Melanie La Barrie (born 1974) is a Trinidad-born actress and singer, best known for originating the role of Angélique/Nurse in & Juliet in London's West End and on Broadway. Between February 2024 and February 2025, she appeared as Hermes in the Original West End production of Hadestown, which earned her a WhatsOnStage Award for Best Supporting Performer in a Musical.
Early life Born in Trinidad and Tobago, La Barrie aspired to be an actor from a young age. Encouraged by her school teachers to compete in junior calypso music competitions, by the age of eight she was regularly performing on stage.
In 2000, she and a select group of actors were chosen to perform the Trinidadian play Clear Water in London. While in the UK, she was offered representation and secured her first role in a musical, Ragtime.
Career Musical theatre La Barrie made her West End debut in the ensemble of Ragtime in 2003.
She was cast as Ma Rainey in August Wilson's Ma Rainey's Black Bottom at the Liverpool Playhouse in 2004.
In 2004–2005, she was part of the original cast of the musical Mary Poppins, playing the role of Mrs Corry. The cast included Laura Michelle Kelly as Mary Poppins, Gavin Lee as Bert, David Haig as Mr Banks, Linzi Hateley as Winifred Banks and a young Carrie Hope Fletcher as Jane Banks. The show was directed by Richard Eyre, and choreographed and co-directed by Matthew Bourne.
She played Pearl in the musical Daddy Cool in 2007, followed by Mme Thenardier in Les Misérables in 2008.
In 2010, La Barrie took part in the Royal Shakespeare Company's workshops for the musical Matilda in the role of Mrs Phelps, performing the role in Stratford-upon-Avon and when the show transferred to the Cambridge Theatre in London.
In 2018, La Barrie took over the role of Madame Morrible in Wicked, in the show's 12th year, starring alongside Alice Fearn (Elphaba), Sophie Evans (Glinda) and Bradley Jaden (Fiyero).
In 2019, it was announced that La Barrie would star as Angelique, the Nurse, having previously workshopped the role, in the Max Martin jukebox musical & Juliet. The musical premiered at the Manchester Opera House, where it played between 10 September and 12 October 2019. La Barrie continued in the role when the musical transferred to the Shaftesbury Theatre on the West End. The musical opened on 2 November 2019, in previews, ahead of an official opening on 20 November 2019. After the show was suspended in March 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, La Barrie returned to the role when performances resumed on 24 September 2021. On 26 March 2022, La Barrie departed the show.
In February 2022, La Barrie appeared in the role of Mama Rose in a special one-night-only concert performance of Gypsy at the Alexandra Palace in London. She shared the role with six other actresses, Tracie Bennett, Keala Settle, Nichola Hughes, Rebecca Lock, Samantha Spiro and Sally Ann Triplett.
La Barrie reprised her role of Angelique in the North American premiere of & Juliet, where it played at the Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto between 22 June 2022 and 14 August 2022. She continued with the role when the musical transferred to Broadway, marking La Barrie's Broadway debut. The musical opened on Broadway at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre on 28 October 2022, ahead of an official opening on 17 November 2022.
From February 2024 to February 2025, La Barrie played Hermes in the West End production of Hadestown. She performed her final performance on 9 February 2025, the same day she also won a WhatsOnStage Award for Best Supporting Performer in a Musical for her performance as Hermes.
In March 2026 it was announced that La Barrie would join the cast of Into the Woods at the Bridge Theatre in the role of The Witch, during the last few months of the show. La Barrie joined new cast members Rachel Tucker as the Baker's Wife and John Owen-Jones as the Narrator/Mysterious Man. The show announced its West End transfer in April.
In summer 2026, La Barrie was part of the cast of Cats at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre in London as Old Deuteronomy. The cast also included Gary Wilmot as Gus: the Theatre Cat and Rachael Wooding as Grizabella. The production embarked on a UK tour, after the season at the Open Air Theatre.
Music Under her birth name, Melanie Hudson, she has released two calypso LP records, which were produced and released in Trinidad. The first of these, Comin' Out, featured as its lead single "I Will Always Be There For You", which became a major hit in Trinidad.
Her second LP, Melanie, was released in 1992.
Acting credits Theatre YearProductionRoleLocationCategoryRef.2003RagtimeEnsemblePiccadilly TheatreWest End2004Ma Rainey's Black BottomMa RaineyLiverpool PlayhouseRegional2004 Mary Poppins Mrs CorryBristol HippodromeWorld premiere2004-2006Prince Edward TheatreWest End2006-2007Daddy CoolPearlShaftesbury TheatreWest End - world premiere2008Rue MagiqueDesdemonaKing's Head TheatreOff-West End2007-2008Les MisérablesMadame ThénardierQueen's TheatreWest End2009Once on This IslandMama EuralieBirmingham Repertory Theatre, Nottingham Playhouse, Hackney EmpireRegional2009-2010A Christmas CarolMrs Old JoeBirmingham Repertory TheatreRegional2010Smokey Joe's Cafe— Landor TheatreLondon2010-2011 Matilda the Musical Mrs Phelps Royal Shakespeare Company (Courtyard Theatre)World premiere2011-2013Cambridge TheatreWest End2011The WizAddaperle/Aunt EmNew Alexandra Theatre, West Yorkshire Playhouse Regional2014Guys and DollsGeneral Matilda B. CartwrightChichester Festival TheatreRegional2014-2015White ChristmasMartha WatsonWest Yorkshire PlayhouseRegional2015Play MasMiss GookoolOrange Tree TheatreOff-West End2015BakkhaiChorusAlmeida TheatreOff-West End2015-2016The LoraxVariousThe Old VicOff-West End - World premiere2016Breakfast at Tiffany'sMadame SpanellaCurve Theatre, UK tour, Theatre Royal HaymarketRegional, West End2017Fiddler on the Roof, The Story Giant, Romeo and Juliet, The SumVarious (repertory company)Everyman Theatre, LiverpoolRegional2017-2019WickedMadame MorribleApollo Victoria TheatreWest End2019 & Juliet Angélique/NurseManchester Opera HouseWorld premiere2019-2022Shaftesbury TheatreWest End2020Dick WhittingtonBow BellesRoyal National TheatreLondon2021BrotherCassieSouthwark PlayhouseOff-West End2021The LoraxVariousThe Old VicLondon2021Going ApeEveUnion TheatreOff-West End2022GypsyRose HovickAlexandra Palace Theatre & Juliet Angélique/NursePrincess of Wales TheatreToronto - North American premiere2022–2023Stephen Sondheim TheatreBroadway2024-2025HadestownHermesLyric TheatreWest End2025Mary Page MarloweNurseThe Old VicOff-West End2026Into the WoodsThe WitchBridge TheatreLondon2026CatsOld DeuteronomyRegent's Park Open Air TheatreLondon
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Film and television Year Title Role Notes 2004 Casualty Anita 2 episodes: S18.E23; S18.E24 2015 London Road Resident Directed by Rufus Norris 2001-2025 EastEnders Resus Nurse, Dr Kelleher TV Series, 5 episodes2025Riot WomenVeronicaTV Series, 1 episode2026EmmerdaleCarol Lambert (HR Officer)TV Series, 5 episodes - present
Awards and nominations Year Work Award Category Result 2020 & Juliet WhatsOnStage Award Best Supporting Actress in a Musical 2022 Dora Award Outstanding Performance in a Featured Role 2025 Hadestown WhatsOnStage Award Best Supporting Performer in a Musical
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