Andrea McArdle
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Andrea McArdle
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Biography
Andrea McArdle made her professional debut at the age of 13 on the Broadway stage in Annie. Since her stellar performance, McArdle has performed in numerous Broadway shows, recorded albums and has appeared on film and television.Born in Philadelphia, Andrea McArdle is the oldest of two children. Her father was a statistician and her mother followed her daughter's career. Andrea McArdle's interests in entertaining was encouraged by her parents who gave her both singing and dancing lessons at an early age. She was entered in talent shows where New York producers and agents were present. It was after she signed with an agent that her career took off.
Her first role came in 1974 when she played Wendy Wilkens on the daytime soap opera Search For Tomorrow. The role lasted three years during which she won an award for television's best daytime juvenile actress. After her television debut she performed in The King and I and The Sound of Music dinner theatres. Then in 1977 Andrea McArdle received her break in show business. A 13-year-old all-American kid, she was cast as the 11-year-old Little Orphan Annie. She was originally cast as one of the "tough girls" but soon replaced the original Annie for the Connecticut, Washington and New York shows. For the part Andrea McArdle had to don a wig and shoes too large for her feet. During her performances she began to get a feel for audiences. She determined an audience in New York is much different than a laid-back audience in Washington. It was observances such as these that led to a long-lasting successful career for Andrea McArdle. Her career has been based on this role and she received film, stage and television roles after her performance. In 1978 she portrayed Judy Garland in the television movie, Rainbow.
After Annie Andrea McArdle did several other Broadway shows during the '80s. This included several concerts and performances. Stardom at 13 did not hinder her career. In 1995 she recorded a CD titled On Broadway. The album included "Never, Never Land" from Peter Pan, "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" from Evita, "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" from Meet Me In St. Louis and "Tomorrow" from Annie. In 1996 she starred as Margy Frake in Rodgers & Hammerstein's Broadway production of State Fair. She sang "It Might As Well Be Spring" to a rousing audience. Even today Andrea McArdle is thrilling and entertaining audiences as successfully as she did when she was 13. Her latest project was another CD of Broadway hits which was produced by her husband, Edd Kalehoff. ~ Kim Summers, Rovi
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Andrea McArdle
| Andrea McArdle | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Andrea McArdle |
| Born | November 5, 1963 |
| Origin | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Occupations | Singer, Actress |
| Years active | 1970–present |
Andrea McArdle (born November 5, 1963) 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.
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Career
She was born in Philadelphia. While studying dance as a child, she was spotted by a talent agent who got her work in a number of television commercials, which led to her two-and-a-half year stint on the soap opera Search for Tomorrow. She also appeared on Al Alberts Showcase, a local televised talent show in Philadelphia.
McArdle's break came in early 1977 when she was pulled from the chorus of orphans to replace Kristen Vigard, the original Annie in the Broadway musical Annie, during rehearsals. The show was a critical and commercial smash, and she became the youngest performer ever to be nominated for a Tony Award as Best Lead Actress in a Musical. She lost to co-star Dorothy Loudon--who played Miss Hannigan—but did receive the Theater World and Outer Critics' Circle Awards for her performance. In April 1978, she opened in London's West End production. She appeared several times on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in 1977-79, on one occasion accompanied by Liberace. She also appeared more than once on the Mike Douglas Show, singing with Kristy McNichol, Stephanie Mills, Liberace and Don Rickles.
She also appeared on Welcome Back Kotter, playing Arnold Horshack's younger sister.
Her first assignment after returning to the States was the role of Judy Garland in NBC's telepic Rainbow, but throughout her career she has concentrated primarily on performing in musical theater and cabarets. Her credits include Les Misérables (both on Broadway and in the national tour), Jerry's Girls (a revue of Jerry Herman songs co-starring Carol Channing and Leslie Uggams), Beauty and the Beast, Starlight Express, Meet Me In St. Louis, Wizard of Oz, They're Playing Our Song, and another celebrated Annie in Irving Berlin's classic, Annie Get Your Gun. She briefly appeared in the 1999 Rob Marshall-directed TV version of Annie, singing the "Star To Be" segment of the song "N.Y.C."
