Samantha Barks Fan Blog: Direct From The West End in Oxford

About Sam

Name: Samantha Jane Barks
Age: 21
D.O.B: 02 October 1990
Place of birth: Isle of Man (which was renamed the Isle of Sam for one day to support Sam during her time in BBC1 show 'I'd Do Anything' in 2008)
Originally from: Laxey, Isle of Man
Current Location: Cardiff (on tour)
Eye Colour: Brown
Hair Colour: Dark Brown
Hair Length: Long
Height: 5ft 5 3/4 "
Horoscope: Libra
Siblings: 1 Older Sister and 1 Older Brother
Niece(s)/Nephew(s): Chloe (aged 1)
Pets: A family King Charles Cavalier Spaniel called Halle (although she calls her Linda) and her own Chihuahua called Lily
Hobbies: Singing, Dancing, Shining on Stage, Sleeping, Playing with Lily (her chihuahua), Eating (especially red velvet cake and chocolate), Partying with friends, Shopping, Watching TV
Huge fan of: Ricky Gervais
Scared of: Mittens
Hates: Vegetables, Early Mornings

Professional

Occupation: Professional Actress/Singer
Years Active: 2008-present
Training: Arts Education School in Chiswick before entering Andrew Lloyd Webber's BBC competition 'I'd Do Anything' in 2008 looking for an unknown talent to play Nancy in a new West End production of Oliver!
Current Job(s): Playing Nancy in the UK Tour of Oliver! from 10th Dec 2011 until 23rd June 2012
Past Jobs: Numerous amateur productions with the Manx Operatic Society and performances with her band on the Isle of Man (full details in the 'Sam's Career So Far section), Sally Bowles (Cabaret UK Tour 2008-9), Aladdin (Panto in Windsor 2009-10), Eponine in Les Miserables at the Queen's Theatre in London's West End (2010-11), Eponine in the Les Miserables 25th Anniversary Concert at the O2 Arena on 3rd October 2010, Zoe in 'Groove High' (Disney - due to air spring 2012))
Dream in life: To be starring as a leading lady in a West End show (ACHIEVED)
Dream Role: Elphaba (Wicked)
Role Models: Catherine Zeta Jones, Idina Menzel

Friday, 15 April 2011

Direct From The West End in Oxford - 6th Feb 2011

I went to go see Sam in 'Direct From The West End' concert in Oxford on 6th Feb 2011. I don't really know how to explain it, it was just amazing!! It was lovely to see a few of the Les Mis cast doing something different. It just showed how talented they all are and their versatility.

I managed to get a picture with Sam, Killian and Scott after the show.

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Sam as Sally Bowles in Cabaret

Sam played the leading role of Sally Bowles in the UK touring version of Cabaret from 29th August 08 - 11th July 09.

I thought I would leave the dates of the tour on here out of interest and for future reference.

~~29 August 2008 to 13 September 2008 Birmingham Repertory Theatre - The Door, Birmingham~~

~~15 September 2008 to 20 September 2008 Hippodrome, Bristol~~

~~22 September 2008 to 27 September 2008 Liverpool Empire Theatre, Liverpool~~

~~29 September 2008 to 04 October 2008 Theatre Royal, Nottingham~~

~~06 October 2008 to 11 October 2008 Palace Theatre, Manchester~~

~~13 October 2008 to 18 October 2008 New Victoria Theatre, Woking~~

~~20 October 2008 to 25 October 2008 Everyman Theatre - The Other Space, Studio, Cheltenham~~

~~27 October 2008 to 01 November 2008 Theatre Royal - Ustinov Studio,The Egg, Bath~~

~~03 November 2008 to 15 November 2008 Grand Theatre and Opera House, Leeds~~

~~17 November 2008 to 22 November 2008 Hall for Cornwall, Truro~~

~~24 November 2008 to 29 November 2008 Royal and Derngate, Northampton~~

~~02 December 2008 to 06 December 2008 Congress Theatre, Eastbourne~~

~~08 December 2008 to 13 December 2008 Malvern Theatres - The Cinema, Forum Theatre, Festival Theatre, Malvern~~

~~12 January 2009 to 17 January 2009 Theatre Royal, Brighton~~

~~19 January 2009 to 24 January 2009 Sheffield Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield~~

