Former Sugababe Jade Ewen is suing Walt Disney for over £200,000, claiming she damaged her vocal cords trying to be heard over her ‘very loud’ co-star while playing Princess Jasmine in the West End musical Aladdin.
Miss Ewen, 34, was starring as the female lead in the popular musical in 2017 when she claims she sustained serious vocal damage trying to sing loudly during ‘A Whole New World’ and other duets.
It is claimed that in the show, which is based on Walt Disney’s hit 1992 movie, her co-star Matthew Croke struggled to harmonise if he could hear any other voices and so sang ‘very loudly’.
In a lawsuit the 34-year-old claims this led to her being drowned out on stage, meaning she had to sing with a dangerously raised voice.
The singer, who recently appeared in Netflix drama Luis Miguel where she played the role of Mariah Carey, says the damage caused by straining to hear herself meant she had to spend her days off in silence to save her voice for her performances.
She was later diagnosed with vocal cord lesions and a vascular polyp and, although treatment fixed the problems, she claims to continue to suffer from career-damaging anxiety.
Jade Ewen, left, pictured with her Aladdin co-star Matthew Croke. A lawsuit claims Miss Ewen began to suffer from vocal problems after Mr Croke was cast in the show in 2017
The West End star joined Aladdin in the role of Princess Jasmine in 2016, but claims she began to suffer problems when performing the duets ‘A Million Miles Away’ and ‘A Whole New World’ with Mr Croke
Miss Ewen, pictured here during the curtain call of Aladdin, says she developed vocal cord lesions, a vascular polyp and career-damaging anxiety as a result
She is now suing the Walt Disney Company Ltd for more than £200,000 compensation at Central London County Court, claiming the injury led to her foregoing offers of lucrative West End work.
The American media giant denies liability and is set to fight Miss Ewen’s damages claim in a five-day trial, pointing out that Mr Croke was an ‘experienced and accomplished’ stage performer.
According to court documents, Miss Ewen had been cast as ‘Princess Jasmine’ in the popular musical at the Prince Edward Theatre, in Old Compton Street, from April 2016.
The singer, originally from Plaistow, east London, initially had no problems and claims that issues only began when the original male lead was replaced by West End star Matthew Croke in June 2017.
Her barrister, Tom Nossiter, says the problems arose when singing face-to-face duets – ‘A Million Miles Away’ and ‘A Whole New World’ – with her co-star close to her.
‘Matthew Croke found it difficult to keep harmony if he could hear anyone else singing,’ says the barrister.
The 34-year-old (left), pictured here with her former Sugababes bandmates in 2009, says she had to have surgery to fix the issues which developed after performing in Aladdin
Miss Ewen can currently be seen paying the role of Mariah Carey in Netflix series Luis Miguel, a dramatisation of the life of the famous Mexican singer
‘To compensate for this, during the duets he sang very loudly so that he could not hear the claimant’s voice.
‘Mr Croke was six foot one inch tall compared to the claimant’s height of five feet two inches.
‘This meant Mr Croke’s mouth was positioned at broadly the height of the claimant’s forehead microphone when he was singing the duets with her.
‘Due to Mr Croke’s very loud singing voice and his position in relation to the claimant’s microphone, during the duets his voice was picked up by the claimant’s microphone.
‘This caused the claimant’s voice to be ‘drowned out’ so that she could not hear herself when singing at a volume which was comfortable for her.
‘The claimant was forced, repeatedly during the eight performances per week, over a period of about 18 months, to sing at a louder volume and with greater strength than was comfortable and/or safe for her.
‘Her vocal cords were placed under strain, increasing the risk of damage being caused to her vocal cords.
‘Further, there was something of a vicious circle in that the louder she sang, the louder Matthew Croke sang over her.’
The barrister claimed that Miss Ewen complained on ‘many’ occasions about the sound mix on stage and being drowned out, but was told to ‘sing louder.’
