Keala Settle
- Actress
- singer
Keala Joan Settle (born November 5, 1975) is an American actress and singer. Settle originated the role of Norma Valverde in Hands on a Hardbody, which ran on Broadway in 2013, and was nominated for the Outer Critics Circle Award, Drama Desk Award, and Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. In 2016 she was in the original Broadway cast of Waitress portraying Becky. In 2017, she portrayed Lettie Lutz, a bearded lady, in the musical film The Greatest Showman. The song "This Is Me" from the film, principally sung by Settle, won the 2017 Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song, and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song. On January 27, 2019, Settle sang "Seasons of Love" in Fox's Rent: Live.
Personal life
Settle was born in Hawaii, the oldest of five children of Susanne (née Riwai), who is of Māori (Rangitāne, Ngāti Kahungunu) descent from New Zealand, and British-born David Settle. She is a graduate of Kahuku High School (class of 1994), and an alumna of Southern Utah University.[1][2][3][4]
Career
Broadway
Settle made her Broadway debut in 2011 in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert as Shirley and in the ensemble.[3][5]
Settle originated the role of Norma Valverde in Hands on a Hardbody, a musical which ran briefly on Broadway in 2013, and is based on the 1997 documentary about real people competing to win a new truck. The TheatreMania reviewer wrote: "Settle, as Norma, steals every scene she's in. The spectacularly bizarre lead-in to her big number, 'Joy of the Lord,' is more difficult to pull off than most Shakespearean monologues, and her solo vocals reveal a soulful, oversized gospel range that drives the Holy Spirit straight to the back of the theater. When she tearfully realizes what her faith in God may have wrought, it stings like a chigger bite. Settle's touching performance should go on the shortlist for every Best Featured Actress prize in town."[6] For this role, Settle was nominated for the Outer Critics Circle, Drama Desk, and Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical.[7][8][9][10] Additionally, she was awarded the Theatre World Award for Outstanding Broadway or Off-Broadway debut performance during the 2012-13 theatrical season.[11]
Settle played the role of Madame Thenardier in the revival of Les Misérables, starting in March 2014,[12] and ending on March 1, 2015.[13]
Settle originated the role of Becky in the musical Waitress, which opened on Broadway on April 24, 2016, at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre after premiering at the American Repertory Theater in August 2015.[14]
Other work
Settle played the role of Tracy Turnblad in the national tour of Hairspray. In the review of the tour stop at the Kennedy Center in 2005, the Washington Post reviewer wrote: "As for Settle, she is a fine Tracy, even if she looks too old for graduate school, let alone high school."[15] She appeared in the national tour of the Lincoln Center production of South Pacific as Bloody Mary, starting in 2009.[16][17] The reviewer for the Pioneer Press, Massachusetts, wrote: "Better cast is Keala Settle, who plays the conniving Tonkinese trader lady Bloody Mary with a rolling gait, the venom of viper and—buried deeply but achingly visible in strategic moments—the maternal fierceness of a lioness."[18]
In November through December 2012, Settle played the role of Mrs. Fezziwig in the Pioneer Theatre Company (Salt Lake City) production of the musical A Christmas Carol.[19]
She played the role of the Narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Ogunquit Playhouse, Ogunquit, Maine from July 31 to August 25, 2013.[20]
Settle performed in the Encores! concert staging of Violet on July 17, 2013, with Sutton Foster,[21] but did not move on to the Broadway revival due to taking the role of Madame Thénardier in the revival of Les Misérables; she was replaced in Violet by Annie Golden.
Settle discussed her career path, noting that "I really am not a musical theatre performer. I'm more an R&B singer and have been doing that my whole life. My mother is—well, was—also an R&B singer, in New Zealand....I was too busy wanting to sing backup or doing studio work singing chorus stuff, and singing backup for Gladys Knight in Vegas." Further, after her run in Hairspray, she stated that she "didn't know how to live in that world..." and so for several years worked backstage with designers until she was cast in South Pacific.[22]
In 2017, Settle portrayed Lettie Lutz, a bearded lady, in the biographical musical drama film The Greatest Showman, alongside Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, and Zendaya. The song "This Is Me" from the film, principally sung by Settle, won the 2018 Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song.[23] On December 22, 2017, she released an extended play entitled Chapter One.[24]
In 2018, she was featured in Forbidden, the newest Todrick Hall visual album, especially in the song called "Forbidden", a song against homophobia.[25]
In 2019, Settle played the role of Cy (a gender-flipped version of Paul from the original, also combined with soloist 1) in Fox's Rent: Live.[26][27][28]
Also in 2019, Settle toured with Hugh Jackman during his The Man. The Music. The Show. concerts globally, performing the song "This Is Me" from The Greatest Showman. On this tour Settle performed her original song Harder to a live audience for the very first time.
