Chelsea has always been a natural comic with a powerhouse voice, but it’s her ability as an actor to use silence and pathos alongside her trademark timing that has her hit the heights as Margaret.
The Light In The Piazza, Julie Houghton, Classic Melbourne
For an audience to fully appreciate a song and its subtext, the singer must have the intellect and generosity of spirit to allow the audience inside her life, to endure, share and enjoy with her its ups and downs. Chelsea Plumley is one of the rare artists able to achieve this.
Chelsea Plumley In Concert, Helen Matthews, The West Australian
She connects with honesty, stuns with sudden turns into melancholy…and exhilarates with laughter.
Angel In Training, Elizabeth Ahlfors, Cabaret Scenes New York
Chelsea Plumley is an Australian musical theatre and cabaret performer, television actor, producer, writer, musician, host, musical director, piano bar entertainer, singing and masterclass teacher. Plumley is a five-time Green Room Award nominated musical theatre actress. Starring roles include Deidre Chambers in Muriel’s Wedding the Musical, Margaret Johnson in The Light in the Piazza, Mrs Johnstone in Blood Brothers, Betty in Sunset Boulevard, Vivien in Life’s A Circus, Lalume in Kismet, Marge MacDougall in Promises Promises, Miss Adelaide in Guys & Dolls, Gabby/Bobbi in City of Angels, Amy in Company, Rizzo in Grease, Lyn in Breast Wishes and Jolene in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.
Plumley’s television appearances include seven seasons as the Queen of the Fairies in Channel Nine’s children’s television program, William and Sparkles’ Magical Tales, the role of Rachel in Channel Ten’s Offspring, ABC's The Ex PM starring Shaun Micallef and guest coach and accompanist on the Channel Ten series, I Will Survive.
Over an eighteen year period, Plumley has hosted the worldwide phenomenon Sing-A-Long-A Sound of Music across Australia and emceed numerous other corporate, charity and carols events.
Her first one-woman show, Chelsea Plumley in Concert, debuted at the Sydney Opera House in 2000. New York followed with rave reviews (“Snappy piano playing and a powerhouse voice”..."extraordinary way with comedy") and a five-city tour of India distinguishing Plumley as the first Australian cabaret artist to conquer the Himalayas! In 2003, after hosting and starring in the prestigious Sydney Cabaret Convention, Plumley toured Live & Luscious to huge critical acclaim and received a coveted GLUG award for “Most Versatile Performance”.
In the summer of 2004, Plumley released her debut solo album, Live & Luscious, garnering exquisite accolades. Plumley’s other numerous recordings include the original cast albums of Life’s A Circus, Breast Wishes, Welcome to The Inside Of Ed’s Head and Chair And The Landscape.
Later that year, Plumley moved to London where she resided for four years with her husband, James Roche - Multi ARIA Award-Winning Producer and Artist of Australian band, Bachelor Girl.
Whilst based in London, Plumley’s reputation for versatility was well earned. She made her UK cabaret debut in Live & Luscious; she was the West End correspondent for Australian radio program Broadway@Bedtime on Joy Melbourne 94.9fm; she traveled internationally with opera/musical theatre act Incognito Artists; she was invited to produce and perform at the Showcase of Australian Talent for the Australia Day Foundation securing fellow Australian talent - Tim Minchin, Delta Goodrem, Nina Ferro and Simon Gleeson - for the event; she regularly hosted and performed cabaret evenings at the Cellardoor on The Strand, Soho Revue Bar and The Lost Society; she performed her unique comedic cabaret at the behest of renowned peer, Lord Kirkham; she appeared in the short film Angel which opened at the historic Curzon Cinema in Soho; she starred as Red in the musical production Everything's F***Ed and, in her capacity as piano bar pianist and singer, Plumley gigged in some of London’s top hotels including the Ritz, the Dorchester, the Millennium Mayfair and the Churchill.
In 2007, she took time out from her UK commitments to unveil her new one-woman show, Gorgeous, to Sydney and Melbourne audiences.
Plumley returned to live in Australia permanently mid-2008 and accepted a position as Musical Director for the Victorian College of the Arts’ production of The Boy From Oz. She has since musically directed four productions of Thomas the Tank Engine and the Hidden Treasure with seasons in Singapore, Hong Kong, Dubai and Melbourne.
Plumley has been teaching voice and audition preparation for over twenty-five years, helping many aspiring actors train their voices and hone their skills for professional engagements. In addition, she is an enthusiastic Master Teacher, conducting master classes and workshops in universities and drama schools all over the world. As a répétiteur, Plumley has been the classical accompanist for Gilbert and Sullivan’s Trial By Jury at the West Australian Conservatorium and for internationally acclaimed corporate group, The Three Waiters. In 2017, she launched her new masterclass, Being Your Character, in Sydney and Melbourne and in 2018, she unveiled ZINGALONG - a combo Zumba class and Ensemble Music Call for professional musical theatre performers and graduates.