‘From about March 2018, the claimant began to experience symptoms of recurrent hoarseness, discomfort and imbalance in her singing voice,’ he says.
In the lawsuit the singer and actress says she ‘felt a ‘pop’ and the quality of her voice subsequently had a ‘cracking’ or ‘frying’ sound to it and she was unable to reach her upper register’.
Miss Ewen, pictured here at a press event for Motowne the Musical, says her bosses had failed to act on her complaints and should have provided in-ear monitors so she could hear her own voice
‘To be able to perform satisfactorily in the shows, she started having to take enforced breaks from speaking and singing and to spend her days off in complete silence.
‘Thereafter, she experienced an acute event while singing when she felt a ‘pop’ and the quality of her voice subsequently had a ‘cracking’ or ‘frying’ sound to it and she was unable to reach her upper register.’
She tried to continue performing with vocal warmups and using a nebuliser, but in January 2019 sought medical treatment and did not perform in the show again.
‘The damage was successfully treated by two surgical procedures during 2019 and the prognosis is good, so long as the claimant adheres to good vocal hygiene and avoids working in unhealthy acoustic environments again,’ her barrister continued.
‘She also suffered from anxiety and panic symptoms around her voice and career, which have abated since successful treatment.
‘She has suffered a psychological reaction in that she experiences anxiety regarding performing in roles in musical theatre as a result of the aforesaid injuries.
‘This has caused her to turn down offers of lucrative contracts in musical theatre, resulting in significant loss of earnings.’
Miss Ewen’s lawyers claim that Disney was negligent in failing to undertake an adequate risk assessment and failing to make sure the sound system was suitable.
Her bosses had also failed to act on her complaints and should have provided in-ear monitors so she could hear her own voice, it is claimed.
In Disney’s defence to the claim, barrister Jonathan Bellamy says it is normal in the West End for performers not to have in-ear monitors to hear their voices.
Her co-star was also an ‘experienced and accomplished performer’ and it is denied that he ‘could not blend or mix his voice with the claimant’s and/or hold a harmony unless he could hear only his voice.’
The company also denies that Miss Ewen was forced to sing loudly because she was being drowned out, noting that she was also aware of the ‘demanding schedule’ of eight shows a week.
The star, pictured here at gala night for Pretty Woman: The Musical, is suing Disney for £200,000. The company denies liability and will take the case to trial
‘The defendant avers that the vocal demands made on the claimant during the performance of her role as ‘Princess Jasmine’…and the schedule of performances were typical of the demands made of leading performers in West End musical theatre,’ he says.
‘It is denied that at any time during the pleaded period the claimant complained or warned the defendant, if such was the case, that a ‘strain was being placed on her voice’.
‘It is averred that during the pleaded period the claimant did not inform or warn the defendant that, if such were the case, she was experiencing the pleaded symptoms or refraining from speaking or singing when not in the production at the theatre.
‘The defendant denies any negligence or breach of statutory duty.
‘The defendant denies that any proven negligence or breach of statutory duty caused or contributed to the condition of the claimant’s voice and/or injury to her vocal cords and/or mental health and/or her ability to sing the role of Princess Jasmine in Aladdin in West End musical theatre.’
Miss Ewen (left), pictured here with the other members of the Sugababes Amelle Berrabah (centre) and Heidi Range (right). Despite wanting to get back into singing, Miss Ewan doesn’t see a Sugababes reunion on the horizon
Miss Ewen originally made her name by finishing fifth in the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest, singing the Andrew Lloyd Webber/Diane Warren penned ‘It’s My Time’.
She replaced Keisha Buchanan in the group Sugababes in September 2009, going on to achieve two UK top 10 singles and a top 15 album before the group disbanded in 2011.
She made her West End debut in 2015, before playing Princess Jasmine as part of the original cast of Disney’s production of Aladdin in 2016.
Her case reached court for a pre-trial hearing dealing with the lawyers’ bills for the case, which is expected to be decided by Judge David Saunders in a week-long trial at a later date.
