Julie Atherton

Julie Atherton is a British actress, singer and director.

She is best known for originating the role of Kate Monster and Lucy the Slut in the West End production of Avenue Q.

and playing Sister Mary Robert in the first UK tour of Sister Act: The Musical.

She graduated in 1999.

Whilst training at Mountview, she played Fern in Charlotte's Web at the Polka Children's Theatre in Wimbledon, London.

After her training, Atherton played Iris Bentley in Let Him Have Justice, which she co-wrote.

She was later cast in the lead role of Sophie in the West End production of Mamma Mia! (2000), and then as Serena Katz in the national tour of Fame.

A season was then spent appearing in Out of This World at the Chichester Festival Theatre and as the Kolokolo Bird in the Stiles and Drewe musical Just So (2004).

As a singer she released her debut album, A Girl of Few Words, on 2 October 2006.

In June 2006, Atherton became part of the original London cast of Avenue Q when the show transferred from Broadway to the Noël Coward Theatre in the West End.

Atherton is also a singer and released three solo albums, A Girl of Few Words (2006), No Space for Air (2010) and Rush of Life (2014).

She performed at various venues, including her largest solo performance at the Apollo Theatre in London, where she performed hits from her second CD as well as reuniting and performing with Kate Monster and Daniel Boys, and appearing with special guests Richard Fleeshman, Michael Bruce, Lance Horne.

Atherton recently appeared as a headline performer alongside Ruthie Henshall and Aled Jones in Adam Hepkin's The Magic of the Musicals and as part of the Giggin' for Good concert series at the Actor's Church, Covent Garden.

She is also an emerging director and has directed of shows and musicals, including Bare: a Pop Opera, Game Theory, Ordinary Days and Club Mex at Hope Mill Theatre, Manchester.

She originated the roles of Kate Monster/Lucy the Slut in the West End production, and continued in the show until 1 December 2007.

She has performed in five of the six Notes From New York shows to date and appeared in the one off special Christmas in New York, part of the series, held at the Lyric Theatre on 9 December 2007.

She was part of the premiere of a new musical Ordinary Days at the Finborough Theatre, and Once Upon A Time At The Adelphi at the Liverpool Playhouse from 28 June 2008 to 2 August 2008.

As part of Notes From New York, a production of The Last Five Years was held on three consecutive Sundays from 12 October 2008 at the Theatre Royal Haymarket.

She returned to the production, which had then moved to the Gielgud Theatre, in December 2008 and continued playing her roles until 3 October 2009.

Subsequently in 2009, she created the role of Charlotte in the new musical Through the Door by British composer/lyricist Laurence Mark Wythe and American bookwriter Judy Freed, at the Trafalgar Studios in a West End production.

The show also played for one week in May 2009 at the Duchess Theatre.

Atherton features as a performer on the album Unwritten Songs with "Portrait of a Princess".

The album was launched in April on Speckulation's website.

The song is also featured on Atherton's website and available on Michael Bruce - Unwritten Songs. Atherton has performed it live at the Apollo Theatre twice as well as in the Delfont room, in London's West End.

After signing with the Speckulation record label, she released her second album titled No Space for Air in 2010, with her third album released in 2014 and titled 'Rush of Life'.

Atherton grew up in Preston, Lancashire, England and started her training at Cardinal Newman College before moving to Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts.

In 2010 she appeared in the musical Tomorrow Morning at the Landor Theatre in South London, the award winning musical by Laurence Mark Wythe.

In the same year she appeared in Jonathan Larson's tick, tick... BOOM! which played at the Duchess Theatre, having its West End premiere.

During the months of February and March 2011, Atherton starred alongside her Avenue Q castmate, Daniel Boys, in Ordinary Days at the Trafalgar Studios.

From 29 September 2011, Atherton played the role of Sister Mary Robert in the first UK tour of Sister Act the Musical.

Sister Act toured throughout the UK and Ireland.

In February 2013 she appeared in Craig Adams' musical Lift, which ran at the Soho Theatre in London.

Atherton studied at Mountview with Adams and was one of the first people to be introduced to the musical.

Atherton starred in the new musical, The Opinion Makers alongside Daniel Boys, a coproduction between the Mercury Theatre, Colchester and Derby Theatre.

Atherton was included on the album MS. A Song Cycle, a musical theatre album benefitting the MS Society UK.

Her song 'How Can I Tell You' was written by American composer Erin Murray Quinlan, with lyrics co-written by Rory Sherman.

Atherton starred as Janet Majors in the world premiere stage production of Shock Treatment, the musical sequel to The Rocky Horror Picture Show, at the King's Head Theatre Pub in Islington.

In 2017 Atherton joined the London cast of The Grinning Man as Queen Angelica.

The show played at the Trafalgar Studios, after a transfer from Bristol Old Vic.

Atherton is a founding member of the company of Notes From New York, bringing the works of US composers to the West End stage.