Lexi Lawson | |
---|---|
Born | |
Nationality | American |
Occupation(s) | Actress, singer |
Years active | 2007–present |
Lexi Lawson is an American actress and singer, best known for her work in musicals. She held the lead female roles in touring productions of Rent and In the Heights . Lawson made her Broadway debut as Eliza Hamilton in Hamilton .
Lexi Lawson was born and raised in the Bronx in New York City. As a child she moved with her family to Newburgh, New York. [1] She graduated from Newburgh Free Academy in 2002. [2]
In 2010 she joined the touring company of Rent when she was cast as Mimi Marquez for the North American tour. [3] She had become a finalist on the eighth season of American Idol but chose to drop out in order to tour with Rent. Shortly prior to her contract coming to an end, she expressed an interest in the role of Vanessa in Lin-Manuel Miranda's musical In the Heights . [3] She was subsequently cast in the part in the United States national tour. [4]
Lawson made her Broadway debut when she was announced as replacing Phillipa Soo in the role of Eliza Hamilton in Miranda's Hamilton . Her first performance took place on July 9, 2016. [4] [5] On February 12, 2017, she joined with other former cast members of Rent to perform a tribute to the musical entitled "Seasons of Love" at The Cutting Room in New York City. [6]
Lawson recorded the single "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)", which was released in December 2017. [7] That same month, she was present for the unveiling of the restored bust of Alexander Hamilton at the Museum of the City of New York alongside fellow cast member Anthony Lee Medina. [8] She teamed up with four other Eliza actresses from Hamilton productions on Miranda's Hamildrops in 2018. The track, "First Burn", featured Lawson along with Julia K. Harriman, Shoba Narayan, Rachelle Ann Go, and Arianna Afsar. [9] Miranda explained on Twitter that the song was the original version of a song sung by Eliza in the musical. [10]
Lawson is married to actor Leonidas Gulaptis; they have one child together. She owns a Yorkshire Terrier. She bought the dog from a breeder in 2008, and would take it with her as she toured the US on the productions of Rent and In The Heights. [11]
Year(s) | Production | Role | Location | Category |
---|---|---|---|---|
2009–10 | Rent | Mimi Marquez | North America | National tour |
2010 | In The Heights | Vanessa | United States | National tour |
2016–18 | Hamilton | Eliza Hamilton | Richard Rodgers Theatre | Broadway |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2007 | Tonight's the Nite | Band leader | TV talk show, 1 episode |
2009 | Ghosts of Girlfriends Past | Wedding singer | |
2012 | What Would You Do? | Lexi | TV series, 1 episode |
You're Nobody 'til Somebody Kills You | Beautiful girl | ||
2013 | The Mentalist | Rose Salas | TV series, 1 episode |
2014 | Sanjay and Craig | Pop Song Vocalist (Voice) | TV series, 1 episode |
2017 | Power | Olivia Gorman | TV series, 2 episodes |
2019 | Always and Forever Christmas | Lucy | TV movie |
Renée Elise Goldsberry is an American actress and singer. Known for her roles on stage and screen she has received a Tony Award, a Drama Desk Award, and a Grammy Award as well as a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award.
Eden Erica Espinosa is an American actress and singer who is best known for her performances as Elphaba for the Broadway, Los Angeles, and San Francisco productions of the musical Wicked. In 2022, she was nominated for an Emmy Award for her role as the Queen of Hearts in Alice's Wonderland Bakery. In 2024, Espinosa received a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance in Lempicka.
Marcy Harriell is an American actress, singer and writer. She is best known for her appearances on Broadway, starring in the Tony Award winning musicals In the Heights and Rent, and as the host of the fashion series Re:Fashion on TN Marketing's Craftsy.
In the Heights is a musical with concept, music, and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda and a book by Quiara Alegría Hudes. The story is set over the course of three days, involving characters in the largely Dominican American neighborhood of Washington Heights in Upper Manhattan, New York City.
Lin-Manuel Miranda is an American songwriter, actor, singer, filmmaker, rapper, and librettist. He created the Broadway musicals In the Heights (2005) and Hamilton (2015), and the soundtracks for the animated films Moana (2016), Vivo, and Encanto. He has received numerous accolades including a Pulitzer Prize, three Tony Awards, two Laurence Olivier Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and five Grammy Awards, along with nominations for two Academy Awards. He received the Kennedy Center Honors in 2018.
Alex Lacamoire is a Cuban-American composer, arranger, conductor, musical director, music copyist, and orchestrator who has worked on many shows both on and off-Broadway. He is the recipient of multiple Tony and Grammy Awards for his work on shows such as In the Heights (2008), Hamilton (2016), and Dear Evan Hansen (2017). Lacamoire was awarded the Kennedy Center Honor in 2018.
