Desiree "Desi" Oakley, (born June 12, 1989), is an American singer and actress, known for her work in

musical theatre Musical theatre is a form of theatre, theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, ...

. She has performed in shows such as ''

Waitress Waiting staff ( BrE), waiters () / waitresses (), or servers (AmE) are those who work at a restaurant, a diner, or a bar and sometimes in private homes, attending to customers by supplying them with food and drink as requested. Waiting staff ...

'', ''

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

'', and ''

Wicked Wicked may refer to: Books * ''Wicked'' (Maguire novel), a 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire that inspired the musical of the same name * ''Wicked'', a 1997 novel series collaboration between Australian children's authors Paul Jennings and Morris ...

''.

Early life and education

Desiree "Desi" Oakley was born in

Wichita, Kansas Wichita ( ) is the List of cities in Kansas, most populous city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County, Kansas, Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 397, ...

. She first attended professional theatre at Music Theatre Wichita and began performing at the age of 8 years. Some of her early roles included Dorothy Gale in ''

The Wizard of Oz ''The Wizard of Oz'' is a 1939 American Musical film, musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). Based on the 1900 novel ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' by L. Frank Baum, it was primarily directed by Victor Fleming, who left pro ...

'', Eponine in ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' (, ) is a 19th-century French literature, French Epic (genre), epic historical fiction, historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published on 31 March 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. '' ...

'', Gabriella in ''

High School Musical ''High School Musical'' is a 2006 American Musical film, musical television film produced by and aired on Disney Channel as part of the network's List of Disney Channel original films, slate of original television films. The first installmen ...

'', and Ariel in ''

The Little Mermaid "The Little Mermaid" (), sometimes translated in English as "The Little Sea Maid", is a fairy tale written by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. Originally published in 1837 as part of a collection of fairy tales for children, the story foll ...

''. She graduated with a BFA in Musical Theater, from the University of Michigan in 2011.

Broadway career

Oakley made her

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

debut in ''Wicked'' at the

Gershwin Theatre The Gershwin Theatre (originally the Uris Theatre) is a Broadway theater at 222 West 51st Street, on the second floor of the Paramount Plaza office building, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, New York, U.S. Opened in 19 ...

on January 3, 2012, as one of the show's swings. She was later cast as a member of the ensemble and understudied the roles of

Elphaba Elphaba Thropp () is the protagonist of Gregory Maguire's 1995 novel '' Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West'', the novel's musical theatre adaptation, and the musical's two-part film adaptation, '' Wicked'' (2024) and '' ...

and Nessarose Thropp. After ''

'', Oakley went on to appear in the 2012 Broadway revival of '' Annie'' at the

Palace Theatre Palace Theatre, or Palace Theater, is the name of many theatres in different countries, including: Australia *Palace Theatre, Melbourne, Victoria *Palace Theatre, Sydney, New South Wales Canada *Palace Theatre, housed in the Robillard Block, Mo ...

. In addition to her role in the ensemble, she understudied Grace Farrell and Lily St. Regis. Soon after, Oakley joined the National Tour of the 2012 revival of '' Evita,'' as the alternate for the titular role and performing twice per week. In 2016, Oakley joined the cast of the 2014 Broadway revival of ''

'' at the

Imperial Theatre The Imperial Theatre is a Broadway theater at 249 West 45th Street ( George Abbott Way) in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. Opened in 1923, the Imperial Theatre was designed by Herbert J. Krapp and ...

. She served as a member of the ensemble and covered the role of

Fantine Fantine (French pronunciation: ) is a fictional character in Victor Hugo's 1862 novel ''Les Misérables''. She is a young ''Grisette (person), grisette'' in Paris who is impregnated by a rich student. After he abandons her, she is forced to look ...

. Oakley stayed with the production until its final performance on September 4, 2016. Oakley is perhaps best known for her performance in the lead role of Jenna in ''

'', where she originated on the show's first national tour. She also temporarily starred as Jenna in the West End production of ''Waitress'', at the

Adelphi Theatre The Adelphi Theatre is a West End theatre, located on the Strand in the City of Westminster, central London. The present building is the fourth on the site. The theatre has specialised in comedy and musical theatre, and today it is a receiv ...

, in January 2020. On May 13, 2019, Oakley began starring as

Roxie Hart Roxanne "Roxie" Hart is a fictional character. She is the main character of the 1926 play ''Chicago'' and its various remakes and derivatives. Development The playwright, reporter Maurine Dallas Watkins, was inspired by the trials, both of which ...

in ''

'' on Broadway. She played three two-week engagements in the role, with her final performance on July 28, 2019. Her latest album "''THE LIGHT EFFECT''" released in June 2022 as a Broadway show, starring

Caitlin Kinnunen Caitlin Kinnunen (born November 8, 1991) is an American actress. She is best known for playing Emma Nolan in the musical ''The Prom (musical), The Prom'', for which she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical in 73rd Tony Awa ...

Erika Henningsen Erika Leigh Henningsen (born August 13, 1992) is an American actress, singer and voice actress. She is best known for her work on Broadway and for originating the role of Cady Heron in the 2018 Tony-nominated musical ''Mean Girls'', for which s ...

Christiani Pitts Byron Pitts (born October 21, 1960) is an American journalist and author, working for ABC News as co-anchor for the network's late night news program, ''Nightline''. Until March 2013, he served as a chief national correspondent for ''The CBS Even ...

. In summer 2024, she’ll reprise the role of Jenna in ''Waitress'' at

Ogunquit Playhouse About Ogunquit Playhouse is a regional theater on 10 Main Street (United States Route 1) in Ogunquit, Maine. Ogunquit Playhouse is one of the last remaining summer theaters from the Summer Stock which still produces musical theatre. The Playho ...

and

Wells Fargo Pavilion The UC Davis Health Pavilion is a theatre venue, located in Sacramento, California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to th ...

Other work

Oakley is also a singer-songwriter. She released the independent studio albums ''Don't Look Back'' in 2014 and ''Repeat'' in 2019. In 2020, Oakley released ''A Pocket of Time,'' and donated the proceeds from digital downloads to the Dramatist Guild Foundation for artists who were struggling as a result of the

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

pandemic. She has also recorded one-off singles including ''White Butterfly'' and ''Winter Song'' (featuring Becca White). In November 2019 Oakley and her ''Evita'' tour castmate Krystina Alabado began a Broadway training program for young actors in New York City called Pop Rock Broadway.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oakley, Desi 1989 births Living people American musical theatre actresses 21st-century American actresses University of Michigan alumni