Angela Ayers

After spending many years in Australia, 70's pop favourite Angela Ayers has returned to NZ

Star of 1970's television musical shows such as Happen Inn and Sing, Angela was a household favourite before heading off across the Tasman. She has continued to sing on her return as well as act - most notably in the theatre show "Menopause - the Musical"

 

Angela Ayers, an icon in the entertainment industry throughout Australia and New Zealand became the golden girl of New Zealand television through her regular appearances with Peter Sinclair and Craig Scott in the musical TV shows Happen Inn and Sing. By her early 20’s she had 2 hit records and had become a household name. This led to her being voted “New Zealand’s Queen of Television” and “Most Popular Female Artist.”
 
Shortly after moving to Australia, she won the plum role of Maggie in A Chorus Line subsequently winning the only scholarship the New York Shakespearian Festival Trust had ever awarded to study Jazz/Ballet in Los Angeles.
A steady stream of significant roles in the musical theatre circuit kept her in Australia throughout the 1980’s including West Side Story, The Rocky Horror Show, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat ,Cabaret, Chicago and Guys and Dolls with Anthony Warlow and the late Ricky May.
 
In the late 1980’s Angela had moved to London but was lured back to Australia by producer Gordon Frost to star in the Australian National Tour of Jerry’s Girls with Marcia Hines, Judi Connelli and Jeannie Little.
 
In 1998 she wrote and conceived her own one-woman cabaret style show entitled "I Can Cook Too" performing with the legendary Australian jazz piano great Ray Alldridge. This show worked all over Australia receiving rave reviews such as “Nevermind that she can cook, this woman can really sing cabaret, Ayers has a rich and true voice, her technique is polished and her articulation is superb.”
(The Sun Herald, Australia,).
 
In a career of many highlights, Angela rates one of the most memorable as being given the honor of performing the New Zealand National Anthem at the Bledisloe Cup match played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground to a record rugby union crowd of 90,000 (a viewing audience of 1 billion!). In a letter of thanks, Producer Kerrie Hayes said “Your stirring rendition had them on their feet for the duration.”
 
Angela has appeared on all variety television shows in Australia such as The Midday Show with Kerrie-Anne Kennerly, The Ray Martin Show, The Mike Walsh Show, Don Lane Show, Good Morning Australia with Bert Newton, Hey Hey it’s Saturday and The Two Ronnie’s Specials.
 
She has graced the stage with some of the great names in the entertainment industry ….some being the late and great Sammy Davis Jnr, Peter Allen and Ronnie Barker.
 
Since returning to New Zealand, Angela has played leading roles in 42nd St, Rush, Jerry’s Girls, Joseph and the internationally acclaimed play Mums the Word.
 
Other television credits include The Spin Doctors, Mercy Peak, Shortland St and singing with her daughter Elle on Christmas in the Park to over 200,000 people.
 
Most recently Angela finished starring in the hilarious hit show Menopause the Musical which had a 6 month stint in Brisbane before a fantastic run of 19 weeks at the Civic in Auckland.