Janet Dacal
Encyclopedia
Janet Dacal is a Cuba
n-American
actress, singer, and performer in musical theatre
. She received the Drama Desk Award
for her performance in the Broadway
musical In the Heights
.
, Cuba
, though she was born and grew up in Los Angeles. In an interview, Dacal said, "My mom says that when I was four, I would grab a brush and pretend to sing songs into a microphone . . . I was the little girl of the family, and they loved to see me dance around and make people laugh." Dacal moved to Miami when she was 17, where she appeared in a production of Four Guys Named Jose…and Una Mujer Named Maria.
. Dacal then created the role of beauty salon worker
Carla in the 2007 off-Broadway
musical
In the Heights
, for which she won a Drama Desk Award
. Dacal reprised this role for the musical's 2008 Broadway transfer.
She has appeared in a Musicals Tonight! concert
in New York City
, and also performed with the cast of In the Heights at the "Broadway in Bryant Park
" festival in July 2009. She returned to In the Heights on February 19, 2010, as Nina Rosario, playing her last performance in August 2010.
Dacal appeared in the Off-Broadway
production of Byzantium
. Regionally, she has appeared in Frank Loesser
's Senor Discretion Himself at Arena Stage
and in a South Florida production of Five Course Love, for which she received a Carbonell Award
nomination.
At the 2011 Outback Bowl
, held on January 1, 2011, in Tampa
, Florida
, Dacal performed "The Star-Spangled Banner
". She participated in the Young People's Chorus fundraising gala
, titled Dreamer
, at the Frederick P. Rose Hall in the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts
on March 7, 2011..
Dacal then starred in several out-of-town tryouts of the musical Wonderland, for which she received encouraging reviews. The Sarasota Herald-Tribune
wrote that she had "a strong voice and presence." Dacal reprised her role as Alice in the Broadway
production of the musical at the Marquis Theatre
, which began performances in March 2011. However, after negative reviews and bad ticket sales, the production closed on May 15, 2011.
by Chayanne
. Dacal can also be heard on the cast recordings of In the Heights
(2008) and Wonderland (2011). In an interview, she stated that she hopes to collaborate on a solo album
with Wonderland composer Frank Wildhorn
, although no official plan has been made.
. He proposed to her on May 15, 2011, during the curtain call
of the final Broadway performance of Wonderland. "In the audience, there were tears of joy mixed with the sadness for the show closing."
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
n-American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress, singer, and performer in musical theatre
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...
. She received the Drama Desk Award
Drama Desk Award
The Drama Desk Awards, which are given annually in a number of categories, are the only major New York theater honors for which productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway compete against each other in the same category...
for her performance in the Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
musical In the Heights
In the Heights
In the Heights is a musical with music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda and a book by Quiara Alegría Hudes. The story explores three days in the characters' lives in the New York City Dominican-American neighborhood of Washington Heights....
.
Early life
Dacal's parents are from La ViboraLa Víbora, Havana
La Víbora is a neighborhood of central Havana, capital city of Cuba. Principal streets include Calzada 10 de octubre to the east, Avenida Santa Catalina to the south, and Avenida General Lacret to the north.- History :La Víbora was founded in 1689, as a small town where the exchange of horses...
, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, though she was born and grew up in Los Angeles. In an interview, Dacal said, "My mom says that when I was four, I would grab a brush and pretend to sing songs into a microphone . . . I was the little girl of the family, and they loved to see me dance around and make people laugh." Dacal moved to Miami when she was 17, where she appeared in a production of Four Guys Named Jose…and Una Mujer Named Maria.
Career
In 2004, she made her Broadway debut in the original cast of Good VibrationsGood Vibrations (musical)
Good Vibrations is a Broadway jukebox musical featuring the music of Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys. It opened February 2, 2005, at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre and ran for 94 performances before closing on April 24, 2005. The musical follows the tale of three high school friends who want to...
. Dacal then created the role of beauty salon worker
Beauty salon
A beauty salon or beauty parlor is an establishment dealing with cosmetic treatments for men and women...
Carla in the 2007 off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
musical
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...
In the Heights
In the Heights
In the Heights is a musical with music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda and a book by Quiara Alegría Hudes. The story explores three days in the characters' lives in the New York City Dominican-American neighborhood of Washington Heights....
, for which she won a Drama Desk Award
Drama Desk Award
The Drama Desk Awards, which are given annually in a number of categories, are the only major New York theater honors for which productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway compete against each other in the same category...
. Dacal reprised this role for the musical's 2008 Broadway transfer.
She has appeared in a Musicals Tonight! concert
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, and also performed with the cast of In the Heights at the "Broadway in Bryant Park
Bryant Park
Bryant Park is a 9.603 acre privately managed public park located in the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is located between Fifth and Sixth Avenues and between 40th and 42nd Streets in Midtown Manhattan...
" festival in July 2009. She returned to In the Heights on February 19, 2010, as Nina Rosario, playing her last performance in August 2010.
Dacal appeared in the Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
production of Byzantium
Byzantium
Byzantium was an ancient Greek city, founded by Greek colonists from Megara in 667 BC and named after their king Byzas . The name Byzantium is a Latinization of the original name Byzantion...
