Mandy Gonzalez

Mandy Gonzalez

July 27, 2007
Born Mandy Vera Gonzalez
c. 1978/1979 (age 36–37)[1]
Santa Clarita Valley, California
Occupation Actress, singer
Years active 2001–present
Website
www.mandygonzalez.com

Mandy Gonzalez (born c. 1978/1979)[1] is an American actress and singer, best known for playing the roles of Elphaba and Nina Rosario in the Broadway musicals, Wicked and In the Heights, respectively.

Early life and education

Gonzalez was born and raised in California's Santa Clarita Valley.[2] Her father is Mexican and her mother is Jewish (of Polish and Romanian origin).[3][4] Gonzalez attended Saugus High School in Saugus, California.[1] She attended the California Institute of the Arts for one year. Gonzalez then worked as a background singer for Bette Midler's Millennium Tour (1999–2000). After that she moved to New York City, where she worked as a coat check attendant while attending open calls.[2]

Acting career

Prior to her appearances on Broadway, Gonzalez appeared in the off-Broadway production of Eli's Comin, a musical which was based on the lyrics and music of songwriter Laura Nyro that ran Off-Broadway in 2001.[5] Gonzalez won an Obie Award for her performance.[6]

In 2001, Gonzalez made her debut on Broadway in the role of Princess Amneris in the Tim Rice/Elton John musical Aida as the standby for Idina Menzel. In 2002, she played the role of Sarah in the short-lived Broadway musical Dance of the Vampires.[2] She returned to Aida in 2003, now the regular Amneris, opposite Deborah Cox and Will Chase.[7]

In 2005, she appeared in the Broadway musical Lennon, based on the life of John Lennon and Yoko Ono,[8] She played multiple roles, including Lennon himself. The show played a limited 91 performances on Broadway.

Gonzalez then starred as Nina Rosario in the original Broadway cast of In The Heights. Gonzalez created the role of Nina in the show's Off-Broadway production and received a Drama Desk Award for her portrayal.[9][10]

Gonzalez had previously been offered the role of Elphaba on the first national tour of Wicked, which she would have taken over from Shoshana Bean in January 2007; instead, she declined in order to star in In the Heights, with the role of Elphaba going instead to Victoria Matlock.[11] In 2010, the opportunity finally arose for her to play Elphaba in the Broadway production of Wicked.[12] She replaced Dee Roscioli on March 23, 2010. Not long into her run as the green witch, she won the 2010 Broadway.com Audience Award for Best Female Replacement. On January 30, 2011, she gave her final performance in the role, after which she was replaced by Teal Wicks. Gonzalez also had previously appeared in the ensemble in one of the musical's first readings.

Film and T.V.

On screen, Gonzalez can be seen in Across the Universe (directed by Julie Taymor), In God's Hands, The Good Wife, Third Watch, Guiding Light, and recently finished filming Pieter Gaspersz' After.

She can be heard on the Original Broadway cast Recording of In the Heights, and in the Disney animated film Mulan 2, as the singing voice of Su.

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Irwin, Kim (February 6, 1995). "Saugus Teen Dreams of Seeing Name in Lights". Los Angeles Daily News.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Gans, Andrew (September 12, 2008). "DIVA TALK: Chatting with In the Heights' Mandy Gonzalez Plus News of Fraser, Testa and Bundy". Playbill.
  3. ↑ Latina Magazine (2003), Volume 8, Issues 1–4 Courtesy of Latina.com
  4. ↑ Wolf, S. (2011). Changed for Good: A Feminist History of the Broadway Musical. OUP USA. p. 193. ISBN 9780195378238. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  5. ↑ Dominguez, Robert (May 12, 2001). "LAURA'S LEGACY 'ELI'S COMING' SHOWCASES NYRO HITS". New York Daily News. Retrieved July 19, 2010.
  6. ↑ "New York Obies Theater Awards". villagevoice.com. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  7. ↑ Diamond, Robert (August 12, 2003). "Interview with Mandy Gonzalez". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved July 19, 2010.
  8. ↑ Diamond, Robert (August 11, 2005). "Lennon Roundtable: Interview with Will Chase, Julie Danao, Mandy Gonzalez and Terrence Mann". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved July 19, 2010.
  9. ↑ "Press Release: The Coast of Utopia". Drama Desk. May 20, 2007. Retrieved July 19, 2010.
  10. ↑ Junco, Maite (May 29, 2009). "VIVA: Hitting the 'Heights' on PBS". New York Daily News. Retrieved July 23, 2010.
  11. ↑ Gans, Andrew (January 14, 2011). "DIVA TALK: Catching Up with Wicked Star Mandy Gonzalez". Playbill.
  12. ↑ "Wicked's Mandy Gonzalez on Relocating from The Heights to Oz". Broadway.com. April 5, 2010. Retrieved July 19, 2010.

References

External links