Jason Danieley | |
---|---|
Born | |
Occupation(s) | Actor, singer |
Years active | 1993–present |
Spouse | |
Website | Official website |
Jason D. Danieley (born July 13, 1971) is an American actor, singer, concert performer and recording artist. He was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and was married to fellow performer Marin Mazzie.
Ben Brantley, in a review of Curtains in The New York Times , said Danieley had "the most exquisite tenor on Broadway". [1] After classical voice training at the University of Missouri and Southern Illinois University, [2] Danieley left without graduating and, at the age of 25, made his Broadway debut in the Harold Prince-directed revival of Candide , as the title character. Prince was quoted in The New York Times as saying, "It's unusual in the world of musical theater to find someone who can sing as well as he can act. Mark my words: Jason has an extraordinary future ahead of him." [3]
Danieley appeared Off-Broadway in the musical Hit The Lights! in 1993, but gained recognition in 1996 in Floyd Collins , based on the tragedy of caver Floyd Collins, written by Richard Rodgers’s grandson, Adam Guettel. [4] The musical has a mixture of Appalachian and classical music; [4] Ben Brantley in The New York Times noted that Danieley (with others) was "especially winning". [5]
Danieley starred in the musical The Full Monty , which premiered at the Old Globe Theatre, San Diego, California in June to July 2000. [6] The musical opened on Broadway in October 2000. [7] He appeared in the John Kander and Fred Ebb musical Curtains on Broadway in 2007. [8] Composer John Kander wrote the song "I Miss the Music" specifically for the character that Danieley played in Curtains. [9]
He played Lt. Joseph Cable, in the Emmy nominated concert version of South Pacific , performed at Carnegie Hall in June 2005. [10] The concert was filmed and aired on PBS' Great Performances. He has appeared in London's West End.
Danieley joined Next to Normal on Broadway, replacing Brian d'Arcy James in the role of Dan on July 19, 2010, opposite his wife, Marin Mazzie, who replaced Alice Ripley as Diana. This made them a real-life couple portraying an onstage fictional married couple. [11]
He appeared in the New York City Center Encores! staged concert of Allegro in March 1994 [12] and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn in February 2005. [13]
He appeared in the Williamstown Theatre Festival (Massachusetts) production of The Visit in July and August 2014, and again in 2015, when it transferred to Broadway. [14] He appeared in the Paper Mill Playhouse (Millburn, New Jersey) production of Can-Can as "Aristide" in October 2014. [15]
He appeared in the musical Pretty Woman in Chicago [16] and on Broadway in 2018–2019. [17]
With a score by Stephen Flaherty, lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, a libretto by Frank Galati, Knoxville will premiere at the Asolo Repertory Theatre in spring 2020, based on the Pulitzer Prize winning book A Death in the Family by James Agee and Pulitzer Prize winning play All the Way Home by Tad Mosel. [18] It will star Danieley as Author. [19]
Danieley's career on and Off-Broadway combined with his classical background led to a natural crossover into singing with most of the country's leading symphonies and pops orchestras. A frequent guest artist with Boston, Philadelphia and New York Pops and The San Francisco Symphony [20] he has also appeared with the Los Angeles Philharmonic (at the Hollywood Bowl), St. Louis, Utah, Minnesota and Buffalo Symphonies. Additionally, Danieley and Mazzie appear at smaller venues, such as the Café Carlyle in New York in 2011. [21]
Danieley met his wife, Marin Mazzie, in 1996 in an Off-Broadway play that they performed together titled Trojan Women: A Love Story. [22] Danieley and Mazzie recorded their first album Opposite You on PS Classics, which was released in 2005. [23] Variety in 2002 wrote: "When they sing, the heart seems to beat a little faster... emotional strength to envelop the listener and melt the heart... This is one savvy pair..." [24] The sfgate.com called them "Broadway's golden couple" in 2002. [25]
Danieley launched his solo recording career with the self-titled album Jason Danieley & The Frontier Heroes, combining Americana music from the Great American Songbook and Broadway repertoire. The recording was produced by PS Classics and released in 2008. [26] His other recordings include the cast albums of Curtains, Floyd Collins, Candide, The Full Monty, Dream True, Secondhand Lions, the compilation CDs of Jule Styne in Hollywood, The Stephen Schwartz Album and two Boston Pops albums, A Splash of Pops and My Favorite Things.[ citation needed ]
Jason Danieley was born in St. Louis to Larry and Carole Danieley. He was married to actress Marin Mazzie from October 19, 1997, until her death on September 13, 2018. [27]
Kander and Ebb were a highly successful American songwriting team consisting of composer John Kander and lyricist Fred Ebb. Known primarily for their stage musicals, which include Cabaret and Chicago, Kander and Ebb also scored several movies, including Martin Scorsese's New York, New York. Their most famous song is the theme song of that movie. Recorded by many artists, "New York, New York" became a signature song for Frank Sinatra. The team also became associated with two actresses, Liza Minnelli and Chita Rivera, for whom they wrote a considerable amount of material for the stage, concerts and television.
