Rachel York

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Rachel York
Born
Rachel Lemanski

(1971-08-07) August 7, 1971 (age 52)
Occupations
  • Actress
  • singer
Years active1989–present
Spouse
Ayal Miodovnik
(m. 2010)
Children1
Websitewww.rachelyork.com Edit this at Wikidata

Rachel York (born August 7, 1971)[1] is an American actress and singer. She is known for stage roles, including award winning performances in Camelot, Hello, Dolly!, Into The Woods and Anything Goes. She also has performed in film and on television, including her portrayal of Lucille Ball in the 2003 television movie Lucy.

Career[edit]

At age 19, York approached talent agent Bill Timms. She performed monologues from Nuts and Sophie's Choice and gave him a demo tape with songs from Evita. Timms signed her immediately and described her as being able to "... do anything."[2]

Theatre[edit]

York made her Broadway debut as Mallory in the musical City of Angels, and her performance won critical acclaim. Other stage credits include: Fantine in Les Misérables; The Younger Woman in Stephen Sondheim's Putting It Together, which earned her a Drama Desk Award nomination; Norma Cassidy in Victor/Victoria, for which she won a Drama Desk Award; Marguerite in The Scarlet Pimpernel; Lili Vanessi/Katharine in Kiss Me, Kate; Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes; Ruth Sutton in Dessa Rose, earning another nomination for a Drama Desk Award; and Christine Colgate in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.

York appeared as Guenevere in the National Tour of Camelot in the 2006–2007 season, for which she earned the Golden Icon Award from Travolta Family Entertainment for Best Actress in a Touring Production as well as the Carbonell Award. In 2008, she played Dixie Wilson in Turn of the Century at the Goodman Theater in Chicago.[3] In 2009, she played Dolly Levi in the Reagle Music Theatre production of Hello, Dolly! in Waltham, Massachusetts and won an IRNE Award for her performance.[4]

In 2010, York returned to the Reagle Music Theatre in its production of Into the Woods, where her performance as the Witch[5] earned her another IRNE Award.[6] That same year she played the Lady of the Lake in the Ogunquit Playhouse production of Spamalot.[7]

In 2011, she starred as Billie Burke in the musical Ghostlight Off-Broadway at the Signature Theatre.[8] She then played Anna in the 2011 Walnut Street Theatre production of The King and I.[9]

She starred in the Encores! concert series production of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes as Dorothy Shaw, which earned her and the production rave reviews. The live concert lasted May 9–13, 2012 and was a New York Times Critic's Pick.[10]

York played the role of Reno Sweeney in the national tour of the 2011 Roundabout Theatre Broadway revival of Anything Goes, which began October 2, 2012.[11] For this role, she won the Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Visiting Production.[12] In February 2014, she played Young Belle in the Encores! concert of Little Me.[13]

In May 2015, it was announced that York would appear in the musical Grey Gardens taking the role of Little Edie Bouvier Beale[14] at Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor, NY. She played the role of Morticia Addams in The Addams Family with 3D Theatricals later that year in Los Angeles.[15]

She returned to Broadway in the musical Disaster!, which played from February to May 2016 at the Nederlander Theatre.[16][17] In July 2016, York and her Bay Street Theater co-lead, Betty Buckley, reprised their Grey Gardens performance in a limited run at the Ahmanson Theater in Los Angeles.[18]

York originated the role of Gynecia in the Broadway musical, Head Over Heels in 2018.[19] She next appeared as Baroness Rodmilla de Ghent in Ever After The Musical.[20] In October 2021, York once again played Reno Sweeney, this time in the London revival of Anything Goes at the Barbican Theatre.[21]

Film[edit]

Her film credits include One Fine Day, Billy Bathgate, Dead Center, Second Honeymoon, Terror Tract, Au Pair II, and the TV movie Lucy in which she played Lucille Ball. Her performance in the London production of Kiss Me, Kate is available on DVD/video. She also played Lori, The Mystery Woman in Sasha Gordon's highly praised film It Had To Be You.

Television[edit]

She also has many credits in television, including appearances on Reba, Frasier, Arli$$, Spin City, The Naked Truth, Diagnosis: Murder, and also provides the voices of Bitty on Higglytown Heroes and Circe on Justice League Unlimited. In 2008, she also guest starred on an episode of Hannah Montana, playing Isis on the episode Yet Another Side of Me. York filmed for the TV series Power in 2015 and is featured in Episode 7 "You're Not the Man" as Tina Schulman. She was also guest starred in Frasier as Dinah or "Officer Nasty" in the episode "To Thine Old Self Be True" (Season 7, Episode 20).

Singing[edit]

York released her debut album Let's Fall in Love in early 2005, produced by Tor Hyams under the HyLo Entertainment label and was exclusively distributed by Barnes and Noble. She can also be heard on the Cast recordings of City of Angels, Victor/Victoria, The Scarlet Pimpernel: Encore!, Dessa Rose, Putting It Together, Summer of '42, the soundtrack of Billy Bathgate, and recordings of Opal and Celebration of Life.

