Natalie Toro is an American singer and actress for theatre, television, and film.

Early life and education

Toro was born in

Bronx, NY 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 ...

, where her parents both immigrated to from Puerto Rico. She debuted at the

Apollo Theater The Apollo Theater (formerly the Hurtig & Seamon's New Theatre; also Apollo Theatre or 125th Street Apollo Theatre) is a multi-use Theater (structure), theater at 253 125th Street (Manhattan), West 125th Street in the Harlem neighborhood of U ...

at the age of five. Later on, she studied piano and voice at the pre-college division of

Manhattan School of Music The Manhattan School of Music (MSM) is a private music conservatory A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music a ...

and the High School of Music and Art until the age of 18. She attended the

Boston Conservatory of Music Boston Conservatory at Berklee (formerly The Boston Conservatory) is a private performing arts conservatory in Boston, Massachusetts. It grants undergraduate and graduate degrees in dance, music, and theater. Boston Conservatory was founded o ...

earning a BFA in Musical Theater.

Career

In 1999, Toro began a long journey with ''

A Tale of Two Cities ''A Tale of Two Cities'' is a historical novel published in 1859 by English author Charles Dickens, set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution. The novel tells the story of the French Doctor Manette, his 18-year-long impr ...

'', a musical by Jill Santoriello. In 2002, she performed the role of Madame Defarge for the concept recording of the musical. In 2010, she reunited with many members of the Broadway Cast to record the “International Studio Cast Recording”, as well as a DVD of a semi-staged highlights concert of the musical. In 2004, she began to tour with

Jesus Christ Superstar ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' is a sung-through rock opera with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. Loosely based on the Life of Jesus in the New Testament, Gospels' accounts of Passion of Jesus, the Passion, the work interprets ...

, both while

Sebastian Bach Sebastian Philip Bierk (born April 3, 1968), known professionally as Sebastian Bach, is a Canadian-American singer who achieved mainstream success as the frontman of the hard rock band Skid Row from 1987 to 1996. He has acted on Broadway and h ...

was on the tour and after he left. In 2007, she was cast in the Broadway musical adaptation of ''

'' in

Sarasota, Florida Sarasota () is a city in and the county seat of Sarasota County, Florida, United States. It is located in Southwest Florida, the southern end of the Tampa Bay area, and north of Fort Myers, Florida, Fort Myers and Punta Gorda, Florida, Punta Gord ...

at the Asolo Repertory Theatre. She received a 2007 ''Sarasota Magazine'' Award for Best Supporting Theatre Actress. Broadway previews in New York began on August 19, 2008 at the

Al Hirschfeld Theatre The Al Hirschfeld Theatre, originally the Martin Beck Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 302 West 45th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. Opened in 1924, it was designed by G. Albert Lansburg ...

, with an official opening of September 18. She remained in the show until it closed on November 16, 2008. On November 23, 2008, Toro released her second solo-CD, which was self-titled "Natalie Toro".

Theatrical Credits

Broadway

*''

'', Madame Defarge *''

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. '' ...

'', Eponine *''

A Christmas Carol ''A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas'', commonly known as ''A Christmas Carol'', is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall in 1843 and illustrated by John Leech. It recounts the ...

'' (

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...

Productions)

Off-Broadway

*'' Zombie Prom'' (off-Broadway)

National Tour

*''

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 ...

'', Grizabella *'' Evita'', Evita Peron *''

'', Mary Magdalene *''

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 ...

'', Camila Rosario

Theatre Awards

* 2009: 2008-09 BroadwayWorld Fan Theatre Awards for Best Featured Actress (Finalist/Nominated) - Madame DeFarge, ''A Tale of Two Cities'' * 2008: Sarasota Magazine Theatre Award for Best Featured Actress (WIN) - Madame DeFarge, ''A Tale of Two Cities'' * 1999: J. Jefferson Theatre Award (Chicago) for Best Actress (Nominated) - Evita in '' Evita''

References

External links

A Tale of Two Cities
{{DEFAULTSORT:Toro, Natalie Actresses from the Bronx American musical theatre actresses Singers from New York City Living people Boston Conservatory at Berklee alumni Year of birth missing (living people) American actresses of Puerto Rican descent Puerto Rican stage actresses American people of Puerto Rican descent