~~26 January 2009 to 31 January 2009 Sunderland Empire Theatre, Sunderland~~

~~02 February 2009 to 07 February 2009 Theatre Royal, Plymouth~~

~~09 February 2009 to 14 February 2009 Mayflower Theatre – Southampton~~

~~16 February to 21 February Darlington Civic Theatre, Darlington~~

~~23 February 2009 to 28 February 2009 Hull New Theatre - Hull City Hall, Hull~~

~~02 March 2009 to 14 March 2009 The Villa Marina and Gaiety Theatre - Douglas, Isle of Man~~

~~16 March 2009 to 21 March 2009 His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen~~

~~23 March 2009 to 28 March 2009 Playhouse Theatre, Edinburgh~~

~~30 March 2009 to 04 April 2009 Theatre Royal, Glasgow~~

~~13 April 2009 to 18 April 2009 Milton Keynes Theatre, Milton Keynes~~

~~20 April 2009 to 25 April 2009 The Churchill, Bromley~~

~~27 April 2009 to 02 May 2009 New Theatre, Cardiff~~

~~04 May 2009 to 09 May 2009 Richmond Theatre, Surrey~~

~~18 May to 23 May 2009 Grand Theatre, Blackpool~~

~~25 May to 30 May 2009 Grand Opera House, Belfast~~

~~01 June to 06 June 2009 Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton~~

~~08 Jun to 13 Jun 2009 The Hexagon, Reading~~

~~15 Jun to 20 Jun 2009 Barnstaple Queens Theatre~~

~~22 Jun to 27 Jun 2009 Salford Lowry Theatre~~

~~29 Jun to 04 Jul 2009 Theatre Royal, Windsor~~

~~06 Jul to 11 Jul 2009 Newcastle Theatre Royal~~

Background

From the first moment I saw Sam on the first live show of 'I'd Do Anything', I have been a huge fan. Just something about her made me sit there and watch her and I just thought 'Wow! This girl is amazing!'

Ever since that day I just sat and watched her grow so much every week and since the end of the competition I found myself wanting to carry on supporting her.

Usually with these talent competitions on the TV, I have a favourite, then once the programme finishes, I forget all about them. But no, not this time, something was different! And now I know why!

Not long after the end of 'I'd Do Anything', I 'teamed' up with 2 other huge Sam fans and we called ourselves 'The 3 Barkateers'. From there, we made friends with 'Sam's Lambs' and some of us started talking to Sam on Facebook. A few of us have become good friends with her over the past couple of years, which has been soooooo amazing.

We have been supporting and following Sam's amazing career ever since the 'I'd Do Anything' final in 2008, and we will continue to do so. This has so far allowed us to be able to travel to all sorts of places, for example, the Isle of Man (or should I say Isle of Sam), to go and see her perform and we've loved it. What an amazing experience we have had so far!!

We are soo excited to see what her future holds and we're really looking forward to seeing her live over and over again and watching her grow and develop as a performer!!

We love you Sam and always remember that we are here supporting you 100% always!!

