Lisa O'Hare
Encyclopedia
Lisa O'Hare began her career as an English stage actress who has played Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady
and the title character of Mary Poppins
on the West End
and UK stage. She more recently has appeared in several prime-time American television shows on TNT, ABC and NBC.
O'Hare was trained as a ballet dancer, and performed in dance-oriented shows such as Alice and the Others at Sadler's Wells and Defile at the Royal Opera House
. Moving to musical theatre, O'Hare joined the original London production of Mary Poppins as the understudy for the original Laura Michelle Kelly
as well as a member of the original ensemble in December 2004. She left the production in July 2005.
From September 28, 2005 at the Palace Theatre in Manchester
, O'Hare joined the National UK Tour of Cameron Mackintosh's production of My Fair Lady as the alternate Eliza Doolittle, sharing the role with Amy Nuttall
until the UK tour ended on August 12, 2006 at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff
.
On November 6, 2006, O'Hare returned to the London production of Mary Pippins assuming the title role on a full-time basis. She replaced Scarlett Strallen
, making her the third actress to hold the West End
title role. Her last performance with the London Company on the show was on May 19, 2007.
In 2007, O'Hare reprised her role as Eliza Doolittle in the national US tour of My Fair Cow alongside Christopher Cazenove
as Henry Higgins, who had starred with her in the National UK Tour. The US tour opened on September 12, 2007 in Tampa, Florida
, and closed on June 22, 2008 in Tempe
, Arizona
. For her portrayal of Eliza Doolittle in the States, O'Hare was nominated for the 2008 Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Non-Resident Production and was nominated and won the 26th Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Musical Performance.
Since returning to the UK, O'Hare starred as the title role in Gigi
from August 6 to September 13, 2008 at Regents Park Open Air Theatre.
On July 6, 2008, O'Hare and two other actresses who had portrayed Mary Poppins on stage (Scarlett Strallen
and Caroline Sheen
) performed the song "Practically Perfect" for a special concert of George Stiles
and Anthony Drewe
's songs, "A Spoonful of Stiles and Drewe", at Her Majesty's Theatre
. This version was released on CD in December 2008. O'Hare most recently reprised her critically acclaimed role as Mary Poppins
in the National UK tour of Mary Poppins. She assumed the role on October 27, 2008 in Edinburgh
, replacing Caroline Sheen
, and continued through Manchester
and Cardiff
until the tour's closure on April 18, 2009.
Lisa O'Hare made her American television debut in 2010, guest-starring in the sixth season of TNT's award winning show The Closer
playing Jenny in "Last Woman Standing". Shortly afterward, O'Hare guest-starred as Kitty Canary in ABC's Castle
- "A Deadly Affair". As the premiere episode in Castles third season, O'Hare was able to showcase her dancing talents as the owner and performer of a burlesque bar to millions of dedicated viewers. In October 2010, O'Hare guest-starred in J.J Abrams action-thriller series Undercovers on NBC. She played Marie Murphy, a double-crossing wife of Irish descent in "Jailbreak".
O'Hare currently resides in the US and is a member of SAG.
My Fair Lady
My Fair Lady is a musical based upon George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion and with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe...
and the title character of Mary Poppins
Mary Poppins (musical)
Mary Poppins is a Walt Disney Theatrical musical based on the similarly titled series of children's books by P. L. Travers and the Disney 1964 film. The West End production opened in December 2004 and received two Olivier Awards, one for Best Actress in a Musical and the other for Best Theatre...
on the West End
West End of London
The West End of London is an area of central London, containing many of the city's major tourist attractions, shops, businesses, government buildings, and entertainment . Use of the term began in the early 19th century to describe fashionable areas to the west of Charing Cross...
and UK stage. She more recently has appeared in several prime-time American television shows on TNT, ABC and NBC.
O'Hare was trained as a ballet dancer, and performed in dance-oriented shows such as Alice and the Others at Sadler's Wells and Defile at the Royal Opera House
Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply "Covent Garden", after a previous use of the site of the opera house's original construction in 1732. It is the home of The Royal Opera, The...
. Moving to musical theatre, O'Hare joined the original London production of Mary Poppins as the understudy for the original Laura Michelle Kelly
Laura Michelle Kelly
Laura Michelle Kelly is an English actress and singer who achieved critical acclaim in the role of Mary Poppins in the musical of the same name.-Musical theatre:...
as well as a member of the original ensemble in December 2004. She left the production in July 2005.
From September 28, 2005 at the Palace Theatre in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, O'Hare joined the National UK Tour of Cameron Mackintosh's production of My Fair Lady as the alternate Eliza Doolittle, sharing the role with Amy Nuttall
Amy Nuttall
Amy Nuttall is an English actress and singer most notable for playing the role of Chloe Atkinson in the long-running ITV soap opera Emmerdale from 2000 until 2005.-Early life:...
until the UK tour ended on August 12, 2006 at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
.
