Sarah Litzsinger
Encyclopedia
Sarah Elizabeth Litzsinger (born October 22, 1971) is an American
actress and singer, best known for her career in musical theatre
.
Litzsinger's family is from Carmel
, Indiana
. She made her Broadway debut in 1983 at age eleven, as the understudy for Young Norma Jean in the short-lived Marilyn: An American Fable. In 1984, she played Bet in the Broadway revival of Oliver!
, alongside Patti LuPone
. She returned to New York City
in 1992, at age eighteen, and was soon cast in the ensemble of Les Misérables
, understudying the roles of Cosette and Eponine
. She went on to star as The Narrator in the Canadian production and U.S. national touring companies of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
, with Donny Osmond
. On December 2, 2000 she took over the role of Belle
from Andrea McArdle
in the Broadway production of Beauty and the Beast
after playing it on the national tour and understudying the role on Broadway for a year. After playing Belle full time for nearly two years she left the show August 2002 and was succeeded by Jamie-Lynn Sigler
. In August 2002, Sarah went right into rehearsal for Michel LeGrand's Amour
on Broadway. She originated the role of Madeliene in the French musical fable. After Amour closed, Litzsinger returned to the role of Belle on February 11, 2003.
In 2006, she played Eva Peron
in the 25th U.S. national tour of Evita.
From May 30 - September 17, 2006, she once again appeared in Disney's Beauty and the Beast
replacing Ashley Brown
as Belle. Litzsinger holds the distinction of being Broadway's longest-running Belle
.
In 2004, Litzsinger released a self-titled solo album.
She is also a member of the band TASTiSKANK, along with another Broadway actress, Kate Reinders
. In 2007, they won the Breakout Award at the HBO Aspen Festival. They were also voted as two of the 25 Sexiest New Yorkers by the NY POST. Tastiskank performed their act at the 2008 TBS Comedy Festival in Las Vegas. Reinders and Litzsinger co-starred opposite Constantine Maroulis
in an independent TV pilot called Teachers which aired at the fourth annual New York Television Festival
.
In 2010, Litzsinger received a Wilde Award "Best Actress in a Musical" for her portrayal of Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd
, and most recently played 'Peter Pan' in Peter Pan
at Alabama Shakespeare Festival.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress and singer, best known for her career in musical theatre
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...
.
Litzsinger's family is from Carmel
Carmel, Indiana
Carmel is a city in Hamilton County, Indiana, United States located immediately north of Indianapolis, Indiana. The population was 79,191 at the 2010 census, and is one of the most affluent communities in the Midwest....
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
. She made her Broadway debut in 1983 at age eleven, as the understudy for Young Norma Jean in the short-lived Marilyn: An American Fable. In 1984, she played Bet in the Broadway revival of Oliver!
Oliver!
Oliver! is a British musical, with script, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. The musical is based upon the novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens....
, alongside Patti LuPone
Patti LuPone
Patti Ann LuPone is an American singer and actress, known for her Tony Award-winning performances as Eva Perón in the 1979 stage musical Evita and as Madame Rose in the 2008 Broadway revival of Gypsy, and for her Olivier Award-winning performance as Fantine in the original London cast of Les...
. She returned to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1992, at age eighteen, and was soon cast in the ensemble 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....
, understudying the roles of Cosette and Eponine
Éponine
Éponine Thénardier is a fictional character in the 1862 novelLes Misérables by Victor Hugo.- Éponine in the novel :As children, Éponine and her younger sister Azelma are described as pretty, well-dressed, charming and a delight to see. They are pampered and spoiled by their parents the Thénardiers...
. She went on to star as The Narrator in the Canadian production and U.S. national touring companies of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical with lyrics by Tim Rice. The story is based on the "coat of many colors" story of Joseph from the Hebrew Bible's Book of Genesis. This was the first Lloyd Webber and Rice musical to be performed publicly...
, with Donny Osmond
Donny Osmond
Donald Clark "Donny" Osmond is an American singer, musician, actor, dancer, radio personality, and former teen idol. Osmond has also been a talk and game show host, record producer and author. In the mid 1960s, he and four of his elder brothers gained fame as the Osmond Brothers on the long...