Love from The 3 Barkateers, Sam's Lambs and all your other amazing fans!!
xxxxxx

Sam's career so far

Sam has been dancing since the age of 3, training in Ballet, Modern and Tap. She was also a member of the Manx Operatic Society, which provided her with a lot of performing experience
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Her previous work includes playing Snow White aged 4 in a school production, Aurora in Sleeping Beauty, The Cheshire Cat in Alice in Wonderland, The Scarecrow in a ballet version of The Wizard of Oz, Dancing in Coppelia, La Boutique Fantasque, La Sylphide, The Nutcracker, Dick Whittington, Cinderella, Robinson Crusoe, Rizzo in Grease, a Hot Box Girl in Guys and Dolls, Cyndi Gibson in Back to the 80s and she understudied Lucy in Jekyll and Hyde
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Sam represented the Isle of Man in the Maltese International Song Competition in 2007, where she won the main prize of €2000 and the title of Best Foreign Singer
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She performed at the 2007 Peel Bay Festival supporting the Sugababes and Matt Willis, which also saw appearances by Robin Gibb and Madness
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Sam had a singing role in the ITV1 TV movie, The Final Quest, directed by and starring David Jason
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She moved to London at the tender age of 16 to pursue her dream as a performer, which would not have been possible without the amazing support of the late Mr Patrick Taylor, who dedicated his time and money to Sam, helping her make her dream reality. He funded her so she could start her training at Arts Educational School where she began to study Performing Arts A-Level
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Sam came into the public eye when she appeared on the BBC1 show 'I'd Do Anything', searching for an unknown talent to play Nancy in the new West End production of Oliver, where she eventually came 3rd, in 2008. Sam left the competition gracefully, having learnt amazing skills and worked with some amazing people including Idina Menzel and Liza Minelli, which has already helped her a lot in her career. The competition provided her with a fantastic opportunity to get a huge head start in the world of performing.
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She had to drop out of Arts Ed once she got too far in the competition
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Sam sang the Manx National Anthem at Senior Race Day of the TT Races in the Isle of Man in 2008
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She played the lead role of Sally Bowles in the UK touring version of Cabaret (29th August 2008 to 11th July 2009) touring the UK and the Isle of Man
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Sam launched the new Manx Ship, the Caly Manx, in Shanghai on 30th September 09
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Sam, along with Wendy Craig and Jess Conrad (fellow cast members in Aladdin) switched on the Christmas Lights in Windsor's town centre on 21st November 09
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She officially launched BreastHealth UK's new clinic at the Spire Thames Valley Hospital in Wexham on 27th November 09
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Sam then bought sparkle, talent and cheekiness to Windsor's Theatre Royal playing the title role in Aladdin, the most starriest panto ever, from 9th Dec 09 until 10th Jan 2010
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She released a new song called 'I Hate Playing Games' on http://www.reverbnation.com/GarryLake, which she co-wrote with Garry Lake
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Sam will star in a new Disney TV series called 'Groove High', playing the lead female, Zoe, which she is very excited about! It will be half animated and half live action! They started doing the voice recording for the animations on 28th and 29th April 2010 and filming was done between August 2010 and late October 2011 in Ireland! She is very excited as she has always wanted to be made into a Disney cartoon!! 'Groove High' will air on the Disney Channel in Spring 2012!
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She played the role of 'Eponine' in 'Les Miserables' at the Queen's Theatre in London's West End from 21st June 2010 - 18th June 2011
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Sam was chosen to play Eponine in the 25th Anniversary concert of Les Miserables at the O2 on 3rd October 2010!!!!
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She was asked to sing 'On My Own' from Les Miserables at the Royal Variety Performance at the London Palladium on the 9th December 2010!!!!
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Sam starred in a new concert, 'Direct From The West End'. Run by a company called 'Musical Ovation Ltd' set up by Scott Garnham (current Les Mis cast member) and Martin Neely (2010-11 Les Mis cast member), They did 3 nights - 23rd Jan in York, 6th Feb in Oxford and 13th Feb 2011 in Windsor. It also starred Antony Hansen (from BBC1's Any Dream Will Do) and took the audience on a journey through some of the world's greatest and best-loved musicals featuring two hours of spectacular songs from Les Miserables, Phantom of the Opera, Mamma Mia, Oliver, West Side Story, Miss Saigon, Hairspray and many more....
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She performed 'On My Own' at the Classical Brits 2011 at The Royal Albert Hall on 12th May 2011
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Sam performed at a concert at The Battersea Barge in London on Sun 21st August 2011 called 'SUMMER WITH ... THE COMPOSERS: IRVINE, OLDING, SUTTON & WYTHE'
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She is now playing the role of Nancy in Oliver! UK Tour (10th December 2011 - 23rd June 2012)

Some Sam Jokes (these made me laugh)

The chicken was about to cross the road and a duck came up and said "Listen mate, don't do it, you'll never hear the end of it!"
(I tell that one all the time now haha!)

What lies at the bottom of the ocean and shakes?
A nervous wreck!

A woman walked into a doctors and she says, "Ive been having really, really bad weight problems, my weights just up and down. Have you got any diets that you'd recommend?"The doctor said "Well, basically this isn't good advice but try eating for one day, skipping a day, eat one day, skip the next etc."The woman came back and she looked half dead and he said "Are you just completely starving yourself, well, i mean you look half dead basically."She said "No no, the eating's been fine, but the bloody skipping is killing me."

Two goldfish in a tank. One turns round to the other and says "How do you drive this thing?"

Reviews

'Samantha Barks is a revelation!!!'

