Alison Nicole Luff (born December 20, 1988) is an American singer and stage actress. She is best known for her extensive work in musical theatre, notably for her roles as Elphaba in the First National Tour of ''

Wicked Wicked may refer to: Books * Wicked, a minor character in the ''X-Men'' universe * '' Wicked'', a 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire that inspired the musical of the same name * ''Wicked'', the fifth novel in Sara Shepard's ''Pretty Little Liars'' s ...

'' and Jenna in the Broadway production of ''

Waitress Waiting staff (British English), waitstaff (North American English), waiters (male) / waitresses (female), or servers (North American English), are those who work at a restaurant, a diner, or a bar and sometimes in private homes, attending ...

''.

Early life

Alison Luff was born on December 20, 1988, in

Spring Spring(s) may refer to: Common uses * Spring (season) Spring, also known as springtime, is one of the four temperate seasons, succeeding winter and preceding summer. There are various technical definitions of spring, but local usage of ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

. Since childhood, she had a passion for

theater Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

, which grew as she grew up. At age 6, she began

singing Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or with ...

and

dancing Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its reperto ...

with Encore Youth Performers. One year later, she began acting in

community theater Community theatre refers to any theatrical performance made in relation to particular communities—its usage includes theatre made by, with, and for a community. It may refer to a production that is made entirely by a community with no outside hel ...

, and at age 10, she began acting in professional theater. She attended Klein Collins High School, where she was involved in almost every one of her school's theater productions''.'' As

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 her school's production of '' Les Miserables'', she was nominated for best actress at the Tommy Tune Awards, and as Annabel Glick in her school's production of ''

Lucky Stiff ''Lucky Stiff'' is a musical farce. It was the first collaboration for the team of Lynn Ahrens (book and lyrics) and Stephen Flaherty (music). The show is based on the 1983 novel ''The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo'' by Michael Butt ...

'', she won best actress at an awards ceremony at the

Hobby Center for the Performing Arts The Hobby Center for the Performing Arts is a theater in Houston, Texas, United States. Opened to the public in 2002, the theater is located downtown on the edge of the Houston Theater District. Hobby Center features glass walls with views ...

. Instead of attending

college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offerin ...

, she worked and performed to save money to move 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 Un ...

Career

Luff made her Broadway debut in the ensemble of '' Mamma Mia'', understudying the roles of Ali and Sophie. She departed the production on January 1, 2012. She also performed the same track on the second national tour. She then understudied

Carolee Carmello Carolee Ann Carmello (born September 1, 1962) is an American actress best known for her performances in Broadway musicals and for playing the role of Maple LaMarsh on the television series ''Remember WENN'' (1996–1998). She is a three-time ...

as Aimee Semple McPherson in the short-lived Broadway musical, ''Scandalous''. She then went on to star in the Broadway production of '' Ghost'' as an understudy for the role of Molly, which was played by

Caissie Levy Caissie Levy (born April 15, 1981) is a Canadian-American actress and singer, mainly known for her work in musical theatre on Broadway and in the West End. Her early Broadway credits included Penny Pingleton in '' Hairspray'' and Sheila in ''Hai ...

. Luff made her ''

'' debut on April 30, 2013 with the 1st National Tour, alongside

Jennifer Gambatese Jenn Gambatese (born September 10, 1975) is an American actress and singer. Gambatese has performed in the musical production of Disney's ''Tarzan'' as Jane. Gambatese also played Glinda on the first National Tour of '' Wicked''. Early life an ...

Glinda Glinda is a fictional character created by L. Frank Baum for his ''Oz'' novels. She first appears in Baum's 1900 children's classic ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'', and is the most powerful sorceress in the Land of Oz, ruler of the Quadling Coun ...

. She took a short break from Elphaba July 2 to 7, 2013, in which time the role was played by

Dee Roscioli Dee Roscioli (born Danielle Marie Roscioli on July 20, 1977) is an American singer and actress, who is known for her performances as Elphaba in the Broadway, Chicago, San Francisco, and national touring productions of the musical ''Wicked''. E ...

. She played her final performance as Elphaba on April 20, 2014, with

Gina Beck Gina or GINA or ''variation'' may refer to: Gina Gina may refer to: * Gina (given name), multiple individuals * Gina (Canaan), a town in ancient Canaan * Arihant (Jainism), also called gina, a term for a human who has conquered his or her inner p ...

as Glinda. She was replaced by Emma Hunton as Elphaba. Luff played Miss Honey in the Broadway production of ''

Matilda Matilda or Mathilda may refer to: Animals * Matilda (chicken) (1990–2006), World's Oldest Living Chicken record holder * Matilda (horse) (1824–1846), British Thoroughbred racehorse * Matilda, a dog of the professional wrestling tag-team The ...

'', in which she performed from September 6, 2014, to September 6, 2015. She played Charlie Jane in the

Pasadena Playhouse The Pasadena Playhouse is a historic performing arts venue located 39 S. El Molino Avenue in Pasadena, California, United States. The 686-seat auditorium produces a variety of cultural and artistic events, professional shows, and community engage ...

production of ''Breaking Through'' until the end of the show's run on November 22, 2015. Luff then starred as

Fantine Fantine (French pronunciation: ) is a fictional character in Victor Hugo's 1862 novel ''Les Misérables''. She is a young '' grisette'' in Paris who becomes pregnant by a rich student. After he abandons her, she is forced to look after their chil ...

in the second Broadway revival of ''Les Misérables'' from February 2016 until the production's closing in September 2016. From October 20 to December 2, 2017, Luff starred in the pre-Broadway tour of ''

Escape to Margaritaville '' Escape to Margaritaville'' is a 2017 American jukebox musical by Greg Garcia (producer), Greg Garcia and Mike O'Malley, based on the songs of Jimmy Buffett. The plot revolves around a part-time bartender and singer who falls for a career-minded ...

'' as Rachel. She reprised her role in the Broadway production from March 15 to July 1, 2018. She also starred as Jenna in ''Waitress'' from July 23, 2019, to September 15, 2019.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Luff, Alison American stage actresses 1988 births 21st-century American women singers People from Spring, Texas Living people 21st-century American singers