Rachel York

Rachel York (born August 7, 1971 in Orlando, Florida)^[1] is an American actress and singer. She is known for stage roles in City of Angels, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Les Misérables, Victor/Victoria, Kiss Me, Kate, Sly Fox, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and Anything Goes. She also has many film and television credits, including her portrayal of Lucille Ball in the CBS biopic Lucy.

Biography

York made her professional debut in a local production of Kiss Me, Kate in the chorus. That same year, she earned a scholarship to the American Center for Music Theatre at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. She moved to Los Angeles and began studying with acting coach Aaron Speiser, who then encouraged her to move to New York City.

At 19 she did so and approached 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]

York made her Broadway debut as Mallory in the musical City of Angels, and her performance won critical acclaim. After City of Angels, she has been in many performances on stage, including Fantine in Les Misérables, Irene St. Claire in Crucifer of Blood, The Younger Woman in Stephen Sondheim's Putting It Together (with Julie Andrews), 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, Dorothy in Summer of '42, Miss Fancy in Sly Fox, Ruth Sutton in Dessa Rose, earning her another nomination for a Drama Desk Award, Mother in Ragtime, Christine Colgate in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and in The Sound of Music as Elsa Shraeder at the Hollywood Bowl.

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 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 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.

She 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 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.^[3]

In 2010, York returned to the Reagle Music Theatre in its production of Into the Woods where she played the Witch^[4] and won another IRNE Award for the role.^[5] That same year she played the Lady of the Lake in the Ogunquit Playhouse production of Spamalot.^[6]

On July 10, 2010 she married her boyfriend of six years, Ayal Miodovnik. The two have a daughter together.^[7][8]

In 2011, she starred as Billie Burke in the musical Ghostlight Off-Broadway at the Signature Theatre.^[9] She then played Anna in the 2011 Walnut Street Theatre production of The King and I.^[10]

She starred in 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.^[11]

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.^[12] For this role, she won the Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Visiting Production.^[13] In February 2014, she played Young Belle in the Encores! concert of Little Me.^[14]

In May 2015, it was announced that York would appear in the musical Grey Gardens taking the role of Little Edie Bouvier Beale ^[15] 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.^[16]

She returned to Broadway in the musical Disaster!, which played from February to May 2016 at the Nederlander Theatre. York appeared alongside Seth Rudetsky, Adam Pascal, Kerry Butler, and Tony-nominated Jennifer Simard.^[17][18]

York filmed for the TV series Power in 2015 and is featured in Episode 7 "You're Not the Man" as Tina Schulman. She also played Lori, The Mystery Woman in Sasha Gordon's highly praised film It Had To Be You.

In July 2016, York and Betty Buckley, with whom she previously starred in Grey Gardens in New York, began a limited run of the production at the Ahmanson Theater in Los Angeles, CA.^[19]

Personal life

She is married to actor Ayal Miodovnik.^[1]

Credits

Broadway

• City of Angels (1989) – Mallory Kingsley
• Les Misérables – Fantine
• Victor/Victoria (1995) – Norma Cassidy
• The Scarlet Pimpernel (1998) – Marguerite
• Sly Fox (2004) – Miss Fancy
• Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (2006) – Christine
• Disaster! (2016) – Jackie

Off-Broadway

• Dessa Rose (2005) – Ruth
• Ghostlight (2011) - Billie Burke

National tours

• Kiss Me, Kate (2001) – Lilli Vanessi/Kate^[20]
• Camelot (2007) – Guenevere^[21]
• 101 Dalmatians Musical (2009) – Cruella DeVil^[22]
• Anything Goes (2012) – Reno Sweeney^[23]

Regional Theater Credits

• The Crucifer of Blood – Irene St. Claire
• Putting It Together – The Younger Woman
• Ragtime – Mother
• Hello Dolly! – Dolly Levi
• Into the Woods – The Witch
• Spamalot – The Lady of the Lake
• The King and I – Anna Leonowens
• The Addams Family – Morticia Addams
• Grey Gardens – Little Edie Bouvier Beale & "Big Edie" Bouvier Beale

Concerts

• The Sound of Music – Elsa Schraeder
• Gentlemen Prefer Blondes – Dorothy Shaw
• Little Me – Young Belle

Film

• Billy Bathgate – Embassy Club Singer
• Mad Dog Coll (aka Killer Instinct) – Lotte
• Taking the Heat – Susan
• Deadline – Marci Fenner
• Victor/Victoria – Norma Cassidy
• Dead Center – Mary
• Second Honeymoon – Gloria
• One Fine Day – Liza
• Terror Tract – Sarah Freemont
• Au Pair II – Cassandra Hausen

TV

• Kiss Me, Kate – Lili Vanessi/Katherine
• Lucy: The Lucille Ball Story – Lucille Ball
• The Courtship of Eddie's Father – Lisa
• Justice League Unlimited – Circe
• Diagnosis Murder #96. (A Mime is a Terrible Thing to Waste) - Randy Wolfe
• Hannah Montana – Isis
• Frasier – Dinah
• Power – Tina Schulman

Video Games

• Neverwinter Nights 2 – Shandra Jerro

Awards

Recordings

• City of Angels – 1990 Original Broadway Cast Recording
• Putting It Together – 1993 Original Off-Broadway Cast Recording
• Victor/Victoria – 1995 Original Broadway Cast Recording
• The Scarlet Pimpernel: Encore! – 1998 Broadway Revival Cast Recording
• Dessa Rose – 2005 Original Lincoln Center Cast Recording
• Summer of '42 – Sept 2006, Original Cast Recording
• Disaster! - 2016 Original Broadway Cast Recording
• Opal, Honky Tonk Highway and Other Theatre Songs by Robert Nassif Lindsey
• Let's Fall in Love – Solo album released under HyLo Entertainment

References

External links

• Official Website
• Camelot Photos
• BroadwayWorld.com interview with Rachel York, September 4, 2007