Abigail "Abi" Finley (born 10 September 1982) is an actress and musical theatre performer from Prestwich, Greater Manchester, England,[1] the daughter of a prominent local Jewish performer.[2]
Finley has notably played Fiona in Blondel at the Pleasance Theatre, Islington London and Serena in Fame on a UK national tour. Since landing these leading roles, Finley has been highly praised for her singing voice and acting skills.[3][4] Finley first came to national attention for her appearance on the BBC Reality TV programme How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria? in 2006, where she was known as Tomboy Maria. This was produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber and David Ian to find someone to play Maria von Trapp in The Sound of Music. She appeared on the show with her best friend from college, Aoife Mulholland, and reached the semi-final of the BBC competition; but in a twist of fate she lost out to Mulholland in the sing-off, singing "Any Dream Will Do".[5]