The Last Ship Standout Rachel Tucker on Wicked Wishes, Belfast Pubs & Her Honorary Dad Sting

Age: 33

Hometown: Belfast, Northern Ireland

Current Role: A beautifully sung Broadway debut as Meg Dawson, the feisty center of a love triangle set in a northeast England shipping town, in Sting’s new Broadway musical The Last Ship.

Stage Cred: A professional singer since childhood, Tucker was a semifinalist in the 2008 BBC reality casting series I’d Do Anything and made her West End debut in We Will Rock You. She went on to play more than 900 performances in Wicked, becoming the London production’s longest-running Elphaba.

“I started singing in pubs and clubs around Belfast when I was 10. My dad is a musician, and he took me round; I impersonated Tina Turner and Shirley Bassey, and the crowd couldn’t believe what was coming out of this little girl. I knew I had something a bit special.”

“Sting is a father figure to us all. He is so genuinely caring—about Rachel first, and then about how the show is doing. It’s been the most profound experience to have him tweak his music and lyrics around me and my voice. He’s a genius, and I don’t use that word as a joke.”

“It’s lovely to use real emotions in creating a character. Meg is fiery and tender, she’s got a massive heart, and she loves her family. I think we’re very similar. I have a son and a family I adore. I have not been in [a love triangle]. That’s one thing I don’t mirror.”


“I feel so privileged to have played Elphaba. There will be only so many girls who can do it, and I adored every minute. I had quite a long stint, but in the UK, we get four weeks’ holiday a year, so I was able to rest. I’d love to have a crack at Elphaba over here. God, yeah!”

“My husband, Guy [Retallack] directed me in the first UK tour of Tommy, and we got together six months after the tour. He’s minding our son [18-month-old] Benjamin at the moment, and Barney, our Jack Russell, is here with us. We’ve been to every swing park in New York!”

“When I heard the [Last Ship concept] album, I related to the music instantly. It’s got that Celtic-y, working class, earthy vibe, and that’s what Belfast is. I actually feel like I’ve come full circle. It’s like I’m home again, even though I’m halfway around the world.”