Merle Louise (born Merle Louise Letowt, April 15, 1934) is an American actress, best known for appearing in four Stephen Sondheim musicals, most famously as " The Beggar Woman" in ''Sweeney Todd''.

Broadway and Sondheim

Early in her career, (when she was still known as Merle Letowt), she played "Thelma" in the original cast of ''

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'' (1959). Eventually, she moved up to the lead role of "Dainty June", playing it for much of the Broadway run and on the first national tour. Louise returned to Broadway in '' Company'' (1970) as "Susan". Her biggest success was as "the Beggar Woman" in '' Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street'' (1979), for which she won the Drama Desk Award as Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical. However, her "ravaging crazy" performance is not preserved in the video recording as she was not a member of the national tour that was videotaped. In ''

Into the Woods ''Into the Woods'' is a 1987 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. The musical intertwines the plots of several Brothers Grimm fairy tales, exploring the consequences of the characters' wishes and quests. T ...

'' (1987), she played a trio of roles: the ethereal "

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's Mother", the practical "Granny" (of "

Little Red Riding Hood "Little Red Riding Hood" is a European fairy tale about a young girl and a sly wolf. Its origins can be traced back to several pre-17th century European folk tales. The two best known versions were written by Charles Perrault and the Brot ...

" fame), and the unseen vengeful " Giantess". Louise has originated roles with other Broadway composers as well. She played "Mme. Dindon" in

Jerry Herman Gerald Sheldon Herman (July 10, 1931December 26, 2019) was an American composer and lyricist, known for his work in Broadway theatre. One of the most commercially successful Broadway songwriters of his time, Herman was the composer and lyricist ...

's '' La Cage aux Folles'' (1983) and "Molina's Mother" in

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's '' Kiss of the Spider Woman'' (1993), a role she also played on

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, in

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and on the national tour. Off-Broadway, she created the role of Cecily MacIntosh in ''Charlotte Sweet'' (1982). Regionally, she is an acclaimed actress in classics by

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; 29 January 1860 Old Style date 17 January. – 15 July 1904 Old Style date 2 July.) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer who is considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career ...

Molière Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (, ; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, , ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the French language and worl ...

Pinter Harold Pinter (; 10 October 1930 – 24 December 2008) was a British playwright, screenwriter, director and actor. A Nobel Prize winner, Pinter was one of the most influential modern British dramatists with a writing career that span ...

, Ibsen, and Shaw. The cast of the Broadway show, ''

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'' (along with some of their theatrical friends), created a game based around Merle Louise, entitled "Six Degrees of Merle Louise", which is based on

Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon or Bacon's Law is a parlor game where players challenge each other to arbitrarily choose an actor and then connect them to another actor via a film that both actors have appeared in together, repeating this process to t ...

except that it generally uses Broadway musicals in place of movies to link two performers.

On-camera and later career

Louise's on-camera work has been limited, most notably appearing in the televised production of ''Into the Woods'' and a documentary about the recording of the Original Cast Album of ''Company''. She has had some guest appearances on shows such as '' Law & Order''. Her most recent performances include "Frau Schneider" in ''

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'', "Mme. Armfeldt" in ''

A Little Night Music ''A Little Night Music'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Hugh Wheeler. Inspired by the 1955 Ingmar Bergman film ''Smiles of a Summer Night'', it involves the romantic lives of several couples. Its title is a ...

'', Lady Henslowe in '' Elizabeth Rex'' with

Nicu's Spoon Theater Company Nicu's Spoon is an inclusion-oriented off-off-Broadway theater company in New York City. The company works with actors regardless of age, ability, gender, color or ethnicity and seeks to challenge stereotypes and expectations. Nicu's Spoon was the ...

and "Jeanette" in ''

The Full Monty ''The Full Monty'' is a 1997 British comedy film directed by Peter Cattaneo, starring Robert Carlyle, Mark Addy, William Snape, Steve Huison, Tom Wilkinson, Paul Barber and Hugo Speer. The screenplay was written by Simon Beaufoy. The film ...

'' in

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, and in New York she appeared in Luke Yankee's award-winning show, ''The Jesus Hickey'' in July 2007."'The Jesus Hickey' Wins Inaugural Erlich Award"
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Broadway credits

* '' Billy Elliot: The Musical'' (Grandma understudy/Ensemble) 2008 * ''

'' (Cinderella's Mother/Granny/Giantess) 1997 * '' Kiss of the Spider Woman'' (Molina's Mother) 1993 * ''

'' (Cinderella's Mother/Granny/Giantess) 1987-89 * '' La Cage aux Folles'' (Mme. Dindon) 1983 * '' Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street'' (Beggar Woman) 1979 * '' Company'' (Susan) 1970 * ''

'' (Thelma; later Dainty June) 1959

References

External links

* *
Profile
ibdb.com; accessed June 15, 2017. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Louise, Merle 1934 births Living people American musical theatre actresses American sopranos Drama Desk Award winners Place of birth missing (living people)