Lauren Samuels

Lauren Samuels is an English singer and actress, born Lauren Bonner on 26 March 1988 in Nuneaton, Warwickshire. She adopted the stage name Lauren Samuels in honor of her elder brother, Samuel, and later took the surname Alvarado following her marriage to David Alvarado in 2021. Her formal training began early: ballet lessons started at age two, private tutorials at the Hinckley Speech and Drama Studio commenced at seven, and singing lessons began at thirteen. She went on to study Performing Arts at Stratford-upon-Avon College, participated in Youth Music Theatre UK in 2005, and completed her studies at the Guildford School of Acting, graduating in 2009.

Samuels gained widespread recognition in the United Kingdom as a contestant on the 2010 BBC television series Over the Rainbow, a competition designed to cast the lead role of Dorothy in a West End revival of The Wizard of Oz. She advanced through the competition to the final eleven performers and, despite placing in the bottom two for public votes on three separate occasions, reached the finale, where she finished third behind runner-up Sophie Evans and winner Danielle Hope. Following the finale, her recording of "Over the Rainbow" became available for download on 6 June 2010, alongside Evans' version, after Hope's recording had initially been the sole release. Samuels also contributed to a Wizard of Oz medley included as a b-side on the CD single of Hope's "Over the Rainbow."

Her stage career began with the role of Wendy in a 2009–2010 production of Peter Pan at the Curve in Leicester. On 26 July 2010, she made her West End debut playing Sandy in the London production of Grease, stepping into the role previously held by Siobhan Dillon. In February and March 2011, she played Cathy in The Last Five Years, a two-character musical that ran at the Tabard Theatre in Chiswick. Later that year, she took on the role of Scaramouche in We Will Rock You at the Dominion Theatre in London, a role she reprised for the production's 10th anniversary tour beginning 25 February 2012. In May 2012, she starred as the title character in Vampirette the Musical at the Manchester Opera House. In June 2015, she appeared in the new West End musical Bend It Like Beckham, playing the role of Jules.

Samuels appeared on Broadway in 2009 in Wicked, and in May 2024 she played Elphaba on the US National Tour of the same production. In 2026, she played Meg on the World Tour of The Last Ship.

Her recording work includes "Someone You'd Be Proud Of," contributed to the concept album for The In-Between, released in early 2012. In 2017, she recorded two songs for Wit & Whimsy – Songs by Alexander S. Bermange, an album featuring 23 artists that reached number one on the iTunes comedy album chart. In 2021, she and fellow Over the Rainbow finalist Sophie Evans released a joint album titled Chasing Rainbows, Finding Judy, dedicated to celebrating the life of Judy Garland. The following year, Samuels launched a podcast called A Brit in LA, in which she interviews figures from the Hollywood entertainment industry.