Sophia Anne Caruso (born July 11, 2001) is an American actress, singer and dancer best known for originating the role of Lydia Deetz in the

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 ...

musical ''

Beetlejuice ''Beetlejuice'' is a 1988 American Gothic film, gothic dark fantasy comedy horror film directed by Tim Burton from a screenplay by Michael McDowell (author), Michael McDowell and Warren Skaaren based on a story by McDowell and Larry Wilson (sc ...

'', a role for which she won 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 ...

. She also portrays Sophie in the film ''

The School for Good and Evil ''The School for Good and Evil'' is a series of books by Soman Chainani based on fairy tales. The first novel in the series was published on May 14, 2013. The series is set in a fictional widespread location known as the Endless Woods. The ...

'', in 2022. Other theatre credits include Girl in ''

Lazarus Lazarus may refer to: People *Lazarus (name), a surname and a given name * Lazarus of Bethany, a Biblical figure described as being raised from the dead by Jesus * Lazarus, a Biblical figure from the parable of the Rich man and Lazarus * Lazar ...

'' (2015-17) and Iris in '' The Nether'' (2015).

Early life

Caruso was born on July 11, 2001 in

Spokane, Washington Spokane ( ) is the most populous city in eastern Washington and the county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It lies along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south o ...

, to Steve Caruso, a former “club pro” golf professional, and Deena Caruso, who owned several clothing and jewelry stores. She is the youngest of three children. Caruso was involved in the local Spokane Children's Theatre, starting at age 7, before transitioning to theatre at Spokane Civic Theatre and Interplayers Professional Theatre. Caruso made her professional debut in 2011 at age nine when she played

Helen Keller Helen Adams Keller (June 27, 1880 – June 1, 1968) was an American author, disability rights advocate, political activist and lecturer. Born in West Tuscumbia, Alabama, she lost her sight and her hearing after a bout of illness when ...

in the Interplayers Professional Theatre production of ''

The Miracle Worker ''The Miracle Worker'' refers to a broadcast, a play and various other adaptations of Helen Keller's 1903 autobiography '' The Story of My Life''. The first of these works was a 1957 ''Playhouse 90'' broadcast written by William Gibson and sta ...

'' in Spokane. Caruso’s final role in Spokane was as Tina Denmark in '' Ruthless! The Musical'' at Interplayers in June 2012. However, it never opened because actor David Gigler collapsed on stage during rehearsal just days before opening and died. In 2012, she and her family relocated to New York so that Caruso could pursue acting professionally.

Career

Theatre

In 2014, Caruso was able to reprise her role as Tina Denmark in ''Ruthless! The Musical'' for a limited run at the Triad Theatre. The next month, she originated the role of Charlotte van Gotheem in '' Little Dancer'' at the

Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, commonly known as the Kennedy Center, is the national cultural center of the United States, located on the eastern bank of the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. Opened on September 8, ...

in Washington, D.C. In 2015, Caruso appeared in the off-Broadway play '' The Nether'' at the MCC Theater, for which she received a Lucille Lortel nomination for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play. Later that year, Caruso originated the role of "Girl" in

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...

's musical ''

'' at

New York Theatre Workshop __NOTOC__ New York Theatre Workshop (NYTW) is an Off-Broadway theater noted for its productions of new works. Located at 79 East 4th Street between Second Avenue and Bowery in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, it h ...

in Manhattan. She then made her

debut as The Girl in '' Blackbird'' at the

Belasco Theatre The Belasco Theatre is a Broadway theater at 111 West 44th Street, between Seventh Avenue and Sixth Avenue, in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. Originally known as the Stuyvesant Theatre, it was bu ...

. Later that year, she appeared in the ensemble of the

Encores! Encores! is a Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre, Tony-honored concert series dedicated to reviving United States, American Musical theatre, musicals, usually with their original orchestrations. Presented by New York City Center since 1994, E ...

staged concert production of '' Runaways'' at

New York City Center New York City Center (previously known as the Mecca Temple, City Center of Music and Drama, and the New York City Center 55th Street Theater) is a performing arts center at 131 West 55th Street (Manhattan), 55th Street between Sixth Avenue, Six ...

. In October 2016, she reprised her role as "Girl" in London in the King's Cross Theatre production of ''Lazarus'' for which she received a

WhatsOnStage Award The WhatsOnStage Awards (WOS Awards), formerly known as the Theatregoers' Choice Awards, are organised by the theatre website WhatsOnStage.com. The awards celebrate outstanding achievements in UK theatre, with categories covering both regional p ...

nomination for "Best Supporting Actress in a Musical". In 2017, Caruso originated the role of Lydia Deetz in a workshop of the musical ''

'', reprising the role in the musical's tryout at the National Theatre in Washington, D.C., before starring in the Broadway production beginning in March 2019. She won a

for the role. Caruso left the show abruptly on February 19, 2020, using her contractual out in order to pursue work in film and television.

Music

Caruso's debut single "Toys" was released on May 22, 2020. The song was produced by Henry Hey, who worked with Caruso as the musical director of ''

'', and

Nick Littlemore Nicholas George Littlemore (born 6 May 1978) is an Australian musician, record producer, singer, songwriter and tour manager. As a musician, he is the frontman of the electronic project Pnau, an ex-member of the art-rock band Teenager and one p ...

of Empire of the Sun. She planned to release an EP at the time, but no updates have come since the song's release. Caruso released the single "Goodbye" in February 2021. In July 2022, Caruso released another single, "Snow & Ice".

Film

Caruso was cast to star alongside Sofia Wylie as Sophie in the

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

fantasy film ''

'', an adaptation of the

book series A book series is a sequence of books having certain characteristics in common that are formally identified together as a group. Book series can be organized in different ways, such as written by the same author, or marketed as a group by their publ ...

Soman Chainani Soman Chainani is an American author, best known for writing the children's book series ''The School for Good and Evil''. Some of his work has been adapted to films. Early life and education Chainani grew up in Key Biscayne, Florida, where his f ...

Television

In January 2025, was announced that Caruso was cast as Miss Goldenweek for the second season of the

series ''

One Piece ''One Piece'' (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. It follows the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy and his crew, the Straw Hat Pirates, as he explores the Grand Line in search of the myt ...

'', based on the manga of the same name by

Eiichiro Oda is a Japanese manga artist and the creator of the series ''One Piece'', the best-selling manga in history and the best-selling comic series printed in volume. With more than 520 million copies of ''One Piece'' in circulation worldwide ...

Acting credits

Theatre

Film

Television

Discography

;Singles * "Toys" (2020) * "Goodbye" (2021) * "Snow & Ice" (2022) * “Thing Like That” (2022) ;Theatre albums * ''

Original Cast Recording'' (2016) * ''

Original Broadway Cast Recording'' (2019) * ''The

Liz Swados Elizabeth Swados (February 5, 1951 – January 5, 2016) was an American writer, composer, musician, choreographer, and theatre director. Swados received Tony Award nominations for Best Musical, Best Direction of a Musical, Best Book of a Music ...

Project'' (2020)

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Caruso, Sophia Anne 2001 births Living people Actresses from Spokane, Washington American child actresses American child singers American stage actresses Theatre World Award winners 21st-century American women