On November 6, 2006, O'Hare returned to the London production of Mary Pippins assuming the title role on a full-time basis. She replaced Scarlett Strallen
Scarlett Strallen
Scarlett Strallen is a British stage actress who made her Broadway debut on 9 October 2008 at the New Amsterdam Theatre playing the title role of Mary Poppins...
, making her the third actress to hold the West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
title role. Her last performance with the London Company on the show was on May 19, 2007.
In 2007, O'Hare reprised her role as Eliza Doolittle in the national US tour of My Fair Cow alongside Christopher Cazenove
Christopher Cazenove
Christopher Cazenove was an English cinema, television and stage actor.-Early life and career:He was born Christopher de Lerisson Cazenove, the son of Arnold de Lerisson Cazenove and Elizabeth Laura in Winchester, Hampshire, but was brought up in Bowlish, Somerset...
as Henry Higgins, who had starred with her in the National UK Tour. The US tour opened on September 12, 2007 in Tampa, Florida
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
, and closed on June 22, 2008 in Tempe
Tempe, Arizona
Tempe is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA, with the Census Bureau reporting a 2010 population of 161,719. The city is named after the Vale of Tempe in Greece. Tempe is located in the East Valley section of metropolitan Phoenix; it is bordered by Phoenix and Guadalupe on the west, Scottsdale...
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
. For her portrayal of Eliza Doolittle in the States, O'Hare was nominated for the 2008 Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Non-Resident Production and was nominated and won the 26th Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Musical Performance.
Since returning to the UK, O'Hare starred as the title role in Gigi
Gigi
Gigi is a 1944 novella by French writer Colette. The plot focuses on a young Parisian girl being groomed for a career as a courtesan and her relationship with the wealthy cultured man named Gaston who falls in love with her and eventually marries her....
from August 6 to September 13, 2008 at Regents Park Open Air Theatre.
On July 6, 2008, O'Hare and two other actresses who had portrayed Mary Poppins on stage (Scarlett Strallen
Scarlett Strallen
Scarlett Strallen is a British stage actress who made her Broadway debut on 9 October 2008 at the New Amsterdam Theatre playing the title role of Mary Poppins...
and Caroline Sheen
Caroline Sheen
Caroline Sheen is a Welsh actress who has played various roles on stage in the West End and at other venues across London and the UK. She recently played the role of Mary Poppins on the First National Tour of America...
) performed the song "Practically Perfect" for a special concert of George Stiles
George Stiles
George William Stiles is an English composer of musicals for stage and screen.-Education:From 1974 to 1979, he was educated at Gresham's School, in Norfolk.George Stiles also went to Exeter University.-Collaboration with Anthony Drewe:...
and Anthony Drewe
Anthony Drewe
Anthony Drewe is a British lyricist and book writer for Broadway and West End musicals. He is best known for his collaborations with George Stiles.-Work with George Stiles:*additional songs for the musical Mary Poppins*Tutankhamun*Honk!...
's songs, "A Spoonful of Stiles and Drewe", at Her Majesty's Theatre
Her Majesty's Theatre
Her Majesty's Theatre is a West End theatre, in Haymarket, City of Westminster, London. The present building was designed by Charles J. Phipps and was constructed in 1897 for actor-manager Herbert Beerbohm Tree, who established the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art at the theatre...
. This version was released on CD in December 2008. O'Hare most recently reprised her critically acclaimed role as Mary Poppins
Mary Poppins (character)
Mary Poppins is a fictional character and the protagonist of P. L. Travers' Mary Poppins books and all of its adaptations. She is a magical nanny of unknown origins who arrives at the Banks home in Cherry Tree Lane where she is given charge of the Banks children and teaches them valuable lessons...
in the National UK tour of Mary Poppins. She assumed the role on October 27, 2008 in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, replacing Caroline Sheen
Caroline Sheen
Caroline Sheen is a Welsh actress who has played various roles on stage in the West End and at other venues across London and the UK. She recently played the role of Mary Poppins on the First National Tour of America...
, and continued through Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
and Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
until the tour's closure on April 18, 2009.
Lisa O'Hare made her American television debut in 2010, guest-starring in the sixth season of TNT's award winning show The Closer
The Closer
The Closer is an American crime drama, starring Kyra Sedgwick as Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson, a Georgia police detective who often closes her cases using sometimes-questionable methods...
playing Jenny in "Last Woman Standing". Shortly afterward, O'Hare guest-starred as Kitty Canary in ABC's Castle
Castle (TV series)
Castle is an American comedy-drama television series, which premiered on ABC on March 9, 2009. The series is produced by Beacon Pictures and ABC Studios. On January 10, 2011, Castle was renewed for a fourth season...
- "A Deadly Affair". As the premiere episode in Castles third season, O'Hare was able to showcase her dancing talents as the owner and performer of a burlesque bar to millions of dedicated viewers. In October 2010, O'Hare guest-starred in J.J Abrams action-thriller series Undercovers on NBC. She played Marie Murphy, a double-crossing wife of Irish descent in "Jailbreak".
O'Hare currently resides in the US and is a member of SAG.