Shoshana Bean
Encyclopedia
Shoshana Elise Bean is an American
stage
actress and singer known for her roles in Broadway
musicals. She is best known for playing Elphaba
on Broadway
in the musical Wicked
.
. She is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music
(CCM), where she received a B.F.A.
in Musical Theatre in 1999. At CCM she was roommates with Kristy Cates
, a fellow Wicked
alum.
, she was cast in the 2000 Off-Broadway
revival of Godspell
. Bean subsequently performed in the national tour of Leader of the Pack
. She was also an original cast member in the Tony Award
-winning production of Broadway's Hairspray
, originating the role of Shelley and understudying the roles of Tracy Turnblad, Velma Von Tussle, and Prudy Pingleton. During this time she was also a member of the Broadway Inspirational Voices Gospel Choir.
In 2001, she sang back-up for Michael Jackson
's 30th anniversary concert celebration at Madison Square Garden.
Bean joined the Broadway production of Wicked
, originally cast as Idina Menzel
's standby. She officially took over the role of Elphaba
(the Wicked Witch of the West
) on January 11, 2005. She actually began performing the lead role full-time on January 8. Bean's year-long run in the lead role concluded on January 8, 2006.
During her run in Wicked, Bean made appearances on MTV
's Made
, Soul Train Christmas Starfest, and performed alongside Brian McKnight
to honor Aretha Franklin
at the 2005 Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards.
Bean reprised the role of Elphaba in the national tour of Wicked for a brief run in the fall of 2006, beginning September 6, 2006. She departed the touring cast on December 31, 2006. Since leaving Wicked, Bean has recorded background vocals for the film soundtracks to Hairspray
, Enchanted and The Wayans Brothers' Dance Flick
. Bean and Megan Hilty
also began performing a variety show together called The Meg an' Sho Show. They often perform a "Wicked swap", in which Bean sings a medley of Glinda's songs and Hilty sings Elphaba's.
Bean released her debut solo album, Superhero, on December 2, 2008 on her own label Shotime Records. In its first week of sales "Superhero" hit #5 on the iTunes R&B charts making it the only independent album in the top 100. The first single, also entitled "Superhero", launched October 3, 2008 on iTunes
, and was used to promote NBC
's Monday night line-up in the fall of 2008. As a singer-songwriter her work has also been featured on MTV's The Hills
, "Mercy", "The Bad Girl's Club" and Showtime's "The Big C".
In December 2008, she performed at the Kennedy Center in a concert of The Music of Andrew Lloyd Weber.
In May 2009, Bean starred as the Narrator in the Pittsburgh CLO
production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
, and following her run in Pittsburgh, she performed at the Ford Amphitheatre
in Los Angeles to kick off L.A.'s Gay Pride weekend. Bean sang both the music of her idol Barbra Streisand
, as well as her own original material from her album.
In June 2009, she joined the new production of Peepshow
in Las Vegas
alongside Holly Madison
. Her three-month contract lasted through September, when she was replaced by Aubrey O'Day
. Shoshana can be seen in an episode of The Girls Next Door
as the girls (Kristina and Karissa Shannon and Crystal Harris
) go to see Madison in the show. Also in June, her voice could be heard singing the jingle in a national Tide detergent commercial.
On November 30, 2009 Bean made her New York City concert debut at Frederick P. Rose Hall at Jazz at Lincoln Center
. Her single "Superhero" won an Independent Music Awards
for Best R&B Song. Shoshana was also the Independent Music Awards
Vox Pop winner for "Superhero".
In July 2010, Shoshana Bean made her Australian debut at the Adelaide Cabaret Festival.{[citation needed|date=November 2011}}
On August 17, 2010, Bean made her solo concert debut in London's West End at the Ambassadors Theatre. The two concerts featured guest appearances from Oliver Tompsett
, Dianne Pilkington
, Gavin Creel
, Michael Arden
and Daniel Boys
.
