Kim Criswell
Encyclopedia
Kim Criswell is an American musical entertainer and actress.
, but grew up in Chattanooga, Tennessee
. After she graduated from high school, she studied musical theatre at the University of Cincinnati
's College Conservatory of Music. She then moved to New York
where she landed a role in the touring company of Annie
. She made her Broadway debut in The First
in 1981. In September, 1991 she presented her one-woman show Doin What Comes Naturally, at the Shaw Theatre in London.
She has lived in London
since 1992 when she was invited to play Annie Oakley
in Irving Berlin
's musical Annie Get Your Gun
. She has been in numerous musicals and has appeared with some of America's leading symphony orchestras as the featured soloist. She won the Helen Hayes Award
for her performance in Side By Side By Sondheim
.
On August 1st 2009 she was a featured soloist in the "BBC Proms 2009
: a Celebration of Classic MGM Film Musicals
" at the Royal Albert Hall
. On that evening she performed a number of songs including: "The Trolley Song
", "Over the Rainbow
" and "Get Happy
" all originally made famous by Judy Garland
. She additionally performed the songs "I Got Rhythm
" (also in Garland's repertoire) and "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire
" in a duet with, perhaps surprisingly, Seth MacFarlane
. She repeated her Proms Concert success when she appeared in a Rodgers and Hammerstein evening, once again with the John Wilson Orchestra
at The Royal Albert Hall with opera singer Rod Gilfry in August 2010
Life and career
Criswell was born in Hampton, VirginiaHampton, Virginia
Hampton is an independent city that is not part of any county in Southeast Virginia. Its population is 137,436. As one of the seven major cities that compose the Hampton Roads metropolitan area, it is on the southeastern end of the Virginia Peninsula. Located on the Hampton Roads Beltway, it hosts...
, but grew up in Chattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga is the fourth-largest city in the US state of Tennessee , with a population of 169,887. It is the seat of Hamilton County...
. After she graduated from high school, she studied musical theatre at the University of Cincinnati
University of Cincinnati
The University of Cincinnati is a comprehensive public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio, and a part of the University System of Ohio....
's College Conservatory of Music. She then moved to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
where she landed a role in the touring company of Annie
Annie (musical)
Annie is a Broadway musical based upon the popular Harold Gray comic strip Little Orphan Annie, with music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin, and the book by Thomas Meehan. The original Broadway production opened in 1977 and ran for nearly six years with a blonde Annie as the poster...
. She made her Broadway debut in The First
The First
The First is a musical with a book by critic Joel Siegel. The music was composed by Robert Brush, and Martin Charnin wrote the lyrics. The show is based on the life of Brooklyn Dodgers second baseman Jackie Robinson, the first African-American to play major league baseball in the 20th century.The...
in 1981. In September, 1991 she presented her one-woman show Doin What Comes Naturally, at the Shaw Theatre in London.
She has lived in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
since 1992 when she was invited to play Annie Oakley
Annie Oakley
Annie Oakley , born Phoebe Ann Mosey, was an American sharpshooter and exhibition shooter. Oakley's amazing talent and timely rise to fame led to a starring role in Buffalo Bill's Wild West show, which propelled her to become the first American female superstar.Oakley's most famous trick is perhaps...
in Irving Berlin
Irving Berlin
Irving Berlin was an American composer and lyricist of Jewish heritage, widely considered one of the greatest songwriters in American history.His first hit song, "Alexander's Ragtime Band", became world famous...
's musical Annie Get Your Gun
Annie Get Your Gun (musical)
Annie Get Your Gun is a musical with lyrics and music written by Irving Berlin and a book by Herbert Fields and his sister Dorothy Fields. The story is a fictionalized version of the life of Annie Oakley , who was a sharpshooter from Ohio, and her husband, Frank Butler.The 1946 Broadway production...
. She has been in numerous musicals and has appeared with some of America's leading symphony orchestras as the featured soloist. She won the Helen Hayes Award
Helen Hayes Award
A Helen Hayes Award is a theater award named for the famed actress Helen Hayes to recognize excellence in professional theater in the Washington, D.C. area since 1983. The awards are managed by Linda Levy Grossman. and presented by the Washington Theatre Awards Society.-Awards:The Helen Hayes...
for her performance in Side By Side By Sondheim
Side By Side By Sondheim
Side by Side by Sondheim is a musical revue featuring the songs of Broadway and film composer Stephen Sondheim. Its title is derived from the song "Side by Side by Side" from Company.-History:...
