Christine Danelson (born May 22, 1987) is an American actress best known as the understudy for the role of Tracy in the national tour of the
Broadway musical ''
Hairspray.''
Danelson performed as Tracy nearly 60 times during the tour, and was critically well-regarded, with one Reno reviewer commenting, "As Tracy, Danelson is the show's centerpiece and she's terrific."
Born in
Union County and raised in
Clark
Clark is an English language surname, ultimately derived from the Latin with historical links to England, Scotland, and Ireland ''clericus'' meaning "scribe", "secretary" or a scholar within a religious order, referring to someone who was educate ...
, Danelson attended
Mother Seton Regional High School. She trained at the
Paper Mill Playhouse in
Millburn, New Jersey, and at the
New Jersey Performing Arts Center
The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), in downtown Newark, New Jersey, United States, is one of the largest performing arts centers in the United States. Home to the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra (NJSO), more than nine million visitors (i ...
in
Newark, New Jersey
Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.[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 on ...]
'' episodes and in two feature films, ''
My Sassy Girl
''My Sassy Girl'' ( ko, 엽기적인 그녀, Yeopgijeogin Geunyeo, That Bizarre Girl) is a 2001 South Korean romantic comedy film directed by Kwak Jae-yong, starring Jun Ji-hyun and Cha Tae-hyun. The film is based on a true story told in a series ...
'' and ''
Burn Card''.
In 2010, she graduated cum laude from
Kean University
Kean University () is a public university in Union Township, Union County, New Jersey, Union and Hillside, New Jersey. It is part of New Jersey's public system of higher education.
Kean University was founded in 1855 in Newark, New Jersey, as th ...
in Union, New Jersey where she was named the 2008 Kean Idol.
In June 2010, Christine Danelson was a part of the
Off-Broadway
An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...
production of ''Cloaked'', a retelling of ''
Little Red Riding Hood
"Little Red Riding Hood" is a European fairy tale about a young girl and a sly wolf. Its origins can be traced back to several pre-17th century European folk tales. The two best known versions were written by Charles Perrault and the Brother ...
''. Later that year, she starred as the lead in ''Hairspray'' at the Paper Mill Playhouse. Christine was very well received at the Paper Mill and received many outstanding reviews. Peter Filichia of
The Star-Ledger
''The Star-Ledger'' is the largest circulated newspaper in the U.S. state of New Jersey and is based in Newark. It is a sister paper to ''The Jersey Journal'' of Jersey City, ''The Times'' of Trenton and the '' Staten Island Advance'', all of wh ...
suggested that show was better than Broadway stating:
''One reason ''Hairspray'' is more believable in Millburn is Christine Danelson. While she dons the requisite fat suit to display Tracy’s girth, Danelson is one of the most attractive young women to have played the role. And she seems to go from one frenetic dance number to the next without shedding even a single bead of perspiration."
''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' also offered its opinion of Danelson's performance at the Paper Mill:
"A young veteran of the show’s national tour, Christine Danelson is a joyful sweetheart as Tracy, with a mischievous Bette Midleresque face and a strong, yet fittingly cooing voice. Effortlessly gyrating through the dances — even when she snapped a shoe strap during the finale on opening night — Ms. Danelson blesses Tracy with a touch of vulnerability that makes viewers root for her ingenuous character’s triumph over Baltimore’s racism and skinnier girls."
Danelson has been a resident of
.
[Fowler, Linda]
"N.J. native Marc Shaiman drops in on Paper Mill's production of his Broadway hit ''Hairspray''"
NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, December 23, 2010, updated April 1, 2019. Accessed May 3, 2020. "He’s returned several times since and, with Wittman, has coached kids in the theater’s summer conservatory — one of whom was Christine Danelson of Somerville, who on this evening is playing ''Hairspray’s'' heroine, Tracy Turnblad."
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Danelson, Christine
American musical theatre actresses
1987 births
Living people
Actresses from Somerville, New Jersey
People from Clark, New Jersey
21st-century American women