. On December 2, 2000 she took over the role of Belle
Belle (Beauty and the Beast)
Belle is a fictional character from the fairy tale Beauty and the Beast and is one of the main protagonists of the Disney animated film, Beauty and the Beast and its two direct-to-video sequels, Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas and its several spin-offs, including Beauty and the Beast:...
from Andrea McArdle
Andrea McArdle
Andrea McArdle is an American singer and actress best known for playing Annie in the Broadway musical Annie, as well as for her alto range and strong vocal belt.-Career:She was born in Philadelphia...
in the Broadway production of Beauty and the Beast
Beauty and the Beast (musical)
Beauty and the Beast is a musical with music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice and a book by Linda Woolverton, based on the 1991 Disney film of the same name. Seven new songs were written for the stage musical...
after playing it on the national tour and understudying the role on Broadway for a year. After playing Belle full time for nearly two years she left the show August 2002 and was succeeded by Jamie-Lynn Sigler
Jamie-Lynn Sigler
Jamie-Lynn Sigler is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her role as Meadow Soprano on the HBO television series The Sopranos.-Early life:...
. In August 2002, Sarah went right into rehearsal for Michel LeGrand's 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....
on Broadway. She originated the role of Madeliene in the French musical fable. After Amour closed, Litzsinger returned to the role of Belle on February 11, 2003.
In 2006, she played Eva Peron
Eva Perón
María Eva Duarte de Perón was the second wife of President Juan Perón and served as the First Lady of Argentina from 1946 until her death in 1952. She is often referred to as simply Eva Perón, or by the affectionate Spanish language diminutive Evita.She was born in the village of Los Toldos in...
in the 25th U.S. national tour of Evita.
From May 30 - September 17, 2006, she once again appeared in Disney's Beauty and the Beast
Beauty and the Beast (musical)
Beauty and the Beast is a musical with music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice and a book by Linda Woolverton, based on the 1991 Disney film of the same name. Seven new songs were written for the stage musical...
replacing Ashley Brown
Ashley Brown
Ashley Brown is an actress who is best known for playing the title character in the United States national tour and Broadway productions of Mary Poppins.-Career:...
as Belle. Litzsinger holds the distinction of being Broadway's longest-running Belle
Belle (Beauty and the Beast)
Belle is a fictional character from the fairy tale Beauty and the Beast and is one of the main protagonists of the Disney animated film, Beauty and the Beast and its two direct-to-video sequels, Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas and its several spin-offs, including Beauty and the Beast:...
.
In 2004, Litzsinger released a self-titled solo album.
She is also a member of the band TASTiSKANK, along with another Broadway actress, Kate Reinders
Kate Reinders
Kate Reinders is an American musical theatre actress, who has performed as lead and understudy in several Broadway shows. Reinders was born in Seattle, Washington, but raised in Muskegon, Michigan...
. In 2007, they won the Breakout Award at the HBO Aspen Festival. They were also voted as two of the 25 Sexiest New Yorkers by the NY POST. Tastiskank performed their act at the 2008 TBS Comedy Festival in Las Vegas. Reinders and Litzsinger co-starred opposite Constantine Maroulis
Constantine Maroulis
Constantine James Maroulis is an American rock singer, actor, and writer from Wyckoff, New Jersey. He was the sixth-place finalist on the fourth season of the reality television series American Idol, and lead vocalist of the hard rock band Pray for the Soul of Betty...
in an independent TV pilot called Teachers which aired at the fourth annual New York Television Festival
New York Television Festival
The New York Television Festival is a yearly gathering of artists, fans, and executives to celebrate independent small-screen productions. It was founded in 2005, and is held in venues in New York City....
.
In 2010, Litzsinger received a Wilde Award "Best Actress in a Musical" for her portrayal of Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd
Sweeney Todd
Sweeney Todd is a fictional character who first appeared as then antagonist of the Victorian penny dreadful The String of Pearls and he was later introduced as an antihero in the broadway musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and its film adaptation...
, and most recently played 'Peter Pan' in Peter Pan
Peter Pan
Peter Pan is a character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie . A mischievous boy who can fly and magically refuses to grow up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood adventuring on the small island of Neverland as the leader of his gang the Lost Boys, interacting with...
at Alabama Shakespeare Festival.
Stage Credits
- Beauty and the BeastBeauty and the Beast (musical)Beauty and the Beast is a musical with music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice and a book by Linda Woolverton, based on the 1991 Disney film of the same name. Seven new songs were written for the stage musical...
- Broadway (Belle) - Evita - U.S. tour (Eva Peron)
- The Last Five YearsThe Last Five YearsThe Last Five Years is a one-act musical written by Jason Robert Brown. It premiered in Chicago in 2001 and was then produced off-Broadway in March 2002. Since then it has had numerous productions both in the United States and internationally....
