Marti Webb facts for kids

Marti Webb (born 1943) is a famous English actress and singer. She became well-known after performing in the musical Evita. Later, she starred in Andrew Lloyd Webber's special one-woman show called Tell Me on a Sunday in 1980. This show featured her biggest hit song, "Take That Look Off Your Face", which became a top three hit in the UK. The album from the show also reached the top three.

Marti Webb's Early Life and Training

Marti Webb was born in Cricklewood, London, in 1943. When she was a child, her parents often took her to see fun variety shows and pantomimes (which are like musical plays, often around Christmas). Her dad played the violin, and her mom sang and played the piano.

Marti started dance lessons when she was just 3 years old. She first performed in public at age 7 at the Scala Theatre in London. At first, she dreamed of becoming a ballerina.

A school teacher noticed her natural talent for singing and dancing. So, when Marti was 12, she went to the Aida Foster stage school. This was a special school for performing arts, and she even became the top student, known as the Head Girl. Her mom had to work extra jobs to pay for the school. While training, Marti appeared in shows for BBC Schools programmes. She later said it was a big surprise to perform in front of her classmates, especially since she came from a regular school.

The first musical she ever saw was Fings Ain't Wot They Used T'Be by Lionel Bart. Some of her friends from stage school were in it! The school often sent students to auditions. Marti tried out for the original London show of Bye Bye Birdie, but she didn't get a part. She also auditioned for The Sound of Music but was too shy and spoke very quietly, so she wasn't chosen.

She was picked to be on a TV show called Carol Levis' Junior Discoveries, which was filmed at the Hackney Empire. For this show, she sang "Musetta's Waltz" from the opera La Boheme.

Marti Webb's Career Highlights

Musical Theatre Journey

First Big Role in Stop the World

When Marti was 15, she appeared in a show called Listen to the Wind in 1959. She was still a student then. After that, she left school to make her first appearance in London's West End (the famous theatre district). This was in the show Stop the World, I Want to Get Off, which starred Anthony Newley. While rehearsing for this show, she discovered her powerful "belt voice," a strong way of singing.

For her audition, Marti sang "Almost Like Being in Love". Many famous people were there, including Anthony Newley. They shared a joke during her audition, which made her lose focus. She was so embarrassed that she dropped her sheet music! Newley later said he liked her from that moment on.

Becoming a Lead in Half a Sixpence

Marti became well-known as Ann Pornick in the first London production of Half a Sixpence. She starred opposite Tommy Steele. She said this first main role was a highlight of her career. She was offered the part after thirteen auditions! Later, when they made a movie of the show, Marti sang the songs for the actress who replaced her, Julia Foster.

She also played Nancy in the first UK tour of Oliver!. There, she met and became friends with Cameron Mackintosh, who would later become one of the most successful musical theatre producers in the world.

In the 1970s, Marti became a respected actress and singer in the West End, even if she wasn't super famous yet. In 1971, she was in the original London show of Godspell, a musical based on the Gospel of Matthew. She performed alongside actors like David Essex and Jeremy Irons. Her performance of "Bless the Lord" is on the original London cast recording.

She then played Nellie Cotterill in the 1973 London show of The Card. This musical was about a character who goes from being a washerwoman's son to a mayor through cleverness and luck.

After that, in 1974, she was in The Good Companions with stars like John Mills and Judi Dench. She played Susie Dean, a member of a traveling group of performers.

Evita and Tell Me on a Sunday Success

By 1978, Marti was feeling a bit down because she hadn't gotten any stage roles. She was working in a travel agency and had stopped auditioning. But a lyricist (someone who writes song words) encouraged her to try again. Within three months, she was cast in Evita!

In 1979, Marti went to New York to audition for Evita. The show's composer, Andrew Lloyd Webber, asked her if she'd be interested if he wrote something special for her voice. She thought it was a kind way of saying no, so she was surprised when he invited her to dinner with the lyricist Don Black. They wanted to create a "song cycle" (a collection of songs that tell a story) inspired by a friend who moved from London to the United States.

