Lara Teeter

Last updated

Lara Teeter
Born (1955-02-03) February 3, 1955 (age 69)
Guthrie, Oklahoma, United States
Occupation(s)Dancer, actor, singer, theater director, college professor
Years active1980–present
SpouseKristen Teeter (m. 1998)
Children4

Lara Teeter (born February 3, 1955) is an American dancer, actor, singer, theater director and college professor.

Contents

Biography

Born in Guthrie, Oklahoma, [1] Teeter earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Oklahoma City University. [2]

He made his Broadway debut in the short-lived 1980 musical Happy New Year , [3] followed by another short-lived musical, the stage adaptation of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers , which ran on Broadway in 1982 for five performances. [4]

For his third stage effort, the 1983 revival of On Your Toes he won critical recognition and a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Musical, as "The Hoofer" and "Junior", [5] originally played by Ray Bolger in 1936. [6] He also won the 1983 Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Debut Performance. [7] The show ran for 505 performances. [5]

Additional Broadway credits include The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas and The Pirates of Penzance (chorus). [8] Off-Broadway and national touring credits include the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz (in 1998), [9] [10] The Robber Bridegroom , She Loves Me as Kodaly in 1987 at the Ahmanson Theatre, [11] My Fair Lady as Henry Higgins at the North Shore Music Theatre (Beverly, Massachusetts) in 1999, [12] Little Shop of Horrors , Follies in 2005 as "Buddy" [13] and Oklahoma! (national tour). [8]

He appeared with the New York City Opera in Naughty Marietta in 1979 as "Private Silas Slick" [14] and The Most Happy Fella at Lincoln Center in 1991 as "Herman". [15]

He performed in many productions at St. Louis Municipal Opera Theatre, commonly called The Muny, in St. Louis, Missouri, including "Scuttle" in The Little Mermaid, with his daughter playing "Flounder" in 2011. Teeter commented “At Webster, I teach it. At the Muny, I do it..." [16] He performed the role of Don in Singin' in the Rain at the Muny in 1995. [17]

He made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2000 portraying Henry Higgins in a tribute to the work of Lerner and Loewe [18] and his Lyric Opera of Chicago debut in 2001 performing the role of Steve Sankey in Street Scene . [19]

His regional directing credits include My Fair Lady (Opera Pacific) in 1989, [20] The Pirates of Penzance , at both the San Bernardino Civic Light Opera and the Light Opera Works of Chicago (in 2002), [8] Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris (Hollywood Cinegrill) and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (Fullerton Civic Light Opera) in 1994. [21]

Teeter was the artistic director of Light Opera Works (Evanston, Illinois), starting in August 1999, and directed many shows there, starting with the Gilbert & Sullivan operetta The Gondoliers in May 2000 [22] and including Ragtime (Light Opera Works of Chicago) in 2003 [23] and Candide (Light Opera Works of Chicago) in 2004. [24]

Teaching

Teeter's academic credits include positions at California State University, Fullerton, where he helped start the pilot program for a BFA in Musical Theatre and was an associate professor with the theatre and dance department. [25] He held positions at Northwestern University [24] and Shenandoah University. [24] Since 2007 he has been a faculty member at The Conservatory of Theatre Arts at Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri, where he now serves as an associate professor of theatre and head of musical theatre. [26]

Select recordings

Teeter's recordings include On Your Toes (Broadway Revival Cast, 1983), [27] Lady, Be Good! (Studio Cast, Roxbury Recordings, 1992), [28] The Musicality of Rodgers & Hart (Compilation, 1997) [29] and The Wizard of Oz (Original New York Cast, 1998 Grammy nomination). [30] [31]

Personal

Teeter and his wife, Kristen, a dancer and teacher of jazz and contemporary dance classes, married at a Sonoma Valley winery in 1998. Cast members from the tour of The Wizard of Oz attended. They celebrated their 15th wedding anniversary in 2013. They have four children. [32]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Georgia Engel</span> American actress (1948–2019)

Georgia Bright Engel was an American actress. She is best known for having played Georgette Franklin Baxter in the sitcom The Mary Tyler Moore Show from 1972 to 1977, Pat MacDougall on Everybody Loves Raymond from 2003 to 2005, and Mamie Sue on Hot in Cleveland from 2012 to 2015. She was nominated for five Primetime Emmy Awards and a BAFTA award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ron Raines</span> American actor (born 1949)

Ron Raines is an American actor. He is known for the role of Alan Spaulding on the television soap opera Guiding Light. Raines also performs in musical theatre and in concert with symphony orchestras.

