Carole Demas

Carole Demas

Photo: Yolanda Perez 2009
Born Carole Marya Demas
(1940-05-26) May 26, 1940
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Occupation Actor/Singer
Years active 1960–present
Spouse(s) Stuart Allyn (m. 1983)

Carole Demas (born 26 May 1940, Brooklyn, New York) is an American actress and singer, best known for originating the roles of Sandy in the 1971 Broadway musical Grease and the title role in the original 1976 production of The Baker's Wife, for many prime time television roles, hundreds of commercials, and for her role in the long-running children's television show The Magic Garden. The winding path of Carole’s career, highlighted in Schirmer, Citadel and Applause Books chronicling the trials and triumphs of Broadway, has taken her from her early days as Miss Vermont in The Miss Universe Contest, to major roles from coast to coast. Her cabaret and concert performances have brought funds and attention to many worthy causes.

Biography

Demas was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1940. She holds a B.A. in English from the University of Vermont and continued her studies at the New York University Graduate School of Education. She spent several years as a teacher in the New York City Board of Education system including a sentimental semester teaching at P.S. 198 in Brooklyn, which she had attended from grade 5 through her graduation as the smallest kid in the eighth grade. She made her theatrical debut with the Champlain Shakespeare Festival. Later, she was featured for four seasons with the New York Shakespeare Festival Elizabethan Singers as one of a quartet consisting of Paula Janis (her eventual co-star on The Magic Garden) and their brothers, Jonathan Rosen and Alex Demas. During her appearances she was "discovered" by theatrical agents, which lead to her ingenue lead in Fred Ebb's new book musical "Morning Sun", and her continued career on stage, television and film. While in attendance at the University of Vermont she comped to become Miss Vermont in the Miss Universe pageant.

Career

Theater

Demas' theater career began in 1963 as the ingenue lead (opposite Bert Convy and starring Patricia Neway) role in Morning Sun, an early Fred Ebb effort (before his partnership with John Kander).[1] She was later cast as a replacement for the role of "Louisa (The Girl)" in The Fantasticks, and starred in that role for more than 2 years. Her work with Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt continued with the Portfolio workshop and her starring in their productions of Philemon and The Bone Room. In 1971, Demas was cast in the title role of the revival of No, No, Nanette, but was dismissed from the cast during rehearsals, owing to a disagreement between the director and the casting director.[2]

Demas was next cast as "Sandy" in the original Broadway production of Grease. She worked with writers Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey to develop the role,[3] which, in the original Chicago play (Grease Lightning) on which the musical was based, was considered too dark for the mainstream Broadway audience.[3] For her role in Grease, Demas, along with the rest of the original Broadway cast, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Demas left Grease to join the cast of a new musical, The Baker's Wife, produced by David Merrick.[4]:182 The play, which was being produced in Los Angeles in preparation for a national tour prior to a Broadway opening, proved problematic from the start, and several efforts were made to fix it, including replacing Demas with Patti LuPone,[4]:183 but to no avail. The Baker's Wife never came to Broadway.[4]:188

Her regional theatre credits include major roles in Barefoot in the Park (with Joan Bennet), Enter Laughing, Absence of a Cello (as Hans Conried's daughter), A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum as “Philia”, Oh, What a Lovely War, and her favorites, “Regina” in Another Part of the Forest at the Pennsylvania State Repertory Theatre, and “Angel” in Celebration at ACT in Seattle.

In 2011, at The New Amsterdam Theatre for Gypsy of the Year, Carole re-united with several original Grease cast members for a special performance.

Television and Film

While working in Grease, Demas and long-time friend Paula Janis began starring in the television show The Magic Garden for WPIX-TV in New York City. She and Janis continued presenting this daily children's television show from 1972 until 1984, with live concerts continuing long after the television show stopped being broadcast. the also co-wrote and appeared in two 1-hour specials, A Magic Garden Christmas, and The Magic Garden——Still Growing. WPIX-TV has continued to feature them in news stories and on the web with Magic Garden Moments.

