Melissa Errico
Encyclopedia
Biography
Born in ManhattanManhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, Errico moved to Manhasset
Manhasset, New York
Manhasset is a hamlet and neighborhood in Nassau County, New York, on the North Shore of Long Island. As of the United States 2010 Census, the population was 8,080....
on Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
at an early age. Her parents, a sculptor and a physician/concert pianist, supported her early interest in ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
, and gymnastics
Gymnastics
Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...
, and Melissa competed nationally as a gymnast. Her passion for theater was sparked when she appeared in a Girl Scouts
Girl Scouts of the USA
The Girl Scouts of the United States of America is a youth organization for girls in the United States and American girls living abroad. It describes itself as "the world's preeminent organization dedicated solely to girls". It was founded by Juliette Gordon Low in 1912 and was organized after Low...
production and was cemented by many summers spent at an arts camp where her playful acrobatic skill immediately won her comedic roles in musicals. This may explain why, later in her career, even Stephen Sondheim encouraged her to do cartwheels in "Sunday In The Park With George
Sunday in the Park with George
Sunday in the Park with George is a 1984 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. The musical was inspired by the painting "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte" by Georges Seurat...
" at The Kennedy Center
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is a performing arts center located on the Potomac River, adjacent to the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C...
. Melissa's childhood idols were Bernadette Peters, Robert Lindsey, Christine Andreas and the film star Juliette Binoche.
During her freshman
Freshman
A freshman or fresher is a first-year student in secondary school, high school, or college. The term first year can also be used as a noun, to describe the students themselves A freshman (US) or fresher (UK, India) (or sometimes fish, freshie, fresher; slang plural frosh or freshmeat) is a...
year at Yale
YALE
RapidMiner, formerly YALE , is an environment for machine learning, data mining, text mining, predictive analytics, and business analytics. It is used for research, education, training, rapid prototyping, application development, and industrial applications...
, Errico was cast as Cosette
Cosette
Euphrasie "Cosette" Fauchelevant is a fictional character in the novel Les Misérables by Victor Hugo.- Cosette in the novel :...
in the first national touring company of Les Misérables
Les Misérables (musical)
Les Misérables , colloquially known as Les Mis or Les Miz , is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg, based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo....
. She interrupted her studies for three semesters but eventually went back to New Haven and received her degree. From there she went to Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
to study acting in programs dedicated to Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
and Chekhov
Anton Chekhov
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov was a Russian physician, dramatist and author who is considered to be among the greatest writers of short stories in history. His career as a dramatist produced four classics and his best short stories are held in high esteem by writers and critics...
. She returned to Yale's graduate school
Graduate school
A graduate school is a school that awards advanced academic degrees with the general requirement that students must have earned a previous undergraduate degree...
but withdrew to make her Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
debut in a musical adaptation
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
of Anna Karenina
Anna Karenina (musical)
Anna Karenina is a musical with a book and lyrics by Peter Kellogg and music by Daniel Levine. Based on the classic Leo Tolstoy novel of the same name, it focuses on the tragic title character, a fashionable but unhappily married woman, and her ill-fated liaison with Count Vronsky, which...
at Circle in the Square in 1992.
Additional stage credits include the 1993 revival of My Fair Lady
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...
, High Society
High Society (musical)
High Society is a musical with a book by Arthur Kopit and music and lyrics by Cole Porter.Based on the Philip Barry play The Philadelphia Story and the 1956 musical screen adaptation with Porter's songs, High Society, the plot centers on pretentious Long Island socialite Tracy Lord, who is planning...
, Amour
Amour (musical)
Amour is a musical fantasy with an English book by Jeremy Sams, music by Michel Legrand, and lyrics by Didier Van Cauwelaert, who wrote the original French libretto....
, Dracula, the Musical
Dracula, The Musical
Dracula, the Musical is a musical based on the original Victorian novel by Bram Stoker. The score is by Frank Wildhorn, with lyrics and book by Don Black and Christopher Hampton....
and White Christmas. In 2004, she starred in the lauded hit production of Finian's Rainbow
Finian's Rainbow
Finian's Rainbow is a musical with a book by E.Y. Harburg and Fred Saidy, lyrics by Harburg, and music by Burton Lane. The 1947 Broadway production ran for 725 performances. Several revivals and a 1968 film version followed. A Broadway revival ran from October 8, 2009 until January 17, 2010...