Personal life[edit]

She married actor Ayal Miodovnik on July 20, 2010;[22] the couple met while acting together in a stage production in 2003.[23] They have a daughter, Olivia (born 2011).[23]

Theater[edit]

Broadway
Off-Broadway
  • Dessa Rose (2005) – Ruth
  • Ghostlight (2011) – Billie Burke
West End/London
National tours
Regional Theater Credits
Concerts

Filmography[edit]

Recordings[edit]

Awards[edit]

Year Role and Production Award Result
1993 The Younger Woman in Putting It Together Drama Desk Award Nominated
1995 Norma Cassidy in Victor/Victoria Drama Desk Award Won
2005 Ruth Sutton in Dessa Rose" Drama Desk Award Nominated
2007 Guenevere in Camelot Golden Icon Award Won
Carbonell Award Won
2009 Dolly Levi in Hello, Dolly! IRNE Award Won
2010 The Witch in Into The Woods IRNE Award Won
2012 Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes Helen Hayes Award Won

References[edit]

  1. ^ Rachel York at the Internet Broadway Database
  2. ^ "About. Official Site" rachelyork.net. Retrieved November 28, 2013
  3. ^ Turn of the Century directed by Tommy Tune September 19 – November 2, 2008 in Goodman's Albert Theatre
  4. ^ Kenny Leon, Maureen McGovern, Diane Paulus, Rachel York et al. Receive IRNE Awards theatermania. Retrieved April 22, 2014
  5. ^ "Rachel York Stars in 'Into the Woods'". BroadwayWorld.com. June 23, 2010.
  6. ^ Hetrick, Adam. "Rachel York, Daniel Jenkins, Estelle Parsons and Kenny Leon Win IRNE Awards" Archived December 3, 2013, at the Wayback Machine playbill.com, April 2011
  7. ^ Charles Shaughnessy and Rachel York to Star in Ogunquit Spamalot Archived February 24, 2014, at the Wayback Machine playbill, July 2010
  8. ^ "Michael Hayden and Rachel York Join Ziegfeld Follies-Set Musical Ghostlight at NYMF". Playbill. September 1, 2011. Retrieved November 28, 2013.
  9. ^ Rachel York Will "Whistle a Happy Tune" in Walnut Street's King and I, With Mel Sagrado Maghuyop Archived February 24, 2014, at the Wayback Machine playbill, October 2011
  10. ^ Brantley, Ben (May 13, 2012). "Lorelei Is Back, Head Over Carats". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 9, 2023.
  11. ^ Jones, Kenneth. "National Tour of 'Anything Goes' Lays Down Its Gangplank in Cleveland; Rachel York, Fred Applegate, Erich Bergen Star" Playbill, October 2, 2012
  12. ^ A CHORUS LINE, HELLO, DOLLY!, STUPID F**KING BIRD, BOOK OF MORMON, Rachel York and More Top 30th Annual Helen Hayes Awards in D.C. – All the Winners! broadwayworld. Retrieved April 22, 2014
  13. ^ Photo Flash: First Look at Christian Borle, Rachel York & More in Encores! LITTLE ME broadwayworld, February 2014
  14. ^ Betty Buckley and Rachel York Will Tend Grey Gardens This Summer Playbill, May 28, 2015
  15. ^ "3-D Theatricals – Broadway is closer than you think!". 3dtheatricals.org.
  16. ^ Photo Flash: Meet the Cast of Broadway's DISASTER!; Nederlander Theatre Box Office Opens Today Broadway World. Retrieved January 13, 2016
  17. ^ Disaster! Announces Closing Date, retrieved May 13, 2016
  18. ^ Grey Gardens with Betty Buckley and Rachel York is LA Bound Playbill. Retrieved July 15, 2016
  19. ^ They Got the Beat! Meet the Cast of HEAD OVER HEELS- Now in Previews! Broadway World. Retrieved January 28, 2019
  20. ^ "Sierra Boggess, Rachel York, Among Stars of EVER AFTER in Atlanta". Broadway World. December 4, 2018. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
  21. ^ Sullivan, Lindsay (September 24, 2021). "Rachel York to Step in for Sutton Foster in London's Anything Goes". Broadway.com. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  22. ^ York, Rachel. "The Work of "The Cove" Continues". rachelyork.net. Archived from the original on June 25, 2018. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
  23. ^ a b Nelson, Laura J. (December 23, 2012). "Rachel York, the 'Anything Goes' mama on the go". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 27, 2024.
  24. ^ "KISS ME KATE"CAST CHANGES Londontheatre.co.uk. Retrieved January 28, 2019
  25. ^ Lefkowitz, David and Jones, Kenneth. "Rex Smith and Rachel York to Tour in Kiss Me, Kate" Archived July 15, 2011, at the Wayback Machine January 31, 2001
  26. ^ Jones, Kenneth."Rachel York Will Be Camelot's Guenevere in New North American Tour" Archived May 3, 2014, at the Wayback Machine playbill.com, November 7, 2006
  27. ^ Jones, Kenneth."Who Let the Dogs Out? 101 Dalmatians Musical Parks and Barks in Minneapolis" Archived June 4, 2011, at the Wayback Machine playbill.com, October 13, 2009
  28. ^ "Rachel York to Set Sail in ANYTHING GOES National Tour; Kicks Off October 2". BroadwayWorld.com.

External links[edit]