Lauren Kennedy

American actress

Lauren Kennedy
At Broadway in Bryant Park, July 23, 2009
Born	(1973-09-03) September 3, 1973 (age 50)^[1] Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S.
Education	University of Cincinnati (BFA)
Occupation(s)	Actress, singer
Years active	1980s–present

Lauren Kennedy (born September 3, 1973)^[1] is an American actress and singer who has performed numerous times on Broadway. She is now the producing artistic director of Theatre Raleigh in her home state of North Carolina.

Education

Kennedy was born and raised in Raleigh, North Carolina and graduated from Needham Broughton High School in 1991.^[2]^[3] She started acting at the North Carolina Theatre while in high school. Kennedy attended the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music^[4] where she pursued a B.F.A. in Musical Theatre. She left school at the age of 19, when she was cast in the 1993 Los Angeles production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Sunset Boulevard,^[2]^[5] After a nine-month run, she moved to New York for the musical's 1994 Broadway opening.^[2]

Career

Kennedy frequently appeared in the original cast of the short-lived Side Show as the standby for Emily Skinner. She has also starred in Monty Python's Spamalot on Broadway as a replacement for the Lady of the Lake. She has been seen on Broadway in Les Misérables, Sunset Boulevard with Glenn Close, Side Show, and Cinderella with the New York City Opera. She originated the role of Cathy in Jason Robert Brown's The Last Five Years in its Chicago premiere, but opted to do South Pacific at the National Theatre in London instead of following the show Off-Broadway (she was replaced by Sherie Rene Scott). In 2004, she starred as Emma Carew in the concert-style version of Jekyll & Hyde – The Musical entitled Resurrection, opposite Kate Shindle and Rob Evan. However, she left the tour before it concluded, to be replaced by Brandi Burkhardt, who is heard on the recording of the tour.^{[citation needed]}

In 2005, Kennedy starred in the world premiere of Frank Wildhorn & Jack Murphy's Waiting for the Moon, as Zelda Fitzgerald, which took place in Marlton, NJ.^[6] She was nominated for a Barrymore Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical. In 2006, Kennedy played the role of Princess Nefertari in The Ten Commandments: The Musical opposite Val Kilmer. From 2007 through 2009, Lauren has worked actively with the new Wildhorn / Murphy musical Wonderland: Alice's New Musical Adventure.^{[citation needed]}

She released two solo albums on PS Classics, an album of Jason Robert Brown material entitled Songs of Jason Robert Brown, and an album dedicated to new musical writers, titled Here and Now.^{[citation needed]}

Kennedy starred in the musical Vanities at the Pasadena Playhouse, in California from August to September 2008. She then followed the musical to its Off-Broadway venue Second Stage Theatre.^[7]

Lauren is the artistic director of Theatre Raleigh, a theatre company in Raleigh, North Carolina.^[8]

She portrayed Diana Goodman, a mother struggling with bipolar disorder, in the North Carolina Theatre's 2015 production of Next to Normal.^[9]

Theatre credits

Broadway

Monty Python's Spamalot – The Lady of the Lake (First Replacement) (2006–2007)
Les Misérables – Fantine (2002–2003)
Side Show – Daisy Hilton (Standby for Emily Skinner) (1997)
Sunset Boulevard – Mary/1st Masseuse, understudy for Betty Schaeffer (under Alice Ripley) (1994–1995)

Off-Broadway

Good Ol' Girls – Several roles, leading actress (2010)
Vanities, A New Musical – Mary (2009)

