Victoria Clark

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Victoria Clark
Victoria Clark.jpg
Clark in 2011
Born (1959-10-10) October 10, 1959 (age 64)
Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Alma mater Yale University
New York University
Occupation Actor, singer, director
Spouse(s) Thomas Reidy (m. August 1, 2015)
Children 1
Website Official website

Victoria Clark (born October 10, 1959) is a four time Tony nominated, American musical theatre singer and actress. Clark has performed in numerous Broadway musicals and in other theatre, film and television works. Her soprano voice can also be heard on innumerable cast albums and several animated films. In 2008, she released her first solo album titled Fifteen Seconds of Grace. In 2005, she won the Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical for her role in 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 the same show.

Life and career

Clark was born and raised in Dallas, Texas, the daughter of Lorraine and Banks Clark.[1] She studied the piano and attended the Hockaday School, an all-girls school in Dallas. She attended the Interlochen Arts Academy before going to Yale University, graduating in 1982. At Yale, 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 in Gilbert and Sullivan's Patience, and directed a production of Ruddigore for the Yale Gilbert & Sullivan Society. After college, Clark studied at New York University's Musical Theatre Master's Program[2]as a stage director and began to direct operas and musicals professionally. Although she continues to direct, she has primarily focused on singing and acting.

Clark's stage work includes roles in the Broadway musicals Guys and Dolls (1992–93), A Grand Night for Singing (1993–94), How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1995–96, as Smitty), Titanic (1997–99, creating the role of Alice Beane), Cabaret (1999–2000, as Fraulein Kost) and Urinetown (2003, as Penelope Pennywise),[3] as well as numerous roles Off-Broadway, in national tours and in regional theatre. She played Doris MacAfee in the City Center Encores! production of Bye, Bye Birdie in 2004.[4]

In 2005, Clark won the Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical, a Drama Desk Award, an Outer Critics Circle Award, and the Joseph Jefferson Award for her performance in the musical The Light in the Piazza (2005–06). Broadway.com commented on Clark's performance, "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."[5] She appeared as former showgirl Sally Durant Plummer in the Encores! staged concert presentation of Follies in February 2007 at City Center. She next created the role of Margaret Brennan in The Marriage of Bette and Boo Off-Broadway in 2008 for the Roundabout Theatre Company.[6]

Clark appeared in Prayer for My Enemy, a new play by Craig Lucas Off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons from November 14, 2008 through December 21, 2008. The play concerned the consequences that the Iraq war has had on an American family, co-starred Michelle Pawk and Jonathan Groff, and was directed by Bartlett Sher.[7]

Clark has also appeared in movies, sung in several animated feature films, and appeared in roles in television episodes. She can be heard on a number of Broadway cast albums and other recordings. In 2008 she released her first solo album, Fifteen Seconds of Grace, produced by PS Classics. Clark teaches voice and studies acting at the Michael Howard Studios and voice with Edward Sayegh. Clark received the 2006 Distinguished Artist Award from the New York Singing Teachers' Association.

Clark played the Mother Superior in the Broadway production of Sister Act, which opened on April 20, 2011.[8] For this role she was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical.[9] Clark portrayed Sally in the Kennedy Center/Broadway production of Follies, running at the Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre, Los Angeles, from May 3, 2012 through June 9.[10][11]

In 2013, Clark starred in the Manhattan Theatre Club's production of The Snow Geese by Sharr White alongside Mary Louise Parker and Danny Burstein.[12] Previously, she starred as the Fairy Godmother in the Broadway production of Cinderella.[13] For this role, she received her second Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical.[14] She returned to the Broadway production of Cinderella for a run lasting from January 2014 to September 2014.[15][16] In December 2014 Clark appeared as Carrie Mathison's mother on the Season 4 finale of Showtime's series Homeland.[17] Clark played Mamita in the Broadway revival of Gigi, which opened in April 2015.[18] For this performance, Clark received another nomination for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical.[19]

Personal life

Clark married Thomas Reidy on August 1, 2015 in North Carolina. She has a son from a previous marriage. [20]

