Lauren Zakrin

Lauren Zakrin
Born
Lauren Ashley Zakrin

1988 or 1989 (age 35–36)
Rochester, Michigan, U.S.
Alma materWestern Michigan University
(BFA)
Occupations
  • Actress
  • singer
  • dancer
Years active2008–present
Websitelaurenashleyzakrin.com

Lauren Ashley Zakrin (born 1988 or 1989[1]) is an American musical theatre actress. She was a finalist in MTV's Legally Blonde: The Musical – The Search for Elle Woods, coming in fourth place overall. She has appeared on Broadway, as well as in national tours and regional theatre.

Early life and education

Zakrin was born in Rochester, Michigan, and attended Western Michigan University.[2][3]

Career

Zakrin first became known as a finalist on MTV's 2008 reality TV show Legally Blonde: The Musical – The Search for Elle Woods.[4] She made her professional acting debut as the understudy for the role of Elle Woods in the first US tour of the musical Legally Blonde; she and Laura Bell Bundy covered the role while Becky Gulsvig was unable to perform.[5] The following year, Zakrin acted as a replacement in the leading role of Sandy in the US tour of Grease.[6][7] From 2010 to 2011, she was an ensemble member and the understudy for Glinda in the first national tour of Wicked.[8]

During the summer of 2011, Zakrin played Elle Woods in a regional production of Legally Blonde at The Muny Theater in St. Louis, Missouri.[9] Following this, she starred as Brooke Pennington in the Las Vegas production of the 2012 Beach Boys musical Surf at Planet Hollywood, directed by Kristin Hanggi.[10] In 2013, she joined the Off-Broadway cast of Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 as an ensemble member, while understudying the roles of Natasha and Sonya.[11] She made her Broadway debut a year later, in 2014, as a replacement for the leading role of Sherrie in Rock of Ages.[3]

In 2015, Zakrin reprised her roles in the American Repertory Theater production of Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812.[12] She remained in the cast during the show's transfer to Broadway from the fall of 2016 until 2017, when it officially closed.[3] In 2017, she originated the role of Kathryn Merteuil in the Off-Broadway production of Cruel Intentions: The '90s Musical and remained in the show until its closure in 2018.[13]

Zakrin appeared as an ensemble member in the NBC television special Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert in 2018.[14] In early 2019, she played the lead role of Riley in the Off-Broadway musical We Are the Tigers.[15] Later that year, she played Audrey in a regional production of Little Shop of Horrors.[16] Zakrin was cast to play the role of Polly in the San Francisco production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, which opened in 2019.[17] She also understudied the roles of Delphi and Moaning Myrtle. The production temporarily closed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[18] In October 2021, Zakrin announced via Instagram that she would be joining the cast of Once Upon a One More Time during its tryout run at the Sidney Harman Hall in Washington D.C. as Ariel (based on the character from The Little Mermaid).[19] The production began performances on November 30, 2021, and concluded on January 9, 2022.

Theatre credits

Year Title Role Theatre Director(s) Ref.
2008–2009 Legally Blonde Elle Woods u/s National tour Jerry Mitchell
[5]
2009–2010 Grease Sandy Dumbrowski (replacement) National tour Kathleen Marshall
[6]
2010–2011 Wicked Ensemble (u/s Glinda) National tour Joe Mantello
[8]
2011 Legally Blonde Elle Woods The Muny Marc Bruni
[9]
2012 Surf Brooke Pennington Planet Hollywood Las Vegas Kristin Hanggi
[10]
2013 Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 Ensemble (u/s Natasha/Sonya) Kazino Meatpacking District / Kazino Times Square Rachel Chavkin
[11]
2014 Rock of Ages Sherrie Christian (replacement) Helen Hayes Theatre Kristin Hanggi
[3]
2015 Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 Ensemble (u/s Natasha) American Repertory Theater (out-of-town tryout) Rachel Chavkin
[12]
2016–2017 Ensemble (u/s Natasha/Sonya) Imperial Theatre
[3]
2017–2018 Cruel Intentions: The '90s Musical Kathryn Merteuil (Le) Poisson Rouge Lindsey Rosin
[13]
2019 We Are the Tigers Riley Williams Theatre 80 St. Marks Michael Bello
[15]
Little Shop of Horrors Audrey The Cape Playhouse Michael Rader
[16]
2019–2020 Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Polly Chapman (u/s Delphi/Myrtle) Curran Theatre John Tiffany
[17]
2021–2022 Once Upon a One More Time Little Sidney Harman Hall (out-of-town tryout) Keone and Mari Madrid
[19]
2022 Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Moaning Myrtle (u/s Delphi) The Lyric Theatre John Tiffany
[17]
2023 Once Upon a One More Time Little (u/s Cin/Snow White/Betany) Marquis Theatre Keone and Mari Madrid

