Sarah Rice (March 5, 1955 – January 6, 2024) was an American theatre actress known for her work in the

Stephen Sondheim Stephen Joshua Sondheim (; March22, 1930November26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. Regarded as one of the most important figures in 20th-century musical theater, he is credited with reinventing the American musical. He received Lis ...

productions ''

Sweeney Todd Sweeney Todd is a fictional character who first appeared as the villain of the penny dreadful serial '' The String of Pearls'' (1846–1847). The original tale became a feature of 19th-century melodrama and London legend. A barber from Fleet St ...

'' and ''

A Little Night Music ''A Little Night Music'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Hugh Wheeler. Inspired by the 1955 Ingmar Bergman film '' Smiles of a Summer Night'', it involves the romantic lives of several couples. Its title is a ...

'', the former of which won her a

Theatre World Award The Theatre World Award is an American honor presented annually to actors and actresses in recognition of an outstanding New York City stage debut performance, either on Broadway or off-Broadway. It was first awarded for the 1945–1946 theatre se ...

in 1979.

Early life

Rice was born in

Okinawa most commonly refers to: * Okinawa Prefecture, Japan's southernmost prefecture * Okinawa Island, the largest island of Okinawa Prefecture * Okinawa Islands, an island group including Okinawa itself * Okinawa (city), the second largest city in th ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, while her father was serving in the U.S. Air Force there. Before her first birthday, the family moved to Arizona, where she, a sister, and two brothers grew up. Rice acted in some amateur productions and attended college for one year before she moved to New York at age 18.

Career

Although Rice initially sought to use her ballet training to perform in classical dance, one of her early roles was that of 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 ...

.'' On Broadway, she created the original role of Johanna in ''Sweeney Todd'' (1979). She is also known for her

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

performance of John Kenley and Robert Noll's ''The Phantom of the Opera-The Play'', and her operatic performances in ''

The Marriage of Figaro ''The Marriage of Figaro'' (, ), K. 492, is a ''commedia per musica'' (opera buffa) in four acts composed in 1786 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with an Italian libretto written by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It premiered at the Burgtheater in Vienn ...

'', ''

The Barber of Seville ''The Barber of Seville, or The Useless Precaution'' ( ) is an ''opera buffa'' (comic opera) in two acts composed by Gioachino Rossini with an Italian libretto by Cesare Sterbini. The libretto was based on Pierre Beaumarchais's French comedy ' ...

'' and ''

The Student Prince ''The Student Prince'' is an operetta in a prologue and four acts with music by Sigmund Romberg and book and lyrics by Dorothy Donnelly. It is based on Wilhelm Meyer-Förster's play ''Old Heidelberg (play), Old Heidelberg''. The piece has a scor ...

'' She performed with, among others, Michigan Opera Theater, Central City Opera, and the Santa Fe Opera. Sarah was also a beloved presence on the New York cabaret circuit. She won a 2010 Bistro Award and 2011 MAC Award (Female Vocalist) for her critically acclaimed solo cabaret debut, SCREEN GEMS: Songs of Old Hollywood. She also created and performed an Ivor Novello/Noel Coward show, GLAMOROUS NIGHTS & CARELESS RAPTURE, celebrating the music of the era of Downton Abbey, and MUSIC OF THE NIGHT, in which she sang and played the Theremin. (Sarah was attracted to, and learned to play, the Theremin, unique among musical instruments since it is played without physical contact. She captivated audiences who watched her play radio waves in the air.) She made many guest appearances in the award-winning SONDHEIM UNPLUGGED series at 54 Below. Her voice can be heard on the Grammy-nominated SONDHEIM UNPLUGGED recording. She was a part of The Mabel Mercer Foundation’s Cabaret Convention several times, including their Sondheim Evening. > In 2019, Sarah, together with fellow Broadway stars Carole Demas and Hal Robinson, created THANK YOU FOR YOUR LOVE, a celebration of Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt, with whom they had all worked on numerous shows over many decades, including THE FANTASTICKS. The show was honored with a Bistro Award.

Personal life and death

Rice died from cancer on January 6, 2024, at the age of 68, in New York City.

References

External links

* * * *
Official site
1955 births 2024 deaths American musical theatre actresses American stage actresses 21st-century American actresses 21st-century American women opera singers Deaths from cancer in New York (state) {{US-opera-singer-stub