, winning the moniker "the voice of enchantment!" at the Irish Repertory Theater, where she also starred in "The Importance of Being Earnest
The Importance of Being Earnest
The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People is a play by Oscar Wilde. First performed on 14 February 1895 at St. James's Theatre in London, it is a farcical comedy in which the protagonists maintain fictitious personae in order to escape burdensome social obligations...
," "Major Barbara" and "Candida," earning nominations for each. She was selected by Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Joshua Sondheim is an American composer and lyricist for stage and film. He is the winner of an Academy Award, multiple Tony Awards including the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, multiple Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize and the Laurence Olivier Award...
to star in "Sunday In The Park With George
Sunday in the Park with George
Sunday in the Park with George is a 1984 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. The musical was inspired by the painting "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte" by Georges Seurat...
" at The Kennedy Center
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is a performing arts center located on the Potomac River, adjacent to the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C...
, and became a favorite at The Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles where she starred in "My Fair Lady" (John Lithgow
John Lithgow
John Arthur Lithgow is an American actor, musician, and author. Presently, he is involved with a wide range of media projects, including stage, television, film, and radio...
), "Camelot
Camelot (musical)
Camelot is a musical by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe . It is based on the King Arthur legend as adapted from the T. H. White tetralogy novel The Once and Future King....
" (Jeremy Irons
Jeremy Irons
Jeremy John Irons is an English actor. After receiving classical training at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, Irons began his acting career on stage in 1969, and has since appeared in many London theatre productions including The Winter's Tale, Macbeth, Much Ado About Nothing, The Taming of the...
), and "The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music is a musical by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the memoir of Maria von Trapp, The Story of the Trapp Family Singers...
" (Marni Nixon
Marni Nixon
Marni Nixon is an American soprano and playback singer for featured actresses in movie musicals. She has also spent much of her career performing in concerts with major symphony orchestras around the world and in operas and musicals throughout the United States.-Biography:Born Margaret Nixon...
/John Schneider
John Schneider
John Schneider is the name of:*John Schneider , American football player*John Schneider , Seattle Seahawks executive...
).
Errico was a regular on the 1995 television series Central Park West
Central Park West (TV series)
Central Park West is an American prime time television soap opera that ran from September 1995 to June 1996 on CBS. The series was created and executive produced by Melrose Places Darren Star. As the title suggests, CPW was set in New York, in the affluent Central Park West area of Manhattan...
and has also appeared as a guest on Law & Order
Law & Order
Law & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It aired on NBC, and in syndication on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24,...
, Miss Match
Miss Match
Miss Match is a 2003 American television series created by Jeff Rake and Darren Star and produced by Twentieth Century Fox, Darren Star Productions and Imagine Entertainment. It aired in the U.S. on NBC, Australia on Network Seven, Arena and FOX8, and in the UK on Living, Channel 4 and is currently...
, Ed
Ed (TV series)
Ed is an NBC television program co-produced by David Letterman's Worldwide Pants Incorporated, NBC Productions, and Viacom Productions that aired from 2000 to 2004....
as well as "Six Degrees
Six Degrees
Six Degrees is an American dramatic television series about six residents of New York City and their respective relationships and connections with one another, based on the idea of six degrees of separation....
" and others. She has been cast to star in television pilots by Spike Lee, Kelsey Grammar, Jon Favreau, Larry Charles and Ed Burns. Most of her screen work has been in independent films; her mainstream movies include Life or Something Like It
Life or Something Like It
Life or Something Like It is a 2002 romantic comedy film directed by Stephen Herek. The film focuses on television reporter Lanie Kerrigan and her quest to find meaning in her life. The original music score was composed by David Newman...
with Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie is an American actress. She has received an Academy Award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and three Golden Globe Awards, and was named Hollywood's highest-paid actress by Forbes in 2009 and 2011. Jolie is noted for promoting humanitarian causes as a Goodwill Ambassador for the...
and "Frequency
Frequency
Frequency is the number of occurrences of a repeating event per unit time. It is also referred to as temporal frequency.The period is the duration of one cycle in a repeating event, so the period is the reciprocal of the frequency...
" with Dennis Quaid
Dennis Quaid
Dennis William Quaid is an American actor known for his comedic and dramatic roles. First gaining widespread attention in the 1980s, his career rebounded in the 1990s after he overcame an addiction to drugs and an eating disorder...
