Laurie Beechman
Encyclopedia
Laurie Hope Beechman was an American
singer. As a performer, she was known for her Broadway
performances in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
, Cats
, and Les Misérables
. In addition to her Broadway work, she also led a solo career as a cabaret performer and a recording artist.
, Pennsylvania
, she possessed an incredible singing voice, powerful, yet subtle and nuanced. After moving to Haddon Township, New Jersey
, she graduated from Haddon Township High School
in 1971.
She subsequently enrolled at New York University
. Dropping out of NYU after a few years, Beechman made her Broadway debut in 1977 as part of the original cast of Annie
, playing five different roles. This led to small roles in the Public Theatre's production of The Pirates of Penzance
and the film version of Hair
.
A detour into rock and roll resulted in the 1980 Atlantic Records
release Laurie and the Sighs. With little support from a new management team at the label, the album failed badly and Beechman was looking for stage work.
. She played various roles, most notably "Star to Be," and she is credited in the original Broadway cast recording.
She played the lead role of the Narrator in the original Broadway cast of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
during its first Broadway production in 1982, earning a Tony Award
nomination for Best Actress (Featured Role -Musical) and a Theatre World Award.
In December 1983, Beechman headed the First National Company of Cats as "Grizabella, The Glamour Cat" when the tour opened in Boston. Within four months, she assumed the role on Broadway, replacing Tony winner Betty Buckley
. Belting out the show's hit song "Memory", Beechman stayed with the show for more than four years and made occasional return engagements over the next decade.
Set to take over the role of Fantine in the touring production of Les Misérables
in late 1988, Beechman was diagnosed with ovarian cancer
. After months of treatment, with her longtime friend Ken Gilmurray by her side, Laurie bounced back with a celebrated cabaret act at New York's legendary Ballroom. This was quickly followed by a new production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Walnut Street Theatre
in Philadelphia.
In early 1990, Beechman made her long awaited debut as Fantine in the Broadway production of Les Misérables. She stayed for several months, eventually heading out on tour where she finally played the role in Philadelphia during the Christmas season of 1990. During this time, her self-produced solo recording, Listen To My Heart, was released to great acclaim. The following fall she celebrated regaining her health after fighting off a recurrence of her cancer by, as she put it, "throwing myself a nightclub act," returning once again to the Ballroom.
's second Inaugural Gala, was awarded the Gilda's Club
's "It's Always Something" Award, and returned to singing and acting.
In early 1995, Beechman's cancer returned. She spent an hour on The Phil Donahue Show
singing and discussing her condition and her will to keep going.
Although her treatments were ongoing, Beechman continued performing until just a few months before her death on March 8, 1998 at the age of 44. One month later, a memorial service was held for Beechman at the Winter Garden Theatre
, the theatre where Cats played for so many years. She was survived by her mother, stepfather, two sisters, and husband, Neil Mazzella. She was buried at Montefiore Cemetery in Rockledge, Pennsylvania
.
The Laurie Beechman Theatre on 42nd Street
in New York City is named for her.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer. As a performer, she was known for her 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...
performances in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical with lyrics by Tim Rice. The story is based on the "coat of many colors" story of Joseph from the Hebrew Bible's Book of Genesis. This was the first Lloyd Webber and Rice musical to be performed publicly...
, Cats
Cats (musical)
Cats is a musical composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot...
, and Les Misérables
Les Misérables (musical)
Les Misérables , colloquially known as Les Mis or Les Miz , is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg, based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo....
. In addition to her Broadway work, she also led a solo career as a cabaret performer and a recording artist.
Early life
Born in PhiladelphiaPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, she possessed an incredible singing voice, powerful, yet subtle and nuanced. After moving to Haddon Township, New Jersey
Haddon Township, New Jersey
Haddon Township is a Township in Camden County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the township population was 14,707....
, she graduated from Haddon Township High School
Haddon Township High School
Haddon Township High School is a four-year public high school in Haddon Township, New Jersey. It is part of the Haddon Township School District. The school offers courses in math, science, languages, humanities and various vocational skills. It also offers athletics and after-school clubs and...
in 1971.
She subsequently enrolled at New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
. Dropping out of NYU after a few years, Beechman made her Broadway debut in 1977 as part of the original cast 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...
, playing five different roles. This led to small roles in the Public Theatre's production of The Pirates of Penzance
The Pirates of Penzance
The Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Duty is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. The opera's official premiere was at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City on 31 December 1879, where the show was well received by both audiences...
and the film version of Hair
Hair (musical)
Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical is a rock musical with a book and lyrics by James Rado and Gerome Ragni and music by Galt MacDermot. A product of the hippie counter-culture and sexual revolution of the 1960s, several of its songs became anthems of the anti-Vietnam War peace movement...
