# Frances Mayli McCann

Frances Mayli McCann (born 14 September 1989) is a Scottish actress. Known for her work in theatre, she is the recipient of Laurence Olivier and WhatsOnStage Award nominations. Her roles include Bonnie Parker in Bonnie & Clyde.

## Early life

McCann was born and raised in Bishopbriggs, a suburb of Glasgow, to a Hong Kong mother and a Scottish-Irish father. McCann attended Turnbull High School. She was a dancer and gymnast from the age of four. After discovering acting and singing, she auditioned for and joined the Glasgow Academy Musical Theatre Arts (now GPRO), graduating in 2009.

## Career

McCann reportedly first appeared on television in the 2000s CBBC series Against All Odds as Melissa and the BBC Scotland soap opera River City as Mia. She was also a finalist on CITV's Britannia High. In 2009, she was cast in a tour of the music show Highland Heartbeat. She guest starred in a 2010 episode of the BBC Three series Lip Service.
In 2011, McCann made her West End debut as a diva in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert at the Palace Theatre. She returned to Priscilla, Queen of the Desert for its 2013 tour around the UK, this time as Cynthia.
McCann originated the role of Kylah in Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour, a stage adaptation of Alan Warner's novel The Sopranos in the play's 2015 Edinburgh Fringe Festival premiere. She took the character on tour later that year, to the National Theatre in 2016, and to the West End at the Duke of York's Theatre in 2017. McCann and the rest of the cast were jointly nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.
In 2019, McCann had a recurring role as Niki in the fifth series of Shetland on BBC One. She also had a small role in Evita at the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre. She began playing Éponine on a tour of Les Misérables, but it was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, McCann appeared in the world premiere of Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World at MAST Mayflower Studios in Southampton, as well as productions at the Royal Court and Almeida Theatre, and played Heather McNamara in the West End revival of Heathers: The Musical at the Theatre Royal Haymarket.
In February 2022, it was announced McCann would star as the titular Bonnie Parker in the original West End cast of Bonnie & Clyde opposite Jordan Luke Gage as Clyde Barrow. The show's original run took place in spring 2022 at the Arts Theatre. For her performance, McCann was nominated for a WhatsOnStage Award. Bonnie & Clyde would return to the West End in March 2023 at the Garrick Theatre with McCann and Gage reprising their roles. Also in 2023, McCann appeared in the second series of the CBBC tween science fiction series Silverpoint, played Misa in the London Palladium concert staging of Death Note: The Musical, and returned to River City in the role of Chloe Qi-Lewis.
In February 2025, it was announced she'd star as Daisy Buchanan opposite Jamie Muscato in the European premiere of The Great Gatsby at the London Coliseum.

## Personal life

McCann is married to Australian actor Christopher Chung. They had a traditional Chinese ceremony in Melbourne in 2020 followed by a western wedding at Bothy Glasgow in 2021.

## Filmography

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 200? | Against All Odds | Melissa | |
| 200? | River City | Mia | |
| 2010 | Lip Service | Shona | 1 episode |
| 2019 | Shetland | Niki | 5 episodes (series 5) |
| 2020 | A Tale to Tell | Sleeping Beauty | Short film |
| 2023 | Silverpoint | Charlotte | Recurring role (series 2) |
| 2023–present | River City | Chloe Qi-Lewis | |
| 2024 | Bonnie & Clyde: The Musical - Recorded Live on Stage | Bonnie Parker | Filmed version of concert production at Theatre Royal Drury Lane |
| 2024 | Sister Boniface Mysteries | Sylvia Melbury | Episode: "How to Murder a Tune" |

## Stage

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2009 | Highland Heartbeat | | Tour |
| 2009–2010 | Aladdin | Princess Jasmine | King's Theatre, Glasgow |
| 2011 | Priscilla, Queen of the Desert | Diva | Palace Theatre, London |
| 2012 | I Dreamed a Dream | Nurse | Theatre Royal, Newcastle |
| 2013–2014 | Priscilla, Queen of the Desert | Cynthia | UK tour |
| 2014 | Here Lies Love | Soloist | National Theatre, London |
| 2015 | Little Shop of Horrors | Audrey (cover) | Salisbury Playhouse, Salisbury |
| 2015–2017 | Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour | Kylah | Edinburgh Fringe Festival / UK tour / National Theatre / Duke of York's Theatre, London |
| 2015–2016 | Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs | Snow White | King's Theatre, Edinburgh |
| 2018 | The Great Wave | Hana | National Theatre, London |
| 2018 | Macbeth | Gentlewoman | National Theatre, London |
| 2019 | Evita | Péron's Mistress | Regent's Park Open Air Theatre, London |
| 2019–2020 | Les Misérables | Éponine | UK tour |
| 2020 | Les Misérables | Ensemble u/s Éponine | Sondheim Theatre, London |
| 2021 | Living Newspaper | | Royal Court Theatre, London |
| 2021 | Heathers: The Musical | Heather McNamara | Theatre Royal Haymarket, London |
| 2021 | Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World | Emmeline Pankhurst / Agent Fifi / Miss Johnson | MAST Mayflower Studios, Southampton |
| 2022–2023 | Bonnie & Clyde | Bonnie Parker | Theatre Royal, Drury Lane / Arts Theatre / Garrick Theatre, London |
| 2022 | Chess | Svetlana | Theatre Royal, Drury Lane |
| 2023 | Death Note: The Musical | Misa Amane | Concert; London Palladium |
| 2023 | Peter Pan | Wendy Darling | Concert; London Palladium |
| 2025 | The Great Gatsby | Daisy Buchanan | London Coliseum |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
| 2017 | Laurence Olivier Awards | Best Actress in a Supporting Role | Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour | Nominated | |
| 2023 | WhatsOnStage Awards | Best Performer in a Musical | Bonnie & Clyde | Nominated | |