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Jenn Gambatese
Born
Jennifer Gambatese

(1975-09-10) September 10, 1975 (age 48)
Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
EducationNYU Tisch School of the Arts
Occupations
  • Actress
  • Dancer
  • Singer
Years active1998–present
Spouse
​
(m. 2007)​
Children2

Jenn Gambatese (born September 10, 1975) is an American actress and singer. Gambatese has performed in the musical production of Disney's Tarzan as Jane.[1] Gambatese also played Glinda on the first National Tour of Wicked.

Early life and education

Gambatese was born in Philadelphia, Mississippi, and grew up in Richmond Heights, a suburb of Cleveland. Her passion for acting began during the summer of fourth grade at the Willoughby Fine Arts Center[2] where she attended theater classes. Her first performance was "playing a 'whitewasher'" in the story of Tom Sawyer. She continued taking acting classes, and in her senior year of high school attended Beck Center as well as Cleveland State University.[2] In 1993 she moved to Manhattan, where she enrolled in the drama department at New York University Tisch School of the Arts.[3] She graduated in 1997 with a double major in sociology and drama and received an "Artist & Scholar" award.[4] After graduation her first professional job was performing with Theatre for Young Audiences, a touring children's theater company.[2] She played Serena Katz in the North American Tour of Fame with Gavin Creel as Nick Piazza. She also played the role in a European Tour of the show.[2]

Theatre credits

Year Title Role Notes Ref.
Sunday in the Park with George Dot Student production at NYU [5]
Uncle Vanya Sonya Student production at NYU [5]
1998 Footloose Urleen; Ariel u/s Broadway [6]
1999 Romeo and Juliet the Musical Juliet Regional [7]
2000 Little Women Amy March Workshop [8]
2001 Reefer Madness Mary Lane u/s Off-Broadway [9]
Devil in the Flesh Marthe York Theatre developmental production [5]
2002 Hairspray Penny Pingleton Broadway [10]
2003 A Year with Frog and Toad Bird/Mouse/Squirrel/Mole/Young Frog Broadway [11]
2005 All Shook Up Natalie Haller Broadway [12]
2006 Tarzan Jane Porter Broadway [13]
2007 Is He Dead? Marie Leroux Broadway [14]
2008 Little House on the Prairie Mary Ingalls Regional (Guthrie Theater) [15][16]
2010 Annie Get Your Gun Annie Oakley Regional (Goodspeed Opera House) [17][18]
2012 Carousel Carrie Pipperidge Regional (Goodspeed Opera House) [19]
2013 Wicked Glinda First U.S. national tour [20]
2014 The Sound of Music Maria Rainer Regional (Lyric Opera of Chicago) [21]
2016 School of Rock: The Musical Principal Rosalie Mullins Broadway [22]
2019 Mrs. Doubtfire Miranda Hillard Pre-Broadway tryout (5th Avenue Theatre) [23]
2021 Broadway [24]

Broadway performances

Gambatese made her Broadway debut in Footloose in October 1998. She played the role of Urleen and also as an understudy to the female lead actress. "Footloose" was directed by Walter Bobbie and ran on Broadway from October 2, 1998 through July 2, 2000. Gambatese followed "Footloose" with the musical Hairspray, directed by Jack O’Brien that ran on Broadway from August 2002 through January 2009. She played the role of Penny Pingleton.[10] In April 2003, Gambatese appeared in a new Broadway musical, A Year with Frog and Toad, directed by David Petrarca; Gambatese played several roles: Bird, Mouse, Squirrel, and Young Frog.[11] In March 2005, Gambatese played the role of Natalie Haller in the musical All Shook Up,[7] directed by Christopher Ashley. In 2006, Gambetese played "Jane" in Tarzan, which played on Broadway from May 2006 through July 2007 at the Richard Rodgers Theatre.[13] Next, Gambatese played Marie Leroux in "Is He Dead," a play by Mark Twain adapted by David Ives and directed by Michael Blakemore, that opened at the Lyceum Theatre in December 2007.[25][14]

On August 9, 2016, she succeeded Sierra Boggess as Principal Rosalie Mullins in the Broadway production of School of Rock.[22]

Other stage

Gambatese played Annie Oakley in the Goodspeed Musicals, East Haddam, Connecticut, production of Annie Get Your Gun from April 16 to June 27, 2010.[18]

Television and film

Personal life

She married Curtis Cregan, who was a member of a children’s television show Hi-5 and also a Broadway performer. They wed in June 2007. In January 2009, it was announced that she and her husband were expecting their first child together in May 2009. On May 12, 2009, they welcomed a daughter, Josephine. She likes to keep active by practicing yoga and bike riding as well as playing on the field as second base with her Broadway Show League.