West End

South Pacific – Ensign Nellie Forbush (2001–02), National Theatre

Regional stage

9 to 5 – Violet Newstead (2021), North Carolina Theatre
Mamma Mia! – Donna Sheridan (2019), North Carolina Theatre
Big Fish – Sandra Templeton Bloom (2018), Theatre Raleigh
The Mystery of Edwin Drood – Miss Alice Nutting/Edwin Drood (2016), Theatre Raleigh
Next to Normal – Diana Goodman (2015), North Carolina Theatre
Parade – Lucille Frank (2014), Theatre Raleigh
Les Misérables – Fantine (2014), North Carolina Theatre
August: Osage County – Karen Weston (2012), Theatre Raleigh
Zelda: An American Love Story – Zelda Fitzgerald (2012), The Flat Rock Playhouse, Flat Rock, North Carolina
Into the Woods – The Witch (2012), Westport Country Playhouse, Westport, Connecticut
Evita – Eva Perón (2011), North Carolina Theatre
Violet – Violet Karl (2011), Theatre Raleigh
Evita – Eva Perón (2011), Casa Mañana, Fort Worth, Texas^[10]^[11]^[12]
1776 – Martha Jefferson (2009), Paper Mill Playhouse, Millburn, New Jersey
Annie Get Your Gun – Annie Oakley (2008), North Carolina Theatre
Lone Star Love – Agnes Ford (2007), Seattle, Washington
Frank Wildhorn's Waiting for the Moon – Zelda Fitzgerald (Marlton, NJ, Lenape Performing Arts Center) (2005) (World premiere)
Beauty and the Beast – Belle (2005), North Carolina Theatre
The Ten Commandments: The Musical – Nefertari (2004), Los Angeles, Kodak Theatre
Jekyll & Hyde – Emma Carew (Marlton, NJ, Lenape Performing Arts Center, and Mohegan Sun, CT) (2004)
Breakfast at Tiffany's – Holly Golightly (2004), St. Louis, MUNY)
The Last Five Years – Cathy (2001), Chicago
The Rhythm Club – Petra (2000), Washington, D.C.
White Christmas – Judy Haines, (2000), St. Louis, MUNY
Hot Shoe Shuffle – Maddy(Theatre Under the Stars, Houston)
Sunset Boulevard – Mary/1st Masseuse, understudy for Betty Schaeffer (under Judy Kuhn) (1993–1994) (Los Angeles)
Good News – Corda (1993), Wichita, Kansas

Tour

Sunset Boulevard – Betty Schaeffer (1995–1997)

Film

The Ten Commandments: The Musical

Discography

Good Ol' Girls: Original Off-Broadway Cast Recording
Vanities, A New Musical: Original Off-Broadway Cast Recording^[13]
Lauren Kennedy: Here and Now (solo album)
Lauren Kennedy: Songs of Jason Robert Brown (first solo CD)
The Ten Commandments: The Musical World Premiere at Kodak Theatre, DVD
Dracula: The Musical: Concept Recording
I Sing, the new musical: Original Cast Recording
South Pacific: 2002 Royal National Theatre Recording
Side Show: Original Broadway Cast Recording
Sunset Boulevard: Original Cast Recording
Good News!
This Ordinary Thursday, The Music of Georgia Stitt^[14]
Life Upon the Wicked S.T.A.G.E: A Tribute to Jerome Kern
Paul Simon.^[15]

References

^ ^a ^b "Hot Summer Nights at the Kennedy". CVNC.org. August 17, 2005. 31-year-old Lauren Kennedy
^ ^a ^b ^c "North Carolinians in New York: Lauren Kennedy". Metro Magazine. Raleigh, North Carolina. September 2003. Archived from the original on March 20, 2006.
^ "Lauren Kennedy: Biography". Hollywood.com. Archived from the original on October 4, 2012. Retrieved September 13, 2011.
^ "UC alumni currently or recently on Broadway". UC Magazine. University of Cincinnati.
^ Rosati, Nancy (December 2, 2002). "An Interview with Lauren Kennedy". Talkin' Broadway.
^ Jones, Kenneth (July 15, 2005). "First Performance of Waiting for the Moon, Frank Wildhorn's New Musical, Bumped to July 17". Playbill.com. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
^ Hernandez, Ernio (July 2, 2009). "Three Cheers: New Musical Vanities Begins Off-Broadway Run July 2". Playbill.
^ "Staff". TheatreRaleigh.com. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
^ McDowell, Robert W. (May 1, 2015). "In "Next to Normal" at NCT, Lauren Kennedy Plays a Mother Struggling with Bipolar Disorder". triangleartsandentertainment.org. Archived from the original on May 11, 2015. Retrieved November 12, 2017.
^ Evita at Casa Mañana, February 5 – 13, 2011 Archived 2011-02-16 at the Wayback Machine
^ "Video: Lauren Kennedy – The star of Casa Mañana's Evita on revisiting the role and being a working actress in New York". TheaterJones.com. February 5, 2011. Archived from the original on February 13, 2011.
^ Hetrick, Adam (February 5, 2011). "'What's New Buenos Aires?': Lauren Kennedy Is Evita for Casa Mañana Starting Feb. 5". Playbill.com. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
^ Zielinski, Peter James (August 22, 2009). "Photo Coverage: Off-Broadway's 'VANITIES' Heads To Legacy Studios For Original Cast Recording". BroadwayWorld.com.
^ "This Ordinary Thursday". GeorgiaStitt.com.
^ LaurenKennedy.com: Music. Official site.