Loni Ackerman (born April 10, 1949) is an American musical theatre performer and

cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...

singer.

Career

Ackerman was born in New York City to Cyma Rubin, a theatre and film producer, and Martin Ackerman, an ophthalmologist. Her stepfather was Samuel Rubin. She 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 ''

George M! ''George M!'' is a Broadway musical based on the life of George M. Cohan, the biggest Broadway star of his day who was known as "The Man Who Owned Broadway." The book for the musical was written by Michael Stewart, John Pascal, and Franci ...

'' in 1968, then starred as a replacement in 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 ...

production of '' Dames at Sea'' in 1970. Ackerman's other Broadway credits include the roles of Betty Brown in the 1971 revival of ''

No, No, Nanette ''No, No, Nanette'' is a musical with a book by Otto Harbach and Frank Mandel based on Mandel's 1919 Broadway play ''My Lady Friends''; lyrics by Irving Caesar and Harbach; and music by Vincent Youmans. The farcical story centers on three coup ...

'', Charmin in ''

The Magic Show ''The Magic Show'' is a one-act musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Bob Randall. It starred magician Doug Henning. Produced by Edgar Lansbury, Joseph Beruh, and Ivan Reitman, it opened on Broadway on May 28, 1974 a ...

'' (1974), and Wanda in '' So Long, 174th Street'' (1976). In 1977, she was in the original cast of ''

Starting Here, Starting Now ''Starting Here, Starting Now'' is a musical revue with lyrics by Richard Maltby Jr. and music by David Shire. With a cast of three and three musicians, the revue explores a variety of romantic relationships. Productions The revue was first prod ...

''. She played the title role in the first U.S. national tour of '' Evita'' (1980–1983) and was later a replacement in the title role of the Broadway production (from April to May 1983). The following year she was in the off-Broadway show ''Diamonds''. Her last Broadway credit was as a replacement for

Grizabella Grizabella the Glamour Cat is a main character in the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical ''Cats''. Lonely and decrepit, Grizabella seeks acceptance from the other Jellicle cats but is initially ostracised. She sings the most famous song from the music ...

in ''

Cats The cat (''Felis catus''), also referred to as the domestic cat or house cat, is a small domesticated carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species of the family Felidae. Advances in archaeology and genetics have shown that the ...

'' in September 1991. She appeared in the off-Broadway production of ''The Petrified Prince'' in 1994. She then retired to raise her two sons. In 2011, she returned to performing at

Gateway Playhouse The Gateway, also known as The Gateway Playhouse, or the Performing Arts Center of Suffolk County is a professional regional theatre located on the eastern edge of Bellport, New York. The street address is 215 County Route 36 (Suffolk County, N ...

in Bellport, Long Island, starring as Norma Desmond in the musical ''

Sunset Boulevard Sunset Boulevard is a boulevard in the central and western part of Los Angeles, California, United States, that stretches from the Pacific Coast Highway (California), Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, Pacific Palisad ...

''. In 2012, Ackerman debuted her cabaret show ''Next To Ab-normal'' in NYC. She later starred in two plays, ''My Mother, My Sister, and Me'' (2016) and ''To Life'' (2019).

Personal life

Ackerman is married to

sound design Sound design is the art and practice of creating auditory elements of media. It involves specifying, acquiring and creating audio using production techniques and equipment or software. It is employed in a variety of disciplines including filmmaking ...

er Steve Canyon Kennedy. They have two sons, Jack and George.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ackerman, Loni 1949 births 20th-century American actresses 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers 21st-century American actresses 21st-century American women singers 21st-century American singers Actresses from New York City American musical theatre actresses American cabaret singers Living people Singers from New York City