Jessica Rush | |
|---|---|
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| Born | December 23, 1980 |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, singer |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
Jessica Rush (born December 23, 1980) is an American actress and singer. She won the Joseph Jefferson Award in 2014 for her performance in Gypsy at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater. [1]
Born in Beaumont, Texas, the daughter of performers Ken and Sara Rush, Jessica made her stage debut at the age of ten weeks opposite her father as Motel and Tzeitel's child in Fiddler on the Roof . Her childhood was spent sharing the boards with her parents all across SE Texas. When she was a teenager, the Rush family moved to Orlando, Florida, where she soon went to work for Disney and Nickelodeon on camera, in the parks; where she portrayed Belle in Disney World's production of Beauty and the Beast , and with Disney Cruise Lines. [2]
Rush played Sophie in the first U.S. national tour of Mamma Mia! , Martha Cratchit in the national tour of A Christmas Carol , and the title role in Cinderella opposite Eartha Kitt. [3] She lived in Los Angeles for a stint, where she originated the role of Anna in the world premiere of Pilgrim. [4] She also created the role of Lucie Manette in the 2007 world premiere of A Tale of Two Cities , by Jill Santoriello in Sarasota, Florida. [5] She did not join the Broadway cast for Tale's short run on Broadway. Rush played Louise in Gypsy at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, and won the Joseph Jefferson Award in 2014 for her performance. [1]
Rush was seen Off-Broadway at the City Center's Encores! as Renee in the pre-Broadway production of Gypsy opposite Patti LuPone, Boyd Gaines, Laura Benanti and Leigh Ann Larkin. In March 2008, she joined the original Broadway revival cast of that company and was the standby for "Louise" under Benanti, [6] a role which she performed several times. Also on Broadway, Rush appeared in the 2009 revival of Guys and Dolls . [7] Rush portrayed Lorraine in Jersey Boys at the August Wilson Theatre, [6] and was in the final cast when it closed its eleven-year run on Broadway. [8] From 2019 to 2022, Rush starred as Rhonda in the Broadway production of Tina: The Musical . [9] [10]
Rush appeared on White Collar . [11] She will be featured on the upcoming Showtime series Billions .
Jessica Rush is married to Broadway actor Eric Anderson, and has a daughter named Elliot.
Gypsy: A Musical Fable is a musical with music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. It is loosely based on the 1957 memoirs of striptease artist Gypsy Rose Lee, and focuses on her mother, Rose, whose name has become synonymous with "the ultimate show business mother." It follows the dreams and efforts of Rose to raise two daughters to perform onstage and casts an affectionate eye on the hardships of show business life. The character of Louise is based on Lee, and the character of June is based on Lee's sister, the actress June Havoc.
Patti Ann LuPone is an American actress and singer best known for her work in musical theater. After starting her professional career with The Acting Company in 1972 she soon gained acclaim for her leading performances on the Broadway and West End stage. She has won three Tony Awards, two Olivier Awards, and two Grammy Awards, and was a 2006 inductee to the American Theater Hall of Fame.
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.
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Emily Skinner, also known as Emily Scott Skinner, is a Tony-nominated American stage actor and singer. She has played leading roles in such Broadway productions as 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.
Ruthless! The Musical is an all-female musical with music by Marvin Laird and book and lyrics by Joel Paley that spoofs Broadway musicals, like Gypsy and Mame, and movies such as The Bad Seed and All About Eve. The musical premiered Off-Broadway in 1992.
Lisa Brescia is an American musical theatre actress who has performed as lead and understudy in several Broadway shows. Raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, she went on to pursue acting and graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. She taught Acting I and IV at Missouri State University and is now set to be the head of the Musical Theatre department at Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri.
The 62nd Tony Awards ceremony was held on June 15, 2008. The Antoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Awards, recognize achievement in live American theatre. CBS television broadcast the event from Radio City Music Hall in New York City as it has since the 51st Awards ceremony in 1997. The event recognized Broadway productions playing during the 2007 – 2008 season and was hosted by Whoopi Goldberg.
Jessica Lee Goldyn is an American Broadway actress who performed in the revival of A Chorus Line as Val. She played the lead role of Cassie from August 10, 2008 opposite Mario Lopez who played the character Zack, until the show ended its Broadway revival run on August 17, 2008. Goldyn had been an understudy for the lead character of Cassie. She played Annie in Annie the Musical at age 21. Goldyn appeared in The Paper Mill Playhouse (NJ) rendition of "Chorus Line" in the star role of Cassie from October 7 through October 28, 2012.
Carmen Cusack is an American musical theater actress and singer. She is known for playing Elphaba in the Chicago, North American Tour, and Melbourne productions of the musical Wicked and for originating the roles of Alice Murphy and Clare Boothe Luce in the Broadway musicals Bright Star and Flying Over Sunset, respectively.
Arielle Jacobs is an American singer and actress, mostly seen on stage in musicals. She is best known for her roles as Nina Rosario in the US Tour and Broadway productions of In the Heights and as Princess Jasmine in the Australian and Broadway productions of Aladdin.
Jeremy Michael Jordan is an American actor and singer. He has performed on Broadway, in television and film, in concert, as well as in other theatrical productions.
Crista Moore is an American actress, singer, and dancer known for her work on the Broadway stage. She has been nominated for two Tony Awards, and received a Theatre World Award for Exceptional Broadway Debut in the title role of "Gypsy".
Jessica Ruth Mueller is an American actress and singer. She started her acting career in Chicago and won two Joseph Jefferson Awards in 2008 and 2011 for her roles as Carrie Pipperidge in Carousel and Amalia Balash in She Loves Me. In 2011, she moved to New York City to star in a Broadway revival of musical On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, for which she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. She won the 2014 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical for her performance as Carole King in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. She went on to receive two additional Best Actress in a Musical Tony Award nominations for her leading roles in Waitress (2016) and the Broadway revival of Carousel (2018).
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Jessica Vosk is an American singer and actress, known for her work in musical theater.