.
On August 1st 2009 she was a featured soloist in the "BBC Proms 2009
The Proms
The Proms, more formally known as The BBC Proms, or The Henry Wood Promenade Concerts presented by the BBC, is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hall in London...
: a Celebration of Classic MGM Film Musicals
Musical film
The musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, though in some cases they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate...
" at the Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
. On that evening she performed a number of songs including: "The Trolley Song
The Trolley Song
"The Trolley Song" is a song written by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane and made famous by Judy Garland in the 1944 film Meet Me in St. Louis...
", "Over the Rainbow
Over the Rainbow
"Over the Rainbow" is a classic Academy Award-winning ballad song with music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by E.Y. Harburg. It was written for the movie The Wizard of Oz, and was sung by Judy Garland in the movie...
" and "Get Happy
Get Happy (song)
"Get Happy" is a song composed by Harold Arlen, with lyrics written by Ted Koehler.It was the first song they wrote together, and was introduced by Ruth Etting in The Nine-Fifteen Revue in 1930....
" all originally made famous by Judy Garland
Judy Garland
Judy Garland was an American actress and singer. Through a career that spanned 45 of her 47 years and for her renowned contralto voice, she attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist and on the concert stage...
. She additionally performed the songs "I Got Rhythm
I Got Rhythm
"I Got Rhythm" is a song composed by George Gershwin with lyrics by Ira Gershwin and published in 1930, which became a jazz standard. Its chord progression, known as the "rhythm changes", is the foundation for many other popular jazz tunes such as Charlie Parker's and Dizzy Gillespie's Bebop...
" (also in Garland's repertoire) and "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? (song)
"Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" is a song written by Cole Porter for the 1956 film High Society, where it was introduced by Frank Sinatra and Celeste Holm....
" in a duet with, perhaps surprisingly, Seth MacFarlane
Seth MacFarlane
Seth Woodbury MacFarlane is an American animator, writer, comedian, producer, actor, singer, voice actor, and director best known for creating the animated sitcoms Family Guy, American Dad! and The Cleveland Show, for which he also voices many of the shows' various characters.A native of Kent,...
. She repeated her Proms Concert success when she appeared in a Rodgers and Hammerstein evening, once again with the John Wilson Orchestra
John Wilson Orchestra
The John Wilson Orchestra was formed by British orchestral conductor John Wilson in 1994. A lush symphonic orchestra built around a jazz big band, it is renowned for resurrecting the original arrangements, which John Wilson himself has re-created, of MGM musicals and the works of Rodgers and...
at The Royal Albert Hall with opera singer Rod Gilfry in August 2010
Musicals
- The First (1981) as Hilda/ensemble
- NineNine (musical)Nine is a musical with a book by Arthur Kopit, music and lyrics by Maury Yeston. The story is based on Federico Fellini's semi-autobiographical film 8½...
(1982) as Francesca (also as Claudia-first replacement) - BabyBaby (musical)Baby is a musical with a book by Sybille Pearson, based on a story developed with Susan Yankowitz, music by David Shire, and lyrics by Richard Maltby, Jr.. It concerns the reactions of three couples each expecting a child. The musical first ran on Broadway from 1983 to 1984.-Synopsis:Three...
(1983) as Narrator/Sixth Woman - Jesus Christ SuperstarJesus Christ SuperstarJesus Christ Superstar is a rock opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber, with lyrics by Tim Rice. The musical started off as a rock opera concept recording before its first staging on Broadway in 1971...
at Papermill Playhouse as Mary Magdalene - CatsCats (musical)Cats is a musical composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot...
(1985-1986 LA Production) as Grizabella - Stardust (1986) as Soloist
- Three Musketeers (1983) as Queen Anne
- The Threepenny OperaThe Threepenny OperaThe Threepenny Opera is a musical by German dramatist Bertolt Brecht and composer Kurt Weill, in collaboration with translator Elisabeth Hauptmann and set designer Caspar Neher. It was adapted from an 18th-century English ballad opera, John Gay's The Beggar's Opera, and offers a Marxist critique...
