Willemijn Verkaik facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Willemijn Verkaik
Verkaik in 2017
Background information
Born	(1975-06-16) 16 June 1975 (age 50) Son en Breugel, Netherlands
Genres	Musical theatre
Occupation(s)	Singer, actress
Years active	2000–present

Willemijn Verkaik (born June 16, 1975) is a talented singer and actress from the Netherlands. She is best known for her amazing performances in popular musicals like Wicked and Elisabeth. Many also know her voice as Elsa in the German (singing parts) and Dutch versions of Disney's hit movie Frozen.

Willemijn has played the role of Elphaba in the musical Wicked over 2,000 times. This is more than any other actress in the world! She is also the only person to have played Elphaba in three different languages. Her first time as Elphaba was in Stuttgart, Germany, on October 31, 2007. Her last performance was in London's West End on July 22, 2017.

Early Life and Growing Up

Willemijn Verkaik was born in Son en Breugel, Netherlands, on June 16, 1975. She grew up in a town called Nuenen, which is close to Eindhoven. She studied and graduated from the Rotterdam Conservatory, a famous music school.

Willemijn's Amazing Career

Willemijn started her singing career in different pop bands for more than ten years. Her first professional role in theatre was in the Dutch show of Elisabeth.

In 2004, Willemijn lent her singing voice to the character of Erica. This was for the Dutch version of the animated movie Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper. Later, in 2008, she was the Dutch voice of Lydia in Barbie & the Diamond Castle.

Verkaik as Elphaba in the West End production of Wicked in 2014

Willemijn has been in many other musicals. These include Elisabeth (in Holland and Switzerland), The Three Musketeers, and We Will Rock You. But her most famous role is Elphaba in Wicked. She is the only actress to play Elphaba in three languages: German, Dutch, and English.

She first played Elphaba in the German production of Wicked, called "Wicked: Die Hexen Von Oz". This was in Stuttgart, starting November 1, 2007. She then played the role in the Dutch version in Scheveningen from November 6, 2011, to January 11, 2013. After that, she moved to the Broadway production in New York. This was her third language for the role, from February 12, 2013, to May 26, 2013.

After Wicked on Broadway, Willemijn played Donna in the musical Mamma Mia! in Stuttgart. This was from July 26, 2013. Then, she returned to play Elphaba in the West End production in London. She started on November 18, 2013, but had to leave on July 19, 2014, due to health reasons.

You can hear Willemijn on the German cast recording of Wicked. She also sings on Scott Alan's albums What I Wanna Be When I Grow Up and LIVE. The LIVE album was recorded at the Birdland jazz club in New York City.

Willemijn provided the Dutch speaking and singing voice for Elsa in Disney's 2013 movie Frozen. She also sang Elsa's songs in German. She even performed the famous song "Let It Go" in English at the movie's UK premiere.

Willemijn played Pauline in the musical Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown in London. This was from December 16, 2014, to May 23, 2015. It was her first role after having surgery in 2014. She then went back to Stuttgart to play Kala in Tarzan in August 2015.

She returned to her famous role as Elphaba in the West End production of Wicked on January 30, 2017. This was part of the show's 10th-anniversary celebrations. Her final performance in that run was on July 22, 2017.

Next, she starred as Molly in Ghost – Das Musical in Berlin. This was from December 7, 2017, to October 7, 2018. She then appeared as Sloane in Bat Out of Hell in Oberhausen. This role lasted from November 8, 2018, to March 30, 2019.

Willemijn played Pepa in the Amsterdam production of Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown in July 2019. She also toured the Netherlands as Miss Hannigan in Annie from November 2019 to May 2020.

On February 9, 2020, Willemijn performed at the 92nd Academy Awards. She joined Idina Menzel, Aurora, and eight other actresses who voiced Elsa around the world. They all sang "Into the Unknown", each singing a line in a different language.

She played the main role of Jenna in Waitress in the Netherlands during 2020–2021. In 2023, she took over the role of Elsa in the German stage production of Frozen.

Willemijn's Personal Life

Willemijn Verkaik is married to Bart van Hoof. He is a musician who plays the saxophone.

Theatre Performances

Concert Performances

Willemijn has also performed in many concerts, sharing her voice with audiences. Some of these include:

• Pfingstgala (Tecklenburg, Germany, several years)
• Concerts with Mark Seibert (Stuttgart, Germany)
• Concerts with Scott Alan (London, New York, Amsterdam)
• Her own solo concerts in Amsterdam, London, and New York
• Musicals in Concert (Amsterdam, Ziggo Dome)
• Performing at the 92nd Academy Award Ceremony in Los Angeles (2020)

Discography (Music Recordings)

Cast Recordings

• Jeans 11 (2001)
• Eternity (2003)
• Drie Musketiers (Three Musketeers) (2003)
• Wicked, German cast recording (2007)
• Frozen, Dutch cast recording (2014)
• Olaf's Frozen Adventure (2017)

Other Recordings

• Musical Gala Ludwigsburg (2008)
• Musicalballads Unplugged – with Mark Seibert (2010)
• Scott Alan: What I Wanna Be when I Grow up (2012)
• Scott Alan: Live (2012)

Film and TV Roles

See also

In Spanish: Willemijn Verkaik para niños