For our last episode until June, we had a delightful round of “international cocktails” with the brilliant Frances Ruffelle! If you’re anything like us, you fell in love with her the very first time you listened to the Original Cast Recording of Les Misérables, and in the course of our humorously honest conversation we discussed everything; the perils of roller skating eight shows a week, her Tony Award winning turn on Broadway, yoga, even the Eurovision Song Contest (don’t worry, she explains it to us.) It may just make you want to listen to “On My Own” on repeat again and again. Cheers!
From her Tony Award winning performance as Eponine in Les Miserables, to her extensive stage appearances in London’s West End, to her ongoing work as a composer, author, recording artists and cabaret performer, Frances Ruffelle is constantly finding new ways to reinvent herself. On stage, Frances was able to explore her love of French chanteuse Edith Piaf, playing the title role in Pam Gems’ play Piaf at the Curve Theatre, Leicester, for which she received a UK Theatre award nomination. Additional stage highlights include the role of Dinah in the original production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Starlight Express, the role of Yonah in director John Caird’s production of Children of Eden, and starring as Roxie Hart in Chicago at London’s Adelphi Theatre. Following the success of her widely acclaimed solo Beneath The Dress concerts at the Edinburgh Festival and in London, Frances took the show to legendary venue 54 Below in New York, for a series of sold out performances. Her follow-up show, Paris Original, premiered at The Crazy Coqs in London. Ruby’s Poison, her most recent project, is due to arrive in London and New York in the near future. As a singer/songwriter, Frances has released the albums Fragile, Frances Ruffelle (produced by Spandau Ballet’s Gary Kemp), Showgirl, Imperfectly Me, and I Say Yeh-Yeh. She is also a licensed yoga instructor, and recorded the meditative album Yin&Tonic, based on ancient Sanskrit mantras.