Elicia MacKenzie
Encyclopedia
Elicia MacKenzie is a Canadian musical theatre
actor who won the 2008 CBC
television contest How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?
.
As a result of winning the contest, she played Maria, the lead, in the Toronto revival of The Sound of Music
from October 2008 through January 2010. She then went on to star as Sherrie in Mirvish Productions' Rock of Ages
at Toronto's Royal Alexandra Theatre from April 2010 through January 2011 and on the First U.S. tour. . She will star as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, Ross Petty Productions' 2011 pantomime at Toronto's Elgin Theatre from November 2011 through January 2012 .
She is represented by Toronto agency The Talent House.
. A self-described tomboy
growing up in Surrey, British Columbia
, she participated in children's choirs and various singing competitions. Her first job, at age 15, was working at De Dutch Pannekoek House in Vancouver. At age 16, she auditioned for Canadian Idol
but was passed over because she sounded "too musical theatre". She graduated in 2008 from the musical theatre program at Capilano College
, and had major roles in some productions such as Gabriella in High School Musical
in North Vancouver in 2007. She was about to take a part in a community theatre production of Cinderella, as a wicked stepsister, and was also considering a career in massage therapy, when her father noticed the audition call for the CBC show.
On How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?
after thousands of people auditioned in early 2008, she competed against 47 other finalists, who were eliminated by a combination of judges' decisions and viewer voting, although once the final two were selected, the winner was chosen only by fans. She beat out Janna Polzin of Woodstock, Ontario
, who was widely expected to win. Composer and judge Andrew Lloyd Webber
had referred to MacKenzie as "the dark horse" of the competition.
The role of Maria, thought to be one of the most challenging in musicals, was her first professional acting job. Reviews of the Toronto show weren almost uniformly positive, and the success of the show, despite the recession, has been credited largely to MacKenzie. She played the role of Sherrie Christian in the Toronto production of the musical Rock of Ages
and on the First U.S. Tour.
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
actor who won the 2008 CBC
CBC Television
CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
television contest How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?
How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? (Canada)
How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? was a talent competition program that aired in Canada on CBC Television. It premiered on June 15, 2008 at 8pm EDT, and concluded on July 28, 2008...
.
As a result of winning the contest, she played Maria, the lead, in the Toronto revival of The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music is a musical by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the memoir of Maria von Trapp, The Story of the Trapp Family Singers...
from October 2008 through January 2010. She then went on to star as Sherrie in Mirvish Productions' Rock of Ages
Rock of Ages (musical)
Rock of Ages is a rock/jukebox musical, with a book by Chris D'Arienzo, built around classic rock hits from the 1980s, especially from the famous glam metal bands of the decade. The musical features songs from Styx, Journey, Bon Jovi, Pat Benatar, Twisted Sister, Steve Perry, Poison and Asia, among...
at Toronto's Royal Alexandra Theatre from April 2010 through January 2011 and on the First U.S. tour. . She will star as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, Ross Petty Productions' 2011 pantomime at Toronto's Elgin Theatre from November 2011 through January 2012 .
She is represented by Toronto agency The Talent House.
Biography
MacKenzie was born in Moncton, New BrunswickNew Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
. A self-described tomboy
Tomboy
A tomboy is a girl who exhibits characteristics or behaviors considered typical of the gender role of a boy, including the wearing of typically masculine-oriented clothes and engaging in games and activities that are often physical in nature, and which are considered in many cultures to be the...
growing up in Surrey, British Columbia
Surrey, British Columbia
Surrey is a city in the province of British Columbia, Canada. It is a member municipality of Metro Vancouver, the governing body of the Greater Vancouver Regional District...
, she participated in children's choirs and various singing competitions. Her first job, at age 15, was working at De Dutch Pannekoek House in Vancouver. At age 16, she auditioned for Canadian Idol
Canadian Idol
Canadian Idol is a Canadian reality television competition show which aired on CTV, based on the British show Pop Idol. The show was a competition to find the most talented young singer in Canada, and was hosted by Ben Mulroney. Jon Dore was the "roving reporter" for the first three seasons...
but was passed over because she sounded "too musical theatre". She graduated in 2008 from the musical theatre program at Capilano College
Capilano College
Capilano University is an undergraduate-focused, public, coeducational, teaching-intensive university located in the District of North Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada. It is enabled by the University Act...
, and had major roles in some productions such as Gabriella in High School Musical
High School Musical on Stage!
High School Musical on Stage! is a musical based on the Disney Channel Original Movie High School Musical, with music and lyrics by Matthew Gerrard, Robbie Nevil, Ray and Greg Cham, Drew Seeley, Randy Petersen, Kevin Quinn, Andy Dodd, Adam Watts, Bryan Louiselle, David N. Lawrence, Faye Greenberg...
in North Vancouver in 2007. She was about to take a part in a community theatre production of Cinderella, as a wicked stepsister, and was also considering a career in massage therapy, when her father noticed the audition call for the CBC show.
On How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?
How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? (Canada)
How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? was a talent competition program that aired in Canada on CBC Television. It premiered on June 15, 2008 at 8pm EDT, and concluded on July 28, 2008...
after thousands of people auditioned in early 2008, she competed against 47 other finalists, who were eliminated by a combination of judges' decisions and viewer voting, although once the final two were selected, the winner was chosen only by fans. She beat out Janna Polzin of Woodstock, Ontario
Woodstock, Ontario
Woodstock is a city and the county seat of Oxford County in Southern Ontario, Canada. Woodstock is located 128 km southwest of Toronto, north of Highway 401 along the historic Thames River...
, who was widely expected to win. Composer and judge Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber is an English composer of musical theatre.Lloyd Webber has achieved great popular success in musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 13 musicals, a song cycle, a set of...
had referred to MacKenzie as "the dark horse" of the competition.
The role of Maria, thought to be one of the most challenging in musicals, was her first professional acting job. Reviews of the Toronto show weren almost uniformly positive, and the success of the show, despite the recession, has been credited largely to MacKenzie. She played the role of Sherrie Christian in the Toronto production of the musical Rock of Ages
Rock of Ages (musical)
Rock of Ages is a rock/jukebox musical, with a book by Chris D'Arienzo, built around classic rock hits from the 1980s, especially from the famous glam metal bands of the decade. The musical features songs from Styx, Journey, Bon Jovi, Pat Benatar, Twisted Sister, Steve Perry, Poison and Asia, among...
and on the First U.S. Tour.