Ashley Spencer (born March 8, 1985) is an American actress, singer, and dancer. Spencer was a contestant on the 2007

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

show '' Grease: You're the One that I Want!'' She was the understudy for Barbie in the ''Barbie in Fairytopia'' tour, in which she sang and danced ballet.

Career

''Grease: You're the One that I Want!''

Spencer was known as "

Ballerina A ballet dancer ( it, ballerina fem.; ''ballerino'' masc.) is a person who practices the art of classical ballet. Both females and males can practice ballet; however, dancers have a strict hierarchy and strict gender roles. They rely on yea ...

Sandy" because of her

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

background. She made it to the finals, where she came in second place behind

Laura Osnes Laura Ann Osnes (born November 19, 1985) is an American actress and singer known for her work on the Broadway stage. She has played starring roles in '' Grease'' as Sandy, '' South Pacific'' as Nellie Forbush, ''Anything Goes'' as Hope Harcourt, ...

''Hairspray''

Spencer 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 Stree ...

debut in July 2007 as Amber Von Tussle in ''

Hairspray Hairspray may refer to: * Hair spray, a personal grooming product that keeps hair protected from humidity and wind * ''Hairspray'' (1988 film), a film by John Waters ** ''Hairspray'' (1988 soundtrack), the film's soundtrack album ** ''Hairspray ...

'', replacing Brynn O'Malley. She played her final performance as Amber in the Broadway company on July 13, 2008 after being in the production for a year. She was succeeded by

Aubrey O'Day Aubrey Morgan O'Day (born February 11, 1984) is an American singer and reality television personality, best known for being a member of the girl group Danity Kane. Following discord among Danity Kane and with her mentor at the time, P. Diddy, O'D ...

. She reprised the role of Amber in

The Muny The St. Louis Municipal Opera Theatre (commonly known as The Muny) is an amphitheater located in St. Louis, Missouri. The theatre seats 11,000 people with about 1,500 free seats in the last nine rows that are available on a first come, first s ...

production of ''Hairspray'' in

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

which ran from August 3–9, 2009. She played the role again at Pittsburgh CLO's production of Hairspray, which ran from July 20, 2010 to August 1, 2010.

''Grease''

It was announced on June 25, 2008, that Spencer would replace

as Sandy in the Broadway production of '' Grease''. She began her run on July 22, 2008, and co-starred opposite Derek Keeling as Danny. Keeling was also a runner-up on ''Grease: You're the One that I Want''. The production closed on January 4, 2009.

Regional work

Spencer played the role of

Éponine Éponine Thénardier (; ), also referred to as the "Jondrette girl", is a fictional character in the 1862 novel ''Les Misérables'' by Victor Hugo. The character is introduced as a spoiled and pampered child, but appears later in the novel as a r ...

in ''

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 ...

'' at the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera which ran from July 7–19, 2009. She reprised her role of Amber in the 2009 Summer production of ''Hairspray'' at The St. Louis Muny. She returned to Pittsburgh CLO in 2010 to play the role of Niki Harris in ''

Curtains A curtain is a piece of cloth or other material intended to block or obscure light, air drafts, or (in the case of a shower curtain), water. A curtain is also the movable screen or drape in a theatre that separates the stage from the auditoriu ...

'' from June 22–27, 2010. Spencer then played the role of Ulla in their production of '' The Producers'', as well as at

Paper Mill Playhouse Paper Mill Playhouse is a regional theater with approximately 1200 seats, located in Millburn, New Jersey on the Rahway River. Due to its relatively close location to Manhattan, it draws from the pool of actors (and audience members) who live in ...

, and then reprised her role as Amber in their production of ''

''. In 2014, Spencer returned to CLO for their production of ''

Singin' in the Rain ''Singin' in the Rain'' is a 1952 American musical romantic comedy film directed and choreographed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, starring Kelly, Donald O'Connor, and Debbie Reynolds and featuring Jean Hagen, Millard Mitchell and Cyd Charis ...

'' where she played the role of Lina Lamont. From November 7, 2017 to Jan 14, 2018 Spencer held the role of Polly Baker in '' Crazy for You'' at

Signature Theatre (Arlington, Virginia) Signature Theatre is a Tony Award winning regional theater company based in Arlington, Virginia. Overview Founded in 1989, Signature Theatre is known for its productions of contemporary musicals and plays, reinventions of classic musicals, an ...

''Priscilla Queen Of The Desert''

Spencer played one of the Divas in the Broadway production of '' Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert'', which opened in March 2011 at the

Palace Theatre Palace Theatre, or Palace Theater, is the name of many theatres in different countries, including: Australia *Palace Theatre, Melbourne, Victoria *Palace Theatre, Sydney, New South Wales Canada *Palace Theatre, housed in the Robillard Block, Mo ...

. The show also had a pre-Broadway tryout beginning October 12, 2010 at the

Princess of Wales Theatre The Princess of Wales Theatre is a 2,000-seat live theatre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located on King Street West, in Toronto's downtown Entertainment District. The theatre's name has a triple meaning: it honours Diana, Princess of Wales, ...

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

''Rock of Ages''

She took over the role of Sherrie in the Broadway production of ''

Rock of Ages Rock of Ages may refer to: Films * ''Rock of Ages'' (1918 film), a British silent film by Bertram Phillips * ''Rock of Ages'' (2012 film), a film adaptation of the jukebox musical (see below) Music * ''Rock of Ages'' (musical), a 2006 rock ...

'' from Emily Padgett on May 10, 2012, and was succeeded by fellow "You're The One That I Want" contestant, Kate Rockwell, in January 2013.

Personal life

She married fellow theatre actor Jeremy Jordan on September 8, 2012. They have a daughter together, Clara Eloise Jordan, born April 21, 2019.

References

External links

* *
Ashley Spencer at NBC.com ''Grease: You're the One that I Want!'' website
*
archive
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spencer, Ashley 1985 births Living people American musical theatre actresses Participants in American reality television series 21st-century American actresses