Lisa Brescia

Last updated
Lisa Brescia
Lisa Brescia 2019.png
Brescia after a performance of Dear Evan Hansen in 2019 taken by Anthony E.Barone
Born (1970-05-12) May 12, 1970 (age 53)
Sioux Falls, South Dakota, U.S.
OccupationActress
Spouse Craig Carnelia

Lisa Brescia (born May 12, 1970) is an American musical theatre actress who has performed as lead and understudy in several Broadway shows. Raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, [1] 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.

Contents

On August 7, 2018, Brescia began a run as Heidi Hansen in Dear Evan Hansen on Broadway.

Career

Brescia was lead singer in The New Mamas and The Papas from 1993 to 1998 with original members John Phillips and Denny Doherty.[ citation needed ]

Brescia has played the role of "Amneris" in Elton John and Tim Rice's Aida in several productions. Brescia joined the first national touring production in 2002 as the standby for Kelli Fournier. She assumed the role of Amneris in September 2002 when Fournier left the production. Disney later moved her to the Broadway production as the standby for Mandy Gonzalez. Brescia assumed the role on January 4, 2004, upon Gonzalez's departure. She remained in the role until the musical's final performance on September 5, 2004. [2] [3] Brescia returned to the role for one week in 2006 at The Muny in St. Louis along with Simone and Will Chase, both of whom also appeared in the Broadway production. [4]

On February 13, 2007, she assumed the role of standby for Elphaba in the Broadway production of Wicked , playing the role during the absence of Julia Murney and then Stephanie J. Block. [2] She left the production on May 18, 2008, and transferred to the Chicago production from June 3, 2008, replacing Dee Roscioli in the lead role of Elphaba. [5] She gave her final performance in Chicago on August 24, 2008, after which Roscioli returned to the role. [6]

Brescia then starred in the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts' Broadway: Three Generations, a three-act evening featuring condensed versions of Girl Crazy , Bye Bye Birdie , and Side Show . The show was presented at the Kennedy Center's Eisenhower Theater October 2–5, 2008. [7]

She appeared in The Unauthorized Autobiography of Samantha Brown as Mom in The Orange County Performing Arts center, Orange County, California in 2009. The "work-in-progress" was written by Kait Kerrigan and Bree Lowdermilk. [8]

She starred as Claire in the new musical, Ordinary Days which was presented at the Black Blox Theatre in Manhattan from October 2 to December 13, 2009. [9] She is featured on the Original Off-Broadway Cast Recording which was recorded on April 9, 2010, and was released in the summer of 2010.

Brescia replaced Beth Leavel as Donna Sheridan in the Broadway production of Mamma Mia! . Her first performance took place on October 22, 2010. [10] Her final performance took place on June 2, 2012. [11]

On July 16, 2018, it was announced that Brescia would return to Broadway in Dear Evan Hansen as Heidi Hansen on August 7. She succeeded Rachel Bay Jones, who played her final performance on August 5. [12] Brescia starred in the show until November 24, 2019, and was replaced by Jessica Phillips. [13]

Brescia is currently teaching for the Musical Theatre Department of Missouri State University. [14]

Personal life

Her husband is actor Craig Carnelia. [15]

Theatre roles

Broadway

Source: PlaybillVault [2]

Off-Broadway

Chicago

Touring

Regional

Related Research Articles

Elphaba Thropp is the protagonist in Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire, and in its musical theatre adaptation Wicked. The character is identified with the Wicked Witch of the West from L. Frank Baum's 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jennifer Laura Thompson</span> American actor-singer (born 1969)

Jennifer Laura Thompson is an American actress and singer, best known for her theatrical performances. She originated the role of Cynthia Murphy in the Tony Award-winning musical, Dear Evan Hansen, and received a Tony Award nomination for her performance as Hope Cladwell in Urinetown. She is also known for being the first replacement for Kristen Chenoweth as Glinda in Wicked on Broadway.

<i>Wicked</i> (musical) 2003 musical by Stephen Schwartz

Wicked is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and book by Winnie Holzman. It is based on the 1995 Gregory Maguire novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, in turn based on L. Frank Baum's 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and its 1939 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film adaptation.

Kendra Kassebaum is an American theatre actress, who has performed in many different musicals, and is perhaps best remembered for playing the role of Glinda in the first national tour, Broadway, and San Francisco casts of the blockbuster musical Wicked.

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

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).

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">John Dossett</span> American actor and singer

John Dossett is an American actor and singer.

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

Dee Roscioli is an American singer and actress, who is known for her performances as Elphaba in the Broadway, Chicago, San Francisco, and national touring productions of the musical Wicked.

Karen Mason is an American musical theatre actress and singer. She has appeared on stage in Broadway theatre, notably as Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard, and is a multiple award-winning cabaret performer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Katie Rose Clarke</span> American musical theater actress

Katherine "Katie" Rose Clarke is an American musical theater actress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willemijn Verkaik</span> Dutch singer and actress

Willemijn Verkaik is a Dutch singer and actress. She is best known for her stage roles in Wicked and Elisabeth, and for providing the singing voice for Elsa in both the German and Dutch versions of Disney's Frozen. She was the longest running Elphaba in the musical Wicked, having played the role over 2,000 times, and is the only person to have played the role in three languages. Her first performance as Elphaba was on 31 October 2007, in Stuttgart, Germany, and her final performance was on 22 July 2017 in the West End of London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erin Mackey</span> American stage actress and singer (born 1986)

Erin Ashley Mackey is an American stage actress and singer, known for playing the role of Glinda in the Chicago, Los Angeles, Broadway, and Second National Tour productions of the musical Wicked. She was also a double in 1998's The Parent Trap.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teal Wicks</span> American singer and stage actress (born 1982)

Teal Wicks is an American singer and stage actress, who is best known for her performances as Elphaba in the Broadway, San Francisco, and Los Angeles productions of the musical Wicked and as Mary Barrie in the musical Finding Neverland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carmen Cusack</span> American actress

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mandy Gonzalez</span> American actress and singer (born 1978)

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.