She performed "This Is Me" at the 2021 Royal Variety Performance. In January 2022, it was announced that Settle would make her West End debut performing the role of Angelique/Nurse in the musical & Juliet for a three-month run from March 29 to June 18, 2022.[29]
In 2022, Keala Settle sang "How Many Sleeps 'till Christmas" for the Numberblocks.[30]
Settle made her pantomime debut in 2022, playing the role of Fairy Sugarsnap in Jack and the Beanstalk at the Royal Derngate Theatre, Northampton.[citation needed]
In February 2024, Settle participated in the fifth series of The Masked Singer UK as the character "Air Fryer". She was eliminated and unmasked in the semi final, taking fifth place.
On the 19th of June 2024, Settle returned to the role of Angèlique in "& Juliet" at The Sydney Lyric Theatre, after Casey Donovan left the cast to star as Deloris Van Cartier in the upcoming Sister Act musical. https://www.aussietheatre.com.au/news/keala-settle-to-take-over-role-of-angelique-in-juliet
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2015 | Ricki and the Flash | Sharon | |
2017 | The Greatest Showman | Lettie Lutz | |
2020 | All My Life | Viv Lawrence | |
2022 | American Reject | Holly | |
2024 | Wicked | Miss Coddle | Post-production |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2019 | Rent: Live | Cy, Homeless Person, Vendor, Roger's Mother | Television special |
2021 | Big Shot | Christina Winters | Recurring role; 4 episodes |
2021–2022 | Central Park | Young Bitsy (voice) | 2 episodes |
2022 | Murder in Provence | Hélène Paulik | |
The Queen's Platinum Jubilee Celebration | Guest Presenter & Performer | ||
2024 | The Masked Singer (UK) | Air Fryer | Contestant on series 5 |
Theatre
Year | Production | Role | Location |
---|---|---|---|
2003–2006 | Hairspray | Tracy Turnblad | US Touring Production |
2009–2011 | South Pacific | Bloody Mary | |
2010 | Priscilla, Queen of the Desert | Shirley | Pre-Broadway Try-out |
2011–2012 | Broadway | ||
2013 | Hands on a Hardbody | Norma Valverde | |
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat | Narrator | Ogunquit Playhouse | |
2014–2015 | Les Misérables | Madame Thénardier | Broadway |
2014 | Waitress | Becky | Workshop |
2015 | American Repertory Theatre World Premiere | ||
2016 | Broadway | ||
2017 | Jesus Christ Superstar | Peter | All-Female Concert Production |
2022 | & Juliet | Angelique/Nurse | West End, Manchester |
Sister Act | Sister Mary Patrick |
Video games
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2023 | Forspoken | Johedy | [31] |
Discography
Soundtrack albums
Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US | US Soundtracks | US Cast Album | CAN | GER | IRL | JAP | NZ | KOR | UK | |||
Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (Original Broadway Cast Recording) |
| - | 1[32] | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
Hands on a Hardbody (Original Broadway Cast Recording) |
| - | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
Waitress (Original Broadway Cast Recording) |
| 81[33] | 2[34] | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
From Broadway With Love: A Benefit Concert For Orlando |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
The Greatest Showman: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack |
| 1 [35] | - | 1 [36] | 3 [37] | 5 [38] | 1 [39] | 1 [40] | 1 [41] | 17 [42] | 1 [43] |
|
The Greatest Showman: Reimagined |
| 3 | - | 4 | 12 | 47 | - | - | 5 | - | - |
|
Rent (Original Soundtrack of the Fox Television Event) |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Extended plays
Title | Album details | Track listing |
---|---|---|
Chapter One[52] |
|
|
Singles
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US | AUS | CAN | FRA | GER | IRL | JAP | NZ | KOR | UK | ||||
"This Is Me" (with The Greatest Showman Ensemble) | 2017 | 58 [53] | 10 [54] | 74 [55] | 52 [56] | 55 [57] | 11 [58] | 17 [59] | 13 [60] | 9 [61] | 3 [62] |
| The Greatest Showman: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack |
"Bird Set Free" | 2018 | — | Non-album singles | ||||||||||
"Harder"[67] | 2019 |
