Lillias White
Lillias White | |
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Born | |
Occupations |
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Years active | 1981–present |
Website | lilliaswhite |
Lillias White (born July 21, 1951) is an American actress and singer. She is particularly known for her performances in Broadway musicals. In 1989 she won an Obie Award for her performance in the Off-Broadway musical Romance in Hard Times. In 1997 she won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical and Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical for portraying Sonja in Cy Coleman's The Life. She was nominated for a Tony Award again in 2010 for her work as Funmilayo in Fela Kuti's Fela!.
White is also known for her roles as
Career
Theater
White is a
One of her first professional jobs was playing Dorothy in a national tour of The Wiz. [3] White has also appeared on Broadway as
White,
In August 2022, it was announced that White would play the role of Hermes in the Broadway musical Hadestown beginning on September 13, 2022. She was the first woman to play the role.[13] Her final performance was on 17 March 2024.[14]
Controversy
During a performance of Hadestown on October 12, 2022, White twice reprimanded an audience member from the stage for recording the production.[15][16] White was unaware that this audience member was not recording, and was in fact using a captioning device because she was disabled and needed it to understand the dialogue of the musical.[17] The theatre and production issued official apologies, affirmed their future commitments to accessibility, and offered a complimentary ticket to the audience member to make up for the incident.[18] White did not comment on the incident herself. The audience member took to social media to urge users to stop harassing White, as the actress's social media profiles had been deluged with ageist and racist insults in response to the incident.[19]
Concerts and cabaret
White's concert performances to benefit the Actors' Fund of America include Dreamgirls in 2001,
She is heard on the 1990
Television and film
White's television appearances include a regular role on
Personal life
White was raised Catholic. She has a son named Mwambu and daughter named Jamilah. [32][33]
Awards and nominations
Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1990 | Obie Award | Performance | Romance in Hard Times | Won | [34] |
1997 | Tony Award | Best Featured Actress in a Musical | The Life | Won | [35] |
Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | Won | [1] | ||
Outer Critics Circle Award
|
Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | Won | [36] | ||
2009 | Ovation Award | Lead Actress in a Musical | The Best is Yet to Come: The Music of Cy Coleman | Nominated | [37][38] |
2010 | Tony Award | Best Featured Actress in a Musical | Fela! | Nominated | [35] |
2015 | Lucille Lortel Award | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical | Texas in Paris | Nominated | [39] |
Bistro Award
|
Outstanding Major Engagement | Honouree | [40] |
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1988 | Me and Him | Dancing Secretary | |
1994 | North | Operator | |
Bleeding Hearts | Neighbor Woman | ||
1997 | Hercules | Calliope | Voice role |
Anastasia | Ensemble | ||
1999 | Gloria | Transit Cop #1 | |
2000 | How the Grinch Stole Christmas
|
Shopper | |
2002 | Interview with the Assassin | Nurse | |
2003 | Pieces of April | Evette | |
2005 | Game 6 | Toyota Moseby | |
2007 | Then She Found Me | Sheila | |
2015 | Nasty Baby | Cecilia | |
2018 | Melinda | Madam Magda | |
The Chaperone | Singer | ||
2021 | The Drummer
|
Roberta |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1990–1993 | Sesame Street | Lillian | Recurring role |
1998 | Hercules | Calliope (voice) | Recurring role; 6 episodes |
1999 | Hercules: Zero to Hero | Calliope (voice) | Television film |
2004 | The Jury | Teresa Scott | Episode: "Lamentation on the Reservation " |
2015 | Gotham | Choir Member | Episode: "The Fearsome Dr. Crane" |
Person of Interest | Hon. R. Reginald | Episode: "Guilty" | |
2016–2017 | The Get Down | Fat Annie | Recurring role; 9 episodes |
2019–present | Russian Doll | Dr. Zaveri | 2 episodes |
2021 | Search Party | Wilma | Episode: "The Imposter" |
2022 | Mickey Mouse Funhouse | Calliope (voice) | Episode: "Daisy and the Muses" |
Video games
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1997 | Disney's Animated Storybook: Hercules
|
Calliope | |
1997 | Hercules
|
Calliope |
References
- ^ a b "Lillias White – Broadway Cast & Staff | IBDB". www.ibdb.com. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
- ^ "Broadway Artists Alliance: Lillias White". Archived from the original on January 19, 2014. Retrieved January 19, 2014.
- ^ [1]
- ^ Viagas, Robert. "Where You Can Hear Tony Winner Lillias White". Playbill.com. Archived from the original on February 1, 2014. Retrieved January 19, 2014.
- ^ Stasio, Marilyn. "A New Musical Finds Comedy And Romance in Hard Times' " Archived August 27, 2016, at the Wayback Machine The New York Times, December 24, 1989
- ^ Lefkowitz, David. "Tony-Winner Lillias White To Be Dinah Was-hington OB, Aug. 10" Archived September 24, 2015, at the Wayback Machine playbill.com, August 2, 1998
- ^ "Lortel Archives: Lillias White". Lortel Archives. Archived from the original on November 5, 2013. Retrieved January 19, 2014.