Marti helped create the show, and most of it was written especially for her voice and character. Don Black, who also became her manager and friend, said she was "the girl" for the role. Her habit of talking about everyday things like gas bills even inspired parts of the story!

She worked on the show with Lloyd Webber and Black every day. An album was recorded, and it was performed at a festival in 1979. A BBC Television producer then decided to make a TV version. This special performance was recorded in January 1980. Don Black said it was amazing on TV because it focused on Marti's face, showing every emotion.

The album Tell Me on a Sunday was released in late 1979, and the TV show aired in February 1980, just as Marti took over the main role in Evita. The album became a No. 2 hit in the UK, and Marti became a household name. The main song, "Take That Look Off Your Face", was also a huge hit, reaching No. 3 in the UK.

Marti has a unique, natural singing voice. Lloyd Webber once told her, "You sing in my keys," and she replied, "You write in mine!" She has often performed at his festival. He also produced her second solo album, Won't Change Places (1981).

In 2014, Marti performed Tell Me on a Sunday again in London. The show included most of the original songs from 1979, plus a new song called "The Last Man in My Life".

Working with Don Black

At the dinner where they discussed Tell Me on a Sunday, Andrew Lloyd Webber asked Don Black to become Marti's personal manager. Don Black managed her from 1979 until the early 1990s. Even after he became too busy, they remained close friends.

In 1985, Marti had another big hit when she recorded a cover of Don Black's song, "Ben". This song was originally sung by Michael Jackson. Marti's version was recorded to remember Ben Hardwick, a young boy who sadly passed away after a liver transplant. His story was shared on the BBC TV show That's Life!. Andrew Lloyd Webber suggested a charity recording, and Marti was recording an album at the time. The song reached No. 5 in the UK and was included on her 1985 album, Encore.

In 1986, Don Black wrote words for the theme song of the BBC TV show Howards' Way. The song, "Always There", became a UK top-20 hit. This inspired an album where Marti sang other TV themes.

Later Career in Musicals

In 1982, Tell Me on a Sunday was combined with another of Lloyd Webber's works to create the show Song and Dance. Marti played "The Girl" again in the first part of the show, and she was even nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award for her performance. She later toured with this show.

In the mid-1980s, she took over the role of Grizabella in the musical Cats in London's West End and on a UK tour.

In 1995, at age 50, Marti played Eva Perón again in a UK tour of Evita. Even though some people commented on her age, the tour was very popular and was extended throughout 1996.

Between July and September 1997, Marti appeared in Divorce Me, Darling, a follow-up to The Boyfriend. Her former husband, Tim Flavin, was also in the cast.

In 2003, she joined the UK tour of The King and I, playing Anna Leonowens. Later that year, she was in the original London show of Thoroughly Modern Millie. She shared the role of Mrs Meers with Maureen Lipman, taking turns so Maureen could care for her sick husband.

In 2007, Marti performed in Hot Flush, a new musical about the menopause (a natural stage in a woman's life). She played Helen, a middle-aged widow.

From September to December 2008, she played Mrs Johnstone in the long-running UK tour of Blood Brothers. The show's producer had wanted her for the role for about 20 years! She had only a week and a half to rehearse, which is much less time than usual.

Marti starred as Aunt Eller in Oklahoma!, touring the UK in 2011. In 2012, she played Dorothy Brock, a famous but older performer, in a UK tour of 42nd Street.

Recent Stage Work

In 2017, she played Jacqueline in the first UK tour of the musical La Cage Aux Folles. In 2018, Marti appeared with Tommy Steele in The Glenn Miller Story in London.

From January to August 2020, Marti was supposed to tour with the play The Cat and the Canary. However, it was stopped because of the Covid-19 pandemic, but it started again in 2021.

In 2023, she appeared in Calendar Girls the Musical as Celia, touring the UK.

Pantomime Performances

Marti Webb has spent many Christmas seasons performing in pantomimes all over the UK. Pantomimes are fun, musical plays, often based on fairy tales, that are popular around Christmas.