. Regionally, she has appeared in Frank Loesser
Frank Loesser
Frank Henry Loesser was an American songwriter who wrote the lyrics and scores to the Broadway hits Guys and Dolls and How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying, among others. He won separate Tony Awards for the music and lyrics in both shows, as well as sharing the Pulitzer Prize for...
's Senor Discretion Himself at Arena Stage
Arena Stage
Arena Stage is a not-for-profit regional theater based in Southwest Washington, D.C. Its declared mission"is to produce huge plays of all that is passionate, exuberant, profound, deep and dangerous in the American spirit. Arena has broad shoulders and a capacity to produce anything from vast epics...
and in a South Florida production of Five Course Love, for which she received a Carbonell Award
Carbonell Awards
The Carbonell Awards recognize excellent theater in the South Florida region of the United States annually. The awards are named after the sculptor Manuel Carbonell, who designed the bronze and marble award that is given to the winners. Voting is conducted by three panels of ten members each...
nomination.
At the 2011 Outback Bowl
2011 Outback Bowl
The 2011 Outback Bowl was the 25th edition of the college football bowl game, and was played at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. The game kicked off at 1 p.m. US EST on January 1, 2011 and was telecasted on ABC...
, held on January 1, 2011, in Tampa
Tâmpa
Tâmpa may refer to several villages in Romania:* Tâmpa, a village in Băcia Commune, Hunedoara County* Tâmpa, a village in Miercurea Nirajului, Mureş County* Tâmpa, a mountain in Braşov city...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, Dacal performed "The Star-Spangled Banner
The Star-Spangled Banner
"The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States of America. The lyrics come from "Defence of Fort McHenry", a poem written in 1814 by the 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet, Francis Scott Key, after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by the British Royal Navy ships...
". She participated in the Young People's Chorus fundraising gala
Gala
-Events and festivities:*A gala, a festivity *A swimming gala is a British/South African term for an amateur swimming competition, often known as a swimming carnival in Australia....
, titled Dreamer
Dreamer
-Albums:* Dreamer , an album by metalcore band Haste the Day* Dreamer , an album by Caldera* Dreamer , an album by Emmerson Nogueira* Dreamer, a 1967 album by Labelle-Songs:...
, at the Frederick P. Rose Hall in the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood of New York City's Upper West Side. Reynold Levy has been its president since 2002.-History and facilities:...
on March 7, 2011..
Dacal then starred in several out-of-town tryouts of the musical Wonderland, for which she received encouraging reviews. The Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
The Sarasota Herald-Tribune is a daily newspaper located in Sarasota, Florida.It is owned by The New York Times Company, who purchased it in 1982, and part of its regional news group. Along with Comcast, the newspaper operates a local 24-hour...
wrote that she had "a strong voice and presence." Dacal reprised her role as Alice in the Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
production of the musical at the Marquis Theatre
Marquis Theatre
The Marquis Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre located at 1535 Broadway in midtown-Manhattan.Situated on the third floor of the Marriott Marquis Hotel, the 1611-seat venue was designed by developer/architect John C. Portman, Jr...
, which began performances in March 2011. However, after negative reviews and bad ticket sales, the production closed on May 15, 2011.
Recordings
In 2007, she provided background vocals for the album Mi tiempoMi tiempo (album)
-Personnel:*Chayanne, Vocals*Sebastián de Peyrecave, Guitar , Percussion, Arranger, Drums, Guitar , Organ , Programming, Producer, Engineer, Mixing...
by Chayanne
Chayanne
Elmer Figueroa Arce , best known under the stage name Chayanne, is a Puerto Rican Latin pop singer and actor. As a solo artist, Chayanne has released 21 solo-albums and sold over 20 million albums worldwide.-Early life:...
. Dacal can also be heard on the cast recordings of In the Heights
In the Heights
In the Heights is a musical with music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda and a book by Quiara Alegría Hudes. The story explores three days in the characters' lives in the New York City Dominican-American neighborhood of Washington Heights....
(2008) and Wonderland (2011). In an interview, she stated that she hopes to collaborate on a solo album
Solo album
A solo album, in popular music, is an album headlined by a current or former member of a band. A solo album may feature simply one person performing all instruments, but typically features the work of other collaborators; rather, it may be made with different collaborators than the artist is...
with Wonderland composer Frank Wildhorn
Frank Wildhorn
Frank Wildhorn is an American composer known for both his musicals and popular songs. He is most known for his musical Jekyll & Hyde, which ran four years on Broadway, and for writing the #1 International Hit song "Where Do Broken Hearts Go?" for Whitney Houston.-Early years:Wildhorn was born in...
, although no official plan has been made.
Personal life
Dacal is currently engaged to Wonderland co-star Darren RitchieDarren Ritchie (actor)
- Career :He is perhaps best known for originating the role of Jonathan Harker in Frank Wildhorn's Broadway production of Dracula, the musical in 2004. He has also appeared in featured roles in the Broadway revivals of The Little Shop of Horrors, 2003, and Bells are Ringing, 2001,...
. He proposed to her on May 15, 2011, during the curtain call
Curtain call
A curtain call occurs at the end of a performance when individuals return to the stage to be recognized by the audience for their performance. In musical theater, the performers typically recognize the orchestra and its conductor at the end of the curtain call...
of the final Broadway performance of Wonderland. "In the audience, there were tears of joy mixed with the sadness for the show closing."