(1989) at Lunt Fontanne Theatre, Broadway as Lucy Brown - Annie Get Your Gun (1992) at Prince Of Wales Theatre, London as Annie Oakley
- I Married an AngelI Married an AngelI Married An Angel is a musical comedy by Rodgers and Hart. It was adapted from a play by Hungarian playwright János Vaszary, entitled Angyalt Vettem Felesegul. The book was by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, with music by Rodgers and lyrics by Hart. The story concerns a wealthy banker who,...
at Theatre Off Park as Peggy - Dames at SeaDames at SeaDames at Sea is a musical with book and lyrics by George Haimsohn and Robin Miller and music by Jim Wise.The musical is a parody of large, flashy 1930s Busby Berkeley-style movie musicals in which an understudy steps into a role on Broadway and becomes a star...
(1996) as Mona Kent - The Slow Drag (1997) as June Wedding
- Of Thee I SingOf Thee I SingOf Thee I Sing is a musical with a score by George Gershwin, lyrics by Ira Gershwin and a book by George S. Kaufman and Morrie Ryskind. The musical lampoons American politics; the story concerns John P. Wintergreen, who runs for President of the United States on the "love" platform...
(1998) as Diana Deaveraux - Side By Side By Sondheim (1998)
- Hollywood and Broadway II -Herself, Bonnie LangfordBonnie LangfordBonita Melody Lysette "Bonnie" Langford is an English actress, dancer and entertainer. She came to prominence as a child star in the early 1970s then she subsequently became a companion of Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy's Doctor Who and has appeared on stage in various musicals such as Peter Pan:...
& Wayne SleepWayne SleepWayne Philip Colin Sleep OBE is a British dancer, director, choreographer and panelist. He was a Principal Dancer with the Royal Ballet and has appeared as a Guest Artist with several other ballet companies.-Early life:...
- 1993 - Anything Goes (2002) at Grange Park Opera as Reno Sweeney
- Call Me MadamCall Me MadamCall Me Madam is a musical with a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse and music and lyrics by Irving Berlin.A satire on politics and foreign affairs that spoofs America's penchant for lending billions of dollars to needy countries, it centers on Sally Adams, a well-meaning but ill-informed...
(2004) at Goodspeed Opera House as Mrs. Sally Adams - Into The WoodsInto the WoodsInto the Woods is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. It debuted in San Diego at the Old Globe Theatre in 1986, and premiered on Broadway in 1987. Bernadette Peters' performance as the Witch and Joanna Gleason's portrayal of the Baker's Wife brought acclaim...
(2006) as The Witch - CandideCandideCandide, ou l'Optimisme is a French satire first published in 1759 by Voltaire, a philosopher of the Age of Enlightenment. The novella has been widely translated, with English versions titled Candide: or, All for the Best ; Candide: or, The Optimist ; and Candide: or, Optimism...
(2006) at the Théâtre du Châtelet (Paris - France) as The Old Woman - The Sound of MusicThe Sound of MusicThe 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...
(2009) at the Théâtre du Châtelet (Paris - France) as The Mother Abbess - HysteriaHysteria (2011 film)Hysteria is a British romantic comedy film directed by Tanya Wexler. It stars Felicity Jones, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Hugh Dancy. The film, set in the Victorian era, is about the invention of the vibrator...
(2011) as Mrs. Castellari
Recordings
| Title | Character |
|---|---|
| Annie | Star to be / Ensemble |
| Annie Get Your Gun (1992) | Annie Oakley |
| Anything Goes (Studio Recording) | Reno Sweeney |
| Baby (Dec 4, 1983) | Narrator, 6th woman, people in town |
| Dames At Sea (1996) | Ruby |
| Dubarry Was A Lady | |
| Elegies For Punks And Raging Queens (1993) | Soloist |
| The First (1981) | Girl at bat/Dodger wife/Hilda Chester |
| Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (May 1991) | Dorothy Shaw |
| Girl Crazy | Kate (?) |
| Glory Of Easter | Virgin Mary (Mary Magdalene for 1 performance) |
| Guys And Dolls | Miss Adelaide |
| Kiss Me Kate | Lois Lane/Bianca |
| Lady Be Good (2000) | |
| Let Em Eat Cake (March 21, 1994) | Mary Turner |
| Man Of La Mancha (2000 Covent Garden Festival) | Aldonza / Dulcinea |
| Nine | Francesca, (U/S Claudia, Carla,) |
| Of Thee I Sing (June 27, 1998) | Diana Devereaux |
| On The Town | Hildy the taxi driver |
| One Touch Of Venus | |
| Side By Side (1998) | Soloist |
| Side By Side By Sondheim | Soloist (won the Helen Hayes Award!) |
| Sitting Pretty | |
| Slow Drag (1997) | June Wedding |
| Strike Up The Band | |
| Wonderful Town (1999) | Ruth |