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'So cannot believe that Sam is only

17, god knows what she will be like

in 10 years time.'

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'Sam's dancing was amazing, up

there with the professionals. Then it

was 'Maybe This Time' - wow! What a

performance it was. It started off

very still so she was showing off her

exceptional voice, and so she should,

then when it got to the big chest

notes she completely went for it.

I felt she was in a world of her own,

Sally Bowles' world. And so was I. It

blew me away. I've never really

understood the words to that song

ever before, however every word

that she sang made complete sense

and was crystal clear to me. I have to

say it was the highlight of the whole

show.'

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'Sam Barks' singing is simply superb.'

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'Samantha, who, astonishingly, given

her confidence on stage, is still only

a teenager, is a far better singer

than the nightclub chanteuse she

plays is meant to be. Her

performance of 'Maybe This Time'

sends shivers down the spine, while

signature song Cabaret is a mixture

of heartbreak and passion.'

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'Where it counts is in the songs, and

she hits them out of the park'

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'She may have missed out on winning

the television talent show 'I'd Do

Anything' but she is certainly not

short of star quality. She has the

naive Sally down to a tee and is at

ease on stage, capable of shifting

from sexy to vulnerable and of

belting out a good number.'

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'Samantha Barks is very good as Sally

Bowles and performs with a maturity

way beyond her teenage years. She

convinces throughout and is

obviously a talented performer all

round, although her singing is her

strongest asset, her powerful voice

hitting each note beautifully.'

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'I’d Do Anything’s Samantha Barks as

Sally Bowles proves her theatrical

worth by singing everybody off the

stage'

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'Samantha Barks was fantastic as

Sally Bowles. Her acting I feel was

actually spot on; for the first time I

felt that I saw a Sally that was young,

naive and didn't have a clue about

what was going on in the world

around her and only focused on some

aspects of her own life; the title song

for me was probably one of the

highlights of the show for me and

vocally Samantha Barks is amazing. '

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'Sam Barks is vocally a sensation.'

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'She is a true, raw, natural talent and

vocally she is untouchable.'

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'Her Aladdin can sing and dance up a

storm, act the handsome hero and

yet she never once leaves us in doubt

that this young chap is also a truly

gorgoeous girl.'

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'Samantha Barks' Aladdin is principal

boy perfection. She can sing, act and

dance beautifully and she sure knows

how to slap her thigh.'

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'Barks plays Aladdin as a cheeky

adventurous young scamp and she

has a great future ahead of her as a

principal boy if she wishes to pursue

this role in the future seasons.'

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'Some producer had better snap her

up for next year quickly as she is

sure to guarantee success; that is if

she's not already taken.'

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'With actresses like Barks playing

the role so well, we may just see the

return of the female principal boy as

finally we have someone who does

the role justice and takes it seriously'

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About Sam

Professional

Favourites

Groove High

Oliver! UK Tour

Friday, 15 April 2011

Direct From The West End in Oxford - 6th Feb 2011

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Sam as Sally Bowles in Cabaret

Fan Pics

Icons

Welcome-to-the-fan-blog-to-the-fan-blog-to-the-welcome!

Background

Fan Mail

Thankyou!

Sam's career so far

Snow White - 1994/5

Cheshire Cat - 1997/8

Scarecrow

Back to the 80s - 2005 and August 2007

Grease

Jekyll and Hyde - 25th Feb 2007

Sam launches her debut album - April 2007

Performing at Peel Bay Festival June 2007

Performing at The Creek

Performing at Essentially Dancing

Malta International Song Competition - Dec 2007

I'd Do Anything - Jan - May 2008

Cabaret - Aug 2008 - July 2009

The official poster for 'An Audience with Sam Barks' - 3rd Jan 2009

A few pictures I took from 'An Audience with Sam Barks'

Aladdin - Dec 2009 - Jan 2010

Groove High Voice Recording - April - May 2010

Les Miserables - 21st June 2010 - June 2011

Fan pic I made

Barkateers

Barkateers meet Sam!!

Sam's Lambs

Lambs meet Sam

Energy FM Interviews

Other Fan pics

Links

Sam Barks Slideshow

About Me

Blog Archive

Video Bar

Looking In Your Eyes

Some Sam Jokes (these made me laugh)

Sam at TT Races 2008

Reviews

Fan videos!

I'd Do Anything Solo Videos