KO, formerly known as Karen Olivo, is an American stage and television actor, theater educator, and singer.
Mandy Gonzalez is an American actress and singer, best known for her leading roles on Broadway. She originated the role of Nina Rosario in the Off-Broadway and Broadway productions of the musical In the Heights. In 2010 and 2011, she played Elphaba in the Broadway production of Wicked. She also played Angelica Schuyler in the Broadway production of Hamilton for a six-year run, from 2016 to 2022. In 2024, she's set to alternate as Norma Desmond in Jamie Lloyd's Broadway revival of Sunset Boulevard.
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.
Krystal Joy Brown is an American actress. She made her Broadway debut playing various roles in the musical revival of Hair (2009). She has since played Ornella Sturdevant in the musical Leap of Faith (2012), Josephine Bloom in Big Fish (2013), and Diana Ross in the jukebox musical Motown: The Musical (2014). She gained prominence and acclaim in a replacement role portraying Eliza Hamilton in the Lin-Manuel Miranda musical Hamilton, and as Gussie Carnegie in the Stephen Sondheim revival Merrily We Roll Along (2022–2024).
Hamilton: An American Musical is a sung-and-rapped-through biographical musical with music, lyrics, and a book by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Based on the 2004 biography Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow, the musical covers the life of American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton and his involvement in the American Revolution and the political history of the early United States. Composed over a seven-year period from 2008 to 2015, the music draws heavily from hip hop, as well as R&B, pop, soul, and traditional-style show tunes. It casts non-white actors as the Founding Fathers of the United States and other historical figures. Miranda described Hamilton as about "America then, as told by America now."
Phillipa Anne Soo is an American actress and singer. Known for her leading roles on Broadway primarily in musicals, she has received two Grammy Awards along with nominations for a Tony Award and a Primetime Emmy Award.
"It's Quiet Uptown" is the eighteenth song from Act 2 of the musical Hamilton, based on the life of Alexander Hamilton, which premiered on Broadway in 2015. Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote both the music and lyrics to the song. The song takes place in the second act of the musical, as the characters Alexander Hamilton and his wife Eliza grieve over their son's death.
"Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story" is the finale song of the musical Hamilton, based on the life of Alexander Hamilton, which premiered on Broadway in 2015. Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote both the music and lyrics to the song.
The Hamilton Mixtape is a 2016 mixtape album featuring assorted songs from the 2015 Broadway musical Hamilton performed by various artists, including Kelly Clarkson, Wiz Khalifa, Nas, Alicia Keys, John Legend, Dessa, Miguel, Chance the Rapper, Nate Ruess, K’naan, Aloe Blacc, and the Roots. It was widely well received by critics.
"The Story of Tonight" is the fourth song from Act 1 of the musical Hamilton, based on the life of Alexander Hamilton, which premiered on Broadway in 2015. Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote both the music and lyrics to the song.
In the Heights is a 2021 American musical drama film directed by Jon M. Chu from a screenplay by Quiara Alegría Hudes based on the stage musical of the same name by Hudes and Lin-Manuel Miranda. The film stars Anthony Ramos, Corey Hawkins, Leslie Grace in her film debut, Melissa Barrera, Olga Merediz, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Gregory Diaz IV, and Jimmy Smits. The film follows a similar plot to the musical, telling the story of a corner in the predominantly Dominican community of Washington Heights neighborhood of Upper Manhattan in New York City, where every member of the community pursues their sueñitos for a better life.
Spamilton: An American Parody is a musical parody of the Broadway show Hamilton. Written by Gerard Alessandrini, creator of the parody revue Forbidden Broadway, Spamilton also parodies several other musicals, including Gypsy, Chicago, The King and I, Assassins, Camelot, The Book of Mormon and Sweeney Todd, and personalities, like Patti LuPone, Audra McDonald, Stephen Sondheim, Stephen Schwartz, Barbra Streisand, Bernadette Peters, Carol Channing and Liza Minnelli.
"Burn" is the fifteenth song from Act 2 of the musical Hamilton, based on the life of Alexander Hamilton, which premiered on Broadway in 2015. Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote both the music and lyrics to the song. The song is sung by the character Eliza Hamilton, originally performed by Phillipa Soo.
Solea Pfeiffer is a Zimbabwe-born American actress and singer. She is best known for her role as Eliza Hamilton in the first national tour of Hamilton, which she landed after performing as Maria in West Side Story at the Hollywood Bowl. In 2019, she starred in the New York City Center's production of Evita. Since then, she has joined the Broadway productions of Hadestown as Eurydice and Moulin Rouge! as Satine.