Charlie Stemp

Charlie Stemp (born 30 November 1993) is an English actor. Stemp came to prominence for his leading role as Arthur Kipps in the West End musical Half a Sixpence, which earned him a WhatsOnStage Award for Best Actor in a Musical and nomination for a 2017 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical.

Charlie Stemp
Born	(1993-11-30) 30 November 1993 (age 30) Peckham, London
Occupation	Actor
Years active	2013-present
Known for	Half a Sixpence (2016-2017) Hello, Dolly! (2018) Mary Poppins (2019-2022)
Awards	WhatsOnStage Award for Best Actor in a Musical (2017) Theatre World Award (2018)

Early life and education

Stemp was born and raised in Peckham, London.^[1] He attended the Belcanto London Academy Theatre School,^[2] and trained for three years at Laine Theatre Arts in Epsom.^[3] He is also a keen football and rugby player.^[4]

Acting career

After graduating, Stemp performed in Wicked in London's West End^[5] and was cast as Eddie in the international tour of the musical Mamma Mia!.^[6] Stemp also appeared in the film Knarcolepsy.^[7]

Stemp appeared as the lead actor in Sir Cameron Mackintosh’s production of Half a Sixpence, written by Julian Fellowes. He first performed the role at Chichester Festival Theatre from July to September 2016.^[8] In October 2016, the musical transferred to the Noël Coward Theatre in the West End, and extended its booking to 2 September 2017. For this role, Stemp won the WhatsOnStage Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical and was nominated for the 2017 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical. In 2021, Fellowes rewrote the piece under the title Kipps (after the lead character Artie Kipps) and it was filmed for Sky Arts, with Stemp again in the title role.^[9]

Stemp appeared on Broadway in the revival of Hello, Dolly!, starting on 20 January 2018, officially on 22 February 2018, as Barnaby Tucker. He took over the role originally played by Taylor Trensch. This marked his Broadway debut.^[10] The show closed on 25 August 2018.

Stemp played the role of Bert in a West End revival of Mary Poppins opposite Zizi Strallen in the title role, at the Prince Edward Theatre. As one reviewer remarked, "Bert pulls off the impossible – tap-dancing upside down from one end of the proscenium arch to the other."^[11]

In 2022, Stemp was cast as Bobby Child in the Chichester Festival Theatre's production of Crazy for You^[12] which transferred to the Gillian Lynne Theatre in 2023.^[13]

Stemp is currently starring as Bill Calhoun in the West End revival of Kiss Me, Kate at the Barbican Centre, starring opposite Stephanie J. Block and Adrian Dunbar. The production opened on 4 June, 2024.^[14]

Theatre Credits

Year	Production	Role	Venue	Notes
2013–14	Wicked	Ensemble	Apollo Victoria Theatre	West End
2015	Mamma Mia!	Eddie	Various	International Tour
2016	Half a Sixpence	Arthur Kipps	Chichester Festival Theatre	Regional
2016–17			Noël Coward Theatre	West End
2017–18	Dick Whittington	Dick Whittington	London Palladium	West End
2018	Hello, Dolly!	Barnaby Tucker	Shubert Theatre	Broadway
2018–19	Snow White	Prince Harry of Hampstead	London Palladium	West End
2019	Rough Crossing	Dvornichek	Various	UK Tour
2019–23	Mary Poppins	Bert	Prince Edward Theatre	West End
2020	Pantoland	Ensemble	London Palladium	West End
2022	Crazy for You	Bobby Child	Chichester Festival Theatre	Regional
2023			Gillian Lynne Theatre	West End
2024	Kiss Me Kate	Bill Calhoun/Lucentio	Barbican Centre	London
2024–25	Robin Hood	Alan-A-Dale	London Palladium	West End

Accolades

Year	Award	Category	Work	Result	Ref
2016	UK Theatre Award	Best Performance in a Musical	Half a Sixpence	Nominated	[15]
2017	Laurence Olivier Award	Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical		Nominated	[16]
	WhatsOnStage Award	Best Actor in a Musical		Won	[17]
2018	Theatre World Award	Outstanding Broadway Debut	Hello, Dolly!	Honoree	[18]
2020	Laurence Olivier Award	Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical	Mary Poppins	Nominated	[19]
2023	Evening Standard Theatre Award	Best Musical Performance	Crazy for You	Nominated	[20]
2024	Laurence Olivier Award	Best Actor in a Musical		Nominated	[21]

See also

• List of British actors

References

1. "Half a Sixpence / CountryWives". 17 December 2016.^{[permanent dead link]}
2. "Half a Sixpence star Charlie Stemp reflects on a remarkable run". 26 August 2016.
3. "Rising star: Half A Sixpence's Charlie Stemp - theatre.london". 27 October 2016.
4. "Half a Sixpence's Charlie Stemp: 'I'm like a back rash'". 25 November 2016.
5. "Half a Sixpence at Chichester – two young actors introduced". 9 May 2016.
6. "Cameron Mackintosh hails Charlie Stemp as best new star since Michael Crawford - News - The Stage". 18 November 2016.
7. Sixpence, Half A. "Charlie Stemp - Half A Sixpence".
8. "REVIEW: You won't be short-changed by Half a Sixpence at Chichester Festival Theatre". 29 July 2016.
9. Billington, Michael (30 December 2021). "Julian Fellowes turns Half a Sixpence rewrite Kipps into winning fun". The Guardian.
10. McPhee, Ryan. Bernadette Peters Is Broadway's New Hello, Dolly! Headliner Beginning January 20" Playbill (January 20) 2018
11. Kellaway, Kate (17 November 2019). "The week in theatre: Mary Poppins; Murder in the Cathedral; Much Ado About Nothing – review". The Guardian.
12. Akbar, Arifa (20 July 2022). "Crazy for You review – spine-tingling musical is a giddy thrill". The Guardian.
13. Akbar, Arifa (20 June 2023). "'If you get your phone out, I'm going to lose it': Charlie Stemp, Britain's musicals megastar". The Guardian.
14. Rook, Olivia (10 April 2024). "Full cast announced for 'Kiss Me, Kate' at the Barbican". London Theatre. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
15. "UK Theatre Awards 2016 – nominees revealed". Archived from the original on 30 October 2020.
16. O'Hanlon, Dom (6 March 2017). "Full List of 2017 Olivier Award Nominations". London Theatre Guide. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
17. "Whatsonstage Awards – Winners 2017 |". WestEndTheatre.com - London Theatre Tickets. 20 February 2017. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
18. "Bravo! Winners Announced for the 2018 Theatre World Awards". Broadway.com. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
19. "Olivier Awards 2020 with Mastercard - Theatre's Biggest Night". Olivier Awards. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
20. "Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2023 Winners announced | West End Theatre". www.westendtheatre.com. 19 November 2023. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
21. Shafer, Ellise (12 March 2024). "Sarah Jessica Parker, Sarah Snook, David Tennant Score Olivier Awards Nominations". Variety. Archived from the original on 9 April 2024. Retrieved 9 April 2024.