. She co-starred with Lili Taylor
Lili Taylor
Lili Anne Taylor is an American actress notable for her appearances in such award-winning indie films as Mystic Pizza, Say Anything..., Short Cuts and I Shot Andy Warhol, and the acclaimed TV show Six Feet Under....
in Wally Shawn's hit revival of "Aunt Dan and Lemon
Aunt Dan and Lemon
Aunt Dan and Lemon is a play by Wallace Shawn. The world premiere was produced by the New York Shakespeare Festival at the Royal Court Theatre in London, England on August 27, 1985, under the direction of Max Stafford-Clark. This production opened off-Broadway at The Public Theatre on October 21,...
".
Errico has a close working relationship with film/jazz/pop composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
Michel Legrand
Michel Legrand
Michel Jean Legrand is a French musical composer, arranger, conductor, and pianist...
, with whom she collaborated on "Legrand Affair," her upcoming CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
, produced
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
by Phil Ramone
Phil Ramone
Phil Ramone is a South-African violinist, composer, recording engineer, and record producer.-Biography:As a young child in South Africa, Ramone was a musical prodigy, beginning to play the violin at age three and performing for Queen Elizabeth II at age ten...
with a release date of October 18th, 2011 on Ghostlight Records. Her debut solo release on EMI, Blue Like That, released in 2003, was produced by Arif Mardin
Arif Mardin
Arif Mardin was a Turkish-American music producer, who worked with hundreds of artists across many different styles of music, including jazz, rock, soul, disco, and country...
. Errico's second CD is titled Lullabies and Wildflowers and was released on April 29, 2008. As described by the USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
the work was "inspired by her daughter and her fellow Moms, Errico's pure, clear voice sparkles with soulful and unmannered intimacy." The CD includes "Gentle Child", Errico's first recording of one of her own songs. Lullabies and Wildflowers was produced by Rob Mathes
Rob Mathes
Rob Mathes is an American record producer, music arranger, composer, songwriter, and performer. He also writes bluesy spiritual-pop music.-Background:Born in Old Greenwich, Connecticut, Mathes showed interest and skill in music at a very early age...
and was released by Velour
Velour
Velour or velours is a plush, knitted fabric or textile. It is usually made from cotton but can also be made from synthetic materials such as polyester. Velour is used in a wide variety of applications, including clothing and upholstery....
/Universal Records
Universal Records
Universal Records was a record label owned by Universal Music Group, and it is now owned by Manny Patino and Michael Jackson, and operated as part of the Universal Motown Republic Group.-History:...
. Errico has appeared in concert at Joe's Pub
Joe's Pub
Joe's Pub at Public Theater is a nightclub that hosts live performances regularly. The venue, which is a non-profit operation, is located at 425 Lafayette Street near Astor Place in Manhattan, New York City...
, the Kennedy Center, and Avery Fisher Hall
Avery Fisher Hall
Avery Fisher Hall is a concert hall, in New York City and is part of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts complex. It is the home of the New York Philharmonic, with a capacity of 2,738 seats.-History:...
, and extensively throughout the country with symphonies. In 2008, she made an acclaimed London concert debut at the Palladium with Angela Lansbury
Angela Lansbury
Angela Brigid Lansbury CBE is an English actress and singer in theatre, television and motion pictures, whose career has spanned eight decades and earned her more performance Tony Awards than any other individual , with five wins...
and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra is a British orchestra based in London. It tours widely, and is sometimes referred to as "Britain's national orchestra"...
.
In the 2009-2010 NY theater season, she made a triumphant return to Broadway since having three daughters and starred in the Rosemary Clooney role in "White Christmas" followed by an acclaimed performance in the title role in George Bernard Shaw's "Candida" for which she was called "commanding" (Time Out), "beguiling and enigmatic" (Associated Press) and "gorgeous...a delight to behold" (NY Times), earning her a Drama Desk nomination and filmed for Lincoln Center. In May 2010, she went on to star in the film "Patrimony" opposite Robert Vaughn, premiering at the Boston Film Festival in 2011. She played Fiona in "Brigadoon" for one-night on Broadway in the June 2010, in an astonishing inspired all-star benefit concert which the NY Times called http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/tag/brigadoon/ followed in June 2011 with an exciting revival of "Camelot" with her friend and mentor Jeremy Irons. In July 2011, Melissa co-starred opposite Alec Baldwin in the Peter Shaffer drama "The Gift of The Gorgon" at Guild Hall in East Hampton.
