationActress
Websitecassidyjanson.com

Cassidy Janson (born 30 July 1980) is a British actress, known for her work in musical theatre. She won the 2020 Olivier Award for Best Supporting Performance in a Musical for & Juliet.

Stage career

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In 2005 Janson appeared in Tick, Tick... Boom! at the Menier Chocolate Factory. She played Susan, alongside Neil Patrick Harris as Jonathan and Tee Jaye Susan as Michael.[1] In 2006 she joined the original West End cast of Wicked as part of the ensemble, later moving to be standby for the role of Elphaba.[2] Following this, she joined the final West End cast of Avenue Q as Kate Monster/Lucy the Slut.[2] In 2011 she originated the role of Maggie Saunders in the musical version of Lend me a Tenor. She appears on the original cast recording.[3]

Janson has appeared in several shows Off-West End, including Company at the Southwark Playhouse (as Amy), Rooms: A Rock Romance at the Finborough Theatre (as Monica), and Blood Wedding at the Courtyard Theatre[4][5][6]

In 2013 she returned to the Menier Chocolate Factory in Candide, playing the role of Paquette.[7] Following this, she played Ruth in Dessa Rose at the Trafalgar Studios, alongside Cynthia Erivo as Dessa.[8]

On 30 November 2015 Janson took over the role of Carole King in the West End production of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical.[9] She joined Carole King at the British Summer Time concerts to perform I Feel The Earth Move.[10] She remained with the production until it closed on 5 August 2017.[11]

In 2018 she appeared in a revival of Chess as Florence at the London Colosseum, alongside Michael Ball as Anatoly, Alexandra Burke as Svetlana, and Tim Howar as Freddie.[12]

In April 2019 she appeared in Man of La Mancha at the London Colosseum, sharing the roles of Aldonza and Dulcinea with Danielle de Niese.[13] The production played a limited run to 8 June 2019. Following this, she has been cast in the new musical & Juliet, which is currently showing on the West End at the Shaftesbury Theatre. She stars as Anne Hathaway, William Shakespeare's love, Shakespeare being portrayed by Oliver Tompsett.[14] Janson won an Olivier Award in the category of Best Supporting Actress in a Musical for her performance of Anne Hathaway.

Leading Ladies

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In 2017 Janson teamed up with Beverley Knight and Amber Riley to form a musical theatre supergroup, known collectively as the "Leading Ladies". Their debut album, Songs from the Stage, was released on 17 November 2017 and features covers songs from Cats, Beautiful and Rent among others.[15]

Debut album

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Cassidy Janson announced via her Twitter in late 2018 that she had signed a record deal with BMG.[16] In April 2019 Janson announced that her debut album Cassidy would be released on 14 June. It features 14 new songs, 12 co-written by Janson herself, and new song written for her by legend and friend Carole King.[17]

Personal life

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Cassidy Janson often appears on stage with The Jive Aces as a guest performer.[18]

References

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  1. ^ Wolf, Matt (16 June 2005). "Tick, Tick. . .Boom!". Variety. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
  2. ^ a b Wolf, Matt (15 June 2011). "Cassidy Janson on Wicked, Neil Patrick Harris & Making Lend Me a Tenor Sing on the London Stage". Broadway.com. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
  3. ^ "Lend Me A Tenor - 2011 Original London Cast". CastAlbums.org. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
  4. ^ "Company". Southwark Playhouse | Theatre and Bar. 2 February 2011. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
  5. ^ Gardner, Lyn (26 April 2013). "Rooms: A Rock Romance – review". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
  6. ^ "Blood Wedding | Off-West End | reviews, cast and info". WhatsOnStage. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
  7. ^ "Candide cast at Menier Chocolate Factory". London Theatre Guide. 8 June 2016. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
  8. ^ Billington, Michael (1 August 2014). "Dessa Rose review – a musical that feels like a hectic precis of an epic novel". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
  9. ^ Stratford, Tom (4 September 2015). "Cassidy Janson & Diane Keen join cast of Olivier, Tony & Grammy Award-winning Beautiful: The Carole King Musical". LondonTheatreDirect.com. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
  10. ^ Foster, Alistair (4 July 2016). "Singing with Carole King was beautiful, says West End actress". Evening Standard. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
  11. ^ Bowie-Sell, Daisy (23 May 2017). "Beautiful - the Carole King Musical to close in the West End". WhatsOnStage. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
  12. ^ Wood, Alex (16 February 2018). "Michael Ball, Alexandra Burke and Cassidy Janson confirmed for Chess West End revival". WhatsOnStage. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
  13. ^ Cashell, Eleni (31 January 2019). "Nicholas Lyndhurst & Cassidy Janson join Man Of La Mancha cast". Official London Theatre. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
  14. ^ Bowie-Sell, Daisy (8 February 2019). "Cassidy Janson, Oliver Tompsett, Melanie La Barrie and more cast in & Juliet in the West End". WhatsOnStage. Retrieved 10 March 2019.. Janson has been nominated for an Olivier Award in the category of Best Supporting Actress.
  15. ^ Cheesman, Neil (8 November 2017). "Leading Ladies: starring Beverley Knight, Cassidy Janson and Amber Rile". LondonTheatre1.
  16. ^ "Cassidy announces her record deal with BMG". twitter.com/cassidyjanson. 11 December 2018.
  17. ^ "Cassiy announces the release date and title of her album, along with debut single Better". twitter.com/cassidyjanson. 29 April 2019.
  18. ^ "Suited & Booted for Glastonbury". 2 July 2015. Retrieved 27 May 2023.