Jennifer Laura Thompson
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Jennifer Laura Thompson (born December 5, 1969) is an American actress and singer, best known for her theatrical performances. She originated the role of Cynthia Murphy in the Tony Award-winning musical, '' Dear Evan Hansen'', and received a Tony Award nomination for her performance as Hope Cladwell in '' Urinetown''. She is also known for being the first replacement for Kristin Chenoweth as Glinda in '' Wicked'' on Broadway.


Career

Thompson made her Broadway debut in 1998 as Ariel Moore in the original cast of '' Footloose''. She also originated the role of Hope Cladwell in both the
off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...
and Broadway productions of '' Urinetown''. She received a
Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...
nomination for the 2002 Best Leading Actress in a Musical category for her performance as Hope in ''Urinetown''; the award went to Sutton Foster for her performance in '' Thoroughly Modern Millie''. Thompson is also well known for being the first replacement actress for the role of Glinda in the Broadway hit musical '' Wicked'' at the Gershwin Theatre. Her first performance replacing Kristin Chenoweth was on July 20, 2004, and continued in the role for over ten months. During her run as Glinda, she performed opposite Idina Menzel and Shoshana Bean as Elphaba. She departed the company on May 29, 2005. She was replaced by Megan Hilty, who had served as her standby. Thompson would later return to the theatre on October 27, 2008, to take part in a one-off performance titled "The Yellow Brick Road Not Taken", a presentation of rough scenes and songs cut from early drafts of ''Wicked''.
Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...
, Thompson played the lead role of Charlotte in the Michael John LaChiusa musical, '' Little Fish'' at the Second Stage Theatre. She also appeared in ''A Doll's Life'' at the York Theatre, ''Good News'' at the Westchester Broadway Theatre (as Connie), '' Pardon My English,'' '' Strike up the Band!,'' and most recently, '' Of Thee I Sing'' for City Center Encores!, and '' Tip-Toes'' at
Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...
. She played Julie Jordan in the first national tour of '' Carousel'', and appeared in national tours for '' Jesus Christ Superstar'' (as Mary) and ''The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber''. Regionally, she has played roles such as Laura in '' The Glass Menagerie'', Corie in '' Barefoot in the Park'' and Luisa in ''
The Fantasticks ''The Fantasticks'' is a 1960 musical with music by Harvey Schmidt and book and lyrics by Tom Jones. It tells an allegorical story, loosely based on the 1894 play ''The Romancers'' (''Les Romanesques'') by Edmond Rostand, concerning two ne ...
''. She has also made a guest appearance on television's '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit''. She also starred in the
Encores! Encores! is a Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre, Tony-honored concert series dedicated to reviving United States, American Musical theatre, musicals, usually with their original orchestrations. Presented by New York City Center since 1994, E ...
production of '' On the Town'' which ran from November 19 to 23, 2008. Thompson starred as Diana in the Broadway revival of '' Lend Me a Tenor'', which officially opened April 4, 2010, at the Music Box Theatre. On December 17, 2010, it was announced that she would be featured in the premiere of the musical version of the film '' Little Miss Sunshine'' at the La Jolla Playhouse in La Jolla, California. The musical ran at La Jolla from February 15 through March 27, 2011, with Thompson in the role of Sheryl Hoover. She did not play in the Off-Broadway production (which ran in November to December 2013). Thompson starred as Eileen Evergreen in the musical '' Nice Work If You Can Get It'', which opened on Broadway in spring 2012 at the Imperial Theatre. Thompson has also starred in the role of Cynthia Murphy in the Broadway production of '' Dear Evan Hansen'' at the Music Box Theatre from December 4, 2016, to August 4, 2019.


Personal life

Thompson has a husband, John Kain, and a son, Thomas. She attended and graduated from Birmingham Groves High School in 1987. She graduated from the
University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...
with a
Bachelor of Fine Arts A Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) is a standard undergraduate degree for students pursuing a professional education in the visual arts, Fine art, or performing arts. In some instances, it is also called a Bachelor of Visual Arts (BVA). Background ...
in Musical Theatre in 1991.


Theatre credits


Filmography


Films


Television


Awards and nominations


References


External links

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Jennifer Laura Thompson Interview by Beth Stevens on Broadway.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Jennifer Laura 1969 births Actresses from Michigan American stage actresses American television actresses American musical theatre actresses Grammy Award winners Living people People from Southfield, Michigan University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance alumni 21st-century American women