For the popular PBS Series Great Performances, Carole joined other stars of the Great White Way for Lorimar’s Showstoppers—The Best of Broadway, in which memorable moments from Broadway musicals were recreated by the original stars. Demas has also appeared as a guest actor on many daytime and primetime series, including One Life to Live, The Edge of Night, Barnaby Jones, Mannix, Kojak, N.Y.P.D., The Man from Atlantis, and more recently Blue Bloods and Allegiance.

Carole was featured in the films, The 300 Year Weekend ( with William DeVane), and her other films include The Space Works for Trans-Lux Corp. and A Lovely Way to Die for Universal Films.

Concerts and cabaret

Demas has turned to concerts and cabaret in her later life. She has produced her one-woman show Summer Nights at the Laurie Beechman Theatre, and appears often in Broadway reviews, retrospectives, and fundraiser concerts:

Roles

Title Role Notes
Theater
Grease Sandy Originated role
A Race of Hairy Men Understudy
The Baker's Wife Geneviève Title role
Originated role
The Fantasticks Luisa (The Girl)
How to Steal an Election Female Lead
Rondelay The Maid Featured role
Morning Sun Mellie Ingenue lead
Philemon Female Lead Jones-Schmidt Portfolio
The Bone Room Female Lead Jones-Schmidt Portfolio
Barefoot in the Park Corrie
Enter Laughing Wanda
Absence of a Cello Joanna
Celebration Angel
Another Part of the Forest Regina
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum Philia
Oh, What a Lovely War Multiple Featured Roles
Henry IV, Part I Margaret Champlain Shakespeare Festival
As You Like It Phoebe
Much Ado About Nothing Hero
Television
Showstoppers - Great Performances (PBS) Guest Star
The Magic Garden Carole
Blue Bloods Mrs. Beth Eastman Season 4, Episode 2: "The City That Never Sleeps"
A Magic Garden Christmas (TV special) Carole 1 hour TV Special, airing 3 consecutive years
One Life to Live Lynn Walls Recurring
The Edge of Night Guest Recurring
Barnaby Jones Guest Two episodes
The Fantastic Journey Guest Star
The Man from Atlantis Guest Star
N.Y.P.D. Featured Role
Dilby (The Paul Ford Show) Leading role Pilot only
Kojak Guest Star
Mannix Guest Star
Khan! Guest Star
Route 66 Featured Role
Allegiance Guest Star NBC-TV
FYI Featured Role
Film
The Space Works (Trans-Lux Corp) Female Lead
The 300 Year Weekend (ABC Feature Film, 1971) Leading Role
A Lovely Way to Die (Universal Films, 1968) Featured Role

Recordings

Miscellaneous

Personal life

Demas presently resides in Westchester County with her husband, Stuart Allyn.

References

  1. ↑ Martin, Andrew (12 February 2012 She was next cast in a Starring role Off-Broadway in Rondelay and then in How To Steal An Election opposite Clifton Davis.). "It's Nice to Say Hello... to Carole Demas!". It's Nice to Say Hello. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. ↑ Dunn, Don (1972). The Making of No, No, Nanette. Citadel Press. ISBN 9780806502656.
  3. 1 2 Gans, Andrew (16 February 2007). "Chatting with Original Grease Star Carole Demas, Plus Betty Buckley in Concert". Playbill. Archived from the original on 2011-09-15.
  4. 1 2 3 De Giere, Carol (2008). Defying Gravity: The Creative Career of Stephen Schwartz, from Godspell to Wicked. Applause Theatre & Cinema. ISBN 9781557837455.
  5. ↑ "Carole and Paula," Long Island Music Hall of Fame website. Accessed Apr. 22, 2014.
  6. ↑ "About Us". New York Children's Theater Festival. Archived from the original on 4 July 2012. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
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