Carla Stickler is an American semi-retired musical theatre actress, who is best known for her work on the musical Wicked. She is mainly a software engineer who came back in 2022 to Broadway to fill in for Elphaba due to the COVID-19 pandemic in New York.

Jennifer "Jenny" DiNoia is an American singer and stage actress. She is best known for her work in musical theatre, especially Wicked, playing the lead role of Elphaba in various productions around the world.

Michael James Scott is an American actor and singer, known for his work on the Broadway stage. He is best known for playing the Genie in Disney's Aladdin musical in the Original Australian Cast, as well as in the West End, U.S. National Tour, and Broadway productions.

Mallory Bechtel is an American musical theatre actress based in New York City. She has performed as lead and understudy in several musicals including the Tony Award-winning musical, Dear Evan Hansen on Broadway. She has also appeared in multiple television shows and films. In 2022, she starred as twins Karen and Kelly Beasley on Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin.

Alison Nicole Luff is an American singer and stage actress. She is best known for her extensive work in musical theatre, notably for her roles as Elphaba in the First National Tour of Wicked and Jenna in the Broadway production of Waitress. Since 2021, she has appeared in a lead role in the Starz drama series Heels.

References

  1. ↑ Blank, Matthew. "Playbill.Com's Cue & A: 'Mamma Mia!' Star Lisa Brescia" Playbill, January 18, 2011
  2. 1 2 3 "Lisa Brescia Broadway" playbillvault.com, accessed September 13, 2015
  3. ↑ Simonson, Robert. "Disney's 'Aida' Ends Its Elaborate Life on Broadway Sept. 5" Playbill, September 5, 2004
  4. ↑ "'Aida', Muny, 2006" broadwayworld.com, accessed September 13, 2015
  5. ↑ Gans, Andrew. "Brescia, Ashford and Cusick Will Join Chicago's 'Wicked' June 3" Playbill, June 2, 2008
  6. ↑ Gans, Andrew. "Roscioli Returns to Chicago's 'Wicked' Aug. 26" Playbill, August 26, 2008
  7. ↑ Gans, Andrew. "Steggert, Kritzer, Snyder and More Join Kennedy Center's Three Generations; Jones to Host" Playbill, September 16, 2008
  8. ↑ Smith, Chrisopher. "'Samantha Brown,' a musical in the making" Los Angeles Times, April 22, 2009
  9. ↑ Ordinary Days broadwayworld, August 19, 2009
  10. ↑ Gans, Andrew. "Broadway's 'Mamma Mia!' to Welcome Lisa Brescia, Liana Hunt and Clarke Thorell" Archived 2010-09-25 at the Wayback Machine Playbill, September 23, 2010
  11. ↑ Staff, Broadway.com. "Judy McLane Set to Star as Donna Sheridan in Mamma Mia!" Broadway.com, May 7, 2012
  12. ↑ Rickwald, Bethany Lisa Brescia Will Return to Broadway in Dear Evan Hansen Theater Mania, July 16, 2018
  13. ↑ Gans, Andrew. "Jessica Phillips Joins Cast of Broadway’s Dear Evan Hansen November 26" Playbill, November 26, 2019
  14. ↑ "Lisa M. Brescia".
  15. ↑ Henderson, Kathy. "What's Up, Lisa Brescia? The Real-Life Newlywed Steps Into the Lead in 'Mamma Mia!'" broadway.com, October 22, 2010
  16. ↑ BWW News Desk. "Kara Lindsay and Nicolas Dromard To Star in MARY POPPINS at North Carolina Theatre'" broadwayworld.com, June 9, 2016
  17. ↑ BWW News Desk. "McCarter Theatre Center to Stage World Premiere of Ken Ludwig's A COMEDY OF TENORS'" broadwayworld.com, October 2, 2015
  18. ↑ BWW News Desk. "Ogunquit Playhouse's VICTOR / VICTORIA, Starring Lisa Brescia, Hits the Stage Tonight'" broadwayworld.com, June 24, 2015
  19. ↑ McNeely, Robert. "PlayMakers opens 'Into the Woods' to rotate with 'Midsummer'" dailytarheel.com, October 31, 2014
  20. ↑ "Photo Flash: First Look at Taylor Mac, Lisa Brescia and More in PlayMakers Rep's 'Cabaret'" broadwayworld.com, April 4, 2013
  21. ↑ Hetrick, Adam. "'August: Osage County', Starring Dorothy Lyman, Lauren Kennedy, Lisa Brescia, Begins Raleigh Run Nov. 29" Playbill, November 29, 2012
  22. ↑ "Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival presents 'Hamlet'" August 10, 2012
  23. ↑ "'Evita' Reviews" gatewayproductionarchives.com, accessed September 13, 2015
  24. ↑ "Review. 'Last Five Years, The'" totaltheater.com, March 2005
  25. ↑ Jones, Kenneth. "Craig Carnelia Featured in Goodspeed's 'Actor, Lawyer, Indian Chief' May 15 – June 9" Playbill, April 23, 2002
  26. ↑ Jones, Kenneth. "The Waltzes Wane Dec. 16, as Goodspeed Puts Night Music to Bed" Playbill, December 16, 2001
  27. ↑ Jones, Kenneth and Lefkowitz, David. "Goodspeed Musicals' 'Brigadoon' Fades in the Mist June 23" Playbill, June 23, 2001
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.