Other charted songs
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US | AUS [68] | IRE [69] | FRA [70] | NZ [71] | UK [72] | ||||
"The Greatest Show" (with Zac Efron, Hugh Jackman, Zendaya and The Greatest Showman Ensemble) | 2017 | 88 | 42 | 34 | 110 | —[a] | 20 | The Greatest Showman: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | |
"Come Alive" (with Hugh Jackman, Zendaya and Daniel Everidge) | —[b] | — | 70 | — | —[c] | 55 |
Other appearances
Title | Year | Album |
---|---|---|
"It Ain't Over 'Til the Fat Lady Sings" | 2007 | Hairspray (Music from the Motion Picture) [Collector's Edition] |
"Forbidden" (with Todrick Hall & Jade Novah) | 2018 | Forbidden |
Notes
- ^ "The Greatest Show" did not enter the NZ Top 40 Singles Chart, but peaked at number 3 on the NZ Heatseeker Singles Chart.[73]
- ^ "Come Alive" did not enter the Billboard Hot 100, but peaked at No. 21 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart.[citation needed]
- ^ "Come Alive" did not enter the NZ Top 40 Singles Chart, but peaked at number 8 on the NZ Heatseeker Singles Chart.[73]
References
- ^ "Southern Utah University alum Keala Settle earns Tony nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical" Archived 2013-08-01 at the Wayback MachineSalt Lake Tribune, April 30, 2013
- ^ http://artandseek.net/2009/12/17/artseek-qa-south-pacifics-keala-settle/ Archived 2014-06-06 at the Wayback Machine artandseek.net
- ^ a b Champion, Lindsay. "Broadway Buzz. Hands on a Hardbody Showstopper Keala Settle on Growing Up Barefoot.." Archived 2013-04-25 at the Wayback Machine broadway.com, March 14, 2013
- ^ Burkitt, Bree. "The greatest show woman: SUU alum Keala Settle finds success on screen and stage" Archived 2021-02-11 at the Wayback Machine The Spectrum, January 10, 2018
- ^ " 'Priscilla Queen of the Desert' Listing' " Archived 2013-05-10 at the Wayback Machine ibdb, accessed May 11, 2013
- ^ Kaye, Kimberly."Review. 'Hands on a Hardbody'" Archived 2013-03-26 at the Wayback Machine theatermania.com, March 22, 2013
- ^ Gans, Andrew (2013-04-22). "Outer Critics Circle Nominees Announced; Pippin Earns 11 Nominations". Playbill. Archived from the original on 2013-04-25. Retrieved 2013-04-27.
- ^ Gans, Andrew (2013-04-29). "Nominations Announced for 58th Annual Drama Desk Awards; Giant and Hands on a Hardbody Lead the Pack". Playbill. Archived from the original on 2013-05-01. Retrieved 2013-04-29.
- ^ "Tony Awards 2013 nominees: Complete list". Los Angeles Times. 2013-04-30. Archived from the original on 2013-05-01. Retrieved 2013-04-30.
- ^ "Buzz. Keala Settle Popped the Champagne on Nomination Morning" Archived 2013-06-26 at the Wayback Machine broadway.com
- ^ Gans, Andrew (May 7, 2013). "Tom Hanks, Bertie Carvel, Valisia LeKae, Rob McClure and More Are Theatre World Award Winners". playbill.com. Archived from the original on 2013-06-07.
- ^ Playbill Staff. "Beyond the Barricades: 'Les Misérables' Thénardier and Madame Thénardier" Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine Playbill, March 18, 2014
- ^ Gioia, Michael. "Caissie Levy, Andy Mientus, Keala Settle, Cliff Saunders and Kyle Scatliffe Take Final Bows in 'Les Misérables'" Archived 2015-08-13 at the Wayback Machine Playbill, March 1, 2015
- ^ Viagas, Robert. " 'Bullets Over Broadway' Star Nick Cordero Joins Cast of Broadway-Bound 'Waitress'" Archived 2016-02-14 at the Wayback Machine Playbill, January 12, 2016
- ^ Marks, Peter. Mostly, 'Hairspray' Holds Up Well" Archived 2017-07-07 at the Wayback Machine washingtonpost.com, July 18, 2005
- ^ "People, Keala Settle" Archived 2013-06-01 at the Wayback Machine broadwayworld.com
- ^ Blank, Matthew. "PHOTO CALL: 'South Pacific' Tour Begins Rehearsal" playbill.com, August 26, 2009
- ^ Papatola, Dominic P. "Theater review: 'South Pacific' is very nearly an enchanted evening" Archived 2021-02-02 at the Wayback Machine thetranscript.com, May 5, 2010
- ^ Gioia, Michael (November 30, 2012). "Alan Menken and Lynn Ahrens' Christmas Carol, With Kevin Earley, Laura Hall, Opens Nov. 30 in Salt Lake City". Playbill. Archived from the original on May 2, 2014. Retrieved May 8, 2013.
