Caroline Sheen
Caroline Sheen is a Welsh actress who has played leading roles on stage in the West End alongside TV and film appearances. She won a Helen Hayes award for playing the role of Mary Poppins on the National Tour of America. Background. Born and raised in South Wales, Sheen is married to actor Michael Jibson. A member of the National Youth Theatre of Wales and Gwent Young People's Theatre, she was named as an Associate Artist of the Watermill Theatre in 2018. Sheen is also an Honorary Fellow of the University of South Wales. Career. Sheen made  her West End debut as Marty in "Grease" at the Cambridge Theatre. She went on to play Florinda in "Into the Woods" at the Donmar Warehouse and then went into the original cast of "Mamma Mia!" at the Prince Edward Theatre, understudying the lead role of Sophie. She created the role of Jennifer Gabriel in the world premiere production of "The Witches of Eastwick" at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane. Other West End credits include Eponine in "Les Misérables" at the Palace Theatre, Sandy in "Grease" at the Victoria Palace, and Truly Scrumptious in "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" at the  London Palladium Work at the National Theatre includes Philia in "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum"', Susan Walker in "Once in a Lifetime" Caroline played Mary Poppins in the UK Tour of the Cameron Mackintosh/Disney production. Caroline created the role of Clara Johnson in the European Premiere of "The Light in the Piazza" at Curve Theatre in Leicester. Sheen reprised her role as Mary Poppins in the US Tour of "Mary Poppins". She returned to the UK in the role of Fantine in "Les Misérables" at the Queens Theatre, following that with Woman 2 in  the London Premiere of Stephen Sondheim's "Putting it Together" at the St James Theatre. Sheen stepped in at last minute to play the roles of Alaura/Carla on several occasions in the Donmar Warehouse production of "City of Angels". More recent work includes leading roles in "Crazy for You" and "Under Milk Wood" both at the Watermill Theatre, and Lilli/Kate in "Kiss Me Kate" at Kilworth House. In 2019, Sheen created the leading role of Violet Newstead in the West End Premiere of "9 to 5" at the Savoy Theatre. She left the role on 8 February 2020 . During the 2020 pandemic, Sheen and her husband Michael Jibson played opposite each other as Guinevere and Arthur in an outdoor production of "Camelot" back at the "Watermill Theatre" TV work includes " Hotel Babylon", "Doctors " and "Torchwood". Queen Elizabeth of York in the Channel 4 documentary "Henry VIII, Mind of a Tyrant". In 2018, Sheen appeared in episodes of "Press" and "The Rook", and starred in the leading role of Carys in "Pitching In" for the BBC. In 2021 she appeared as DI Meredith Hughes in "Silent Witness." Film work includes "Les Miserables" (2012), "Nativity Rocks" and "Four Kids and  It" (2020). Recordings. In February 2010 Caroline released her debut album "Raise the Curtain", a selection of songs by leading contemporary musical theatre writers from Britain and America; featuring 5 previously unrecorded songs, including a cut song from "The Witches of Eastwick"; alongside songs from "The Light in the Piazza", "Just So", "Grey Gardens", and "Mary Poppins. Sheen can also be heard on the original cast recordings of "Mamma Mia!", "The Witches of Eastwick", Rosemary Ashe's album "Serious Cabaret" and "A Spoonful of Stiles and Drewe". In 2016 "Before/After" was released, a recording of a new musical featuring  Sheen and Hadley Fraser. In 2020 the "" London cast album was released in which she features as Violet Newstead, the role she created in London. Other performances. Sheen was a guest soloist in the opening ceremony of the Wales Millennium Centre. Other solo concert work includes "Night of a Thousand Voices" at the Royal Albert Hall, "Michael Ball and Friends" at the Royal Opera House, "An Evening with Jason Robert Brown", and "Georgia Stitt and Friends". She appeared alongside fellow "Mary Poppins" actresses Lisa O'Hare and Scarlett Strallen in "A Spoonful of Stiles and Drewe" singing a specially devised version  of "Practically Perfect". On 9 February 2020 she interviewed Stephen Schwartz at the JW3 in London.