Shoshana Elise Bean
(born September 1, 1977) is an American stage actress and singer known for her roles in Broadway musicals during the 2000s. She is best known for playing Elphaba on Broadway in the musical Wicked
.
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SHOSHANA BEAN TICKETS
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Biography
Early life
Bean was born in
Olympia, Washington and grew up in
Beaverton,
Oregon. There she graduated from
Beaverton High School. Bean studied voice, dance, and songwriting from an early age. She earned a
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre from the
University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM).
Career
Shortly after moving to
New York City, she was cast in the
Off-Broadway revival of
Godspell
. Bean subsequently performed in the national tour of
Leader of the Pack
. She was also an original cast member in the
Tony Award-winning production of Broadway's
Hairspray
, originating the role of Shelley and understudying the roles of Tracy Turnblad, Velma Von Tussle, and Prudy Pingleton. During this time she was also a member of the
Broadway Inspirational Voices Gospel Choir.
In 2001, Shoshana sang back-up for
Michael Jackson's 30th anniversary concert celebration at Madison Square Garden. Performers at the legendary two-night event included:
Luther Vandross,
Usher,
Gloria Estefan,
Destiny's Child,
Ray Charles,
Dionne Warwick,
Whitney Houston,
Jill Scott,
The Jackson 5,
Britney Spears,
'N Sync, and many others.
Bean's biggest claim to fame came in 2005, when she became the first replacement for Tony Award-winner
Idina Menzel in the Broadway production of
Wicked.
Originally cast as Menzel's standby, Bean officially took over the role of
Elphaba (the
Wicked Witch of the West) on
January 11,
2005. She actually began performing the lead role full-time on January 8, after
Idina Menzel suffered serious injuries during the second act and had to be rushed to the hospital. After a 45-minute hold-up, Bean stepped in to finish the show and also played Elphaba the next day, in what would have been Menzel's final performance. Menzel made an out-of-costume surprise appearance during the finale. Bean's successful year-long run in the lead role concluded on
January 8,
2006 and she was replaced by Idina Menzel's original standby,
Eden Espinosa.
During her run in
Wicked
, Shoshana made appearances on
MTV's
Made
,
Soul Train Christmas Starfest,
and performed alongside
Brian McKnight to honor
Aretha Franklin at the 2005
Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards
.
Bean reprised the role of Elphaba in the national tour of
Wicked
for a brief run in the fall of 2006, beginning
September 6,
2006. She was joined by former co-star
Megan Hilty. Bean departed the touring cast on
December 31,
2006. Since leaving
Wicked
, Bean has recorded background vocals for the film soundtracks to
Hairspray
,
Enchanted
and The Wayans Brothers'
Dance Flick
. Bean and Hilty also began performing a variety show together called
The Meg an' Sho Show
. They often perform a "
Wicked
swap", in which Bean sings a medley of Glinda's songs and Hilty sings Elphaba's.
Bean spent time in Los Angeles after the release of her debut album,
Superhero
, which debuted on December 2, 2008.
[1]. The first single, also entitled "Superhero", launched October 3, 2008 on
iTunes, and was used to promote
NBC's Monday night line-up in the fall of 2008. As a singer-songwriter her work has also been featured on MTV's
The Hills.
In December of 2008, she performed at the
Kennedy Center in a short run of
The Music of Andrew Lloyd Weber
.
In May 2009, Bean starred as the Narrator in the
Pittsburgh CLO production of
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
, and following her run in
Pittsburgh, she performed at the
Ford Amphitheater in Los Angeles to kick off L.A.'s Gay Pride weekend. Bean sang both the music of her idol
Barbra Streisand, as well as her own original material from her album.
[2]
In June 2009, she joined the new production of
Peepshow
in
Las Vegas alongside
Holly Madison [3], and her voice can be heard singing the jingle for a national
Tide detergent commercial.
Discography
- School House Rock: Earth
(2009) Featured on the song "Tiny Urban Zoo"
- Dance Flick
(2009)
- Superhero
(2008) Solo Studio Album
- Matt Cusson
(2008) Featured on the song "Could"
- 37 Notebooks
(2008) Featured on the song "House of Love"
- Enchanted
(2008 Movie Soundtrack)
- Dreaming Wide Awake: The Music of Scott Alan
(2007) Featured on the song "Home"
- Hairspray
(2007 Movie Soundtrack)
- Hair
(2005 Actor's Fund Benefit Recording) Featured on the song "I Believe in Love"
- Hairspray
(2002 Original Broadway Cast Recording)
- Godspell
(2001 Off- Broadway Revival Cast Recording)
References
- Shoshana Bean's Solo Debut 'Superhero' to Be Released 12/2
- Leavel to Work Magic in Pittsburgh CLO's Into the Woods; Initial Summer Casting Revealed
- Photo Flash: Shoshana Bean Joins Jerry Mitchell's Las Vegas PEEP SHOW