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
1996 The Hunchback of Notre Dame Voice
1997 Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas Chorus (singing voice) Direct-to-video
1997 Anastasia Ensemble and Character Vocals (voice)
1999 Cradle Will Rock Dulce Fox
2008 The Happening Nursery Owner's Wife
2009 Tickling Leo Madeline Pikler
2010 Harvest Anna Monopoli
2010 Main Street Miriam
2011 Dirty Movie Teacher
2012 Archaeology of a Woman[21] Kate
Television
Year Title Role Notes
1975 My Father's House Zozo TV film
1998 Law & Order Detective Episode: "Bait"
2003 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Margaret Melia Episode: "Choice"
2006 Live from Lincoln Center Margaret Johnson / Herself Episode: "The Light in the Piazza"
2009 Mercy Mrs. Simanski Episode: "You Lost Me with the Cinderblock"
2001 Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street in Concert Beggar Woman TV film
2013 Late Show with David Letterman Fairy Godmother Season 20, Episode 125
2014 Homeland Ellen Mathison Episode: "Long Time Coming"
Theatre
Year Title Role Notes
1987 Les Misérables Madame Thénardier First US National Tour
1988 Splendora Performer New York
1992 Guys and Dolls Martha Broadway
1993 A Grand Night for Singing Performer Broadway
1995 How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying Smitty Broadway
1997 Titanic Alice Beane Broadway
1999 Cabaret Fräulein Kost; Fritzie Broadway
2003 Urinetown Penelope Pennywise Broadway
2003 Baby Arlene McNally New York
2004 Bye Bye Birdie Doris MacAfee Encores! Concert
2004 The Light in the Piazza Margaret Johnson Chicago; Broadway
2007 Follies Sally Encores! Concert
2008 The Marriage of Bette and Boo Margaret Brennan Off-Broadway
2008 Prayer for My Enemy Dolores Off-Broadway
2009 Love, Loss, and What I Wore Performer Off-Broadway
2010 When the Rain Stops Falling Gabrielle York Off-Broadway
2011 Sister Act Mother Superior Broadway
2013 Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella Marie Broadway
2013 The Snow Geese Clarissa Hohmann Broadway
2015 Gigi Inez Alvarez Kennedy Center; Broadway

References

  1. [1] Playbill.com
  2. Gioia, Michael. "Victoria Clark's Full-Circle Moment Directing Light in the Piazza at Pace University" playbill.com, October 31, 2014
  3. "Victoria Clark Broadway" playbillvault.com, accessed April 8, 2015
  4. Jones, Kenneth. "Put on a Happy Face: 'Bye Bye Birdie' Gets Starry Encores! Concert With Ziemba, Roberts and Jenkins May 6-10" playbill.com, May 6, 2004
  5. Grode, Eric. Broadway.com review in "Broadway Watch: The Light in the Piazza", reprinted at the TheatreAustralia website, April 19, 2005.
  6. "Entrances and Exits: Tony Award Winner Victoria Clark", The 8th Avenue Observer, September 28, 2008
  7. Playwrights Horizon Current Season, playwrightshorizons.org, accessed November 18, 2008
  8. Hetrick, Adam. "Victoria Clark, Fred Applegate, Chester Gregory Will Be Part of Broadway's 'Sister Act' " playbill.com, February 1, 2011
  9. 2011 "Tony Nominations Announced; 'Book of Mormon' Earns 14 Nominations", playbill.com; accessed March 5, 2014.
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  11. Gans, Andrew. "DIVA TALK: Catching Up With Follies Star and Tony Award Winner Victoria Clark", playbill.com, May 18, 2012
  12. Staff. "The Verdict: Critics Review 'The Snow Geese' on Broadway Starring Mary-Louise Parker" playbill.com, October 25, 2013.
  13. Geselowitz, Gabriela. "Full Broadway Cast Announced for Cinderella, Starring Laura Osnes", Broadway.com, November 21, 2012.
  14. "Nominations Announced for 67th Annual Tony Awards; 'Kinky Boots' Earns 13 Nominations", playbill.com; retrieved April 30, 2013
  15. "Wish Granted! Victoria Clark Returns to Cinderella as the Fairy Godmother", broadway.com; retrieved February 9, 2014.
  16. "It's Possible! Judy Kaye Will Join Cinderella Cast as 'Fairy Godmother'", August 11, 2014, accessed September 20, 2014
  17. "Victoria Clark Lands Role On "Homeland", Playbill.com; retrieved December 22, 2014.
  18. "Broadway-Bound Gigi, Starring Vanessa Hudgens, Begins Kennedy Center Run Tonight", Playbill.com; retrieved January 17, 2015.
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External links