Hughes’ first principal theatre role was in ''
The Who's Tommy, playing the Acid Queen at the Shaftesbury Theatre in 1996. She followed this up by playing Donna Douglas in The Goodbye Girl at the Albery Theatre, and then Lola in Damn Yankees'' at the
Adelphi Theatre, playing opposite Jerry Lewis. From 1998 to 1999, Hughes starred as Velma Kelly in the West End revival of
Chicago at the Adelphi Theatre, taking up the role from
Ute Lemper. Hughes’ other leading roles in the West End include Zarita in
Simply Heavenly at the Trafalgar Studios and
Fosse at the Prince of Wales Theatre, for which she received her first
Laurence Olivier Award nomination for Best Actress in a Musical. Her most recent West End performance was playing Bess in Sir Trevor Nunn's
The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess, between November 2006 and June 2007, for which she was again nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical. Other theatre roles have included Yum Yum in
The Hot Mikado at the Watermill Theatre, Newbury; Bloody Mary in
South Pacific at the Grange Park Opera;
Follow My Leader, a satirical political revue written by Alistair Beaton, at the Birmingham Rep and the Hampstead Theatre; Zarita in
Simply Heavenly at the Young Vic; The Lady in
Blues In The Night at the Birmingham Rep; ''
Ain't Misbehavin' at Derby Playhouse; Helene in Sweet Charity at the Churchill Theatre, Bromley and Notes Across a Small Pond'' at the Bridewell Theatre. In the summer of 2014, Hughes again played the role of Bess in
Porgy and Bess, this time at the
Regent's Park Open Air Theatre, London. The production ran from 17 July to 23 August. In 2015, Hughes joined the cast of the
Sky One show
Mount Pleasant for Series 5, playing Jenna. In February 2022, she starred in
Gypsy as Rose Hovick at the
Alexandra Palace Theatre. In 2024, Hughes played the role of Sarah in the musical
Opening Night alongside
Sheridan Smith at the
Gielgud Theatre in
London's
West End directed by
Ivo van Hove. ==References==