- ^ Gans, Andrew (July 31, 2013). "Clay Aiken and Keala Settle Star in Ogunquit's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Beginning July 31". Playbill. Archived from the original on August 1, 2013. Retrieved July 31, 2013.
- ^ Gans, Andrew (July 17, 2013). "Sutton Foster, Joshua Henry, Van Hughes, Keala Settle, Christopher Sieber Star in One-Night-Only Violet July 17". Playbill. Archived from the original on 2013-11-03.
- ^ Gans, Andrew (March 8, 2013). "Diva Talk: A Chat With Hands on a Hardbody Star Keala Settle". Playbill. Archived from the original on January 13, 2018. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
- ^ Grobar, Matt (November 17, 2017). "The Greatest Showman Songwriters Benj Pasek & Justin Paul on the Revitalization of the Original Hollywood Musical". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 7, 2020. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
- ^ Chapter One Archived 2018-03-08 at the Wayback Machine itunes.apple.com, December 22, 2017
- ^ todrickhall (2018-03-29), FORBIDDEN by Todrick Hall, archived from the original on 2023-04-17, retrieved 2019-07-25
- ^ Rent: Live, archived from the original on 2019-05-30, retrieved 2019-07-25
- ^ Quinn, Dave (January 27, 2019). "The Greatest Showman's Keala Settle Slays 'Seasons of Love' in Rent Live Amid Stroke Recovery". People. Archived from the original on July 25, 2019. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
- ^ Lefkowitz, Andy (October 29, 2018). "Brandon Victor Dixon, Vanessa Hudgens, Keala Settle, Jordan Fisher Set for Fox's Rent Live!". broadway.com. Archived from the original on July 25, 2019. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
- ^ Rabinowitz, Chloe (January 17, 2022). "Keala Settle to Make West End Debut as Nurse in & JULIET". BroadwayWorld. Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
- ^ "FIRST FESTIVE SINGLE RELEASE FOR TOP CBEEBIES CHILDREN'S SHOW, NUMBERBLOCKS". BlueZooAnimation. December 2, 2022. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
- ^ Mitsuno, Raio (September 9, 2021). "Journey with Frey to Forspoken's fantastical world next spring". PlayStation Blog. Sony Interactive Entertainment. Archived from the original on September 9, 2021. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
- ^ "PRISCILLA Cast Album Debuts at #1 on Billboard Charts". April 13, 2011. Archived from the original on March 24, 2019. Retrieved March 24, 2019.
- ^ "Billboard 200 Chart Moves: 'Waitress' Cast Album Debuts, The Lonely Island & Rebelution Make Waves". Billboard. June 17, 2016. Archived from the original on March 28, 2019. Retrieved March 24, 2019.
- ^ "Charts". Billboard Biz. August 6, 2016. Archived from the original on April 22, 2019. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
- ^ Caulfield, Keith. "'The Greatest Showman' Soundtrack Hits No. 1 on Billboard 200 Albums Chart" Archived 2018-01-08 at the Wayback Machine billboard.com, January 7, 2018
- ^ " 'The Greatest Showman'" Archived 2018-01-07 at the Wayback Machine australian-charts.com
- ^ "Canadian Albums Archived 2018-05-16 at the Wayback Machine billboard.com
- ^ "Album Details" Archived 2018-01-19 at the Wayback Machine offiziellecharts.de
- ^ "IRMA - Irish Charts" Archived 2021-01-18 at the Wayback Machine. www.irma.ie.
- ^ "2018年02月26日~2018年03月04日 オリコン週間 CDアルバムランキング" Archived 2018-03-08 at the Wayback Machine. oricon.co.jp.
- ^ "The Official New Zealand Music Chart". THE OFFICIAL NZ MUSIC CHART. Archived from the original on 2018-02-09. Retrieved 2018-03-24.
- ^ "국내 대표 음악 차트 가온차트!" Archived 2015-03-26 at the Wayback Machine. gaonchart.co.kr.
- ^ "the greatest showman | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company" Archived 2018-03-24 at the Wayback Machine. officialcharts.com.
- ^ a b "Gold & Platinum - RIAA". Recording Industry Association of America. Archived from the original on 2021-05-10. Retrieved 2018-07-07.