- ^ Hetrick, Adam. "Billy Porter's 'While I Yet Live', with Lillias White and S. Epatha Merkerson, Premieres Off-Broadway" Archived September 23, 2015, at the Wayback Machine playbill.com, September 24, 2014
- ^ Purcell, Carey. "World Premiere of 'Texas in Paris', With Lillias White and Scott Wakefield, Opens Off-Broadway Tonight" Archived August 8, 2015, at the Wayback Machine playbill.com, February 5, 2015
- ^ Cox, Gordon. "Stefanie Powers, Georgia Engel Join Cast of Broadway-Bound ‘Gotta Dance’" Variety, June 29, 2015
- ^ Viagas, Robert. "Broadway-Bound Gotta Dance, Starring Lillias White, André De Shields and Georgia Engel, Bows in Chicago" Archived January 28, 2016, at the Wayback Machine playbill.com, December 13, 2015
- ^ Gans, Andrew (December 14, 2015). "Gotta Dance, Helmed by Jerry Mitchell, Extends Chicago Run; Broadway Debut Set for Fall". Playbill. Archived from the original on December 18, 2015. Retrieved December 17, 2015.
- ^ Hornik, Caitlin (August 8, 2022). "Lillias White to join Broadway's 'Hadestown' as Hermes". Broadway News. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
- ^ Lillias White Sets Final Performance in Broadway's Hadestown
- ^ Twitter https://twitter.com/samanthcoleman/status/1580411046237712385. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - ^ Culwell-Block, Logan (October 16, 2022). "Hadestown Producers and Jujamcyn Apologize Following Incident Involving Audience Member With Hearing Loss". Playbill.
- ^ Siegal • •, Ida (October 14, 2022). "'Hadestown' Star Under Fire for Publicly Shaming Audience Member — Twice". NBC New York. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
- ^ Evans, Greg (October 13, 2022). "'Hadestown' & Jujamcyn Theaters Apologize And Reaffirm "Commitment To Accessibility" After Actor Calls Out Audience Member With Hearing Loss Using Captioning Device". Deadline. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
- ^ Evans, Greg (October 14, 2022). "'Hadestown' Audience Member With Hearing Loss Urges Social Media Users To "Stop Harassing" Lillias White: Actress Is Not "The Enemy"". Deadline. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
- ^ Marks, Peter. "For One Night, the Dreams Are Back" Archived April 22, 2017, at the Wayback Machine The New York Times, September 23, 2001
- ^ Gans, Andrew. "Chenoweth, Foster, Krakowski, Murphy and White Added to 'Funny Girl' Benefit" Archived September 24, 2015, at the Wayback Machine playbill.com, May 9, 2002
- ^ "Stars Sign on for Actors' Fund 9/20 'Hair' Concert" Archived September 23, 2015, at the Wayback Machine broadway.com, August 15, 2004
- ^ "South Pacific in concert from Carnegie Hall". PBS. April 26, 2006. Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved January 19, 2014.
- ^ Filipski, Kevin. "Broadway Star Joins the Phil in Prospect Park", The Brooklyn Paper, July 21, 2003
- ^ Gans, Andrew. Lillias White Sings Harold Arlen at New York Pops' Carnegie Hall Concert March 5" Archived September 24, 2015, at the Wayback Machine February 6, 2004
- ^ Pressley, Nelson. "Lillias White Takes a Seat, but Her Voice Deserves a Pedestal" Archived March 5, 2016, at the Wayback Machine The Washington Post, November 19, 2007
- ^ Gioia, Michael. "Lillias White, Justin Guarini, Christine Dwyer Sing Lyons and Pakchar in Free Broadway Songbook Concert Tonight" Archived September 24, 2015, at the Wayback Machine playbill.com, September 29, 2014
- ^ McBride, Murdoch. Lillias White Goes "From Brooklyn To Broadway" at Arci’s, March 14" Archived March 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine playbill.com, March 15, 2000
- ^ Winn, Steven. "'From Brooklyn to Broadway' takes a wrong turn" Archived September 24, 2015, at the Wayback Machine sfgate.com, April 10, 2003
- ^ "An Evening with Lilias White at Purple Room Supper Club on Nov 18, 2022 tickets | Eventsfy".
- ^ "IMDB: Lillias White". IMDB. Archived from the original on November 1, 2017. Retrieved January 19, 2014.
- ^ [2]
- ^ Nassour, Ellis (August 25, 1997). "It's A Wonderful Life". Playbill. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
- ^ "1990s". Obie Awards. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
- ^ a b "The Tony Award Nominations". www.tonyawards.com. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
- ^ "Lillias White". Playbill. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
- ^ "Chris Pine, Allison Janney among 2008-09 Ovation nominees [Updated]". LA Times Blogs - Culture Monster. October 19, 2009. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
- ^ "2009/2010 Ovation Award Winners". At This Stage. January 18, 2011. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
- ^ Cox, Gordon (May 11, 2015). "'Hamilton' Dominates the 2015 Lucille Lortel Awards (FULL LIST)". Variety. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
- ^ Clement, Olivia. "Tony Winner Lillias White To Be Honored at Bistro Awards Tonight" Archived August 5, 2015, at the Wayback Machine playbill.com, February 19, 2015
External links
- Lillias White at the Internet Broadway Database
- Lillias White at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
- Lillias White at IMDb