Lauren Kennedy

Lauren Kennedy
At Broadway in Bryant Park, July 23, 2009
Born	1973/1974 (age 37–38) Raleigh, North Carolina
Occupation	actress, singer
Years active	1980s - present
Spouse	Alan Campbell

Lauren Kennedy (born c. 1973 in Raleigh, North Carolina) is an actress and a singer who has performed numerous times on Broadway. She most recently starred in the Off-Broadway show Good Ol' Girls at the Black Box Theatre during the 2009-2010 season. Earlier that season, she starred in Vanities, a new musical, at Second Stage Theatre Off-Broadway, which recently released a cast recording.

Education

Kennedy was raised in Raleigh, North Carolina and graduated from Needham Broughton High School in 1991. She started acting at the North Carolina Theatre while in high school. Kennedy attended the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music where she was pursuing a B.F.A. in Musical Theatre. She left school at the age of 19, when she was cast in the 1993 Los Angeles production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Sunset Boulevard", After a nine-month run, she moved to New York for musical's 1994 Broadway opening.

Career

Kennedy appeared in the original cast of the short-lived Side Show on Broadway as an ensemble member, where she also understudied Emily Skinner. She has also starred in Monty Python's Spamalot on Broadway as a replacement for the Lady of the Lake. Additionally, she has been seen on Broadway in Les Misérables, Sunset Boulevard with Glenn Close, Side Show, and Cinderella with New York City Opera. She originated the role of Cathy in Jason Robert Brown's The Last Five Years in its Chicago premiere, but opted to do South Pacific at the National Theatre in London instead of following the show Off-Broadway (she was replaced by Sherie Rene Scott). In 2004, she starred as Emma Carew in the concert-style version of Jekyll & Hyde - The Musical entitled Resurrection, opposite Kate Shindle and Rob Evan. However, she left the tour before it concluded, to be replaced by Brandi Burkhardt, who is heard on the recording of the tour.^{[citation needed]}

In 2005, she starred in the world premiere of Frank Wildhorn & Jack Murphy's Waiting for the Moon, as Zelda Fitzgerald, which took place in Marlton, NJ. She was nominated for a Barrymore Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical. In 2006, Kennedy played the role of Princess Nefertari in The Ten Commandments: The Musical opposite Val Kilmer. From 2007 through 2009, Lauren has worked actively with the new Wildhorn / Murphy musical Wonderland: Alice's New Musical Adventure.^{[citation needed]}

She released two solo albums on PS Classics. An album of all Jason Robert Brown material entitled Songs of Jason Robert Brown, and an album dedicated to new musical writers, titled Here and Now.^{[citation needed]}

Lauren starred in the new musical Vanities at the Pasadena Playhouse, in California from August to September 2008. She then followed the musical to its Off-Broadway venue Second Stage Theatre.^{[citation needed]}

Lauren is the artistic director of Hot Summer Nights at the Kennedy, a theatre company in Raleigh, North Carolina. The company produces during the summer months (June–August) and comprises its casts of local and out-of-town talent.^{[citation needed]}

Personal life

She is married to fellow actor Alan Campbell, whom she appeared with in Sunset Boulevard, since 1999. They have one daughter, Riley Rose.

Barton College Theater

Barton College in Wilson, North Carolina, has announced plans to construct a theater building bearing the names of Lauren Kennedy and Alan Campbell.^{[citation needed]}

Theatre credits

Broadway

• Monty Python's Spamalot - The Lady of the Lake (First Replacement) (2006–2007)
• Les Misérables - Fantine (2002–2003)
• Side Show - Daisy Hilton (Standby for Emily Skinner) (1997)
• Sunset Boulevard - Mary/1st Masseuse, understudy for Betty Schaeffer (under Alice Ripley) (1994–1995)

Off-Broadway

• Good Ol' Girls - Several roles, leading actress (2010)
• Vanities: A New Musical - Mary (2009)

West End

• South Pacific - Esign Nellie Forbush (National Theatre) (2001–2002)

Regional stage

• "Into the Woods" - Witch (2012), Westport Country Playhouse, Westport, Connecticut
• Evita - Eva Duarte de Perón (2011), Casa Mañana, Fort Worth, Texas
• Lone Star Love - (Seattle) (2007) (World premiere)
• Frank Wildhorn's Waiting for the Moon - Zelda Fitzgerald (Marlton, NJ, Lenape Performing Arts Center) (2005) (World premiere)
• The Ten Commandments: The Musical - Nefertari (Los Angeles, CA, Kodak Theatre) (2004)
• Frank Wildhorn's Jekyll & Hyde (musical) Resurrection -Emma Carew (Marlton, NJ, Lenape Performing Arts Center, and Mohegan Sun, CT) (2004)
• White Christmas - Judy Haines (St. Louis, MUNY) (2004)
• Breakfast at Tiffany's (musical) - Holly Golightly (St. Louis, MUNY) (2004)
• The Last Five Years - Cathy (Chicago) (2001)
• The Rhythm Club - Petra (Lead) (Washington, DC) (2000)
• Hot Shoe Shuffle - Maddy (Lead) (Theatre Under the Stars, Houston)
• Sunset Boulevard - Mary/1st Masseuse, understudy for Betty Schaeffer (under Judy Kuhn) (1993–1994) (Los Angeles)
• Good News (musical) - Corda (Wichita) (1993)

Tour

• Sunset Boulevard - Betty Schaeffer (1995–1997)

Film

• Lost in Yonkers
• The Ten Commandments: The Musical starring Val Kilmer

Discography

• Good Ol' Girls: Original Off-Broadway Cast Recording
• Vanities, a new musical: Original Off-Broadway Cast Recording
• Lauren Kennedy: Here and Now (solo album)
• Lauren Kennedy: Songs of Jason Robert Brown (first solo CD)
• The Ten Commandments: The Musical World Premiere at Kodak Theatre, DVD
• Dracula: The Musical: Concept Recording (not yet officially released)
• I Sing, the new musical: Original Cast Recording
• South Pacific: 2002 Royal National Theatre Recording
• Side Show: Original Broadway Cast Recording
• Sunset Boulevard: Original Cast Recording
• Good News!
• This Ordinary Thursday, The Music of Georgia Stitt
• Life Upon the Wicked S.T.A.G.E: A Tribute to Jerome Kern
• Paul Simon.

External links

• Lauren Kennedy's official website