Theaterland always gets lively when a new Sheridan Smith show is in production. The 42-year-old British actor has spent a stellar 25-year career starring in musicals, plays, TV shows and movies, winning two Oliviers, two International Emmys, a BAFTA and a National Television award along the way. He has also released two music albums; both of these reached the top 20 of the UK album charts.
Now he returns to the stage with Opening Night, a new musical based on John Cassavetes’ 1977 film that opens tomorrow at the Gielgud Theatre. The new show has a book and direction by Tony and Olivier award-winning Belgian director Ivo van Hove, with music and lyrics by Rufus Wainwright.
Smith plays Myrtle, an actor whose life is derailed by the death of a fan just days before the opening of a new play. “I knew I had to play the game as a way to take control of what I was going through,” Smith told an article, referencing his own 2016 breakdown. “I was so embarrassed at that moment. I have to prove that I’m not that person. It was very relieving.”
On the eve of another outstanding performance, we take a look at the actor’s best roles over the years.
Into the Forest (1998-1999)
In her first major stage role, 17-year-old Smith played Little Red Riding Hood in The Donmar’s 1998 film Into the Woods. Stephen Sondheim’s musical, with a book by James Lapine, brings together various tales from the Brothers Grimm and has been revived on stage many times since its Broadway premiere in 1987. The production was directed by John Crowley and was nominated for an Olivier award. In a 2021 interview, Smith said that when he met Sondheim, he greeted him with “Hi Steve!” she said. Apparently, “Are you playing Little Red Riding Hood?” she replied.
Little Shop of Horrors (2006-2007)
This horror-comedy rock musical premiered on Broadway in 1982 and in the West End the following year. When she returned to the West End in 2007, Smith played shopkeeper Audrey, who works in a run-down florist with her colleague Seymour (Paul Keating). Alistair McGowan played Orin, Audrey’s sadistic dentist boyfriend. The performance put the 25-year-old Smith on the map: She was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical.
Legally Blonde (2009-2011)
It was a role that seemed made for Smith. When the Broadway musical based on the popular film transferred to the West End, she played Elle Woods, the lead actress in the original London cast.
When her boyfriend breaks up with her, saying he’s not serious enough to be a partner, Elle applies to Harvard Law School to prove him wrong.
“Sheridan Smith is definitely the star of the show,” the Standard said. “Elle says her favorite drink is Red Bull, and everything Smith makes has a caffeinated kick. “This is a performance with great warmth and enthusiasm.”
She was nominated for the first Evening Standard Theater Award and won the Olivier award for Best Actress in a Musical.
The Way to Shine (2011)
The 2011 revival of Terence Rattigan’s Second World War play was Trevon Nunn’s debut as artistic director at the Theater Royal Haymarket and was chosen to celebrate the British author’s 100th birthday. The film, which also starred Sienna Miller, James Purefoy and Harry Hadden-Paton, was so popular that it extended its run to meet demand.
Smith shined in the love triangle between a movie star, a pilot, and his wife: “The best performance comes from Sheridan Smith as the Count’s wife, Doris,” said the Standard. “Always a warm presence, Smith exudes a devilish charm, yet becomes almost woundingly poignant in moments of doubt and sadness.” For this role, Smith won the Best Actress award at the Evening Standard Theater Awards and also won the Olivier twice in two years.
Hedda Gabler (2012)
Ibsen’s 1890 play follows Hedda, a woman who feels trapped in a loveless marriage. This staging at The Old Vic was very well reviewed (it was directed by Anna Mackmin, who worked on a screenplay adaptation by Brian Friel in 2008), and once again it was Smith who received the highest praise: “Sheridan Smith is hardly a new face, but she’s here.” “In her most ambitious role to date, she confirms herself as one of the stage stars of her generation. Ibsen’s portrait of a woman rebelling against a numb and rigid world is simply thrilling,” said the Standard.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2013)
A Midsummer Night’s Dream was the fourth show of acclaimed director Michael Grandage’s season at the Noël Coward Theatre. Smith was playing the role of Bottom opposite David Walliams, and with its 60s music and hippie aesthetic (spliffs included) it was undoubtedly a fresh take on Shakespeare’s classic comedy.
But while some critics loved the game, describing it as “a sexy dream” and “a constant treat to the eye”, others, such as Standard, felt the game lacked magic. What was agreed upon was Smith’s success in playing Titania (she also played Hippolyta, as is customary): “As Hippolyta, ruler of the Amazons, Smith looks like an extra from Mad Men,” said the Standard. “But it’s a different story when the action moves into the chaotic jungle; because she brings both bohemian vibrancy and effortless charm to Titania, queen of the fairies.”
Funny Girl (2015-2017)
This 1964 musical reimagines the life of Broadway star Fanny Brice and reveals her tumultuous relationship with gambler Nicky Arnstein. It was a hit from the first moment: Barbara Streisand starred in the original production, which was nominated for eight Tony awards. In the United Kingdom, Smith played Brice for several years as the production moved from the Menier Chocolate Factory to the Savoy Theater and subsequently toured the United Kingdom.
“Sheridan Smith is truly one of the golden actors of British theatre; a versatile star who thrills with her ability to be sensitive, touching and funny all at once. Here he is in superb form,” said the Standard in its four-star review.
Shirley Valentine’s Day (2023)
The Standard’s Nick Curtis may have faulted the datedness of the story of a working-class Liverpool housewife on holiday in Greece, but he had effusive praise for Smith’s performance.
Willy Russell’s 1986 play had audiences in the palm of her hand when it was revived at the Duke of York Theater last year and was praised by critics for her charm and conviction: “I suspect she would be the same as almost any other actress. It’s unwatchably arrogant and old-fashioned,” Curtis said.
opening night, Gielgud TheaterMarch 27 – July 27; buy tickets here