Robb Sapp
Encyclopedia
Robb Sapp (sometimes known as Rob Sapp, or Robbie Sapp) is an American actor and singer who has appeared in musicals, both on Broadway
and Off-Broadway
as well as in regional theatre.
. Sapp's father, Robert Sapp and his uncle William Sapp were in the band, Fully Assembled. His mother is involved in an Italian food catering business. Sapp once worked at Sea World of Ohio, dressing as a whale along with Marc Sumerak
. He attended Syracuse University
. While there he participated in Damn Yankees
, Anything Goes
and Much Ado About Nothing
. After graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts
, he was approached by Music Theater of Wichita and participated in shows including Singin' in the Rain
, Evita and The Pajama Game
. Sapp then relocated to New York City.
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...
and 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...
as well as in regional theatre.
Early life
Sapp grew up in Solon, OhioSolon, Ohio
Solon is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, and is an affluent suburb of Cleveland in the Northeast Ohio Region, the 14th largest Combined Statistical Area in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 23,348...
. Sapp's father, Robert Sapp and his uncle William Sapp were in the band, Fully Assembled. His mother is involved in an Italian food catering business. Sapp once worked at Sea World of Ohio, dressing as a whale along with Marc Sumerak
Marc Sumerak
Marc Sumerak is a freelance comic book writer from Cleveland, Ohio.Mr. Sumerak is currently best known for his work on Marvel Comics' all-ages Power Pack series , as well as the Eisner Award & Harvey Award nominated Franklin Richards: Son of a Genius...
. He attended Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
. While there he participated in Damn Yankees
Damn Yankees
Damn Yankees is a musical comedy with a book by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop and music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. The story is a modern retelling of the Faust legend set during the 1950s in Washington, D.C., during a time when the New York Yankees dominated Major League...
, Anything Goes
Anything Goes
Anything Goes is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The original book was a collaborative effort by Guy Bolton and P.G. Wodehouse, heavily revised by the team of Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. The story concerns madcap antics aboard an ocean liner bound from New York to London...
and Much Ado About Nothing
Much Ado About Nothing
Much Ado About Nothing is a comedy written by William Shakespeare about two pairs of lovers, Benedick and Beatrice, and Claudio and Hero....
. After graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts
Bachelor of Fine Arts
In the United States and Canada, the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, usually abbreviated BFA, is the standard undergraduate degree for students seeking a professional education in the visual or performing arts. In some countries such a degree is called a Bachelor of Creative Arts or BCA...
, he was approached by Music Theater of Wichita and participated in shows including Singin' in the Rain
Singin' in the Rain (musical)
Singin' in the Rain is a musical with a book by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, lyrics by Arthur Freed, and music by Nacio Herb Brown.Adapted from the 1952 movie of the same name, the plot closely adheres to the original...
, Evita and The Pajama Game
The Pajama Game
The Pajama Game is a musical based on the novel 7½ Cents by Richard Bissell. It features a score by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. The story deals with labor troubles in a pajama factory, where worker demands for a seven-and-a-half cents raise are going unheeded...
. Sapp then relocated to New York City.
Career
- Saturday Night Fever, National tour (Bobby C),
- Zanna, Don't!, 2003, Off-Broadway (Tank, originated role),
- Johnny Guitar, 2004, Off-Broadway, (Turkey, originated role),
- The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling BeeThe 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling BeeThe 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is a one act musical comedy conceived by Rebecca Feldman with music and lyrics by William Finn, a book by Rachel Sheinkin and additional material by Jay Reiss. The show centers on a fictional spelling bee set in a geographically ambiguous Putnam Valley...
, 2004, Barrington Stage CompanyBarrington Stage CompanyBarrington Stage Company is a regional theatre company in The Berkshires of Western Massachusetts. It was co-founded in 1995 by Artistic Director, Julianne Boyd, and Managing Director, Susan Sperber, in Sheffield, Massachusetts...
(Tripp Barrington) - From 11 October 2005 through 8 August 2006, he starred as BoqBoqBoq is a minor character in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. He becomes a more prominent character in Gregory Maguire's 1995 novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, which purports to show the lives of some of Baum's characters from another perspective, and more...
in the Broadway production of WickedWicked (musical)Wicked is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman. It is based on the Gregory Maguire novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West , a parallel novel of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz and L. Frank Baum's classic story The Wonderful Wizard...
, having understudied the role for a year. - A new musical, Happiness Off-Broadway at Lincoln Center Theater's Mitzi E. Newhouse in February 2009.
- Meet Me in St. LouisMeet Me in St. Louis (musical)Meet Me in St. Louis is a musical based on the 1944 film of the same title, about a family living in St. Louis, Missouri on the eve of the 1904 World's Fair....
, 2009, The MunyThe MunyThe Muny, short for The Municipal Theatre Association of St. Louis, is an outdoor musical theatre, located in Forest Park, St. Louis, Missouri...
, St. Louis, (Lon Smith) - From August–December 2009, he starred as Pinocchio and the Magic Mirror in Shrek the Musical on BroadwayBroadway theatreBroadway 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...
. - Director of 'The Music Man' for Chagrin Falls High School.
Other projects
- Robb and his friend Jason Weston also run a photography studio named Dirty Sugar.