Kecia Lewis

Last updated
Kecia Lewis
Kecia Lewis in 2024.jpg
Lewis at the 77th Tony Awards 2024
Born (1965-06-30) June 30, 1965 (age 59)
Bronx, NY
Education High School of Performing Arts NYU, Tisch School of the Arts
Occupation(s)Actress, singer
Years active1980–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] Lewis made her Broadway debut as a replacement in the musical Big River (1985). She has since returned to Broadway in the musicals Once on This Island (1990), Leap of Faith (2012), and Hell's Kitchen (2024), the later of which earned her the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. [3] [4] [5] [6]

Contents

Early life

Lewis was born and raised in New York City and is a graduate of the High School of Performing Arts. [7]

Career

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 2006, she was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for her performance as Dorcas in Dessa Rose .

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 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. 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.

Acting credits

Film

YearsTitleRoleNotes
2014 Shelter Shelter Worker
2020 Shirley Nurse
2022 The Independent Tonya

Television

YearsTitleRoleNotesRef.
1992 Law & Order LangstromEpisode: "The Fertile Fields"
2000 The Hughleys DonnaEpisode: "Love or Money"
2002 Crossing Jordan Intake NurseEpisode: "Secrets & Lies: Part 1"
2013–2020 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Judge Constance Copeland4 episodes
2013 Royal Pains NurseEpisode: "Game of Phones"
2015 Limitless ChrystalEpisode: "This Is Your Brian on Drugs"
2016 Blue Bloods Sandi HarperEpisode: "Town Without Pity"
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt StephanieEpisode: "Kimmy Gives Up!"
Conviction Judge Melissa HindsEpisode: "A Simple Man"
2017 Madam Secretary Ms. MoralesEpisode: "Revelation"
2019 SMILF Aunt ReneeEpisode: "Smile More if Lying Fails"
Wu-Tang: An American Saga Aunt Goldie3 episodes
Mad About You Tonya12 episodes
The Passage Lacey Antoine7 episodes
2020–2021 The Blacklist Esi Jackson10 episodes
2021 With Love MiaEpisode: "Independence Day"
And Just Like That... LauraEpisode: "Tragically Hip"
2022 The Good Fight Angela Allen-HellmanEpisode: "The End of STR Laurie"

Theatre

Lewis had performed in severals Broadway, Off-Broadway and US stage companies.

YearsTitleRoleVenueRef.
1981–1985 Dreamgirls Ensemble / Edna Burke
Effie Melody White
Imperial Theatre, Broadway
1985–1987 Big River Ensemble / Alice Eugene O'Neill Theatre, Broadway [13]
1988–1989 Ain't Misbehavin' Standby Ambassador Theatre, Broadway [14]
1988 The Gospel at Colonus Chorus Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, Broadway
1990–1991 Once on This Island Asaka Playwrights Horizons, Off-Broadway
1990–1991 Once on This Island Asaka Booth Theatre, Broadway [15]
1996 Chicago Matron "Mama" Morton Ambassador Theatre, Broadway [16]
1999 Louisiana Purchase Beatrice Pasadena Playhouse, California
2005 Dessa Rose Various Vivian Beaumont Theater, Broadway
2006–2007 The Drowsy Chaperone Trix Marquis Theatre, Broadway [17]
2008 Shrek the Musical Dragon 5th Avenue Theatre, Washington
2008 Chicago Matron "Mama" Morton Shubert Theatre, Broadway
2009–2010 Richard Rodgers Theatre, Broadway
2010 Hairspray Motormouth Maybelle Benedum Center, Pennsylvania
2010 Leap of Faith Ida Mae Sturdevant Ahmanson Theatre, California
2011 Sleeping Beauty Wakes Doctor La Jolla Playhouse, California
Ain't Misbehavin' Nell Long Wharf Theatre, Connecticut
2011–2012 Chicago Matron "Mama" Morton North American Tour
2012 Leap of Faith Ida Mae Robinson St. James Theatre, Broadway [18]
2014 Ain't Misbehavin': The Fats Waller Musical NellDelaware Theatre Company
The Little Mermaid Ursula North Shore Music Theatre,
2014–2016 Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella MarieNorth American Tour
2015–2016 Mother Courage and Her Children Mother Courage Classic Stage Company, Off-Broadway
2016Marie and Rosetta Sister Rosetta Tharpe Linda Gross Theater, Off-Broadway
2017 The Skin of Our Teeth Mrs. Antrobus Theatre for a New Audience, Off-Broadway
2017 The Secret Life of Bees Various Powerhouse Theater, Off-Broadway
Children of a Lesser God Mrs. Norman Berkshire Theatre Festival
Big NightVarious Kirk Douglas Theatre, California
2018 Children of a Lesser God Mrs. Norman Studio 54, Broadway [19]
2022American EclipseNaomi ButterOpen Jar Studios, Off-Broadway
GoddessSiti Berkeley Repertory Theatre
2024 Hell's Kitchen Miss Liza Jane The Public Theater, Off-Broadway
2024 Shubert Theatre, Broadway [20]

