Rachel’s prestigious career on both stage and screen spans over four decades making her West End debut in A Chorus Line at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.
In 2010 she relocated to the USA, and was immediately cast as Mrs. Brill in the US tour of Mary Poppins and subsequently transferred to New York, marking her Broadway debut.
After seven years in the USA culminating as Madame Thénardier in Les Misérables on Broadway, Rachel returned to the UK to play Sheridan Smith’s mother, Mrs. Brice in the UK tour of Funny Girl, filmed for Sky Arts.
Rachel made theatre history in 2019 by being the first female in the UK to play Scrooge in A Christmas Carol (The Bridge House Theatre).
This was immediately followed by another award nominated performance as Rachel in Rags (Park Theatre, London).
Rachel is very proud to have played Grandma Edna in Nikolai Foster’s production of Billy Elliot at Curve Theatre, Leicester which won the 2023 WhatsOnStage award for best regional production.
West End credits include roles in A Chorus Line, Chicago, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Beauty and the Beast, Blondel, Lautrec, Singin’ in the Rain and Annie.
Other theatre credits include: Porter’s Wife in The Third Man (Mernier Chocolate Factory); Agatha in Guys and Dolls, Mrs. Vixen in The Beggar’s Opera (National Theatre); Felicia in The Witches of Eastwick (UK Tour); Gladys in The Pajama Game (Leicester Haymarket & Tour); Miss Barnes in The Winslow Boy (Chichester Festival Theatre & Tour); Mama Rose in Gypsy (Wales Millennium Theatre); Miss Skillon in See How They Run (UK Tour); Miss Shingle in A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder (Hartford Stage, USA); Miss Gibson in Daisy Pulls It Off (Theatr Clywd & Tour); Hattie in Follies (Landor Theatre); Mrs. Wire in The Lady of Larkspur Lotion (New End); Gussie in Bitter Sweet (UK tour); Jessica in Hot Flush (UK Tour); Mona in Dames at Sea (The Mill at Sonning); Beggar Woman in Sweeney Todd (Oldham Coliseum); Lowbutt in The Ugly Duckling (Watermill, Newbury); Sylvia Hollamby in Bad Girls the Musical (Leeds Playhouse); Jessica in Hot Flush (UK Tour); Mrs. Pearce in My Fair Lady (Teatro San Carlo, Naples); Empress of China in Aladdin (Northampton and Darlington); General Cartwright in Guys and Dolls (Théâtre Marigny, Paris); Queen Rat in Dick Whittington (Wimbledon) and Mrs. Blunderbore in Jack and the Beanstalk (Bromley).
Film and TV appearances include: Steven Soderbergh’s The Knick, Evita, Endgame, Jack Brown and the Curse of the Crown, Beg!, The Beggars Opera, Casualty, Holby City, Big Women, Clem, The Bill, Where There’s Smoke, Daylight Robbery, The Queen’s Nose, Smith and Jones and Everybody’s Talking About Jamie.