Marisha Wallace

Born in North Carolina, USA, Marisha Wallace is an Olivier-nominated actress who has appeared in many West End and Broadway productions.

Growing up, Wallace was often singing to large crowds. Whether it was at school or at church mass, everyone who listened to Wallace fell in love with her voice. After high school, Wallace eventually went on to graduate from East Carolina University with a degree in musical theatre and theatre education.

Wallace’s professional theatre debut was as Ado Annie in a regional production of Oklahoma!. For her performance, she won a Drammy Award for Best Actress in a Musical, which celebrated theatre in the Oregon area. Following this, Wallace was then cast in the US tour of The Book of Mormon, alongside original London cast members Gavin Creel and Jared Gertner.

In 2014, Wallace made her Broadway debut in the original company of Disney’s Aladdin. She played the Fortune Teller in the Broadway production. A year later, Wallace then joined the original company of Something Rotten! as an ensemble member.

Her London debut would come in 2017, cast as the alternate Effie White in Dreamgirls at the Savoy Theatre. However, once Amber Riley left the production, Wallace was bumped up to playing Effie White fulltime, sharing the role with Karen Mav and Moya Angela.

Wallace has continued her theatre career on this side of the pond. She originated the role of Becky in the West End production of Waitress at the Adelphi Theatre, starring alongside Katharine McPhee. After she left Waitress, Wallace's solo musical career took off, and she’s now sung at the Royal Albert Hall and on the Royal Variety Performance.

Wallace played London Coliseum as Motormouth Maybelle in Hairspray, alongside Michael Ball as Edna Turnblad. The Hairspray review in London Theatre raved of “the knockout performance comes from Marisha Wallace as Motormouth Maybelle, whose “I Know Where I’ve Been” begins as an intimate, bluesy number, sung to her children, and builds to a great cry, testifying about her experiences and beseeching the heavens for progress.”

Following Hairspray, Wallace played Ado Annie in Oklahoma! at the Young Vic, receiving an Olivier Award nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical.

Wallace recently starred in the Bridge Theatre production of Guys & Dolls, receiving an Olivier nomination for her performance as Miss Adelaide. She will star in Cabaret alongside Billy Porter from January 2025.