 |
Shelly Burch | |
|---|---|
| Born | Tucson, Arizona, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, singer |
Shelly Burch is an American actress and singer known to television audiences for her role as Delilah Ralston on ABC's daytime soap opera One Life to Live , a role she played for eight years.
Born in Tucson, Arizona, she began performing as a teenager in community and regional musicals, ultimately moving to Washington, D.C., with her family when her father Dean Burch entered Republican party politics in the 1964 White House run for the Presidency by Barry Goldwater. She continued working in the D.C. area and eventually entered Carnegie Mellon University, where she stayed until a move to New York in the 70's. Shelly was cast in her first Broadway show six months after her arrival. She played one of Sammy Davis Jr.'s daughters in the revival of Stop the World – I Want to Get Off , which began its run in California and came to Lincoln Center, New York. In 1979, after several cabaret appearances, she snagged the role of Star-To-Be in Annie on Broadway, and also played the role of Lily St. Regis. In 1980, Tommy Tune cast her in his original Broadway production of Nine . She played the role of Claudia and introduced Maury Yeston's "Unusual Way". The role earned her kudos, including one from Frank Rich (then the drama critic for The New York Times), in which he called her "a Modigliani goddess with another strong voice and an almost otherworldly presence". [1] She also garnered a Drama Desk nomination for the role. She stayed with Nine until she was tapped to originate the role of the devilish Delilah Ralston on ABC-TV's long-running soap opera One Life to Live . [2] She stayed on the show for eight years, and at the same time honed her cabaret skills. In 1989, after having left Llanview (where One Life took place), she created the role of Julie for the Paper Mill Playhouse's production of Show Boat , which subsequently was filmed by PBS for Great Performances.
In 1990, she moved to Florida, got married and had three children. During her Florida residency, she continued to perform regionally and sang in numerous churches and at the Holy Land. She also worked extensively at Disneyland and continued her cabaret and night club career. She also performed at diverse locations such as the Republican National Convention and RFK Stadium, stirring audiences with her version of "The Star Spangled Banner". In 2003, after roles such as Patsy Cline in "An Evening With..." and Aldonza in Man of La Mancha , she called her old friend and Annie director Martin Charnin to come and create a new night club act for her. He did. The act played in Orlando, Washington, D.C., and eventually in 2009 came to the Metropolitan Room in New York City. In 2004, family-in-hand, she moved to the Pacific Northwest and became a regular in the Seattle and environs theater scene. In 2006, she and Mr. Charnin married and they continued working together in the Pacific Northwest, until they returned to the East Coast in July 2012. Shelly has done several revues at The Emelin Theatre in Mamaroneck, New York and several one-woman shows in New York City at 54 Below and The Metropolitan Room all directed by Mr. Charnin. She is currently working on a one-woman entertainment entitled Incurably Romantic featuring the music and lyrics of Mr. Charnin opening in December 2019.
Bernadette Peters is an American actress, singer, and children's book author. Over a career spanning more than six decades, she has starred in musical theatre, television and film, performed in solo concerts and released recordings. She is a critically acclaimed Broadway performer, having received seven nominations for Tony Awards, winning two, and nine Drama Desk Award nominations, winning three. Four of the Broadway cast albums on which she has starred have won Grammy Awards.
Annie is a musical with music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin, and a book by Thomas Meehan. It is based on the 1924 comic strip Little Orphan Annie by Harold Gray. The original Broadway production opened in 1977 and ran for nearly six years, setting a record for the Alvin Theatre. It spawned numerous productions in many countries, as well as national tours, and won seven Tony Awards, including for Best Musical. The musical's songs "Tomorrow" and "It's the Hard Knock Life" are among its most popular musical numbers.
Faith Prince is an American actress and singer, best known for her work on Broadway in musical theatre. She won the Tony Award for Best Actress in Guys and Dolls in 1992, and received three other Tony nominations.
Tammy Lee Grimes was an American film and stage actress.
Donna McKechnie is an American musical theater dancer, singer, actress, and choreographer. She is known for her professional and personal relationship with choreographer Michael Bennett, with whom she collaborated on her most noted role, the character of Cassie in the musical A Chorus Line. She earned the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for this performance in 1976. She is also known for playing Amanda Harris/Olivia Corey on the Gothic soap opera, Dark Shadows from 1969 to 1970.