- ^ "British album certifications – Motion Picture Cast Recording – The Greatest Showman". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
- ^ "Albums Chart" Archived 2017-09-24 at archive.today ariacharts.com.au
- ^ "Gold/Platinum - Music Canada" Archived 2019-09-17 at the Wayback Machine. musiccanada.com.
- ^ "Certificeringer | IFPI". Archived from the original on 2018-08-21. Retrieved 2019-01-20.
- ^ "一般社団法人 日本レコード協会". www.riaj.or.jp. Archived from the original on 2012-06-30. Retrieved 2018-07-21.
- ^ "Albums Chart" Archived 2018-03-02 at the Wayback Machine nztop40.co.nz
- ^ "British album certifications – Various Artists – The Greatest Showman Reimagined". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
- ^ "Chapter One - EP by Keala Settle". iTunes. 22 December 2017. Archived from the original on 25 August 2018. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
- ^ "Music: Top 100 Songs | Billboard Hot 100 Chart" Archived 2018-02-19 at the Wayback Machine. billboard.com.
- ^ Hung, Steffen. "australian-charts.com - Australian charts portal" Archived 2018-03-24 at the Wayback Machine. www.australian-charts.com.
- ^ "Canadian Music: Top 100 Songs Chart" Archived 2018-05-17 at the Wayback Machine. billboard.com.
- ^ Hung, Steffen. "lescharts.com - Les charts français" Archived 2018-02-20 at the Wayback Machine. www.lescharts.com.
- ^ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts - Offizielle Deutsche Charts" Archived 2018-03-24 at the Wayback Machine. www.offiziellecharts.de.
- ^ "IRMA - Irish Charts" Archived 2019-05-10 at the Wayback Machine. www.irma.ie.
- ^ "Billboard Japan Hot 100 | Charts | Billboard JAPAN" Archived 2019-05-02 at the Wayback Machine. billboard-japan.com.
- ^ "The Official New Zealand Music Chart". THE OFFICIAL NZ MUSIC CHART. Archived from the original on 2021-02-24. Retrieved 2018-03-23.
- ^ "Gaon Download Chart – Issue date: 2017.12.24 – 2017.12.30"
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100 | Official Charts Company" Archived 2018-02-28 at the Wayback Machine. www.officialcharts.com.
- ^ "ARIA Chart Watch #502". auspOp. December 8, 2018. Archived from the original on December 26, 2018. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
- ^ "The Official New Zealand Music Chart". THE OFFICIAL NZ MUSIC CHART. Archived from the original on 2018-03-02. Retrieved 2018-03-23.
- ^ "British certifications – Settle/Greatest Showman Ens – This Is Me". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
- ^ "Gold/Platinum - Music Canada". Archived from the original on 2018-11-06. Retrieved 2018-11-06.
- ^ "Harder by Keala Settle". Apple Music. Archived from the original on August 23, 2019. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
- ^ Hung, Steffen. "australian-charts.com - Australian charts portal". australian-charts.com. Archived from the original on 2018-11-06. Retrieved 2018-05-31.
- ^ http://www.irma.ie/#chartTab1 Archived 2018-05-31 at the Wayback Machine (NOTE: Respective dates need to be searched)
- ^ Hung, Steffen. "lescharts.com - Les charts français". lescharts.com. Archived from the original on 2018-11-06. Retrieved 2018-05-31.
- ^ Hung, Steffen. "charts.nz - New Zealand charts portal". charts.nz. Archived from the original on 2018-11-06. Retrieved 2019-08-30.
- ^ "JACKMAN/SETTLE/EFRON/ZENDAYA | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company" Archived 2018-07-07 at the Wayback Machine. http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/52837/hugh-jackman-greatest-showman/ Archived 2018-07-07 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b "NZ Heatseekers Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. January 8, 2018. Archived from the original on January 18, 2018. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
- ^ "American single certifications – The Greatest Showman Ensemble". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
- ^ "ARIA Charts - Accreditations - 2019 Singles". ARIA. Archived from the original on 15 August 2020. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
- ^ "British single certifications – Jackman/Settle/Efron/Zendaya – The Greatest Show". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
- ^ "British certifications – Hugh Jackman/Greatest Showman – Come Alive". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
- ^ "Gold & Platinum". Recording Industry Association of America. Archived from the original on 2020-08-05. Retrieved 2019-04-16.
External links
- Keala Settle at IMDb
- Keala Settle at the Internet Broadway Database
- @TheKealaSettle at TikTok