Payne initially trained as a musician, and studied music at
Durham University. She was offered a part in a musical, and within two years she received a Best Actress of the Year in a Musical
Olivier Award nomination for creating the role of Lina Lamont in ''
Singin' in the Rain'' (1983) at London's
Palladium Theatre. She returned to that theatre in 1985 in the title role of pantomime
Cinderella. Her major theatre credits also include such shows as
The Rocky Horror Show (1979),
Barnum (1981),
Cricket (1986),
The Mystery of Edwin Drood (1987),
Risky Kisses (1990),
The Marriage of Figaro (1991),
Showtune (1998, then titled
The Best of Times),
High Spirits (2001), and
Follies (2006). She also appeared in the 1985
Royal Variety Performance. Payne sings on the 1986 studio cast recording of the concept musical
Josephine, and on the 1992 London concert album of
Nine. She sang Donna Elvira in
Don Giovanni at the
Greenwich Theatre in 1990. ==References==