Andrea McArdle is an American singer and actress best known for originating the role of Annie in the Broadway musical Annie.
Martin Charnin was an American lyricist, writer, and theatre director. Charnin's best-known work is as conceiver, director, and lyricist of the musical Annie.
Ann Reinking was an American dancer, actress, choreographer, and singer. She worked predominantly in musical theater, starring in Broadway productions such as Coco (1969), Over Here! (1974), Goodtime Charley (1975), Chicago (1977), Dancin' (1978), and Sweet Charity (1986).
Dolores Gray was an American actress and singer. She was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Lead Actress in a Musical twice, winning once.
Joan Diener was an American theatre actress and singer with a three-and-a-half-octave range. As her obituary in The New York Times summed it up, Diener's "lush beauty, showstopping stage presence and operatic voice made her a favorite in musicals, especially in the original 1965 Man of La Mancha."
Anne Emily Bergl is an English actress. She is known for her roles as Rachel Lang in the supernatural horror film The Rage: Carrie 2 (1999), Francie Jarvis on Gilmore Girls (2001-2003), Annie O'Donnell on the ABC series Men in Trees (2006–08), Tammi Bryant on the TNT drama series Southland (2009–2013), Beth Young on Desperate Housewives (2010–12), Sammi Slott on Shameless (2014–2015), Lilah Tanner on American Crime (2016-2017), and Tessie on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2018-2023). She also performs as a cabaret singer.
Annie Warbucks is a musical with a book by Thomas Meehan, music by Charles Strouse, and lyrics by Martin Charnin. A sequel to the 1977 Tony Award-winning hit Annie, based on Harold Gray's Little Orphan Annie comic strip, it begins immediately after Annie ends.
La Strada is a musical with lyrics and music by Lionel Bart, with additional lyrics by Martin Charnin and additional music by Elliot Lawrence. It is based on the 1954 film of the same name by Federico Fellini. Bart wrote the score in 1967 and made a demonstration recording, although the musical was not produced until 1969, when it was famously cancelled after just one performance. The musical's book was written by Charles K. Peck, Jr., who also produced it on Broadway.
Annie is a 1982 American musical comedy-drama film based on the 1977 Broadway musical of the same name by Charles Strouse, Martin Charnin and Thomas Meehan, which in turn is based on the Little Orphan Annie comic strip created by Harold Gray. Directed by John Huston and written by Carol Sobieski, the cast includes Albert Finney, Carol Burnett, Bernadette Peters, Ann Reinking, Tim Curry, Geoffrey Holder, Edward Herrmann, with Aileen Quinn as the title character. It is the first film adaptation of the musical.
Marilyn Roberta Sokol is an American actress, musician, comedian, and producer, perhaps best known for her roles as Lulu Brecht in Can't Stop the Music (1980) and as Ma Otter in Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas (1977). She has received an Emmy Award, Obie Award, and a Bistro Award.
Walter Willison is an American stage actor.
Elisabeth Margaret Welch was an American singer, actress, and entertainer, whose career spanned seven decades. Her best-known songs were "Stormy Weather", "Love for Sale" and "Far Away in Shanty Town". She was American-born, but was based in Britain for most of her career.
KT Sullivan is an American singer and actress known for her performances in cabaret and musical theatre.
Dennis Grimaldi is an American theatrical producer, director, and choreographer who has worked on Broadway, Off Broadway, television, and on London's West End. His work includes Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes, Other People’s Money, Harry Townsend’s Last Stand and Annie Warbucks. Grimaldi choreographed the touring companies of Gigi, The Robber Bridegroom, The Red Bluegrass Western Flyer show, and Broadway; among others.
Raymond Jessel was a Welsh songwriter, screenwriter, orchestrator, and musical theatre composer. Born in Cardiff, he moved to Canada in 1955 and started a career as an orchestrator and composer for CBC Radio and CBC Television. He met a Canadian pianist Marian Grudeff, who became his songwriting partner. He received five MAC Awards for "Original Song" and the 2004 Bistro Award. He was most recognised for his audition for America's Got Talent in 2014 in which he sang an original song about a transgender woman.