Victoria Clark

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Victoria Clark (born October 10, 1959) is an American soprano who won the Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical in 2005 for her performance in Adam Guettel's The Light in the Piazza. She also won the Drama Desk Award, Outer Critics Circle Award, and the Joseph Jefferson Award for her performances in this role.

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[edit] Life and career

Clark grew up in Texas, where she attended the Hockaday School, an all-girls school in Dallas, Texas. She also attended the Interlochen Arts Academy, before whisking off to Yale University (graduated in 1982), where, at the age of eighteen, she sang the role of Mabel in Gilbert and Sullivan's comic opera The Pirates of Penzance. She also sang the title role of Gilbert & Sullivan's Patience and directed a production of Ruddigore for the Yale Gilbert & Sullivan Society. After college, Clark continued to direct shows. She currently teaches voice in addition to performing.

Clark's stage work previous to The Light in the Piazza (2005-06) includes roles in the Broadway musicals Urinetown (2003), Cabaret (1999-2000), Titanic (1997-99), How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1995-96), A Grand Night for Singing (1993-94), and Guys and Dolls (1992-93), as well as numerous roles off-Broadway and in regional theatre. Clark has also been seen in films and in roles in television episodes and appears on a number of Broadway cast albums and other recordings.

She appeared as ex-showgirl Sally Durant Plummer in the Encores! staged concert presentation of Follies in February 2007 at City Center.

[edit] Critical reception

Eric Grode's comments in his review of Clark's performance for the Broadway.com website was typical of the comments of the major New York City newspaper reviewers:

"What is indisputable is that Victoria Clark has created a character for the ages. Lucas has done a superb job in fleshing out Margaret within the confines of a musical-theater libretto, and Clark responds with consummate precision and grace. Calling hers the musical performance of the year would be accurate. It would also be a drastic understatement."

[edit] Tony Award information

Awards
Preceded by
Idina Menzel
for Wicked		 Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical
2005
for The Light in the Piazza		 Succeeded by
LaChanze
for The Color Purple

[edit] External links