.
A detour into rock and roll resulted in the 1980 Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
release Laurie and the Sighs. With little support from a new management team at the label, the album failed badly and Beechman was looking for stage work.
Broadway
Beechman made her Broadway debut in the original Broadway cast of AnnieAnnie (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 played various roles, most notably "Star to Be," and she is credited in the original Broadway cast recording.
She played the lead role of the Narrator in the original Broadway cast of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical with lyrics by Tim Rice. The story is based on the "coat of many colors" story of Joseph from the Hebrew Bible's Book of Genesis. This was the first Lloyd Webber and Rice musical to be performed publicly...
during its first Broadway production in 1982, earning a Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
nomination for Best Actress (Featured Role -Musical) and a Theatre World Award.
In December 1983, Beechman headed the First National Company of Cats as "Grizabella, The Glamour Cat" when the tour opened in Boston. Within four months, she assumed the role on Broadway, replacing Tony winner Betty Buckley
Betty Buckley
Betty Lynn Buckley is an American theater, film and television actress and singer. She is a Tony Award winner and Grammy Award nominee.-Early life:...
. Belting out the show's hit song "Memory", Beechman stayed with the show for more than four years and made occasional return engagements over the next decade.
Set to take over the role of Fantine in the touring production of Les Misérables
Les Misérables (musical)
Les Misérables , colloquially known as Les Mis or Les Miz , is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg, based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo....
in late 1988, Beechman was diagnosed with ovarian cancer
Ovarian cancer
Ovarian cancer is a cancerous growth arising from the ovary. Symptoms are frequently very subtle early on and may include: bloating, pelvic pain, difficulty eating and frequent urination, and are easily confused with other illnesses....
. After months of treatment, with her longtime friend Ken Gilmurray by her side, Laurie bounced back with a celebrated cabaret act at New York's legendary Ballroom. This was quickly followed by a new production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Walnut Street Theatre
Walnut Street Theatre
The Walnut Street Theatre , located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at 825 Walnut Street, is the oldest continuously operating theatre in the English-speaking world and the oldest in the United States...
in Philadelphia.
In early 1990, Beechman made her long awaited debut as Fantine in the Broadway production of Les Misérables. She stayed for several months, eventually heading out on tour where she finally played the role in Philadelphia during the Christmas season of 1990. During this time, her self-produced solo recording, Listen To My Heart, was released to great acclaim. The following fall she celebrated regaining her health after fighting off a recurrence of her cancer by, as she put it, "throwing myself a nightclub act," returning once again to the Ballroom.
Later Life and Death
During the later years of her life, Beechman married Neil Mazzella in 1992, recorded three more solo albums, performed countless concerts and club dates, sang at President Bill ClintonBill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
's second Inaugural Gala, was awarded the Gilda's Club
Gilda's Club
Gilda's Club, named in tribute to the late comic actress Gilda Radner, who died of ovarian cancer in 1989, is a community meeting place for people living with cancer, their families and friends. There are 22 open clubhouses and nine in development in North America...
's "It's Always Something" Award, and returned to singing and acting.
In early 1995, Beechman's cancer returned. She spent an hour on The Phil Donahue Show
The Phil Donahue Show
The Phil Donahue Show, also known as Donahue, is an American television talk show that ran for 26 years on national television. Its run was preceded by three years of local broadcast in Dayton, Ohio, and it was broadcast nationwide between 1967 and 1996.In 2002, Donahue was ranked #29 on TV Guide's...
singing and discussing her condition and her will to keep going.
Although her treatments were ongoing, Beechman continued performing until just a few months before her death on March 8, 1998 at the age of 44. One month later, a memorial service was held for Beechman at the Winter Garden Theatre
Winter Garden Theatre
The Winter Garden Theatre is a Broadway theatre located at 1634 Broadway in midtown Manhattan.-History:The structure was built by William Kissam Vanderbilt in 1896 to be the American Horse Exchange....
, the theatre where Cats played for so many years. She was survived by her mother, stepfather, two sisters, and husband, Neil Mazzella. She was buried at Montefiore Cemetery in Rockledge, Pennsylvania
Rockledge, Pennsylvania
Rockledge is a borough in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,543 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Rockledge is located at ....
.
The Laurie Beechman Theatre on 42nd Street
42nd Street (Manhattan)
42nd Street is a major crosstown street in the New York City borough of Manhattan, known for its theaters, especially near the intersection with Broadway at Times Square. It is also the name of the region of the theater district near that intersection...
in New York City is named for her.