In 2018, Plumley was producer, actor and assistant director on Bachelor Girl's latest film clip, SPEAK.
Plumley was included in the inaugural edition of the Who’s Who’s of Australian Women in 2006 and has been a proud member of Equity since 1994.
She currently resides in Melbourne with her husband and two young sons, Flynn and Beau.
In December 2020, Plumley will compere six concerts of Love Actually In Concert in Brisbane, Adelaide and Melbourne and host the Yarraville Gardens Carols. Currently in development are two writing projects; her play Beautiful Highness and an 8-part comedy tv series, The Gig.
Plumley’s television appearances include seven seasons as the Queen of the Fairies in Channel Nine’s children’s television program, William and Sparkles’ Magical Tales, the role of Rachel in Channel Ten’s Offspring, ABC's The Ex PM starring Shaun Micallef and guest coach and accompanist on the Channel Ten series, I Will Survive.
Over an eighteen year period, Plumley has hosted the worldwide phenomenon Sing-A-Long-A Sound of Music across Australia and emceed numerous other corporate, charity and carols events.
Her first one-woman show, Chelsea Plumley in Concert, debuted at the Sydney Opera House in 2000. New York followed with rave reviews (“Snappy piano playing and a powerhouse voice”..."extraordinary way with comedy") and a five-city tour of India distinguishing Plumley as the first Australian cabaret artist to conquer the Himalayas! In 2003, after hosting and starring in the prestigious Sydney Cabaret Convention, Plumley toured Live & Luscious to huge critical acclaim and received a coveted GLUG award for “Most Versatile Performance”.
In the summer of 2004, Plumley released her debut solo album, Live & Luscious, garnering exquisite accolades. Plumley’s other numerous recordings include the original cast albums of Life’s A Circus, Breast Wishes, Welcome to The Inside Of Ed’s Head and Chair And The Landscape.
Later that year, Plumley moved to London where she resided for four years with her husband, James Roche - Multi ARIA Award-Winning Producer and Artist of Australian band, Bachelor Girl.
Whilst based in London, Plumley’s reputation for versatility was well earned. She made her UK cabaret debut in Live & Luscious; she was the West End correspondent for Australian radio program Broadway@Bedtime on Joy Melbourne 94.9fm; she traveled internationally with opera/musical theatre act Incognito Artists; she was invited to produce and perform at the Showcase of Australian Talent for the Australia Day Foundation securing fellow Australian talent - Tim Minchin, Delta Goodrem, Nina Ferro and Simon Gleeson - for the event; she regularly hosted and performed cabaret evenings at the Cellardoor on The Strand, Soho Revue Bar and The Lost Society; she performed her unique comedic cabaret at the behest of renowned peer, Lord Kirkham; she appeared in the short film Angel which opened at the historic Curzon Cinema in Soho; she starred as Red in the musical production Everything's F***Ed and, in her capacity as piano bar pianist and singer, Plumley gigged in some of London’s top hotels including the Ritz, the Dorchester, the Millennium Mayfair and the Churchill.
In 2007, she took time out from her UK commitments to unveil her new one-woman show, Gorgeous, to Sydney and Melbourne audiences.
Plumley returned to live in Australia permanently mid-2008 and accepted a position as Musical Director for the Victorian College of the Arts’ production of The Boy From Oz. She has since musically directed four productions of Thomas the Tank Engine and the Hidden Treasure with seasons in Singapore, Hong Kong, Dubai and Melbourne.
Plumley has been teaching voice and audition preparation for over twenty-five years, helping many aspiring actors train their voices and hone their skills for professional engagements. In addition, she is an enthusiastic Master Teacher, conducting master classes and workshops in universities and drama schools all over the world. As a répétiteur, Plumley has been the classical accompanist for Gilbert and Sullivan’s Trial By Jury at the West Australian Conservatorium and for internationally acclaimed corporate group, The Three Waiters. In 2017, she launched her new masterclass, Being Your Character, in Sydney and Melbourne and in 2018, she unveiled ZINGALONG - a combo Zumba class and Ensemble Music Call for professional musical theatre performers and graduates.
In 2018, Plumley was producer, actor and assistant director on Bachelor Girl's latest film clip, SPEAK.
Plumley was included in the inaugural edition of the Who’s Who’s of Australian Women in 2006 and has been a proud member of Equity since 1994.
She currently resides in Melbourne with her husband and two young sons, Flynn and Beau.
In December 2020, Plumley will compere six concerts of Love Actually In Concert in Brisbane, Adelaide and Melbourne and host the Yarraville Gardens Carols. Currently in development are two writing projects; her play Beautiful Highness and an 8-part comedy tv series, The Gig.
