Rachel Tucker facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Rachel Tucker
Tucker performing at Hampton Court Palace in 2009
Born	Rachel Kelly Tucker (1981-05-29) 29 May 1981 (age 44) Belfast, Northern Ireland
Occupation	Actress, singer
Years active	2000–present
Spouse(s)	Guy Retallack
Children	1
Awards	Nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the Olivier Awards 2019

Rachel Kelly Tucker (born 29 May 1981) is an actress and singer from Northern Ireland. She is famous for playing the role of Elphaba in the musical Wicked in London's West End and on Broadway in New York. She has also starred in other popular musicals like Come from Away, Sunset Boulevard, Hadestown, The Great Gatsby, and The Last Ship.

Early Life and Start in Music

Rachel Tucker was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland. She started singing on stage with her dad, Tommy Kelly, and her sister, Margaret Kelly, when she was only nine years old. Their group was called Tucker Kelly and the Kelstar.

In the late 1990s, Rachel was part of the Arts Youth Theatre. She also appeared in a version of the musical Rockin Mikado. In 2001, she was a contestant on the Irish TV show Popstars. She also sang with her sister Margaret on Michael Barrymore's show My Kind of Music. Rachel also made it to the final of the talent show Star for a Night.

Rachel studied acting and singing at the Royal Academy of Music. In 2005, she toured the United Kingdom in the musical Tommy, playing the role of Sally Simpson. In 2007, she played Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz in Belfast. Critics said her performance was amazing, and she was nominated for an award.

I'd Do Anything TV Show

In 2008, Rachel Tucker was one of the twelve finalists on the TV show I'd Do Anything. This show was looking for a new star to play Nancy in the musical Oliver!. Rachel appeared in the live shows each week.

She made it to the semi-finals but was eliminated on 25 May. During the show, she was in the bottom two contestants three times. Each time, she had to sing again to try and stay in the competition. The famous musical producer Andrew Lloyd Webber chose to save her twice. However, in the semi-final, he chose to save another contestant, Samantha Barks, and Rachel was eliminated.

Songs Rachel Sang on I'd Do Anything

West End and Broadway Career

After I'd Do Anything, Rachel Tucker continued her career in theatre. In 2008, she performed at the Gay Pride Festival in Belfast and at Andrew Lloyd Webber's Birthday in the Park show in Hyde Park.

We Will Rock You

From September 2008, Rachel played the role of Meat in the musical We Will Rock You in London. This musical features songs by the band Queen. Critics praised her performance, especially her singing of "No-One but You (Only the Good Die Young)". She also sometimes played the main role of Scaramouche.

Wicked

Rachel Tucker became very well known for playing Elphaba in the musical Wicked. Elphaba is the "Wicked Witch of the West" from The Wizard of Oz, but the musical tells her story before she became "wicked".

Rachel first played Elphaba in London's West End starting in March 2010. She became the longest-running Elphaba in the West End in June 2012. For her amazing performance, she won a WhatsOnStage.com Award in 2011 for Best Takeover in a Role. She often sang famous songs from the show like "The Wizard and I" and "Defying Gravity" at special events. She left the role in October 2012 for maternity leave after more than 900 performances.

Rachel then played Elphaba on Broadway in New York from September 2015 to July 2016. She won the Best Female Replacement Award at the 2016 Broadway.com Audience Awards for this role. She returned to the West End production of Wicked in September 2016 for a special 10th Anniversary run. With over 1,000 performances in total, Rachel is one of the longest-running Elphabas ever.

Other Musicals and Plays

Rachel has starred in many other shows:

• In 2013, she was in the play Farragut North in London.
• In 2014, she returned to Broadway in The Last Ship, a musical with music by Sting.
• In 2015, she performed her own concert called Rachel Tucker: Back from Broadway in London.
• She also appeared in the play Communicating Doors in London in 2015.
• In 2017, she went on a UK tour with her own concerts, directed by her husband, Guy Retallack. They also released an album called On the Road.
• From 2019 to 2020, Rachel played Beverley and other roles in the London production of Come from Away. This musical tells the true story of people stranded in a small town after the 9/11 attacks. She was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical for this role. She also played these roles on Broadway.
• In 2021, she starred in the musical John & Jen with Lewis Cornay. Critics praised her performance.
• In 2023, Rachel played Norma Desmond in the West End revival of Sunset Boulevard, sharing the role with Nicole Scherzinger.
• From October 2024 to February 2025, she played Persephone in the West End production of Hadestown.
• In April 2025, she started playing Myrtle Wilson in the West End production of The Great Gatsby.

Recordings

Rachel Tucker has recorded many songs and albums:

• She sang "Rain On Me" on the album More with Every Line - The Music of Tim Prottey-Jones (2010).
• She sang "Stones" on The Violent Language of Portraits by Tonic Fold (2014).
• She was part of The Last Ship Original Broadway cast recording (2015).
• She sang "Chasing Cars" with Eamonn McCrystal on the album The Music of Northern Ireland (2015).
• She sang "As Long as You're Mine" on Lee Mead's 10 Year Anniversary Album (2018).
• She sang "Oh Holy Night" on West End Does: Christmas (2018).
• She sang "Shallow" with Jon Robyns on his album Musical Direction (2019).
• In 2024, she recorded a new version of "Defying Gravity" with other Elphaba actresses for the Schwartz Songs album. She also recorded a solo version of "The Wizard and I" for the same album.

Solo Albums

Rachel has released several solo albums:

The Reason

Her first solo album, The Reason, was released on 11 August 2013.

On the Road

Her album On the Road was released digitally on 16 November 2017.

Lessons

Lessons was released on 21 May 2021.

You’re Already Home

Her latest album, You’re Already Home, was released on 3 November 2023.

Personal Life

In 2009, Rachel Tucker married theatre director Guy Retallack. They have one son, who was born in February 2013.

Images for kids

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  Rachel Tucker performing in 2009