Sarah Elizabeth Litzsinger is an American

actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), lit ...

and singer, best known for her career in musical theatre.

Life and career

Litzsinger's family is from

Carmel Carmel may refer to: * Carmel (biblical settlement), an ancient Israelite town in Judea * Mount Carmel, a coastal mountain range in Israel overlooking the Mediterranean Sea * Carmelites, a Roman Catholic mendicant religious order Carmel may also ...

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th ...

. She made her Broadway debut in 1983 at age eleven, as the understudy for Young Norma Jean in the short-lived ''Marilyn: An American Fable''. In 1984, she played Bet in the Broadway revival of ''

Oliver! ''Oliver!'' is a coming-of-age stage musical, with book, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. The musical is based upon the 1838 novel '' Oliver Twist'' by Charles Dickens. It premiered at the Wimbledon Theatre, southwest London in 1960 before ...

'', alongside

Patti LuPone Patti Ann LuPone (born April 21, 1949) is an American actress and singer best known for her work in musical theater. She has won three Tony Awards, two Olivier Awards, two Grammy Awards, and was a 2006 inductee to the American Theater Hall of Fa ...

. She returned to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

in 1992 and was soon cast in the ensemble of ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its original ...

'', understudying the roles of Cosette and Eponine. She went on to star as The Narrator in the Canadian production and U.S. national touring companies of ''

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat ''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'' (often colloquially known as ''Joseph'') is a sung-through musical with lyrics by Tim Rice and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the character of Joseph from the Bible's Book of Genesis. Th ...

'', with

Donny Osmond Donald Clark "Donny" Osmond (born December 9, 1957) is an American singer, dancer, actor, television host, and former teen idol. He first gained fame performing with four of his elder brothers as the Osmonds, earning several top ten hits and gol ...

. On December 2, 2000 she took over the role of Belle from

Andrea McArdle Andrea McArdle is an American singer and actress best known for originating the role of Annie in the Broadway musical '' Annie''. Career McArdle was born in Philadelphia. While studying dance as a child, she was spotted by a talent agent who go ...

in the Broadway production of ''

Beauty and the Beast ''Beauty and the Beast'' (french: La Belle et la Bête) is a fairy tale written by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in ''La Jeune Américaine et les contes marins'' (''The Young American and Marine T ...

'' after playing it on the national tour and understudying the role on Broadway for a year. After playing Belle full-time for nearly two years she left the show August 2002 and was succeeded by

Jamie-Lynn Sigler Jamie-Lynn Sigler (born May 15, 1981) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Meadow Soprano on the HBO series ''The Sopranos''. Early life Jamie-Lynn Sigler was born in Jericho, New York, on May 15, 1981, the daughter of Ste ...

. In August 2002, Sarah went right into rehearsal for Michel LeGrand's '' Amour'' on Broadway. She originated the role of Madeleine in the French musical fable. After ''Amour'' closed, Litzsinger returned to the role of Belle on February 11, 2003. In 2006, she played

Eva Peron Eva or EVA may refer to: * Eva (name), a feminine given name Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters * Eva (Dynamite Entertainment), a comic book character by Dynamite Entertainment * Eva (''Devil May Cry''), Dante's mother in ...

in the 25th U.S. national tour of '' Evita''. From May 30 – September 17, 2006, she once again appeared in

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

's ''Beauty and the Beast'' replacing

Ashley Brown Ashley Brown (born February 3, 1982) is an American singer and actress who is best known for playing the titular character in the United States national tour and Broadway productions of '' Mary Poppins''. Early life Brown was born February 3, 19 ...

as Belle. Litzsinger holds the distinction of being Broadway's longest-running Belle. In 2004, Litzsinger released a self-titled solo album. She is also a member of the band TASTiSKANK, along with another Broadway actress,

Kate Reinders Kate Reinders (born December 10, 1980) is an American actress and singer, who has performed as lead and understudy in several Broadway shows. Reinders was born in Seattle, Washington, but raised in Spring Lake, Michigan. She attended Weste ...

. In 2007, they won the Breakout Award at the HBO Aspen Festival. They were also voted as two of the 25 Sexiest New Yorkers by the ''New York Post''. Tastiskank performed their act at the 2008 TBS Comedy Festival in Las Vegas. Reinders and Litzsinger co-starred opposite

Constantine Maroulis Constantine James Maroulis (; born September 17, 1975) is an American actor and rock singer. He was the sixth-place finalist on the fourth season of the reality television series '' American Idol'', and received a nomination for the Tony Award ...

in an independent TV pilot called ''Teachers'' which aired at the fourth annual

New York Television Festival The New York Television Festival (NYTVF) is a yearly festival dedicated to the celebration and promotion of independent small-screen productions, web series, and television. Background The festival was founded in 2005, and is held in venues acr ...