• Credits in bold indicate Broadway production(s)

Filmography

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2008 Legally Blonde: The Musical – The Search for Elle Woods Herself Fourth place finalist[4]
2018 Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert Ensemble

References

  1. ^ Conley, Patti (2009-06-07). "'Legally Blonde' hits Pittsburgh". The Times. Retrieved 2021-05-29.
  2. ^ "Resume". LaurenAshleyZakrin.com. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Lauren Zakrin (Performer)". Playbill. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
  4. ^ a b Diamond, Robert (2009-11-29). "Ace Young, Allison Fischer, Laura D'Andre, Jesse JP Johnson and Jamison Scott Join GREASE TOUR". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved 2010-12-22.
  5. ^ a b Sierra, Gabrielle (2009-05-26). "Zakrin, Bundy Share The Spotlight As Elle In TPAC's LEGALLY BLONDE 6/15-6/29". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved 2010-12-22.
  6. ^ a b Lewis, Jessica (2009-10-23). "GREASE National Tour Welcomes Lauren Ashley Zakrin as 'Sandy,' 10/23". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved 2010-12-22.
  7. ^ "TALKING WITH LAUREN ASHLEY ZAKRIN… also known as SANDY". PlayhouseSquare.org. Archived from the original on 2014-02-01. Retrieved 2010-12-22.
  8. ^ a b "Wicked". WorldOfStage.com. Archived from the original on 2011-07-18. Retrieved 2010-12-22.
  9. ^ a b Rosky, Nicole (2011-06-16). "Lauren Ashley Zarkin to Lead MUNY's LEGALLY BLONDE; Complete Cast Announced!". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved 2021-05-29.
  10. ^ a b Hetrick, Adam (June 7, 2012). "Kristin Hanggi Will Direct Beach Boys Musical Surf; Lauren Zakrin, Adrian Zmed, Robert Torti to Star". Playbill.
  11. ^ a b Levitt, Hayley (2013-09-17). "The Downtown Cast of Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 Moves to Times Square for a Midtown Run". TheaterMania. Retrieved 2021-05-29.
  12. ^ a b Simoes, Monica (2015-11-30). "Pics! First Look at Proscenium Reinvention of Natasha Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 at A.R.T." Playbill.com. Retrieved 2021-05-29.
  13. ^ a b Stewart, Zachary (2017-12-11). "Cruel Intentions: The Musical". TheaterMania. Retrieved 2021-05-29.
  14. ^ Gans, Andrew (2018-04-02). "What Did Critics Think of NBC's Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert, Starring John Legend?". Playbill.com. Retrieved 2021-05-29.
  15. ^ a b Gans, Andrew (December 20, 2018). "The Great Comet and Cruel Intentions' Lauren Zakrin Among Cast of Off-Broadway Musical We Are the Tigers". Playbill. Retrieved 2019-04-15.
  16. ^ a b Franklin, Marc J. (2019-06-27). "See Andrew Keenan-Bolger and Lauren Zakrin in Little Shop of Horrors". Playbill.com. Retrieved 2021-05-29.
  17. ^ a b c McPhee, Ryan (2019-08-02). "Cast Set for San Francisco's Harry Potter and the Cursed Child". Playbill.com. Retrieved 2021-05-29.
  18. ^ O'Shea, Lucy (2021-05-06). ""Cursed Child" Reportedly Exploring Changes to Production". MuggleNet. Retrieved 2021-05-29.
  19. ^ a b Moynihan, Caitlin (2021-10-18). "Cast Set for World Premiere of Britney Spears Musical Once Upon a One More Time". Broadway.com. Retrieved 2021-12-28.