Awards and nominations

YearAssociationCategoryNominee(s)ResultRef.
2017 Lucille Lortel Awards Outstanding Lead Actress in a PlayMarie and RosettaNominated
2024Outstanding Featured Performer in a MusicalHell's KitchenWon [21]
2006 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical Dessa RoseNominated
2024 Outstanding Featured Performance in a Musical Hell's KitchenWon [22]
2024 Drama League Awards Distinguished Performance Hell's KitchenNominated [23] [24]
2017 Obie Award Distinguished Performance by an Actress Marie and RosettaWon
2024 Outer Critics Circle Awards Outstanding Featured Performer in a Broadway MusicalHell's KitchenWon [25]
2024 Tony Awards Best Featured Actress in a Musical Hell's KitchenWon [26]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shoshana Bean</span> American actress and singer-songwriter (born 1977)

Shoshana E. Bean is a Tony-nominated American singer, songwriter, and stage actress. She has appeared in numerous musicals, performing in major Off-Broadway and Broadway theatres, including in the original production of Hairspray.

The Lucille Lortel Awards recognize excellence in New York Off-Broadway theatre. The Awards are named for Lucille Lortel, an actress and theater producer, and have been awarded since 1986. They are produced by the League of Off-Broadway Theatres and Producers by special arrangement with the Lucille Lortel Foundation, with additional support from the Theatre Development Fund.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camille A. Brown</span> American dancer

Camille A. Brown is an American dancer, choreographer, director, and dance educator. Four-time Tony Awards nominees, she started her career working as professional dancer with Ronald K. Brown's company in the early 2000s. In 2006 she founded her own dance company, the Camille A. Brown & Dancers, producing severals dance productions, winning a Princess Grace Awards and a Bessie Award.

Amy Herzog is an American playwright. She is known for her poignant and character-driven plays that explore themes of family dynamics, personal relationships, and the complexities of human experience. She has received a Drama Desk Award as well as a nomination for a Tony Award.

Tamika Sonja Lawrence is a two time Grammy winning American actress, singer, and writer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Nigrini</span> American projection designer

Peter Nigrini is an American projection designer of live theater. His best-known designs include Dear Evan Hansen, Fela!, and Here Lies Love. He also works occasionally as a scenic and lighting designer, most notably his long standing collaboration with Nature Theater of Oklahoma, of which he is a founding member. He is also a lecturer at New York University

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shaina Taub</span> American singer, composer and musician

Shaina Taub is an American actress, singer, musician, and Tony Award-winning composer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jocelyn Bioh</span> American dramatist

