Keala Settle

Keala Settle is an American singer and actress of stage and screen. 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.

Career Broadway Settle made her Broadway debut in 2011 in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert as Shirley and in the ensemble.

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." For this role, Settle was nominated for the Outer Critics Circle, Drama Desk, and Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. Additionally, she was awarded the Theatre World Award for Outstanding Broadway or Off-Broadway debut performance during the 2012-13 theatrical season.

Settle played the role of Madame Thenardier in the revival of Les Misérables, starting in March 2014, and ending on March 1, 2015.

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.

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." She appeared in the national tour of the Lincoln Center production of South Pacific as Bloody Mary, starting in 2009. 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."

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.

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.

Settle performed in the Encores! concert staging of Violet on July 17, 2013, with Sutton Foster, but did not move on to the Broadway revival due to taking the role of 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.

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. On December 22, 2017, she released an extended play entitled Chapter One.

In 2018, she was featured in Forbidden, the newest Todrick Hall visual album, especially in the song called "Forbidden", a song against homophobia.

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.

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.

In 2022, Keala Settle sang "How Many Sleeps 'till Christmas" for the Numberblocks.

Settle made her pantomime debut in 2022, playing the role of Fairy Sugarsnap in Jack and the Beanstalk at the Royal Derngate Theatre, Northampton.

In 2022, it was announced that Settle will play the role of Miss Coddle in the movie adaptation of the musical Wicked. Directed by Jon M. Chu, the movie includes stars such as Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande-Butera, Jonathan Bailey, Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum and Ethan Slater, as well as feature the voice of Peter Dinklage as Doctor Dillamond.

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 June 19, 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 Sister Act musical.

Filmography

Film

Television

Year Title Role NotesRef. 2019 Rent: Live Cy, Homeless Person, Vendor, Roger's MotherTelevision special 2021 Big Shot Christina Winters Recurring role; 4 episodes 2021–2022 Central Park Young Bitsy (voice) 2 episodes2022 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

Video games Year Title Role Ref. 2023Forspoken Johedy

Discography

Soundtrack albums + List of albums, with selected chart positions and certifications 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) Released: April 5, 2011 Label: Rhino Records Format: CD, Digital download - 1 - - - - - - - - Hands on a Hardbody (Original Broadway Cast Recording) Released: August 27, 2013 Label: Ghostlight Records Format: CD, Digital download - 3 - - - - - - - - Waitress (Original Broadway Cast Recording) Released: June 3, 2016 Label: DMI Soundtracks Format: CD, Digital download 81 2 - - - - - - - - From Broadway With Love: A Benefit Concert For Orlando Released: December 16, 2016 Label: Broadway Records Format: CD/DVD, Digital download - - - - - - - - - - The Greatest Showman: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Released: December 8, 2017 Label: Atlantic Records Format: CD, Digital download, LP 1 - 1 3 5 1 1 1 17 1 RIAA: 2× Platinum BPI: 10× Platinum ARIA: Platinum MC: Platinum IFPI DEN: Platinum RIAJ: Gold RMNZ: Platinum The Greatest Showman: Reimagined Released: November 18, 2018 Label: Atlantic Records Format: CD, Digital download 3 - 4 12 47 - - 5 - - BPI: Gold Rent (Original Soundtrack of the Fox Television Event) Released: November 18, 2018 Label: Sony Music Entertainment Format: CD, Digital download - - - - - - - - - -

Extended plays + List of extended plays, showing title, date released, labels and track listing Title Album details Track listing Chapter One Released: 22 December 2017 Label: NoiseWells Format: digital download "Til I Get to You" "Neither One of Us" "Tennessee Whiskey" "Can't Run Away" "The Rose"

Singles + List of singles, with selected chart positions and certifications, showing year released and album name 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 10 74 52 55 11 17 13 9 3 RIAA: 2× Platinum RMNZ: Gold BPI: 5× Platinum

Other charted songs + List of songs, with selected chart positions, showing year released and album name Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album US AUS IRE FRA NZ UK "The Greatest Show" 2017 88 42 34 110 — 20 RIAA: Platinum ARIA: 2× Platinum BPI: 3× Platinum The Greatest Showman: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack "Come Alive" — — 70 — "Come Alive" did not enter the NZ Top 40 Singles Chart, but peaked at number 8 on the NZ Heatseeker Singles Chart. RIAA: Gold