Robert Cuccioli is an American actor and singer. He is best known for originating the lead dual title roles in the musical Jekyll & Hyde, for which he received a Tony Award nomination and won the Joseph Jefferson Award, the Outer Critics Circle Award, the Drama Desk Award, and the Fany Award for outstanding actor in a musical.

Howard McGillin is an American actor. He is known for originating the role of John Jasper in The Mystery of Edwin Drood (1985) and for portraying the title role in Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera from 1999 to 2009 on Broadway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kelli O'Hara</span> American actress and singer (born 1976)

Kelli Christine O'Hara is an American actress and singer, most known for her work on the Broadway and opera stages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julia Murney</span> American actress and singer (born 1969)

Julia Kathleen Murney is an American actress and singer, also known for television commercial voice-overs. Until 2005, she was commonly known as the Broadway actress who had technically never appeared on Broadway. This was because her fame came mostly from her performances on the Broadway charity circuit, and not traditional Broadway productions. She played the role of Elphaba in the musical Wicked, both on the US national tour (2006) and on Broadway (2007). She is also a two-time Drama Desk Award nominee, for The Wild Party (2000) and Falling (2013).

Robert Westenberg is an American stage actor and singer, acting teacher, and professor. He received a Tony Award nomination for his performance in the original Broadway cast of Into the Woods.

Kristen "Kristy" Cates is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her role as Elphaba in the Chicago production of Wicked and as the original understudy in the 2003 Broadway production. She was previously in the casts of Princess Ida and the off-Broadway production Boobs! The Musical. In 2016, she portrayed Ms. Bassett in Finding Neverland on Broadway and understudied the role of Madame du Maurier. She last appeared on Broadway as Grandma Josephine in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Francis Jue</span> American actor and singer (born 1963)

Francis Jue is an American actor and singer. Jue is known for his performances on Broadway, in national tours, off-Broadway and in regional theatre, particularly in the San Francisco Bay Area and at The Muny in St. Louis. His roles in plays and musicals range from Shakespeare to Rodgers and Hammerstein to Disney to David Henry Hwang. He is also known for his recurring role on the TV series Madam Secretary (2014–2019).

Emily Skinner, also known as Emily Scott Skinner, is a Tony-nominated American actress and singer. She has played leading roles in 11 Broadway productions including 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.

Donald Edward Saddler was an American choreographer, dancer, and theatre director.

Kim Crosby is an American singer and musical theatre actress. She is best known as the original Cinderella in the Sondheim–Lapine musical Into the Woods.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lisa Brescia</span> American musical theatre actress

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.

Ashley Marie Spencer is an American actress, singer, and dancer. Spencer was a contestant on the 2007 NBC show Grease: You're the One that I Want! She was the understudy for Barbie in the Barbie in Fairytopia tour, in which she sang and danced ballet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Danny Burstein</span> American actor (born 1964)

Danny Burstein is an American actor and singer. Known for his work on the Broadway stage, he's received numerous accolades including a Tony Award, two Drama Desk Awards and nominations for three Grammy Awards.

Warren Carlyle is a British director and choreographer who was born in Norwich, Norfolk, England. He received Drama Desk Award nominations for Outstanding Choreography and Outstanding Director of a Musical for the 2009 revival of Finian's Rainbow.

<i>The Wizard of Oz</i> (1987 musical) Musical by Harold Arlen, Herbert Stothart, E. Y. Harburg and John Kane

The Wizard of Oz is a musical with a book by John Kane, music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by E. Y. Harburg. It has additional background music by Herbert Stothart. It is based on the 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum and the 1939 film version written by Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf.

<i>White Christmas</i> (musical) Musical by Irving Berlin, David Ives and Paul Blake

White Christmas is a musical based on the Paramount Pictures 1954 film of the same name. The book is by David Ives and Paul Blake, with music and lyrics by Irving Berlin. The original St. Louis production starred Lara Teeter, Karen Mason, Lauren Kennedy, and Lee Roy Reams, and the 2004 San Francisco production starred Brian D'Arcy James, Anastasia Barzee, Meredith Patterson, and Jeffry Denman.

Donald Ragan Stephenson IV, known as Don Stephenson, is an American actor and stage director. He has numerous credits on both television and in the theatre.

<i>The Wizard of Oz</i> (2011 musical) 2011 musical based on the 1939 film

The Wizard of Oz is a 2011 musical based on the 1939 film of the same name in turn based on L. Frank Baum's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, with a book adapted by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jeremy Sams. The musical uses the Harold Arlen and E. Y. Harburg songs from the film and includes some new songs and additional music by Lloyd Webber and additional lyrics by Tim Rice. It is the third stage musical adaptation of the film following the 1942 version for the St. Louis Municipal Opera and the 1987 version for the Royal Shakespeare Company.

