Willemijn Verkaik

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Willemijn Verkaik, born 16 June 1975 in Son en Breugel, Netherlands, is a Dutch singer and actress known for big musical theatre roles. She is famous for playing Elphaba in Wicked in three languages and more than 2,000 performances, and for Elisabeth on stage. She also voices Elsa in the Dutch and German singing parts of Disney’s Frozen.

Verkaik started by singing in pop bands before turning to musical theatre around 2001. Her breakthrough came with Elisabeth (2006). She played Elphaba in Wicked in Stuttgart (2007), in the Dutch production (2011–2013), on Broadway (2013), and in the West End (2013–2014, with a return in 2017). Other major roles include Donna in Mamma Mia! (2013); Paulina and later Pepa in Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (2014–2015, 2019); Kala in Tarzan (2015–2016); Molly in Ghost – Das Musical (2017–2018); Sloane in Bat Out of Hell (2018–2019); Mrs. Hannigan in Annie (2019–2020); Mrs. Danvers in Rebecca (2022–2023); Elsa in Frozen (Germany, 2023); and Anne Hathaway in & Juliet (Hamburg, 2024). She then returned to Frozen, with her last Elsa performance on 29 September 2024.

Her other work includes voicing Erica in the Dutch version of Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper (2004) and Lydia in Barbie & the Diamond Castle (2008). She performed the song Into the Unknown with Idina Menzel and other Elsa dubbers at the 92nd Academy Awards in 2020.

Verkaik grew up near Eindhoven and studied at the Rotterdam Conservatory. She is married to musician Bart van Hoof.