Alexia Khadime

Alexia Khadime

Khadime in 2009
Born Alexia Khadime Facey
9 June 1983
London, England
Occupation Actress, singer
Years active 1999–present

Alexia Khadime (born 9 June 1983)[1] is an English actress and mezzo-soprano,[2] known for her roles in British musical theatre and television.

Career

Theatre

Khadime made her first appearance on the stage in 1999, when she appeared in "Cinderella" at the Hackney Empire, [3] and the following year, she took part in the UK Tour of Leader of the Pack. During her early performances, she was typically credited under her birth name "Alexia Facey".

She made her West End debut aged 17, appearing as part of the ensemble in The Lion King in 2001, additionally providing cover for the role of "Nala". In 2003, she appeared in the UK Tour of Whistle Down the Wind, playing the role of "Candy". In 2004, she returned to The Lion King - this time playing "Nala" as the lead, and she remained in the role until 2008. [4]

In early 2008, she successfully auditioned for the lead role of "Elphaba" in Wicked. She began performances on her 25th birthday, providing cover for six months while Kerry Ellis temporarily left the company to play the role on Broadway. [5] As planned, Khadime left Wicked in October 2008, but returned in May 2009 when Ellis left the company permanently. [6] Throughout both of her spells in Wicked, Khadime played alongside Dianne Pilkington as "Glinda". In 2009, the pair were honored at the "Woman of the Future Awards" in the Arts & Culture category. [7] Khadime's run in Wicked came to an end in March 2010 when she was succeeded by Rachel Tucker. As of 2015, Khadime is the only black woman to play the role of Elphaba full-time in any production of Wicked around the world.

After concluding her time in Wicked, she next appeared in the straight play Welcome to Thebes at the Royal National Theatre through the Summer of 2010,[8][9] before returning to musical theatre, playing "Deb" in Ordinary Days at London's Trafalgar Studios in February and March 2011.[10]

In June 2011, replacing Samantha Barks in the iconic role of "Éponine" in the London production of Les Misérables. [11] She played the role for just short of a year, before being succeeded by Danielle Hope. [12]

In late 2012, Khadime joined the original West End company of The Book of Mormon, playing the role of "Nabulungi", with performances starting in February 2013. [13] She won the fan voted 2014 WhatsOnStage.com Award for "Best Supporting Actress in a Musical" for her portrayal of Nabulungi, [14] as well as the West End Wilma award for "Best Supporting Cast Member". [15] As of March 2015, Khadime is still performing in The Book of Mormon.

Title Year(s) Role(s) Venue(s)
Cinderella 1999-2000 Ensemble Hackney Empire
Leader of the Pack 2000-2001 Ronnie Sepctor UK National Tour
The Lion King 2001 Ensemble/Understudy for Nala Lyceum Theatre
Whistle Down the Wind 2003 Candy UK National Tour
The Lion King 2004-2008 Nala Lyceum Theatre
Wicked June-November 2008;
May 2009-March 2010		 Elphaba Apollo Victoria Theatre
Welcome to Thebes June-September 2010 Harmonia Royal National Theatre
Ordinary Days February-March 2011 Deb Trafalgar Studios
Les Misérables June 2011-June 2012 Éponine Queens Theatre
The Book of Mormon February 2013-Present Nabulungi Prince of Wales Theatre

Television

As a young actress, Khadime made her first television appearance in 1996, appearing in an episode of the BBC's The Sculptress. [16] She appeared in Grange Hill for two years, and in 1998, had a regular role as "Tanisha" in children's ITV series Comin' Atcha[17] In 1999, she appeared as "Ellie Burns" in the BBC's The Queen's Nose, and has additional credits in The Bill, Class Action, and Sky One's Dream Team.

While appearing in Les Misérables in 2012, Khadime made a special guest appearance on RTÉ's OMG! Jedward's Dream Factory, when 11 year old Aoife Dardis received her wish to Les Misérables in London, and to meet Khadime, her favourite actress. Khadime currently has a regular role in the children's gameshow Splatalot!, playing "Madeva", a defender.

Film

Along with fellow Wicked alumni Kerry Ellis and Dianne Pilkington, Khadime appeared as a wench in the 2012 movie edition of Les Misérables.

Music

In February 2003, credited simply as "Alexia", Khadime released a single entitled "Ring" through Virgin Records. It entered the UK Singles Chart at #48, before dropping to #86 the following week. [18] In 2008, she recorded a duet with Ben James-Ellis entitled "Enchanted" for the album Act One - Songs From The Musicals of Alexander S. Bermange. In 2011, along with her Ordinary Days co-star Daniel Boys, Khadime contributed the duet "Looking Back" to Michael Bruce's "Unwritten Songs". Her voice can also be heard on the film soundtracks for Pride and Amazing Grace

References

External links