During the summer of 2011 Bean starred in the musical "Dear John Mayer" for which she wrote the music and lyrics.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
stage
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
actress and singer known for her roles in 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...
musicals. She is best known for playing Elphaba
Elphaba
Elphaba Thropp is a fictional character in Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire, as well as in the Broadway and West End adaptations, Wicked. In the original L. Frank Baum book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the Wicked Witch of the West is unnamed and little...
on 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...
in the musical Wicked
Wicked (musical)
Wicked is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman. It is based on the Gregory Maguire novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West , a parallel novel of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz and L. Frank Baum's classic story The Wonderful Wizard...
.
Early life and education
Bean was raised in Portland, OregonPortland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
. She is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music
University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music
The University of Cincinnati – College-Conservatory of Music is the performing arts college of the University of Cincinnati and is one of the nation's leading music conservatories. In its most recent rankings, U.S. News & World Report ranked Cincinnati sixth nationally among university programs...
(CCM), where she received a B.F.A.
Bachelor of Fine Arts
In the United States and Canada, the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, usually abbreviated BFA, is the standard undergraduate degree for students seeking a professional education in the visual or performing arts. In some countries such a degree is called a Bachelor of Creative Arts or BCA...
in Musical Theatre in 1999. At CCM she was roommates with Kristy Cates
Kristy Cates
Kristen "Kristy" Cates is an American actress and singer, best known for her role as Elphaba in the Chicago production of Wicked...
, a fellow Wicked
Wicked (musical)
Wicked is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman. It is based on the Gregory Maguire novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West , a parallel novel of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz and L. Frank Baum's classic story The Wonderful Wizard...
alum.
Career
Shortly after moving to New York CityNew 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...
, she was cast in the 2000 Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
revival of Godspell
Godspell
Godspell is a musical by Stephen Schwartz and John-Michael Tebelak. It opened off Broadway on May 17, 1971, and has played in various touring companies and revivals many times since, including a 2011 revival now playing on Broadway...
. Bean subsequently performed in the national tour of Leader of the Pack
Leader of the Pack (musical)
Leader of the Pack is a musical with liner notes by Anne Beatts and additional material by Jack Heifner, music by Ellie Greenwich, and lyrics by Greenwich, Jeff Barry, Phil Spector, George "Shadow" Morton, Jeff Kent, and Ellen Foley.-Background:...
. She was also an original cast member in the Tony Award
Tony Award
The 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...
-winning production of Broadway's Hairspray
Hairspray (musical)
Hairspray is a musical with music by Marc Shaiman, lyrics by Scott Wittman and Shaiman and a book by Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan, based on the 1988 John Waters film Hairspray. The songs include 1960s-style dance music and "downtown" rhythm and blues...
, originating the role of Shelley and understudying the roles of Tracy Turnblad, Velma Von Tussle, and Prudy Pingleton. During this time she was also a member of the Broadway Inspirational Voices Gospel Choir.
In 2001, she sang back-up for Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
's 30th anniversary concert celebration at Madison Square Garden.
Bean joined the Broadway production of Wicked
Wicked (musical)
Wicked is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman. It is based on the Gregory Maguire novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West , a parallel novel of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz and L. Frank Baum's classic story The Wonderful Wizard...
, originally cast as Idina Menzel
Idina Menzel
Idina Kim Menzel is an American actress, singer and songwriter. She is widely known for originating the roles of Maureen in Rent and Elphaba in Wicked.-Early life:...
's standby. She officially took over the role of Elphaba
Elphaba
Elphaba Thropp is a fictional character in Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire, as well as in the Broadway and West End adaptations, Wicked. In the original L. Frank Baum book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the Wicked Witch of the West is unnamed and little...
(the Wicked Witch of the West
Wicked Witch of the West
The Wicked Witch of the West is a fictional character and the most significant antagonist in L. Frank Baum's children's book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz...
) on January 11, 2005. She actually began performing the lead role full-time on January 8. Bean's year-long run in the lead role concluded on January 8, 2006.