John Harold Kander is an American composer, known largely for his work in the musical theater. As part of the songwriting team Kander and Ebb, Kander wrote the scores for 15 musicals, including Cabaret (1966) and Chicago (1975), both of which were later adapted into acclaimed films. He and Ebb also wrote the standard "New York, New York".
Fred Ebb was an American musical theatre lyricist who had many successful collaborations with composer John Kander. The Kander and Ebb team frequently wrote for such performers as Liza Minnelli and Chita Rivera.
Dolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero Anderson, professionally known as Chita Rivera, is an American actress, singer and dancer best known for originating roles in Broadway musicals including Anita in West Side Story, Velma Kelly in Chicago, and the title role in Kiss of the Spider Woman. She is a ten-time Tony Award nominee and a three-time Tony Award recipient, including one for Lifetime Achievement. She is the first Latina and the first Latino American to receive a Kennedy Center Honor and is a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Her autobiography, Chita: A Memoir, was published in 2023.
Brian Stokes Mitchell is an American actor and singer. A powerful baritone, he has been one of the central leading men of the Broadway theater since the 1990s. He won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical in 2000 for his performance in Kiss Me, Kate.
Kelli Christine O'Hara is an American actress and singer, most known for her work on the Broadway and opera stages.
Marin Joy Mazzie was an American actress and singer known for her work in musical theatre.
Karen Ziemba is an American actress, singer and dancer, best known for her work in musical theatre. In 2000, she won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her performance in Contact.
Emily Skinner, also known as Emily Scott Skinner, is a Tony-nominated American actress and singer. She has played leading roles in 9 Broadway productions as New York, New York, Prince of Broadway, The Cher Show, Side Show, Jekyll & Hyde, James Joyce's The Dead, The Full Monty, Dinner at Eight, Billy Elliot, as well as the Actor's Fund Broadway concerts of Dreamgirls and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. She has sung on concert stages around the world and on numerous recordings.
And the World Goes 'Round is a musical revue showcasing the songs of John Kander and Fred Ebb. The revue takes its title from a tune the songwriting team wrote for Liza Minnelli to sing in the film New York, New York.
The Visit is a musical with a book by Terrence McNally, lyrics by Fred Ebb, and music by John Kander.
Rob Ashford is an American stage director and choreographer. He is a Tony Award, Olivier Award, Emmy Award, Drama Desk Award, and Outer Critics Circle Award winner.
Norm Lewis is an American actor and baritone singer. He has appeared in Europe, on Broadway, in film, television, recordings and regional theatre. Productions that he has been involved in include Dessa Rose, Miss Saigon, The Wild Party, Les Misérables, The Little Mermaid, Chicago, Once on This Island, and several others.
Karen Mason is an American musical theatre actress and singer. She has appeared on stage in Broadway theatre, notably as Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard, and is a multiple award-winning cabaret performer.
Brent Barrett is an American actor and tenor who is mostly known for his work within American theatre. Barrett has performed in musicals and in concerts with theatres, symphony orchestras, opera houses, and concert halls internationally. He starred in the original production of Maltby and Shire's hit Off-Broadway musical Closer Than Ever in 1989 and the 2001 West End revival of Cole Porter's Kiss Me, Kate. He has also appeared sporadically on television and in films.
David Loud is an American music supervisor, music director, conductor, vocal and dance arranger, pianist and actor. He is best known for his collaborations with and interpretations of the music of both Kander and Ebb and Stephen Sondheim.
Michael Hayden is an actor who has appeared both on the stage and on television.
Larry Hochman is an American orchestrator and composer. He has won four Emmy Awards for his original music on the TV series Wonder Pets! and a Tony Award for his orchestrations for The Book of Mormon.
Alexandra Michelle Silber is an American actress, singer, writer and educator. She has performed roles on Broadway, in London's West End, on television and film, and concert stages. Among other stage roles, in London, she created the role of Laura Fairlie in The Woman in White (2005), played Hodel in Fiddler on the Roof (2007) and Julie Jordan in Carousel (2008). In New York, she appeared in Hello Again (2010), Master Class (2011), created the role of Sara Jane in Arlington (2012–14) and as Tzeitel in the Broadway revival of Fiddler on the Roof (2015).
Jay Armstrong Johnson is an American actor, singer, and dancer, known for starring roles on Broadway in musicals like Parade, On the Town, and The Phantom of the Opera and for his portrayal of Will Olsen in the ABC television series Quantico.