Coaching West End leads in musical theatre - Claire Underwood on Les Mis, Hamilton, Cabaret & more

Send us Fan Mail How do actors and singers deal with performing in long-running shows? And what is the role of a vocal coach - is vocal technique only part of the puzzle? In this episode of This Is A Voice, we sit down with Claire Underwood — the vocal coach behind Hamilton, Les Misérables, Cabaret, Phantom of the Opera and more in London's West End — to explore: 🎭 How top-level singers stay healthy in high-pressure roles 🎶 Why individuality matters more than copy-pasting a “perfect sound” 🧠 How mindset, belief, and identity impact performance 🗣️ The difference between coaching actors vs. singers 💡 Why the singing isn’t the goal — the storytelling is. Three high-level vocal coaches, all with West End clients, sharing thoughts on how to support professional performers in musical theatre. 00:00 Claire Underwood’s amazing resume 02:21 A holistic approach 04:11 Finding themselves in the role 05:47 Reinventing a long-running show 07:32 Is there an industry sound? 10:06 Individuality moving from drama student to professional 12:22 Earning the sounds your character makes 14:54 Dealing with conflicting advice in the show 16:12 Why quick fixes might not work 18:36 It’s not my job to… 20:35 Taking over a long-running role 24:21 Working with actors not known for singing 27:51 Difference between actor and singer mentalities 29:41 When “singing” isn’t the goal Whether you're a professional singer, vocal coach, choir leader, or musician supporting performers, this is a must-watch for anyone serious about thriving in this industry without losing their voice — or themselves. 🎧 Watch the full episode now and find out what’s really going on behind the scenes: 👉 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVe-7G6hitI #MusicalTheatre #VocalCoach #ProfessionalSingers #SingingTeacher #VoiceTraining #PerformerMindset #ChoirDirector #MusicIndustry #StorytellingThroughSong #cabaretmusical  Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and hit the bell icon for more insightful episodes. Leave a comment below on what inspired you the most! 👇 You can find out about our Teacher Accreditation for singing teachers, vocal coaches and choir leaders and start your own journey here  https://vocalprocess.co.uk/teacher-accreditation/ We've also got this ↓  For the best self-guided learning, check out the Vocal Process Learning Lounge - 22 years of vocal coaching resources (over 600 videos) for less than the price of one private singing lesson.  Click on the link https://vocalprocess.co.uk/learning-lounge/learning-lounge-level-2-deep-dive/   If you want to discover if our singing teacher training programme works for YOU, message us - we can share the process for joining Cohort26. https://www.cognitoforms.com/VocalProcess1/TheAccreditationProgramme  Get the One Minute Voice Warmup app here, it's got a 4.9star rating  Appstore https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/one-minute-voice-warmup/id1212802251  Google Play https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=co.speechtools.warmup&hl=en_GB     Check out our Voice Journal, written with Rayvox's Oren Boder https://www.rayvox.co.uk/products/voice-journal?ref=VOCALPROCESS    Find us - follow us on the socials!  🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/Vocalprocess    📸 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/vocalprocess   📖 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/vocalprocess  #vocalprocess #teacheraccreditation #voicetraining