American actress
Mary Testa
Testa at Gimme a Break Gala, December 2011
Born Education University of Rhode Island Occupation Actress Years active 1979—present
Mary Testa is an American stage and film actress. She is a three-time Tony Award nominee, for performances in revivals of Leonard Bernstein 's On the Town (1998), 42nd Street (2001) and Oklahoma (2019).[ 1]
Early life
Testa was born in Philadelphia and has one sister. At age four, her family moved to Rhode Island.[ 2] She studied acting at the University of Rhode Island .[ 3] Testa left school to move to New York in 1976 to pursue a performing career.[ 4]
Stage
Testa made her debut Off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons as Miss Goldberg in William Finn 's one-act musical In Trousers (1979), part one of his "Marvin Trilogy."[ 5] She next performed in Finn's March of the Falsettos , and later in Company , at Playwrights.[ 2] [ 4]
Her Broadway roles include Joyce Heth in Barnum (1982), movie columnist Hedda Hopper in Marilyn: An American Fable (1983), Angel in The Rink (1984), Domina in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1996–1997), Madame Dilly in On the Town (1998), Magdalena in Marie Christine , Maggie Jones in 42nd Street (2001–2002), the Matron in Chicago (2005), Melpomene in Xanadu (2007–2008), General Matilda B. Cartwright in Guys and Dolls (2009), Madame Morrible in Wicked (2014), and Aunt Eller in Oklahoma! (2019).[ 5]
She is a frequent collaborator with such acclaimed musical dramatists as William Finn (Infinite Joy , A New Brain , In Trousers ) and Michael John LaChiusa (Marie Christine , See What I Wanna See , First Lady Suite ), while also having appeared in the works of Stephen Sondheim , Kander & Ebb , Flaherty & Ahrens , and Leonard Bernstein , among other Off-Broadway and regional theatre credits.[ 5] She also frequently performs in concerts and cabaret shows.[ 6]
On December 28, 2020, it was announced that Testa would star as Skinner in a benefit concert presentation of Ratatouille the Musical , an internet meme that originated on TikTok , inspired by the 2007 Disney /Pixar film . The concert streamed exclusively on TodayTix on January 1, 2021.[ 7]
Film, television and recording
Testa made her film debut in Going in Style (1979), and has appeared in numerous movie and television roles since, including Sophia in the 2003 sitcom Whoopi , Zia Maria Luisa in the 2014 film Big Stone Gap , and Sister Clare in the 2004 film adaptation of Tony n' Tina's Wedding . She also appeared in such films as The Business of Strangers (2001), Stay (2005), Eat Pray Love (2010), The Bounty Hunter (2010) and the TV series Law & Order , Whoopi's Littleburg , 2 Broke Girls , Smash , White Collar , Cosby , Sex and the City , and Life on Mars .[ 8]
From 1999 to 2002 she appeared frequently as the voice of Shirley the Medium on Courage the Cowardly Dog .[ 8]
In addition to her show albums, Testa and Michael Starobin released an album, Have Faith , in 2014. It contains contemporary interpretations of songs by artists such as Alanis Morissette , Prince , The Beach Boys , Leonard Cohen , Finn and LaChiusa.[ 9] [ 10]
Selected stage credits
Year
Title
Role
Theatre
1979
In Trousers
Miss Goldberg
Playwrights Horizons , Off-Broadway
1984
The Rink
Angel Antonelli (standby/replacement)
Martin Beck Theater , Broadway
1988
Lucky Stiff
Rita La Porta
Playwrights Horizons , Off-Broadway
1996
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
Domina
St. James Theater , Broadway
1997
On the Town
Madame Maude P. Dilly
Delacorte Theatre , The Public Theatre , Off-Broadwa
1998
Gershwin Theatre , Broadway
A New Brain
Lisa
Mitzi E. Newhouse Theatre , Off-Broadway
1999
Marie Christine
Magdalena
Vivian Beaumont Theater , Broadway
Ziegfeld Follies of 1936
Fanny Brice
Encores! Production, New York City Center , Off-Broadway
2000
Tartuffe
Dorine
Delacorte Theatre , The Public Theatre , Off-Broadway
2001
42nd Street
Maggie Jones
Ford Center for the Performing Arts , Broadway
2003
String of Pearls
Various Roles
Lucky Stiff
Rita La Porta
2004
First Lady Suite
Lorena Hickock
The Connelly Theatre, Off-Broadway
2005
Chicago
Matron "Mamma" Morton
Ambassador Theatre , Broadway
2006
See What I Wanna See
The Medium/Aunt Monica
The Public Theatre , Off-Broadway
2007
Xanadu
Melpomene
Hayes Theatre , Broadway
2009
Guys and Dolls
General Cartwright
Nederlander Theatre , Broadway
2010
Love, Loss, and What I Wore
Performer
2011
Queen of the Mist
Anna Edson Taylor [ 11]
The Gym at Judson Memorial Church, Off-Broadway
2014
Wicked
Madame Morrible
Gershwin Theatre , Broadway
2016
First Daughter Suite
Barbara Bush
Anspacher Theatre, The Public Theatre , Off-Broadway
2018
Oklahoma!
Aunt Eller
St. Ann's Warehouse , Off-Broadway
2019
Circle in the Square Theater , Broadway
2020-2021
Ratatouille: The Musical
Chef Skinner
Online Production
2023
Oliver!
Widow Corney
Encores! Production, New York City Center , Off-Broadway
The Gardens of Anuncia
Granmama Magdalena
Mitzi E. Newhouse Theatre , Off-Broadway
Selected concert appearances
Broadway Unplugged 2004 ("Hard-Hearted Hannah: The Vamp of Savannah")
Broadway Unplugged 2005 ("The Thrill is Gone")
The Broadway Musicals of 1930 ("I Happen to Like New York" and "My First Love—My Last Love")
The Broadway Musicals of 1933 ("I'll Be Hard to Handle" and "Harlem on My Mind")
Awards and nominations
References
^ "Mary Testa Awards" . IBDB: The Internet Broadway Database . Retrieved 17 December 2014 .
^ a b Buckley, Michael. "Stage to Screens: A Chat with Mary Testa" , Playbill, December 21, 2003, accessed December 19, 2014
^ Bird, Alan. Mary Testa , NewYorkTheatreGuide, December 20, 2010, accessed December 19, 2014
^ a b Gans, Andrew. "Diva Talk: Chatting with Xanadu's Mary Testa Plus News of Buckley, Kuhn and Callaway" , Playbill, August 3, 2007, accessed December 19, 2014
^ a b c "Mary Testa Theatre Credits" . BroadwayWorld.com . Retrieved 17 December 2014 .
^ "Mary Testa News" . BroadwayWorld.com . Retrieved 17 December 2014 .
^ " 'Ratatouille: The TikTok Musical' All-Star Cast to Include Wayne Brady, Tituss Burgess & Adam Lambert" . 28 December 2020.
^ a b "Mary Testa" . IMDb . Retrieved 17 December 2014 .
^ "Wicked's Mary Testa and Michael Starobin Release Have Faith Album" , TheatreMania, November 4, 2014
^ Holdenjan, Stephen. Music Review; "Fleeting Sweetness, and Pits; Mary Testa, Onstage With Selections From Have Faith". New York Times . January 6, 2015
^ "Transport Group - Queen of the Mist" . Archived from the original on 2012-11-29. Retrieved 2013-08-08 .
^ "2020 GRAMMYs Awards Show: Complete Winners & Nominations List" . www.grammy.com . Retrieved 2023-01-15 .
External links
International National Artists