The Mayflower Southampton

Anita Dobson in
Hello, Dolly!
with Darren Day and David McAlister - Cast

Tue 3 - Sat 7 June 2008

Tue - Sat 7.30pm
Thu & Sat 2.00pm

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Louise English

Louise won a scholarship at the age of nine to enter the Stella Mann School of Ballet in London. She also attended the Anna Scher School of Drama and was delighted to be chosen to appear in the film Bugsy Malone in the role of the ballerina. Other film credits include The Wicked Lady with Faye Dunaway and The House Of The Long Shadows with Vincent Price, Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing.

On stage she has appeared in leading roles in musicals and theatre including Ted Willis’ play Tommy Boy, Malvern Festival and National tour; I Ought To Be In Pictures, Intima Theatre Stockholm; My Dearest Ivor, The Mill at Sonning and National Tour; Gypsy, Crucible Theatre, Sheffield; Gaslight and Don’t Dress For Dinner, Devonshire Park Theatre; Tom Foolery, National Tour; Private Lives, Haymarket, Basingstoke; Sherlock Holmes – The Musical with Robert Powell and Roy Barraclough, Bristol Old Vic and National Tour; Maxwell The Musical, Criterion Theatre; Russ Abbot’s Madhouse, National Tour; Shadow Of Doubt, Theatre Royal Windsor; The Belles Of Notre Dame, Warehouse Theatre Croydon; The 80th birthday Celebrations of Laurence Olivier at the National Theatre; Lady Chiltern in An Ideal Husband, National Tour; Annie, Theatre Royal, Lincoln and National Tour; Evelyn in Absent Friends; Helen in Suddenly At Home, Theatre Royal Windsor.

Louise has appeared as principal girl and boy in ten pantomimes throughout the country including Snow White with Marti Caine, Strand Theatre, London; Babes In The Wood with Les Dawson, Palace Theatre, Manchester; Aladdin with Anita Dobson, Pavillion Theatre, Bournemouth; Jack and The Beanstalk with Wayne Sleep, Poole and Truro; Dick Whittington with Dora Bryan, Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford; and as Snow White, Theatre Royal, Lincoln.

TV credits include the entertainment special for Central TV, Elkie And Her Gang, with Elkie Brooks and Gemma Craven; Saturday Royal and Entertainment Express all choreographed by Nigel (Nasty Nigel) Lythgoe; Fresh Fields, Lyttons Diary, Full House, Chance In A Million, Give Us A Clue, Don’t Rock The Boat all for Thames TV; and guest appearances on The Mike Yarwood Show and The Benny Hill Show. Louise also played Lucia in two series of the popular BBC series Brush Strokes.

Louise won great acclaim playing the lead role of Sally Smith in Me and My Girl with Karl Howman at the Adelphi Theatre, London, breaking all box office records. She was asked to repeat the role for another year in London with Les Dennis and in Christmas 2001, was delighted to play Sally again in a sell out run at the Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham.

In 2003 she played Anne in The Sound Of Murder and Molly in The Secretary Bird, again at Windsor Theatre Royal; and Sally in Bedside Manners in Bournemouth with John Inman, followed by the Annie National Tour. Louise spent the summer of 2004 touring in South East Asia first playing Teresa in How The Other Half Loves for the British Theatre Playhouse in Singapore and then playing in Annie in Kuala Lumpur.

2005 saw Louise return to Kuala Lumpur to play the part of Nancy in the musical Oliver!, followed by appearing as Grace Farrell in the 2006 National tour of Annie.