Lexi Lawson is an American actress and singer, best known for her work in

musicals Musical theatre is a form of 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, movement ...

. She held the lead female roles in touring productions of ''

Rent Rent may refer to: Economics *Renting, an agreement where a payment is made for the temporary use of a good, service or property *Economic rent, any payment in excess of the cost of production *Rent-seeking, attempting to increase one's share of e ...

'' and ''

In the Heights ''In the Heights'' is a musical with concept, music, and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda and a book by Quiara Alegría Hudes. The story is a romance as well as a celebration of community, culture, and aspirations. It is set over the course of thr ...

''. Lawson 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 as

Eliza Hamilton Elizabeth Hamilton (née Schuyler ; August 9, 1757 – November 9, 1854) was an American socialite and philanthropist. She was the wife of American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton and was a passionate champion and defender of Hamilton's ...

in ''

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...

''.

Early life

Lexi Lawson was born and raised in

the Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. As a child she moved with her family to Newburgh,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. She graduated from

Newburgh Free Academy Newburgh Free Academy (NFA) is the public high school educating all students in grades 9– 12 in the Newburgh Enlarged City School District, which serves the city of Newburgh, New York, most of each of the towns of Newburgh and New Windsor, ...

in 2002.

Career

In 2010 she joined the touring company of ''

'' when she was cast as Mimi Marquez for the North American tour. She had become a finalist on the eighth season of ''

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American Music competition, singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle (company), Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It a ...

'' but chose to drop out in order to tour with ''Rent''. Shortly prior to her contract coming to an end, she expressed an interest in the role of Vanessa in

Lin-Manuel Miranda Lin-Manuel Miranda (; born January 16, 1980) is an American songwriter, actor, singer, filmmaker, rapper, and librettist. He created the Broadway musicals '' In the Heights'' and ''Hamilton'', and the soundtracks for the animated films '' Moana' ...

's musical ''

''. She was subsequently cast in the part in the United States national tour. Lawson made her

debut when she was announced as replacing

Phillipa Soo Phillipa Anne Soo ( ; born May 31, 1990) is an American actress and singer. Known for her leading roles on Broadway (theatre), Broadway primarily in musicals, she has received two Grammy Awards along with nominations for a Tony Awards, Tony Awar ...

in the role of

in Miranda's ''

''. Her first performance took place on July 9, 2016. On February 12, 2017, she joined with other former cast members of ''

'' to perform a tribute to the musical entitled "Seasons of Love" at

The Cutting Room The Cutting Room is a music venue in New York City that was open at 19 West 24th Street from late 1999 through January 2009 for music of all varieties, and reopened at the beginning of 2013 in a new location at 44 East 32nd Street. It was co-ow ...

in New York City. Lawson recorded the single "

The Christmas Song "The Christmas Song" (commonly subtitled "Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire" or, as it was originally subtitled, "Merry Christmas to You") is a Christmas song written in 1945 by Robert Wells (songwriter), Robert Wells and Mel Tormé. The Nat K ...

(Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)", which was released in December 2017. That same month, she was present for the unveiling of the restored bust of

Alexander Hamilton Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757July 12, 1804) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the first U.S. secretary of the treasury from 1789 to 1795 dur ...

at the

Museum of the City of New York The Museum of the City of New York (MCNY) is a history and art museum in Manhattan, New York City, New York. It was founded by Henry Collins Brown, in 1923Beard, Rick. "Museum of the City of New York" in to preserve and present the history ...

alongside fellow cast member Anthony Lee Medina. She teamed up with four other Eliza actresses from ''Hamilton'' productions on Miranda's Hamildrops in 2018. The track, "First Burn", featured Lawson along with Julia K. Harriman, Shoba Narayan,

Rachelle Ann Go Rachelle Ann Villalobos Go (born August 31, 1986) is a Filipino singer and actress. Known primarily for her work in musical theatre, theater, she has starred in musicals on Broadway theatre, Broadway and in the West End theatre, West End. She ...

, and

Arianna Afsar Arianna Ayesha Afsar (born October 22, 1991) is an American singer, composer, beauty queen, and activist best known for her starring role in ''Hamilton'', as the songwriter of the musical ''Jeannette'', and as a top contestant on ''American Idol' ...

. Miranda explained on Twitter that the song was the original version of a song sung by Eliza in the musical.

Personal life

Lawson is married to actor Leonidas Gulaptis; they have one child together. She owns a

Yorkshire Terrier The Yorkshire Terrier, also known as a Yorkie, is a British breed of toy dog of terrier type. It is among the smallest of the terriers and indeed of all dog breeds, with a weight of no more than . It originated in the nineteenth century in the ...

. She bought the dog from a breeder in 2008, and would take it with her as she toured the US on the productions of ''Rent'' and ''In The Heights''.

Theatre credits

Filmography

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lawson, Lexi 20th-century American actresses 20th-century American women singers 20th-century American singers 21st-century American actresses 21st-century American women singers 21st-century American singers Actresses from the Bronx American film actresses American Idol participants American musical theatre actresses American television actresses Broadway theatre people Living people Newburgh Free Academy alumni Musicians from the Bronx People from Newburgh, New York Year of birth missing (living people)