Jocelyn Bioh is a Ghanaian-American writer, playwright and actor. She graduated from Ohio State University with a BA in English and got her master's degree in Playwriting from Columbia University. Jocelyn's Broadway credits include The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. She has performed in regional and off-Broadway productions of An Octoroon, Bootycandy and For Colored Girls. She has written many of her own plays that have been produced in national and collegiate theaters. Some of her more well-known works include Nollywood Dreams and School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play. Bioh is a playwright with Manhattan Theatre Club (MTC) and Atlantic Theater Company, is a resident playwright at Lincoln Center and is a 2017-18 Tow Playwright-in-Residence with MCC. She is a writer on the Hulu show Tiny Beautiful Things.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ethan Slater</span> American actor and singer (born 1992)

Ethan Samuel Slater is an American actor, singer, writer, and composer known for his role as SpongeBob SquarePants in the musical of the same name, for which he received a Tony Award nomination and won a Drama Desk Award in 2018. During his career he has also acted in musicals directed by Kathleen Marshall, Barry Levinson, John Tartaglia, Bartlett Sher, and John Doyle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jennifer Simard</span> American actress

Jennifer Simard is an American actress known primarily for her work in theater. A Two-time Tony Award nominee, she rose to fame starring on Broadway and Off-Broadway productions in 2000s, such as I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change, The Thing About Men and Forbidden Broadway: Special Victims Unit being nominated at the Drama Desk Award and Lucille Lortel Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gabby Beans</span> American actress, writer, and producer

Gabby Beans is an American actress, writer, and producer. She was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play in 2022 for her role in the play The Skin of Our Teeth.

<i>Mary Jane</i> (play) Play written by Amy Herzog

Mary Jane is a two-act dramatic stage play written by American playwright Amy Herzog. The play had its World Premiere at Yale Repertory Theatre in 2017 and officially premiered on Broadway on April 23, 2024. The Broadway cast is led by Rachel McAdams in the titular role. The play won the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Play in 2018. The play is semi-autobiographical and based on Herzog's daughter Frances, who was born with nemaline myopathy and died at age 11 in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">77th Tony Awards</span> 2024 awards ceremony

The 77th Tony Awards were held on June 16, 2024, to recognize achievement in Broadway productions during the 2023–24 season. The ceremony was held at Lincoln Center's David H. Koch Theater in New York City, and aired on CBS. Ariana DeBose hosted for the third year in a row.

<i>Hells Kitchen</i> (musical) Broadway jukebox musical

Hell's Kitchen is a jukebox musical built on the music and lyrics of Alicia Keys, with a semi-autobiographical plot about her upbringing in Manhattan in the 1990s. The musical, with a book by Kristoffer Diaz, initially ran at The Public Theater in October 2023, having its Broadway debut at the Shubert Theatre on April 20, 2024, followed by a cast recording on June 7, 2024.

<i>Stereophonic</i> (play) Stage play written by David Adjmi

Stereophonic is a dramatic stage play with music, written by American playwright David Adjmi. Music written for the play was composed by Will Butler from the indie rock band Arcade Fire. The play follows a fictional rock band on the cusp of superstardom as they struggle through recording their new album set from 1976 to 1977. The production debuted at Playwrights Horizons off-Broadway in 2023 before transferring to Broadway at the John Golden Theatre in 2024.

Dead Outlaw is a musical with music and lyrics by David Yazbek and Erik Della Penna and a book by Itamar Moses. It is inspired by the life of Elmer McCurdy. It premiered in 2024 at the Minetta Lane Theatre. The musical was originally conceived by Yazbek.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maleah Joi Moon</span> American singer and actress

Maleah Joi Moon is an American singer and actress, known primarily for her work on the stage. She rose to fame for her role of Ali in Alicia Keys' musical Hell's Kitchen, for which she won a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical, a Drama Desk Award and a Theatre World Award. In 2023, The New York Times listed Moon on its list of 2023 Theater Artists to Watch This Fall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daniel Aukin</span> British-American theater director

Daniel Max Aukin is a British-American theater director. He won the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play in 2024 for Stereophonic.

Anna K. Jacobs is an Australian composer, lyricist, and book writer living in Brooklyn, NY. She is best known for composing the music and co-writing the book for the musical Teeth.