During her run in Wicked, Bean made appearances on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
's Made
Made (TV series)
MTV's MADE is a self-improvement reality television series broadcast on MTV. The series follows teens who have a goal and want to be "made" into things like singers, athletes, dancers, skateboarders, etc. The teens are joined by a "Made Coach", an expert in their chosen field, who tries to help...
, Soul Train Christmas Starfest, and performed alongside Brian McKnight
Brian McKnight
Brian McKnight is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, producer, and R&B/Pop musician. He is a multi-instrumentalist who plays nine instruments: piano, guitar, bass guitar, drums, percussions, trombone, tuba, flugelhorn and trumpet....
to honor Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
at the 2005 Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards.
Bean reprised the role of Elphaba in the national tour of Wicked for a brief run in the fall of 2006, beginning September 6, 2006. She departed the touring cast on December 31, 2006. Since leaving Wicked, Bean has recorded background vocals for the film soundtracks to Hairspray
Hairspray (2007 film)
Hairspray is a 2007 musical film produced by Kolaja Productions and distributed by New Line Cinema. It was released in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom on July 20, 2007. The film is an adaptation of the 2002 Broadway musical of the same name, which in turn was based on John...
, Enchanted and The Wayans Brothers' Dance Flick
Dance Flick
Dance Flick is a 2009 American comedy directed by Damien Dante Wayans, written by his uncles, the Wayans Brothers, and starring Damon Wayans, Jr., and Shoshana Bush. The film is a spoof of the popular dance film genre...
. Bean and Megan Hilty
Megan Hilty
Megan Kathleen Hilty is an American stage and television actress.- Early years :Hilty was born in Bellevue, Washington and is the daughter of Jack and Donna Hilty. She attended Sammamish High School in Bellevue and the Washington Academy of Performing Arts Conservatory High School in Redmond,...
also began performing a variety show together called The Meg an' Sho Show. They often perform a "Wicked swap", in which Bean sings a medley of Glinda's songs and Hilty sings Elphaba's.
Bean released her debut solo album, Superhero, on December 2, 2008 on her own label Shotime Records. In its first week of sales "Superhero" hit #5 on the iTunes R&B charts making it the only independent album in the top 100. The first single, also entitled "Superhero", launched October 3, 2008 on iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
, and was used to promote NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's Monday night line-up in the fall of 2008. As a singer-songwriter her work has also been featured on MTV's The Hills
The Hills
The Hills is a reality television series which originally aired on MTV from May 31, 2006 until July 13, 2010. The show uses a reality television format, following the personal lives of several young adults living in Los Angeles, California, but tends towards a narrative format more commonly found...
, "Mercy", "The Bad Girl's Club" and Showtime's "The Big C".
In December 2008, she performed at the Kennedy Center in a concert of The Music of Andrew Lloyd Weber.
In May 2009, Bean starred as the Narrator in the Pittsburgh CLO
Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera
Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera is a nonprofit professional theater company based in the Cultural District of Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA....
production 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...
, and following her run in Pittsburgh, she performed at the Ford Amphitheatre
John Anson Ford Amphitheatre
The John Anson Ford Amphitheatre is a 1421-seat performing arts theatre in Los Angeles, California. The theatre is owned and operated by the County of Los Angeles, and run through a three-way partnership between the Los Angeles County Arts Commission, the Department of Parks and Recreation, and the...
in Los Angeles to kick off L.A.'s Gay Pride weekend. Bean sang both the music of her idol Barbra Streisand
Barbra Streisand
Barbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...
, as well as her own original material from her album.
In June 2009, she joined the new production of Peepshow
Peepshow (burlesque)
Peepshow is a burlesque show created by Jerry Mitchell and the longest-running live show at Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada...
in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
alongside Holly Madison
Holly Madison
Hollin Sue Cullen, professionally known as Holly Madison, is an American model, showgirl and television personality. She is widely known for being one of Hugh Hefner's girlfriends on the reality television series The Girls Next Door...
. Her three-month contract lasted through September, when she was replaced by Aubrey O'Day
Aubrey O'Day
Aubrey Morgan O'Day is an American singer, actress, fashion designer, television personality, and former member of the girl group Danity Kane...