In 1987, she played the main boy, Robin Hood, in the Babes in the Wood pantomime at the famous London Palladium. She performed alongside well-known stars like Cannon and Ball and Barbara Windsor. In her later career, she often played the Fairy Godmother or the Wicked Queen.

In 1997, she stepped in at the last minute to play the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella in Croydon when another actress became ill. She also appeared in Cinderella shows in Bath in 2000 and Malvern in 2001. In 2006, she was the Fairy Godmother in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at the Theatre Royal, Windsor.

In 2018, Marti joined the cast of Dick Whittington at the Theatre Royal, Windsor, as Fairy Bowbells. She returned to the Theatre Royal, Windsor, from November 2019 to January 2020, to perform in the pantomime Aladdin.

Concert Work

After finishing her run in Evita in London, Marti Webb and Gary Bond performed a series of concerts featuring Andrew Lloyd Webber's music. Since then, she has regularly performed in concerts alongside her musical theatre roles.

In 1993, she appeared with Michael Barrymore for a summer season at the Blackpool Opera House.

Marti also helped create and starred in The Magic of the Musicals, a UK concert tour with songs from musical theatre. The show toured several times in the early 1990s. A gold-selling album of the show was released. A performance at the Bristol Hippodrome was even filmed and shown on BBC Television. This was followed by tours in North America and Canada, and more UK versions in later years.

A live recording of her cabaret shows with broadcaster David Jacobs at London's Café Royal was released in 1998. It was called Marti Webb Sings Gershwin: The Love Songs.

She has also performed her cabaret show on P&O cruise ships. In 2016, Marti gave a series of solo concerts. She also performed at a concert honoring Don Black at the Royal Albert Hall.

Since 2016, Marti has performed many cabaret concerts in London, including a show called Dreams Lost, Dreams Found. In this show, she sings a mix of her well-known songs and songs from shows she didn't get to be in.

Television Appearances

Since becoming famous with Tell Me on a Sunday, Marti Webb has often appeared on British television. In the 1970s and 80s, she was on the BBC TV show The Good Old Days. Before her role in Evita, she appeared in a TV series called The Songwriters, where she briefly met Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice.

In 1982, Marti recorded another TV special called Marti Webb: Together Again, which was shown on BBC Two. It also featured David Essex.

Recording Music

Many people think Marti Webb only had one big hit, "Take That Look Off Your Face", because it was so popular. However, after Tell Me on a Sunday, she recorded several solo albums, including live performances. More recently, she released Limelight, which has a mix of her famous songs and newer ones.

Besides the charity recording of "Ben" in 1985, Marti also sang on a recording of "Bridge Over Troubled Water" in 1987. This song was released to help those affected by the Hungerford massacre.

In 1990, Marti sang two songs on the album Freudiana: "Don't Let the Moment Pass" (solo) and "No One Can Love You Better Than Me" (with other singers). She also sang background vocals on another song on the album.

Singing Technique

Marti Webb is unusual among musical theatre performers because she never warms up her voice before a show. She has said she wouldn't recommend this for other singers! She tries to eat healthy and avoids air-conditioned places because they can dry out her throat. In Tell Me on a Sunday, there's a line, "I long to find a drink that hasn't got an ice cube in it," which Don Black included because Marti really dislikes ice in her drinks.

Marti Webb's Personal Life

Marti Webb has been married three times and does not have any children. She married actor Alexander Balfour in 1964, but they later divorced.

She married actor Tim Flavin in 1985, but their marriage ended in divorce in 1986.

She later married sound engineer Tom Button in 1992. They met while working on a production of Cats in 1989. They separated some years later.

Marti loves gardening. For many years, she lived in a cottage in Langport, Somerset, which she shared with her mother, Selina, before her mother passed away.

In 2014, Marti shared that she had been treated for a serious form of bowel cancer in 2006, just a month after her mother died. She didn't make her illness public at the time and even returned to the stage, dancing in a pantomime, just two months after major surgery.

In a 2016 interview, she said she was semi-retired, meaning she works less often now.

Stage Appearances

Filmography

Radio Appearances

Discography

Solo Albums

Cast Recordings

Singles

Compilation Albums

Guest Appearances