- George Street Playhouse (Cathy) - tick, tick...BOOM! - George Street PlayhouseGeorge Street PlayhouseGeorge Street Playhouse is a theatre in New Brunswick, New Jersey, one of the state's preeminent professional theatres committed to the production of new and established plays....
(Susan) - "A Year with Frog and ToadA Year with Frog and ToadA Year With Frog and Toad is a musical written by brothers Robert and Willie Reale , based on the Frog and Toad children's stories written and illustrated by Arnold Lobel...
" -Minneapolis Children's Theatre (Bird/Mouse) - FalsettosFalsettosFalsettos is a musical with a book by James Lapine and William Finn and music and lyrics by Finn, comprising March of the Falsettos and Falsettoland, the last two in a trio of one-act off-Broadway plays focusing on Marvin, his ex-wife Trina, his psychiatrist Mendel, his son Jason, and his gay...
- George Street Playhouse (Cordelia) - AmourAmour (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....
- Broadway (Madeleine) - Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor DreamcoatJoseph and the Amazing Technicolor DreamcoatJoseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical with lyrics by Tim Rice. The story is based on the "coat of many colors" story of Joseph from the Hebrew Bible's Book of Genesis. This was the first Lloyd Webber and Rice musical to be performed publicly...
- U.S. tour, Canada (Narrator) - Les MisérablesLes 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....
- Broadway (Cosette/Eponine u/s) - Marilyn: An American Fable - Broadway (Young Norma Jean u/s)
- Oliver!Oliver!Oliver! is a British musical, with script, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. The musical is based upon the novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens....
- Broadway (Bet) - Little Shop of HorrorsLittle Shop of Horrors (musical)Little Shop of Horrors is a rock musical, by composer Alan Menken and writer Howard Ashman, about a hapless florist shop worker who raises a plant that feeds on human blood. The musical is based on the low-budget 1960 black comedy film The Little Shop of Horrors, directed by Roger Corman...
- The Encore Musical Theatre Company, in Dexter, Michigan (Audrey) - Oklahoma!Oklahoma!Oklahoma! is the first musical written by composer Richard Rodgers and librettist Oscar Hammerstein II. The musical is based on Lynn Riggs' 1931 play, Green Grow the Lilacs. Set in Oklahoma Territory outside the town of Claremore in 1906, it tells the story of cowboy Curly McLain and his romance...
- The Encore Musical Theatre Company (Ado Annie) - Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet StreetSweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet StreetSweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is a 1936 British film produced and directed by George King.-Plot:The film features Tod Slaughter in one of his most famous roles as barber Sweeney Todd. Sweeney Todd was wrongly sentenced to life in prison. After his release 15 years later, he begins...
- The Encore Musical Theatre Company (Mrs. Lovett) - Peter Pan (1954 musical)Peter Pan (1954 musical)Peter Pan is a musical adaptation of J. M. Barrie's 1904 play Peter Pan and Barrie's own novelization of it, Peter and Wendy. The music is mostly by Mark "Moose" Charlap, with additional music by Jule Styne, and most of the lyrics were written by Carolyn Leigh, with additional lyrics by Betty...
- Alabama Shakespeare Festival (Peter Pan) - "ext to Normal}]" Milwaukee Rep (Diana)
Television Credits
- Law & Order: Criminal IntentLaw & Order: Criminal IntentLaw & Order: Criminal Intent is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it was also primarily produced. Created and produced by Dick Wolf and René Balcer, the series premiered on September 30, 2001, as the second spin-off of Wolf's successful crime drama...
(episode: "GrowGrow (Law & Order: Criminal Intent episode)"Grow" is a fifth season episode of the television series Law & Order: Criminal Intent.-Plot summary:In the season premiere episode, Detectives Goren and Eames investigate the case of a city health inspector, found murdered in mysterious circumstances in an elevator. At first, the murder appears...
") - 2005 - EdEd (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....
(episode: "The World of Possibility) - 2000 - Strangers with CandyStrangers with CandyStrangers with Candy is a television series produced by Comedy Central. It first aired on April 7, 1999, and concluded its third and final season on October 2, 2000. Its timeslot was Sundays at 10 p.m....
(episode: "Who Wants Cake?") - 1999 - Law & OrderLaw & OrderLaw & 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,...
(episode: "Forgiveness") - 1992