Valisia LeKae

Last updated
Valisia LeKae
Born (1979-09-25) September 25, 1979 (age 43)
Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
Occupation(s)Actress, singer
Years active2002–present

Valisia LeKae (born September 25, 1979) [1] is an American actress and singer. She was nominated for a 2014 Grammy Award and in 2013 she was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Lead Actress in a Musical both for her performance as Diana Ross in the Broadway musical Motown: The Musical .

Contents

Personal life

LeKae was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, [2] and listened to Motown records in her grandfather's barbershop as a youngster. She started to sing in church at age six [2] and then worked at the Dollywood theme park. [3] LeKae graduated from college with a degree in Psychology and minor in Child and Family Studies from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. [4]

LeKae left Motown: The Musical in December 2013 to be treated after a diagnosis of ovarian cancer. [5]

In February 2014, LeKae was named spokesperson for The National Ovarian Cancer Coalition.[ citation needed ]

Career

She starred as Diana Ross in Motown: The Musical on Broadway, which opened in April 2013. [6] The reviewer for TheaterMania wrote of her performance in Motown: The Musical:

The one person who truly shines, though, is Valisia LeKae as Gordy's longtime paramour, superstar Diana Ross. It's not just her almost spot-on re-creation of Miss Ross' breathy voice and steely demeanor that commands our attention. The consistent display of her genuine star power – most evident in a thrilling 'Reach Out and Touch' segment – also draws us in. [7]

The TalkinBroadway reviewer wrote: "Valisia LeKae does a killer impersonation of Ross, and effectively mimics her smoky innocence." [8]

For her performance she was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical. [9] She was also nominated for a Drama League Award (Distinguished Performance Award) [10] and Outer Critics Circle Award (Outstanding Actress in a Musical) [11] and won the Theatre World Award (Outstanding Broadway or Off-Broadway debut performance). [12] [13]

Previously, she was a swing and understudy in the Broadway productions of The Book of Mormon (2011), Ragtime (2009) for which she was the winner of a Joseph Jefferson Award, and The Threepenny Opera (2006) and a performer in 110 in the Shade (2007). [14] [15]

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References

  1. ↑ Date of birth, Familysearch.org; accessed June 4, 2014.
  2. 1 2 Gans, Andrew. "DIVA TALK: A Chat With 'Motown The Musical' Star Valisia LeKae", playbill.com, March 15, 2013
  3. ↑ Mandell, Jonathan. In the Middle with You: Motown Stars Valisia LeKae and Brandon Victor Dixon", playbill.com, May 2, 2013
  4. ↑ "Broadway Actress Valisia LeKae Receives Accomplished Alumni Award | Tennessee Today". Tntoday.utk.edu. 2013-09-09. Retrieved 2016-03-04.
  5. ↑ Hetrick, Adam. "Tony Award Nominee Valisia LeKae Departs Broadway's Motown to Undergo Treatment for Ovarian Cancer" Archived 2013-12-19 at the Wayback Machine playbill.com, December 17, 2013
  6. ↑ Hetrick, Adam. " 'Hail to the Beat': 'Motown: The Musical' Opens On Broadway April 14" Archived 2013-06-05 at the Wayback Machine , playbill.com, April 14, 2013
  7. ↑ Lipton, Brian Scott. "Review. 'Motown: The Musical'", theatermania.com, April 14, 2013
  8. ↑ Murray, Matthew. "Broadway Reviews. 'Motown: The Musical'", talkinbroadway.com, April 14, 2013
  9. ↑ Gans, Andrew. "Nominations Announced for 67th Annual Tony Awards; 'Kinky Boots' Earns 13 Nominations" Archived 2013-10-21 at the Wayback Machine , playbill.com, April 30, 2013.
  10. ↑ Gans, Andrew. "Nominees Announced for 79th Annual Drama League Awards" Archived 2013-04-26 at the Wayback Machine , playbill.com, April 23, 2013
  11. ↑ Gans, Andrew. "'Pippin' Is Big Winner of 2012-13 Outer Critics Circle Awards" Archived 2013-12-22 at the Wayback Machine , playbill.com, May 13, 2013.
  12. ↑ Gans, Andrew. "Tom Hanks, Bertie Carvel, Valisia LeKae, Rob McClure and More Are Theatre World Award Winners" Archived 2013-06-07 at the Wayback Machine , playbill.com, May 7, 2013.
  13. ↑ Witherspoon, Chris. "Motown Actress Valisia LeKae Delivers as Diana Ross", thegrio.com, May 20, 2013.
  14. ↑ "Valisia LeKae Listing", playbillvault.com
  15. ↑ "Valisia LeKae Profile", broadway.com
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