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Jenni Barber

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Jenni Barber
Jenni Barber (left), with Michelle Beck, at the opening of the Bridge Project, Brooklyn Academy of Music, 2010.
Born (1983-07-22) July 22, 1983 (age 41)
Mansfield, Ohio
Alma materUniversity of Michigan

Jenni Barber (born July 22, 1983) is an American actress and singer best known for her performances in musical theatre and for her role as Lisa Heffenbacher on The Electric Company (2009 - 2011).

Early life

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Barber was born in Mansfield, Ohio.[1] There she took voice lessons from vocal trainer Lori Turner. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of Michigan School of Music with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in musical theatre in 2005, after receiving an Earl V. Moore award.[2][3]

Career

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Television

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Barber played Lisa Heffenbacher in The Electric Company 2009 TV series,[4] with guest appearances on Law & Order: SVU, Smash, Elementary, Master of None, and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, among other credits.[1]

Stage

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Barber made her Broadway debut as Olive Ostrovsky in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee in 2007, after playing the character in San Francisco and Boston productions.[5][6] In 2008, she appeared in From Up Here at New York City Center; she had a minor role, but The New York Times review called her a scene stealer.[7] In 2010, she played Audrey in As You Like It, in the Brooklyn Academy of Music's Harvey Theatre.[8][9][10]

She starred as Toni Simmons in the 2011 Off-Broadway revival of the play Cactus Flower in the Westside Theatre, receiving mixed reviews comparing her to Goldie Hawn in the 1969 film.[11][12][13] In 2012, she played porn actress Sundown LeMay in The Performers opposite Henry Winkler and Cheyenne Jackson.[14]

In 2013, Barber played stripper Joan opposite Nathan Lane in the award-winning The Nance.[5] The following year, she joined the cast of the Broadway production of Wicked, in the role of Glinda.[15] In early 2015, she played Sibyl in the romance Private Lives at Hartford Stage,[16] followed by Elizabeth, a Mormon wife, in the Encores! revival of Paint Your Wagon.[17]

She was in the 2017 Broadway revival of Sunday in the Park with George as Celeste #2/Elaine and understudied Annaleigh Ashford.[18]

References

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  1. ^ Henderson, Kathy (March 10, 2011). "Jenni Barber on the Fun of Playing a '60s Free Spirit in Cactus Flower". Broadway.com. Archived from the original on May 18, 2015. Retrieved June 3, 2013.
  2. ^ "Can You Spell M-I-C-H-I-G-A-N?" (PDF). Curtain Up. University of Michigan. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved June 3, 2013.
  3. ^ "TEC Cast Bios". The Electric Company Season 3 Press Kit. Sesame Workshop. Archived from the original on November 17, 2014. Retrieved June 3, 2013.
  4. ^ Genzlinger, Neil (January 18, 2009). "TELEVISION REVIEW : 'THE ELECTRIC COMPANY';Back From the '70s, Without the Zaniness". New York Times. Archived from the original on January 16, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2013.
  5. ^ a b Rickwald, Bethany (May 2, 2013). "Jenni Barber, The Nance's Bouncing Blonde, Talks Broadway, Nathan Lane, and Burlesque - Interviews - May 2, 2013". Theater Mania. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved June 3, 2013.
  6. ^ "Interview: Jenni Barber and Stanley Bahorek of Spelling Bee". Broadway Bullet. June 4, 2007. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved June 3, 2013.
  7. ^ Isherwood, Charles (April 17, 2008). "From Up Here; Have a Nice Day at School, Sweetie. Don't Kill Anyone". The New York Times. p. 1. Archived from the original on June 22, 2012. Retrieved June 3, 2013.
  8. ^ Simon, John (January 26, 2010). "Arden Forest Blooms in Sam Mendes 'As You Like It'". Bloomberg L.P. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved June 3, 2013.
  9. ^ Kuchwara, Michael (January 26, 2010). "A radiant Rosalind warms a chilly 'As You Like It'". Boston Globe. Associated Press. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved June 3, 2013.
  10. ^ Isherwood, Charles (January 27, 2010). "As You Like It; Cold Snap Hits the Forest of Arden: Lovebirds Are Shivering". The New York Times. p. 1. Archived from the original on March 17, 2023. Retrieved June 3, 2013.
  11. ^ Grode, Eric (March 11, 2011). "Cactus Flower; Honey, I'm Married, And Here's My Wife". The New York Times. p. 4. Archived from the original on June 30, 2012. Retrieved June 3, 2013.
  12. ^ Weinreich, Regina (March 12, 2011). "Cactus Flower Abloom off Broadway". The Huffington Post. Archived from the original on February 13, 2012. Retrieved June 3, 2013.
  13. ^ Healy, Patrick (January 27, 2011). "In 'Cactus Flower' Revival, Jenni Barber Gets the Role That Made Goldie Hawn a Movie Star". New York Times. Archived from the original on June 16, 2013. Retrieved June 3, 2013.
  14. ^ Brantley, Ben (November 15, 2012). "Innocents Abroad in a Land of Naked Ambition". The New York Times. p. 1. Archived from the original on December 30, 2012. Retrieved June 3, 2013.
  15. ^ Gans, Andrew. "Christine Dwyer, Jenni Barber, Justin Guarini, Mary Testa and P.J. Benjamin Will Join Cast of Broadway's Wicked" Archived February 22, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, Playbill.com, February 3, 2014, accessed March 23, 2015
  16. ^ Auerbach, Mark G. "Hartford Stage presents Noel Coward's Private Lives" Archived April 2, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, The Westfield News, January 15, 2015
  17. ^ Isherwood, Charles. Paint Your Wagon, Starring Keith Carradine, Opens at Encores!" Archived April 2, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, The New York Times, March 19, 2015
  18. ^ "Sunday in the Park with George 2017 cast". Archived from the original on March 17, 2023. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
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