References

  1. "Oklahoma Native Nominated for Tony Award" newsok.com, May 18, 1993
  2. "Distinguished Alumni" okcu.edu, accessed September 29, 2015
  3. "'Happy New Year' Broadway Production" playbillvault.com, accessed September 29, 2015
  4. "'Seven Brides for Seven Brothers' Broadway Production" playbillvault.com, accessed September 29, 2015
  5. 1 2 "'On Your Toes' Broadway Production" playbillvault.com, accessed September 29, 2015
  6. "'On Your Toes' 1936 Broadway Listing" ibdb.com, accessed September 30, 2015
  7. "Lara Teeter Broadway Credits and Awards" playbillvault.com, accessed September 29, 2015
  8. 1 2 3 Murphy, H. Lee. "Light Opera Works' `Pirates' is old hat for artistic director" Chicago Tribune, December 27, 2002
  9. Jones, Kenneth. "'Oz' Tour Will Be Kitt-Less; Yellow Brick Road Resumes in Philly Dec. 26" Playbill, November 5, 1998
  10. The Wizard of Oz broadwayworld.com, accessed September 29, 2015
  11. Shirley, Don. "Stage Review : A Nice And Easy 'She Loves Me'" Los Angeles Times, July 4, 1987
  12. "'My Fair Lady', 1999" Archived 2015-10-01 at the Wayback Machine nsmt.org, accessed September 30, 2015
  13. Gans, Andrew. "Starry 'Follies' Begins Barrington Run June 23" Playbill, June 23, 2005
  14. Dietz, Dan. "Naughty Marietta at the New York State Theatre, August 30, 1979 to September 2, 1979, The New York City Opera Company", The Complete Book of 1970s Broadway Musicals, Rowman & Littlefield, 2015, ISBN   1442251662, p. 464
  15. Rothstein, Edward. "Review/City Opera; Bride Arrives, Without Her Fidelity" The New York Times, September 6, 1991
  16. "Lara, Elizabeth Teeter bring talents to 'The Little Mermaid'" websterjournal.com, August 17, 2011
  17. Pollack, Joe. "'Singin' in the Rain' Shifts Nicely from Movie Classic to Muny Stage" Archived 2015-09-30 at the Wayback Machine excerpt from St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 19, 1995
  18. Ehren, Christine. "Cabaret, Goulet, Chenoweth Sing Lerner & Loewe and More at Carnegie Hall June 14-15" Playbill, June 14, 2000
  19. "'Street Scene' Recording, 2001" operapassion.com, accessed September 29, 2015
  20. Smith, Mark Chalon. "O. C. Stage review. Refined 'My Fair Lady' Hits All the High Notes" Los Angeles Times, June 26, 1989
  21. Herman, Jan. "Taking Libertines With the Costumes..." Los Angeles Times, July 15, 1994
  22. Christiansen, Richard. "Theater Lara Teeter, the affable new artistic..." Chicago Tribune, May 28, 2000
  23. Jones, Chris. "'Ragtime' shows a few flashes" Chicago Tribune, June 9, 2003
  24. 1 2 3 Behrens, Web. "In 'Candide,' Light Opera tackles show with many faces" Chicago Tribune, August 13, 2004
  25. "Pacific Musical Theatre" orlok.com, accessed September 30, 2015
  26. "Faculty, Conservatory" Archived 2015-10-06 at the Wayback Machine Webster University, accessed September 29, 2015
  27. "'On Your Toes' Original 1983 Broadway Cast" jayrecords.com, accessed September 29, 2015
  28. Carnovale, Norbert. " Lady Be Good, Elektra Nonesuch (Roxbury Recordings)79308-2 CD (1992)", George Gershwin: A Bio-bibliography, Greenwood Publishing Group, 2000, ISBN   0313260036, p.162
  29. "'The Musicality of Rodgers & Hart' Listing" allmusicstores.com, accessed September 29, 2015
  30. Mandelbaum, Ken. "Ken Mandelbaum's Musicals On Disc: TVT's Paper Mill Pair: 'Follies' & 'Oz'" Playbill, October 4, 1998
  31. Jones, Kenneth. "Grammy Favors 'Lion King' Cast Recording, Shakespeare Kiddie Disc" Playbill, February 25, 1999
  32. Russell, Stefene. "A Full House: The Teeter Family Signs Up For Adventure" St. Louis Magazine, March 21, 2013.