McArdle has performed in the showrooms of many of the casino hotels in Las Vegas and Atlantic City, and in cabarets such as Odette's in New Hope, Pennsylvania and the King Cole Room at the St. Regis Hotel and Freddy's Supper Club in Manhattan. McArdle is once again starring in the musical Annie with the North Carolina Theatre Company, although she ironically now portrays the role of Miss Hannigan, at odds with her former character.[1]
Her CD, Andrea McArdle on Broadway, was arranged and produced by her ex-husband, composer Edd Kalehoff, who also collaborated with her on an album of Christmas songs that was released in conjunction with her Family Christmas Show at the Tropicana Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The Christmas show, "Andrea McArdle's Family Christmas" ran for three Christmas' and featured dancers, singers and acrobats from Encore Productions in South Jersey. Divorced in August 2011, the couple had one daughter, Alexis Kalehoff, a performer who has appeared with her mother in Les Miz.
McArdle returned to Annie at Musical Theatre West in Long Beach, California, as Miss Hannigan from October 29 - November 14, 2010.[2]
Andrea will take part in the New York Musical Theatre Festival's (NYMF) production of Greenwood the Musical this fall co-starring Felicia Finley.
Stage work
| Year | Musical | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Annie | Annie |
| 1984 | Jerry's Girls | Ensemble (tour) |
| 1985 | Wizard of Oz | Dorothy Gale (Melody Top Theatre in Milwaukee) |
| Unknown | The Vagina Monologues | Performer (regional) |
| 1987 | Starlight Express | Ashley |
| 1989 | Meet Me In St. Louis | Esther (regional) |
| 1992 | They're Playing Our Song | Sonia (tour) |
| 1993 | Les Misérables | Fantine / Eponine (tour) |
| 1995 | State Fair | Margy Frake |
| 1996 | Oliver! | Nancy (regional) |
| 1996 | Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat | Narrator (regional) |
| 1996 | The Fantasticks | Luisa (regional) |
| 1997 | Evita | Eva Perón (regional) |
| 1999 | Beauty and the Beast | Belle |
| Unknown | Grease | Sandy (regional) |
| 2001 | Cabaret | Sally Bowles (international tour) |
| 2006 | Annie Get Your Gun | Annie Oakley (regional) |
| 2006 | Cabaret | Sally Bowles (regional, Ogunquit Playhouse) |
| 2007 | Gypsy | Mama Rose (regional) |
| 2008 | Les Misérables | Fantine (regional, Ogunquit Playhouse) |
| 2010 | Annie | Miss Hannigan (North Carolina Theatre) |
| 2010 | Annie | Miss Hannigan (Musical Theatre West, Long Beach) |
| 2011 | Blood Brothers | Mrs. Johnstone (Theatre Zone, Naples, Florida) |
| 2011 | Urinetown | Penelope Pennywise (Connecticut Repertory Theatre) |
| 2011 | Greenwood the Musical | Adult Sheila (New York Musical Theatre Festival) |
Award nominations
- 1977 - Theatre World Award - winner
- 1977 - Tony Awards - Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical - nominee
References
- ^ Original 'Annie' Returns to Show 30 Years Later, PopEater.com, July 26, 2010. Accessed July 26, 2010.
- ^ Gans, Andrew."Andrea McArdle Will Play Miss Hannigan for Musical Theatre West's 'Annie'" playbill.com, September 15, 2010
External links
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Mentioned in
Andrea McArdle
(Soundtrack Artist, '90s)
Broadway Super Hits, Vol. 2
(2000 Album by Various Artists)
My Favorite Broadway: Leading Ladies [Video]
(1999 Album by Various Artists)
My Favorite Broadway: The Leading Ladies
(1999 Music Film)
Ultimate Broadway
(1998 Album by Various Artists)
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