. In 2010, Litzsinger received a Wilde Award "Best Actress in a Musical" for her portrayal of Mrs. Lovett in ''

Sweeney Todd Sweeney Todd is a fictional character who first appeared as the villain of the penny dreadful serial '' The String of Pearls'' (1846–47). The original tale became a feature of 19th-century melodrama and London legend. A barber from Fleet St ...

'', and most recently played 'Peter Pan' in ''

Peter Pan Peter Pan is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood having adventures on the mythi ...

'' at Alabama Shakespeare Festival.

Stage credits

* ''

'' – Broadway (Belle) * '' Evita'' – U.S. tour (Eva Peron) * ''

The Last Five Years ''The Last Five Years'' is a musical written by Jason Robert Brown. It premiered at Chicago's Northlight Theatre in 2001 and was then produced Off-Broadway in March 2002. Since then it has had numerous productions both in the United States and ...

'' – George Street Playhouse (Cathy) * '' tick, tick...BOOM!'' –

George Street Playhouse George Street Playhouse is a theater company in New Brunswick, New Jersey, in the city's Civic Square government and theater district. It's one of the state's preeminent professional theaters committed to the production of new and established ...

(Susan) * "

A Year with Frog and Toad A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes' ...

" - Minneapolis Children's Theatre (Bird/Mouse) * ''

Falsettos ''Falsettos'' is a sung-through musical with a book by William Finn and James Lapine, and music and lyrics by Finn. The musical consists of '' March of the Falsettos'' (1981) and '' Falsettoland'' (1990), the last two installments in a trio of ...

'' – George Street Playhouse (Cordelia) * '' Amour'' – Broadway (Madeleine) * ''

'' – U.S. tour, Canada (Narrator) * ''

'' – Broadway (Cosette/Eponine u/s) * ''Marilyn: An American Fable'' – Broadway (Young Norma Jean u/s) * ''

'' – Broadway (Bet) * ''

Little Shop of Horrors Little Shop of Horrors may refer to: * '' The Little Shop of Horrors'', a 1960 film directed by Roger Corman ** ''Little Shop of Horrors'' (musical), a 1982 musical based on the 1960 film ** ''Little Shop of Horrors'' (film), a 1986 film adaptat ...

'' – The Encore Musical Theatre Company, in Dexter, Michigan (Audrey) * ''

Oklahoma! ''Oklahoma!'' is the first musical written by the duo of Rodgers and Hammerstein. The musical is based on Lynn Riggs' 1931 play, ''Green Grow the Lilacs''. Set in farm country outside the town of Claremore, Indian Territory, in 1906, it tells ...

'' – The Encore Musical Theatre Company (Ado Annie) * '' Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street'' – The Encore Musical Theatre Company (Mrs. Lovett) * ''

Peter Pan (1954 musical) ''Peter Pan'' is a musical based on J. M. Barrie's 1904 play ''Peter Pan'' and his 1911 novelization of it, ''Peter and Wendy''. The music is mostly by Moose Charlap, with additional music by Jule Styne, and most of the lyrics were written by ...

'' – Alabama Shakespeare Festival (Peter Pan) * "

Next to Normal ''Next to Normal'' (stylized in all lowercase) is a 2008 American rock musical with book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey and music by Tom Kitt. The story centers on a mother who struggles with worsening bipolar disorder and the effects that managin ...

" Milwaukee Rep (Diana)

Television credits

* '' Law & Order: Criminal Intent'' (episode: "

Grow Grow or GROW may refer to: * Growth (disambiguation), an increase in some quantity over time or a measure of some principal * GROW model, a technique for problem solving or goal setting * Graphical ROMable Object Windows, a windowing system that w ...

") – 2005 * '' Ed'' (episode: "The World of Possibility) – 2000 * ''

Strangers with Candy ''Strangers with Candy'' is an American comedy television series produced by Comedy Central. It first aired on April 7, 1999, and concluded its third and final season on October 2, 2000. Its timeslot was Sundays at 10:00 p.m. ( ET). A pre ...

'' (episode: "Who Wants Cake?") – 1999 * ''

Law & Order ''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment, launching the '' Law & Order'' franchise. ''Law & Order'' aired its entire run on NBC, premiering o ...

'' (episode: "Forgiveness") – 1992

References

External links

* *
Fresh Face: Broadway.com Buzz

Sarah Litzsinger Interview

Sarah Litzsinger on ''Evita''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Litzsinger, Sarah Living people American women singers American film actresses American musical theatre actresses American television actresses Carmel High School (Indiana) alumni People from Carmel, Indiana Actresses from Indianapolis 21st-century American women Year of birth missing (living people)