This musical gets to you, it touches you. I think that's why this show is a little more special than the usual.

West End star

Nicola Hughes

Nicola Hughes is one of the rising stars in West End hit musical, Porgy and Bess. Gershwin’s musical masterpiece was directed by Trevor Nunn and received critical acclaim. The musical was nominated for the best new musical in the 2007 Laurence Olivier Awards and Hughes herself was nominated for Best Actress in a Musical.

Porgy and Bess is a bittersweet love story set in South Carolina during the Great Depression. The work features arguably one of the greatest, most beautiful and moving musical scores ever written for the stage, including such classics as Summertime, I Got Plenty O’ Nuttin’, It Ain’t Necessarily So and I Loves You, Porgy.

Nicola, who plays the female lead Bess, has been waiting to get her hands on the role ever since she did a workshop production with Nunn. She said: "At the end of the workshop, Trevor came and said he wanted me to be his Bess, and that was 18 months ago. He was as good as his word when it all came together and here I am. It's not a musical with lovely songs and then you go off and you feel great," says Hughes, "this musical gets to you, it touches you. I think that's why this show is a little more special than the usual."

Whilst Nicola is fast becoming one of the West End's hottest rising stars with her fantastic portrayal of Bess, this is not her first experience in the West End. Nicola's many leading roles in the West End include Zarita in Simply Heavenly at the Trafalgar Studios; Fosse at the Prince of Wales Theatre, for which she was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical; Velma Kelly in Chicago at the Adelphi Theatre; Lola in Damn Yankees at the Adelphi Theatre, playing opposite Jerry Lewis; Donna Douglas in The Goodbye Girl at the Albery Theatre; The Acid Queen in the Who's Tommy at the Shaftesbury Theatre and Margie in Crazy for You at the Prince Edward Theatre.

Whilst theatre seems to be Nicola's natural domain she has also tread the boards in television playing roles such as Katy in Eastenders, Phylicia in Jonathan Creek and Debbie in the pilot of Heartburn Hotel. She has also released an album simply named Nicola Hughes. With looks to kill and voice to match Nicola Hughes is well on her way to becoming an international star.

To see Nicola Hughes in Porgy and Bess now playing at The Savoy Theatre log onto: www.porgyandbess.co.uk 

For information on Nicola Hughes log onto: www.nicolahughes.com