References

  1. "Kecia Lewis-Evans". Broadway.com. Retrieved 2024-04-23.
  2. Soloski, Alexis (January 5, 2016). "Kecia Lewis to Step Into Role of Mother Courage at Classic Stage Company". The New York Times . ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved April 23, 2024.
  3. Millward, Tom (October 19, 2017). "Kecia Lewis & Rebecca Naomi Jones to star in Atlantic's Marie and Rosetta at Linda Gross Theater". New York Theatre Guide. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
  4. Henderson, Kathy (April 22, 2024). "Kecia Lewis, the Backstage 'Mama' of Broadway's Hell's Kitchen, Has Wisdom to Share". Broadway in Atlanta. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  5. Myers, Victoria (September 20, 2019). "An Interview with Rebecca Naomi Jones and Kecia Lewis". The Interval. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  6. "Kecia Lewis Assumes Title Role in Off-Broadway's Mother Courage, Replacing Tonya Pinkins". Playbill . January 4, 2016. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  7. "Production - Once On This Island". Playbill . Retrieved April 23, 2024.
  8. Gans, Andrew (April 26, 2008). "Kecia Lewis-Evans Will Join Broadway's Chicago Prior to Shrek". Playbill . Retrieved April 23, 2024.
  9. Stasio, Marilyn (April 12, 2018). "Broadway Review: Joshua Jackson in 'Children of a Lesser God'". Variety . Retrieved May 27, 2024.
  10. Petski, Denise (August 29, 2019). "'Mad About You': Kecia Lewis To Recur In Revival Limited Series For Spectrum Originals". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  11. Rooney, David (November 1, 2022). "'The Independent' Review: John Cena, Jodie Turner-Smith and Brian Cox in Tepid Political Thriller". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved May 27, 2024.
  12. Kennedy, Mark (May 20, 2024). "Kecia Lewis in Broadway's 'Hell's Kitchen' delivers the soul and earns a Tony Award nomination". ABC News . Retrieved May 27, 2024.
  13. "Big River (Broadway, 1985)". Playbill. Retrieved November 3, 2024.
  14. "Ain't Misbehavin' (Broadway, 1988)". Playbill. Retrieved November 3, 2024.
  15. "Once on This Island (Broadway, 1990)". Playbill. Retrieved November 3, 2024.
  16. "Chicago (Broadway, 1996)". Playbill. Retrieved November 3, 2024.
  17. "The Drowsy Chaperone (Broadway, 2006)". Playbill. Retrieved November 3, 2024.
  18. "Leap of Faith (Broadway, 2012)". Playbill. Retrieved November 3, 2024.
  19. "Children of a Lesser God (Broadway, 2018)". Playbill. Retrieved November 3, 2024.
  20. "Hell's Kitchen (Broadway, 2024)". Playbill. Retrieved November 3, 2024.
  21. Culwell-Block, Logan (May 5, 2024). "Ars Nova and National Black Theatre's (Pray) Leads 2024 Lucille Lortel Awards; Read the Full List of Winners". Playbill . Retrieved May 6, 2024.
  22. Rosky, Nicole (April 29, 2024). "2024 Drama Desk Awards Nominations- The Full List". BroadwayWorld.com . Retrieved April 29, 2024.
  23. Culwell-Block, Logan (April 22, 2024). "2024 Drama League Awards Nominations Are Out; Read the Full List". Playbill . Retrieved April 22, 2024.
  24. "2024 Drama League Awards". Drama League Awards . April 22, 2024. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
  25. Culwell-Block, Logan (2024-05-13). "Stereophonic Leads 2024 Outer Critics Circle Awards, Wins Best Play; See the Full List of Winners". Playbill. Retrieved 2024-05-13.
  26. Huston, Caitlin (April 30, 2024). "'Stereophonic,' Alicia Keys' 'Hell's Kitchen' Lead Tony Award Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved April 30, 2024.