When she is not in Manhattan she likes to spend time with her family in their home in the Catskill Mountains.[28][29]

She is good friends with actress/singer Shoshana Bean.

References

  1. ^ Brantley, Ben (May 11, 2006). "Tarzan Arrives on Broadway, Airborne". The New York Times.
  2. ^ a b c d Brown, Tony (March 25, 2005). "Talking to Jenn Gambatese". FameNetwork.com.
  3. ^ "About". JennGambatese.com. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
  4. ^ "Resume/Contact". JennGambatese.com. Archived from the original on August 14, 2014.
  5. ^ a b c "Jenn Gambatese Biography". Last.fm. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
  6. ^ "Footloose – Broadway Musical – Original". IBDB. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
  7. ^ a b "Jennifer Gambatese". BroadwayWorld.
  8. ^ Jones, Kenneth (May 19, 2000). "Musical Little Women Has Big Changes, and Some Heartbreak". Playbill.
  9. ^ Lefkowitz, David (October 7, 2001). "Bong and Dance: Reefer Madness Lights Up OB's Variety Arts, Oct. 7". Playbill.
  10. ^ a b "Hairspray Broadway @ Neil Simon Theatre". Playbill. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
  11. ^ a b "A Year with Frog and Toad Broadway @ Cort Theatre". Playbill. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
  12. ^ Jones, Kenneth (February 20, 2005). "All Shook Up Starts Feb. 20 at a Palace Fit for The King". Playbill. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
  13. ^ a b "Tarzan Broadway @ Richard Rodgers Theatre". Playbill. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
  14. ^ a b "Is He Dead? Broadway @ Lyceum Theatre". Playbill. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
  15. ^ "Little House on the Prairie". Guthrie Theater. Archived from the original on 2011-09-27. Retrieved 2010-12-17.
  16. ^ Gans, Andrew (July 26, 2008). "New Musical Little House on the Prairie Makes World Premiere July 26 at the Guthrie". Playbill.
  17. ^ Dorsey, Kristina (April 17, 2010). "Jenn Gambatese becomes markswoman Annie Oakley in 'Annie Get Your Gun'". The Day. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
  18. ^ a b Jones, Kenneth (April 16, 2010). "Gambatese and Earley Locked and Loaded for Goodspeed's Annie Get Your Gun, Starting April 16". Playbill. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
  19. ^ Jones, Kenneth (August 1, 2012). "Goodspeed's Carousel, With Teal Wicks, James Snyder, Jenn Gambatese, Opens Aug. 1". Playbill.
  20. ^ Gans, Andrew (February 22, 2013). "Jenn Gambatese and Curt Hansen Will Join Cast of North American Tour of Wicked". Playbill. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
  21. ^ Flynn, Keely (April 4, 2014). "Lyric Opera's 'The Sound of Music' star on being a mom in show business". Chicago Parent. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
  22. ^ a b "Jenn Gambatese to Rule the School as New Principal in Broadway's SCHOOL OF ROCK". BroadwayWorld. July 29, 2016. Retrieved July 29, 2016.
  23. ^ Clement, Olivia (December 13, 2019). "Mrs. Doubtfire Opens in Seattle December 13". Playbill. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
  24. ^ Harms, Talaura (December 5, 2021). "Mrs. Doubtfire Opens on Broadway December 5". Playbill. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
  25. ^ Brantley, Ben (December 10, 2007). "It's Not Life on the Mississippi, Jean-François Honey". The New York Times.
  26. ^ "Jenn Gambatese". IMDb.
  27. ^ Jones, Kenneth (May 31, 2005). "C'mon Everybody: All Shook Up Cast Album In Stores May 31". Playbill. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
  28. ^ "Home". JennGambatese.com. Archived from the original on 2011-07-13. Retrieved 2010-12-17.
  29. ^ Rothstein, Mervyn (May 19, 2006). "Where Jane Goes Without 'Tarzan'". The New York Times.

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