In the fall of 2011, she filled in for Barbara Cook in a major fundraiser concert, guested on the CBS drama "A Gifted Man," and released her new CD http://www.sh-k-boom.com/melissaerrico legrandaffair.shtml. Melissa's writing of a published essay called http://www.playbill.com/playblog/2011/08/melissa-erricos-musings-about-her-upcoming-cd-legrand-affair/ explains the scope of the project, the countries travelled and her memories of the six years making the recording. She also appeared in a workshop of Regina Spektor's musical "Beauty" written and directed by Tina Landau.
Personal life
Errico's brother MikeMike Errico
Mike Errico is an American singer-songwriter, composer, producer and music supervisor whose acclaimed releases include Wander Away, Songs from Lift, Pictures of the Big Vacation, Tonight I Drink You All, Skimming and All In.-Bio:...
is a singer-songwriter. She married her childhood sweetheart, tennis pro Patrick McEnroe
Patrick McEnroe
Patrick John McEnroe is a former professional tennis player and the former captain of the United States Davis Cup team.Born in Manhasset, New York, he is the younger brother of John McEnroe...
, on December 19, 1998 and became the sister-in-law of John McEnroe
John McEnroe
John Patrick McEnroe, Jr. is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player from the United States. During his career, he won seven Grand Slam singles titles , nine Grand Slam men's doubles titles, and one Grand Slam mixed doubles title...
. Errico and McEnroe have three daughters: Victoria Penny, born 2006 and twins Juliette and Diana, born in 2008.
She is the founder of Bowery Babes, a mothers support group with a membership of over 1000 families, focusing on improving life in downtown Manhattan and lending support to charities such as "Cookies For Cancer" and Bette Midler
Bette Midler
Bette Midler is an American singer, actress, and comedian, also known by her informal stage name, The Divine Miss M. She became famous as a cabaret and concert headliner, and went on to star in successful and acclaimed films such as The Rose, Ruthless People, Beaches, and For The Boys...
's NY Restoration Project, as well as offering educational programs, parties, depression counseling and playgroups for new parents. The enterprise began as a yoga
Yoga
Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...
class, and became "wildly popular". It was founded in 2005, became a NY non-profit in 2009 and then in 2010, Melissa launched a new website at www.bowerybabes.com with subgroups supporting Special Needs parenting, as well as single moms, adoption, community service and much more. In 2011, she began applying for significant grant monies for parks improvements and is currently working with Bowery Babes staff members and City Council for the renovation of DeSalvio Playground.
Theater nominations
- 2010 Drama Desk Award - Best Actress in a Play ("Candida") -- Nomination
- 2004 Drama League Honoree ("Finian's Rainbow") -- WIN
- 2004 Drama Desk Award - Best Actress in a Musical ("Finian's Rainbow") -- Nomination
- 2003 Tony AwardTony AwardThe Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
for Best Actress in a Musical (Amour) -- Nomination - 2003 Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Actress in a Musical ("Amour") -- Nomination
- 2003 New York Drama League Honoree -- WIN
- 2002 Helen Hayes AwardHelen Hayes AwardA Helen Hayes Award is a theater award named for the famed actress Helen Hayes to recognize excellence in professional theater in the Washington, D.C. area since 1983. The awards are managed by Linda Levy Grossman. and presented by the Washington Theatre Awards Society.-Awards:The Helen Hayes...
for Best Actress ("Sunday in the Park With George") -- Nomination - 1998 Drama Desk AwardDrama Desk AwardThe Drama Desk Awards, which are given annually in a number of categories, are the only major New York theater honors for which productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway compete against each other in the same category...
for Outstanding Actress in a Musical (High Society) -- Nomination - 1998 Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Actress in a Musical ("High Society") -- Nomination
- 1998 New York Drama League Honoree ("High Society" / "Major Barbara") -- WIN
- 1997 Bay Area Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical ("High Society") -- WIN
- 1997 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play (The Importance of Being Earnest) -- Nomination
- 1996 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical ("One Touch of VenusOne Touch of VenusOne Touch of Venus is a musical with music written by Kurt Weill, lyrics by Ogden Nash, and book by S. J. Perelman and Nash, based on the novella The Tinted Venus by Thomas Anstey Guthrie, and very loosely spoofing the Pygmalion myth. The show satirizes contemporary American suburban values,...
") -- WIN - 1994 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical (My Fair Lady) -- Nomination
- 1993 Helen Hayes Award nomination for Best Actress in a Musical ("My Fair Lady") -- Nomination