Meredith Braun

Meredith Braun (born 1973) began her career as a child actor in her native New Zealand before moving to England and acting in a number of West End musicals. As a child in Auckland, Braun appeared in numerous stage productions plus occasional television shows (The Haunting of Barney Palmer) and advertisements. In 1989, she earned a place at London's prestigious Italia Conti Stage College. She began her West End career six months later with a lead role in short-lived musical Bernadette at the Dominion Theatre. Cameron Mackintosh then cast Meredith as Eponine in Les Miserables, a role she played in both London and Manchester. In 1993, she was cast as Betty Schaeffer in Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical version of Sunset Boulevard. Having been part of an audition process that involved 300 other potential actresses, Lloyd Webber said of Meredith "When I saw Meredith and heard her I knew she was going to be a star". Further shows in the West End included starring as Christine in The Phantom of the Opera plus Out of the Blue with Michael McCarthy and Killing Rasputin. Between 2000-2001 Meredith starred as Lily in the RSC's production of The Secret Garden at both the Theatre Royal Stratford and the Aldwych Theatre, London. Meredith also acted as Belle in Disney's 1992 holiday film The Muppet Christmas Carol opposite Michael Caine and the cast of The Muppets, and has done a number of television roles in England. After a ten-year absence from performing, Meredith released her debut solo album Someone Else's Story in 2012 - a mix of contemporary show songs and classical crossover material. The album features musical direction and arrangements by Paul Bateman (musical director for Sarah Brightman and Lesley Garrett), and was released on Stage Door Records on March 26, 2012. In 2017, Meredith will release her second solo album When Love Is Gone featuring a new recording of the song she performed in The Muppet Christmas Carol marking the film's 25th anniversary. The album is scheduled to be released by Stage Door Records in November 2017.