Christine Andreas

Christine Andreas (born October 1, 1951) is an American broadway actress and singer.

Biography

Andreas was born in Camden, New Jersey. She graduated from Suffern High School, class of 1969, in Suffern, NY. She was voted by her fellow Seniors best female actor and best female musician. The yearbook photo for the latter depicts Andreas facetiously playing a tuba.

Broadway

She made her Broadway debut in a 1975 revival of Angel Street. The following year she was cast as Eliza Doolittle in the 20th Anniversary production of My Fair Lady, for which she received the Theatre World Award. Additional theatre credits include Oklahoma! (Tony Award nomination for Best Actress in a Musical), On Your Toes (Tony nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical), The Scarlet Pimpernel, Words & Music with Sammy Cahn, Rags, Pal Joey (Prince Music Theater, Barrymore Award for Outstanding Leading Actress in a Musical), and Legs Diamond. She also starred in the Broadway-bound and derailed Erte production of Stardust.

She spent 2007 touring the US as Margaret Johnson in The Light in the Piazza. In 2010, she portrayed the role of Jacqueline in the new Broadway production of La Cage Aux Folles, which opened April 18, 2010. The show was a transfer from London's West End and won the 2009 Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival.^[1] La Cage aux Folles also won three 2010 Tony Awards (Best Revival of a Musical, Best Leading Actor in a Musical and Best Direction of a Musical).

Regional

Tartuffe (Kennedy Center), Twelfth Night (Alaska Rep), Sarah and Abraham (George St.), Promises, Promises.

Ms. Andreas starred as Judy Garland in Heartbreaker: Two Months with Judy Garland, the stage premiere of John Meyer's 1983 book about his time with the iconic performer, which will play the Adirondack Theatre Festival this summer. Also PS Classics released a new CD of Christine's latest show, Bemused. The expected release date was July 2013.

West End

Collaboration with composer Martin Silvestri led to the U.S. premiere and London production of The Fields of Ambrosia.

Television

Andreas' television appearances include The Cosby Show, Another World, PBS - Musical Comedy Tonite and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. She portrayed Ava Gardner in the made-for-TV movie Mia, Child of Hollywood.

Cabaret

She has performed her cabaret act in the Café Carlyle and the Algonquin Hotel's Oak Room and Carnegie Hall in New York City and in the Catalina Grill in Los Angeles, and has appeared in concert in London, Paris, Rome and at The White House. Ms. Andreas recently performed her new show "Bemused" at 54 Below. She will be giving a concert at the Kupferberg Center for the Arts at Queens College, NY based on her most recent recording Love is Good in Feb. 2014.

Awards

• World Theater (Janus) Award 1975-1976, New York

Best Actress in a Musical My Fair Lady;

• Tony Award Nomination 1980, New York

Best Actress in a Musical Oklahoma!;

• Tony Award Nomination 1983, New York

Best Featured Actress in a Musical On Your Toes;

• Barrymore Award 2002-2003, Philadelphia

Outstanding Leading Actress in a Musical Pal Joey;

• Helen Hayes Award 2007, Washington D.C.

Best Actress in a Musical The Light in the Piazza.

Recordings

Solo recordings include

• Love is Good
• Here's to the Ladies
• The Carlyle Set
• Bemused: Live at 54 Below

Cast recordings include

• My Fair Lady - 20th Anniversary - 1976 Revival
• Oklahoma! 1979 Revival
• On Your Toes 1983 Revival
• Fields of Ambrosia 1996 Cast
• The Scarlet Pimpernel 1997 Cast
• The Scarlet Pimpernel-Encore 1998 Cast
• La Cage Aux Folles 2010 Revival.

Other related recordings

• Beauty and the Beast - 1974 Studio
• Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs - 1974 Studio
• Lovesong: A Musical Entertainment - 1980 Cast
• Alec Wilder's Clues to a Life - 1982 Cast
• Lola - 1985 Cast;
• Maury Yeston Songbook - Various
• Broadway Unplugged - Various
• Broadway Musicals of 1929 - Various
• Broadway Musicals of 1956 - Various
• Musicality of Rodgers and Hart - Various
• The Singles - Various
• A Cabaret Cocktail - Various
• New York: Destination Music - Various
• Falling in Love Is Wonderful: Broadway's Greatest Love Duets - Various
• Carols for a Cure 2010 Vol.12 - Various.

Reviews

Source: Official Site ^[2]

• "Right Tune, Right Singer: Pure Alchemy" From: Stephen Holden, "Christine Andreas, Bemused: Live at 54 Below", The New York Times, January 29, 2013.

• "Christine Andreas is everything anyone who loves romantic pop music could want - simply sine qua non." From: Liz Smith, "The Oak Room At The Algonquin Hotel", New York Post, Spring, 1999.

• "She finds a blend of lyricism and sweet sensuality that only the finest Broadway voices can conjure." From: Stephen Holden, "Christine Andreas, Oak Room at the Algonquin", The New York Times, March 14, 2000.

• "A lyric soprano with a distinctive, gorgeous voice, Andreas illuminates the mood and meaning of each song through her considerable acting skills." From: Christine Dolan, "Treasure of Broadway shines in cabaret show", The Miami Herald, February 1, 2008.

• "Andreas' performance made it clear that she has every reason to feel at home in any jazz club she chooses to grace with her mesmerizing musical presence." From: Don Heckman, "She's a Broadway baby at home with jazz: Christine Andreas transforms all types of songs in her West Coast nightclub debut", Los Angeles Times, May 29, 2004.

• "Not all sopranos can summon the warmth and intimacy cabaret singing requires." From: Elysa Gardner, "The Carlyle Set", USA Today, undated.

• "Christine Andreas has one of the four or five most compelling voices to be heard in the Broadway theater." From: Holden, Stephen, "Love is Good", The New York Times, undated.

• "Many singers have lovely voices. Very few interpret lyrics the way they were meant to be sung. Christine Andreas does just that. As a lyricist, I can only applaud." From: Hal David, "Love is Good", undated.

Personal

She is married to composer and musician Martin Silvestri.^[3] She has one son, Mac. Diagnosed with pervasive developmental disabilities, he lives in a group home.

References

External links

• Official website
• Christine Andreas at the Internet Broadway Database
• Christine Andreas at the Internet Movie Database