Janet Dacal (born in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

) is an American actress, singer, and performer in musical theatre. She received the

Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. Fo ...

for her performance 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 Stree ...

musical ''

In the Heights ''In the Heights'' is a musical theatre, musical with concept, music, and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda and a Book (musical theatre), book by Quiara Alegría Hudes. The story is set over the course of three days, involving characters in the larg ...

''.

Early life

Dacal's parents are from the

La Vibora La Vibora (The Viper) is a steel bobsled roller coaster at Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington, Texas, United States. History The ride's cars do not run on conventional tubular rails, but instead travel through a winding half-pipe trough that em ...

neighborhood of

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

, though she was born and grew up in Los Angeles. In an interview, Dacal said, "My mom says that when I was four, I would grab a brush and pretend to sing songs into a microphone . . . I was the little girl of the family, and they loved to see me dance around and make people laugh." In Los Angeles, Dacal attended a performing arts middle school and high school. Dacal moved to Miami when she was 17, where she continued to be involved in the arts. After graduating from Coral Park High School, she attend

Florida International University Florida International University (FIU) is a public university, public research university with its main campus in Miami-Dade County. Founded in 1965, the school opened its doors to students in 1972. FIU has grown to become the third-largest uni ...

, initially pursuing a theater degree but later switching to a communications degree. In college, she worked in the recording studios of Emilio and Gloria Estefan and eventually other Latin pop stars. She discovered her passion for theater after she performed in the Miami production of ''Four Guys Named Jose…and Una Mujer Named Maria''.

Career

In 2004, Dacal made her Broadway debut in the original cast of ''

Good Vibrations "Good Vibrations" is a song by the American rock band the Beach Boys that was composed by Brian Wilson with lyrics by Mike Love. It was released as a single on October 10, 1966 and was an immediate critical and commercial hit, topping record c ...

''. She then originated the role of beauty salon worker Carla in the 2007

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 ...

musical ''

'', for which she won a

. Dacal reprised this role for the musical's 2008 Broadway transfer. In addition to playing Carla, she understudied

Karen Olivo Karen Olivo (born August 7, 1976) is an American stage and television actor, theater educator, and singer. In 2008, Olivo originated the role of Vanessa in ''In the Heights'' on Broadway. The following year, they won the 2009 Tony Award for Best ...

as Vanessa and

Mandy Gonzalez Mandy Gonzalez (born August 22, 1978)Mandy Gonzalez
on

She has appeared in a ''Musicals Tonight!'' concert in New York City, and also performed with the cast of ''In the Heights'' at the " Broadway in Bryant Park" festival in July 2009. She returned to ''In the Heights'' on February 19, 2010, as Nina Rosario, playing her last performance in August 2010. Dacal appeared in 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 ''

Byzantium Byzantium () or Byzantion ( grc, Βυζάντιον) was an ancient Greek city in classical antiquity that became known as Constantinople in late antiquity and Istanbul today. The Greek name ''Byzantion'' and its Latinization ''Byzantium'' cont ...

''. Regionally, she has appeared in a

South Florida South Florida is the southernmost region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is one of Florida's three most commonly referred to directional regions; the other two are Central Florida and North Florida. South Florida is the southernmost part of th ...

production of ''Five Course Love'', for which she received a

Carbonell Award The Carbonell Awards recognize excellent theater in the South Florida region of the United States annually. The awards are named after the sculptor Manuel Carbonell, who designed the bronze and marble award that is given to the winners. Voting is ...

nomination. At the

2011 Outback Bowl The 2011 Outback Bowl, a college football bowl game, matched the Florida Gators of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) against the Penn State Nittany Lions of the Big Ten. The 25th edition of the Outback Bowl, it was played at Raymond James Stadiu ...

, held on January 1, 2011, in

Tampa Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the seat of Hillsborough County ...

, Florida, Dacal performed "

The Star-Spangled Banner "The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States. The lyrics come from the "Defence of Fort M'Henry", a poem written on September 14, 1814, by 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet Francis Scott Key after witnessing the b ...

". She participated in the ''Young People's Chorus'' fundraising gala, titled ''Dreamer'', at the

Frederick P. Rose Hall Jazz at Lincoln Center is part of Lincoln Center in New York City. The organization was founded in 1987 and opened at Time Warner Center in October 2004. Wynton Marsalis is the artistic director and the leader of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orches ...

in the

Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 millio ...

on March 7, 2011. Dacal then starred in several out-of-town tryouts of the musical '' Wonderland'', for which she received encouraging reviews. The ''

Sarasota Herald-Tribune The ''Sarasota Herald-Tribune'' is a daily newspaper, located in Sarasota, Florida, founded in 1925 as the ''Sarasota Herald''. History The newspaper was owned by The New York Times Company from 1982 to 2012. It was then owned by Halifax Media ...

'' wrote that she had "a strong voice and presence." Dacal reprised her role as Alice in the

production of the musical at the

Marquis Theatre The Marquis Theatre is a Broadway theater on the third floor of the New York Marriott Marquis hotel in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1986, it is operated by the Nederlander Organization. There are about ...

, which began performances in March 2011. However, after negative reviews and bad ticket sales, the production closed on May 15, 2011. In July–November 2017, Dacal starred in the limited-run musical ''

Prince of Broadway ''Prince of Broadway'' is a musical revue showcasing the producing career of Harold Prince. Prince himself directed the production, his final Broadway credit. The show features a book by two-time Tony Award nominee David Thompson and is co-dir ...

'' where she was a leading performer. From January 3, 2020 until the March 2020 coronavirus shutdown, Dacal played Dina in the national tour of ''

The Band's Visit ''The Band's Visit'' ( he, ביקור התזמורת, Bikur Ha-Tizmoret) is a 2007 comedy-drama film, directed and written by Eran Kolirin, and starring Saleh Bakri, Ronit Elkabetz, Sasson Gabai and Uri Gavriel. It is an international co-pro ...

''. She resumed playing Dina when the tour restarted in autumn 2021.

Recordings

In 2007, she provided background vocals for the album ''

Mi tiempo ''Mi Tiempo'' (''My Time'') is the 13th studio album recorded by Puerto Rican performer Chayanne. This album was released by Sony BMG Norte and Columbia Records on April 10, 2007 (see 2007 in music). The album was produced by Sebastián de Peyr ...

'' by

Chayanne Elmer Figueroa Arce (born June 28, 1968), better known under the stage name Chayanne, is a Puerto Rican Latin pop singer and actor. As a solo artist, Chayanne has released 21 albums and sold over 50 million records worldwide, making him one of ...

. Dacal can also be heard on the cast recordings of ''

'' (2008), '' Wonderland'' (2011), and ''

'' (2018). In an interview, she stated that she hopes to collaborate on a

solo album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records coll ...

with ''Wonderland'' composer

Frank Wildhorn Frank Wildhorn (born November 29, 1958) is an American composer of both musicals and popular songs. His musical ''Jekyll & Hyde'' ran for four years on Broadway. He also wrote the #1 International hit song "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" for Whitne ...

, although no official plan has been made.

References

External links

* *
archive
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dacal, Janet American musical theatre actresses Living people Drama Desk Award winners American people of Cuban descent People from Los Angeles Year of birth missing (living people) Florida International University alumni 21st-century American women