. Shoshana can be seen in an episode of The Girls Next Door
The Girls Next Door
The Girls Next Door, also known as The Girls of the Playboy Mansion, is an American reality television series broadcast on the E! cable television network...
as the girls (Kristina and Karissa Shannon and Crystal Harris
Crystal Harris
Crystal Harris is an American glamour model, singer, and television personality. She was the Playboy Playmate of the Month for December 2009. On December 24, 2010, she became engaged to Hugh Hefner, to become his third wife. Harris broke off the engagement on June 14, 2011, five days before their...
) go to see Madison in the show. Also in June, her voice could be heard singing the jingle in a national Tide detergent commercial.
On November 30, 2009 Bean made her New York City concert debut at Frederick P. Rose Hall at Jazz at Lincoln Center
Jazz at Lincoln Center
Jazz at Lincoln Center is part of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. JALC's performing arts complex, Frederick P. Rose Hall, is located at West 60th Street and Broadway in New York City, slightly south of the main Lincoln Center campus and directly adjacent to Columbus Circle. Frederick P....
. Her single "Superhero" won an Independent Music Awards
The Independent Music Awards
The Independent Music Awards is an international program that honors top-ranked independent artists and releases in more than 50 Album, Song, Music Video and Design categories....
for Best R&B Song. Shoshana was also the Independent Music Awards
The Independent Music Awards
The Independent Music Awards is an international program that honors top-ranked independent artists and releases in more than 50 Album, Song, Music Video and Design categories....
Vox Pop winner for "Superhero".
In July 2010, Shoshana Bean made her Australian debut at the Adelaide Cabaret Festival.{[citation needed|date=November 2011}}
On August 17, 2010, Bean made her solo concert debut in London's West End at the Ambassadors Theatre. The two concerts featured guest appearances from Oliver Tompsett
Oliver Tompsett
Oliver Tompsett is a British stage actor and singer best known for his portrayal of Fiyero in the West End production of the musical Wicked.- Biography :...
, Dianne Pilkington
Dianne Pilkington
Dianne Lesley Pilkington is an English theatre actress and singer.- Life :Pilkington was born in Wigan. She trained at the Guildford School of Acting, graduating in 1997 with the Principal's Award....
, Gavin Creel
Gavin Creel
Gavin James Creel is an American actor, singer and song writer.Born in Findlay, Ohio, Creel received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in musical theatre at the University of Michigan in 1998. Creel, who is openly gay, is a regular on the LGBT RFamilyVacations cruise with Rosie O'Donnell...
, Michael Arden
Michael Arden
Michael Jerrod Moore , also known as Michael Arden, is an American stage actor, singer, and composer. He was born in Midland, Texas.-Early and personal life:...
and Daniel Boys
Daniel Boys
Daniel Boys is a British musical theatre actor, best known as a contestant on the BBC talent series Any Dream Will Do in 2007.-Acting Career:...
.
During the summer of 2011 Bean starred in the musical "Dear John Mayer" for which she wrote the music and lyrics.
Discography
- School House Rock: Earth (2009) Featured on the song "Tiny Urban Zoo"
- Superhero (2008) Solo Studio Album
- Matt CussonMatt CussonMatt Cusson is a contemporary jazz artist whose musicical array features a combination of Jazz, R&B, and Pop.-Biography:Born and raised in Pittsfield, Massachusetts to parents who were a classical piano teacher and choir director/arranger, music of all different genres was introduced to Cusson at...
(2008) Featured on the song "Could" - 37 Notebooks (2008) Featured on the song "House of Love"
- Enchanted (2008 Movie Soundtrack)
- Dreaming Wide Awake: The Music of Scott Alan (2007) Featured on the song "Home"
- Hairspray (2007 Movie Soundtrack)
- Hair (2005 Actor's Fund Benefit Recording) Featured on the song "I Believe in Love"
- Hairspray (2002 Original Broadway Cast Recording)
- Godspell (2001 Off- Broadway Revival Cast Recording)