Catherine Russell | |
|---|---|
 Catherine Russell at the 2016 Broadway in Bryant Park | |
| Born | 1956 (age 67–68) |
| Alma mater | Cornell University |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1980–present |
Catherine Russell (born 1956) is an American stage actress, professor, general manager, and producer.
Russell made her Off-Broadway debut in 1980 as Nicola Davies in Stephen Poliakoff's City Sugar. She has since appeared Off-Broadway in productions such as Miss Shumann's Quartet, A Resounding Twinkle, The Award And Other Plays and Creeps. In New York, she has taken on roles such as Masha in Three Sisters , Rose in Incommunicado, Edie in Lunch Girls, Missy in Home on the Range, and Cathy Cakes in Inserts. Despite her commitment to Perfect Crime, Russell has managed to make appearances on stage (after 10:30 pm or on her nights off) in Pas de Deux, Stages, Guardian Star, The Queen of the Parting Shot, also by Perfect Crime author Warren Manzi, [1] I'll See You In Hell, by Eric Zaccar [2] and, most recently, Some Enchanted Evening. Additionally, she has been involved in several films including Soundman and Remedy.
She is best known for her remarkable achievement of never having taken a sick or vacation day in the Off-Broadway play Perfect Crime since its opening in 1987. [3] Russell also holds the world record for the most performances as the same character (Margaret Thorne Brent) in that play. [4] Russell's longevity has been covered by People and Entertainment Weekly . She has shared her tips and tricks to her success with Women's Health . [5] She identifies as a Christian Scientist. [6]
Russell teaches at NYU and Baruch College. She is also the general manager of The Theater Center and was an executive producer of The Fantasticks . Additionally she co-produced Piggy Nation the Musical. [7]
The Boy Friend is a musical by Sandy Wilson. Its original 1953 London production ran for 2,078 performances, briefly making it the third-longest running musical in West End or Broadway history until they were all surpassed by Salad Days. The Boy Friend marked Julie Andrews' American stage debut.
Mamma Mia! is a jukebox musical written by British playwright Catherine Johnson, based on songs recorded by Swedish group ABBA and composed by members Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus. The musical's title is taken from the group's 1975 chart-topper "Mamma Mia". Ulvaeus and Andersson were involved in the development of the show from the beginning, while singer Anni-Frid Lyngstad was involved financially in the production and also appeared at many of the premieres around the world.
Mame is a musical with a book by Jerome Lawrence and Robert Edwin Lee and music and lyrics by Jerry Herman. Originally titled My Best Girl, it is based on the 1955 novel Auntie Mame by Patrick Dennis and the 1956 Broadway play of the same name by Lawrence and Lee. A period piece set in New York City and spanning the Great Depression and World War II, it focuses on eccentric bohemian Mame Dennis, whose famous motto is "Life is a banquet and most poor sons of bitches are starving to death." Her fabulous life with her wealthy friends is interrupted when the young son of her late brother arrives to live with her. They cope with the Depression in a series of adventures.
Jubilee is a musical comedy with a book by Moss Hart and music and lyrics by Cole Porter. It premiered on Broadway in 1935 to rapturous reviews. Inspired by the recent Silver Jubilee of George V of Great Britain, the story is of the royal family of a fictional European country. Several of its songs, especially "Begin the Beguine" and "Just One of Those Things", became independently popular and have become part of the American Songbook.
Alice in Wonderland is a 1976 American erotic musical comedy film loosely based on Lewis Carroll's 1865 book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. The film expands the original story to include sex and broad adult humor, as well as original songs. The film was directed by Bud Townsend, produced by William Osco, and written by Bucky Searles, based on a concept by Jason Williams.
Jenna Russell is an English actress and singer. She has appeared on the stage in London in both musicals and dramas, as well as appearing with the Royal Shakespeare Company. She performed the role of Dot in Sunday in the Park with George in the West End and on Broadway, receiving the Tony Award nomination and the 2006 Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her role. She has also appeared in several television series, including Born and Bred and EastEnders.
Jeff Blumenkrantz is an American actor, composer and lyricist.
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes is a musical with a book by Joseph Fields and Anita Loos, lyrics by Leo Robin, and music by Jule Styne, based on the best-selling 1925 novel of the same name by Loos. The story involves an American woman's voyage to Paris to perform in a nightclub.
Valerie Smaldone is an American radio host, voice artist, actress, director, producer, and media personality. A five-time Billboard Magazine Award- winner, she is known for hosting the #1 on-air position in the New York radio market as the midday host of WLTW. Smaldone has been a PBS host and interviewer for WNET, WLIW, NJTV, and other public television stations, and a featured reporter on ABC for the Columbus Day Parade. She was the host, producer and founder of the Broadway and food-themed talk radio program and podcast “Bagels and Broadway with Valerie Smaldone.”
The Theater Center is an off-Broadway theater on 50th Street in Manhattan, New York City. It has two stages.
Perfect Crime is a 1987 murder mystery/thriller play by Warren Manzi. It tells the story of Margaret Thorne Brent, a Connecticut psychiatrist and potential cold-blooded killer who may have committed "the perfect crime." When her wealthy husband, W. Harrison Brent, turns up dead, she gets caught in the middle of a terrifying game of cat and mouse with her deranged patient, Lionel McAuley, and Inspector Ascher, the handsome but duplicitous investigator assigned to the case.
KO, formerly known as Karen Olivo, is an American stage and television actor, theater educator, and singer.
Halley Feiffer is an American actress, playwright and television writer, known for her award-winning plays I'm Gonna Pray for You So Hard, Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Gynecologic Oncology Unit at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center of New York City, and for showrunning and writing the entire season of American Horror Story: Delicate starring Emma Roberts and Kim Kardashian.
Andy Sandberg is an American director, writer, actor, and producer. A 2005 graduate of Yale College, his Off-Broadway directing credits include Straight, Application Pending, Shida, Craving for Travel, Operation Epsilon, and The Last Smoker in America. He is also known as a producer of the Broadway (2009) and West End (2010) revivals of the musical Hair.
Jackie Burns is an American actress and singer best known for her work in musical theatre.
King Kong is a musical with music by Marius de Vries, lyrics by Michael Mitnick and Craig Lucas, a book by Lucas and additional musical and lyrical contributions by 3D, Sarah McLachlan, Guy Garvey, Justice and The Avalanches. It is based on the 1933 film of the same name. The original production was mounted in Australia in 2013. A re-worked Broadway production premiered in October 2018.
Warren Michael Manzi was an American playwright and actor, who was best known for the play Perfect Crime, the longest running play in New York City's history.
Kate Morgan Chadwick is an American actress, singer, film producer and writer whose work includes roles in Hail, Caesar! (2016), Rated (2016), Bed (2016) and Oh, Baby! (2020).
Sarah Jane Nelson is an American actress, singer and songwriter from Little Rock, Arkansas. She is known for her Broadway and off-Broadway productions, as well as in more recent years her singer/songwriter career. Nelson's original song "Reap What You Sow" was featured on “5 Songs You Need to Hear” by Wide Open Country.
Adrianna Hicks is a musical theatre actress known for originating the roles of Catherine of Aragon in the Broadway production of SIX and Sugar in the musical adaptation of Some Like It Hot. She has also appeared in Aladdin and The Color Purple, the latter of which marked her Broadway debut.
