Kecia Lewis | |
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![]() Lewis at the 77th Tony Awards 2024 | |
Born | June 30, 1963 |
Education | High School of Performing Arts |
Occupation(s) | Actress, singer |
Years active | 1980–present |
Kecia Lewis, also credited as Kecia Lewis-Evans [1] is an American singer and actress, known primarily for her work on the stage. [2] In 2017, her performance as Sister Rosetta Tharpe in Marie and Rosetta earned her an Obie Award and a nomination for the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Play. In 2006, she was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for her performance as Dorcas in Dessa Rose . Her performance in Hell's Kitchen earned her a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical, a Lucille Lortel Award, a Outer Critics Circle Award, and a Drama Desk Award. [3] [4] [5] [6]
During her career Lewis also starred in films and television series, including recurring roles in Mad About You, The Passage, The Blacklist, and Law & Order.
Lewis was born and raised in New York City and is a graduate of the High School of Performing Arts. [7] She made her Broadway debut at 18 years old in the original cast of Dreamgirls , directed by Michael Bennett, where she replaced Sheila Ellis in the role of Edna Burk and was the understudy of Effie Melody White played by Jennifer Holliday. [8] She followed this serving as an understudy for Nell Carter in the revival of Ain't Misbehavin' . In 1990, she originated the role of Asaka in Once on This Island . In 2006, she originated the role of Trix the Aviatrix in The Drowsy Chaperone .
In 2018, she starred as Mrs. Norman in a revival of Children of a Lesser God at the Studio 54. [9] In 2019 Lewis played the recurring role of Tonya on the 2019 follow-up of NBC television series Mad About You. [10] In 2022 she was cast in the Peacock thriller film The Independent. [11]
In 2023 she appeared off-Broadway in the show Hell's Kitchen , originating the role of music educator Miss Liza Jane, and reprised the role on Broadway in 2024, receiving a Tony Award, Drama Desk Award, and Lucille Lortel Award along with a Drama League Award nomination. [12] Lewis also teaches stage and drama acting at the Atlantic Acting School.
Lewis had performed in severals Broadway, Off-Broadway and US stage companies.
Title | Years | Role | Location | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Once on This Island | 1990–1991 | Asaka | Playwrights Horizons | Stage musical |
Alysha | 2013 | Queen Victoria | Manhattan Theatre Club | Stage musical |
Mother Courage and Her Children | 2015–2016 | Mother Courage | Classic Stage Company | Stage play |
Marie and Rosetta | 2016 | Sister Rosetta Tharpe | Linda Gross Theater | Stage play |
The Skin of Our Teeth | 2017 | Mrs. Antrobus | Theatre for a New Audience | Stage play |
The Secret Life of Bees | 2017 | Various | Powerhouse Theater | Stage musical |
American Eclipse | 2022 | Naomi Butter | Open Jar Studios | Stage musical |
Hell's Kitchen | 2024 | Miss Liza Jane | The Public Theater | Stage musical |
Title | Years | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Shelter | 2014 | Shelter Worker | |
Shirley | 2020 | Nurse | |
The Independent | 2022 | Tonya |
Title | Years | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Law & Order | 1992 | Langstrom | Episode: "The Fertile Fields" |
The Hughleys | 2000 | Donna | Episode: "Love or Money" |
Crossing Jordan | 2002 | Intake Nurse | Episode: "Secrets & Lies: Part 1" |
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | 2013–2020 | Judge Constance Copeland | 4 episodes |
Royal Pains | 2013 | Nurse | Episode: "Game of Phones" |
Limitless | 2015 | Chrystal | Episode: "This Is Your Brian on Drugs" |
Blue Bloods | 2016 | Sandi Harper | Episode: "Town Without Pity" |
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt | Stephanie | Episode: "Kimmy Gives Up!" | |
Conviction | Judge Melissa Hinds | Episode: "A Simple Man" | |
Madam Secretary | 2017 | Ms. Morales | Episode: "Revelation" |
SMILF | 2019 | Aunt Renee | Episode: "Smile More if Lying Fails" |
Wu-Tang: An American Saga | Aunt Goldie | 3 episodes | |
Mad About You | Tonya | 12 episodes | |
The Passage | Lacey Antoine | 7 episodes | |
The Blacklist | 2020–2021 | Esi Jackson | 10 episodes |
With Love | 2021 | Mia | Episode: "Independence Day" |
And Just Like That... | Laura | Episode: "Tragically Hip" | |
The Good Fight | 2022 | Angela Allen-Hellman | Episode: "The End of STR Laurie" |
Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lucille Lortel Awards | 2017 | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Play | Marie and Rosetta | Nominated | |
2024 | Outstanding Featured Performer in a Musical | Hell's Kitchen | Won | [13] | |
Drama Desk Award | 2006 | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | Dessa Rose | Nominated | |
2024 | Outstanding Featured Performance in a Musical | Hell's Kitchen | Won | [14] | |
Drama League Awards | 2024 | Distinguished Performance | Hell's Kitchen | Nominated | [15] [16] |
Obie Award | 2017 | Distinguished Performance by an Actress | Marie and Rosetta | Won | |
Outer Critics Circle Awards | 2024 | Outstanding Featured Performer in a Broadway Musical | Hell's Kitchen | Won | [17] |
Tony Awards | 2024 | Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical | Hell's Kitchen | Won | [18] |
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