Anika Larsen (born December 19, 1973) is an American actress and singer. She was nominated for the

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

for Best Featured Actress in a Musical in 2014 for portraying Cynthia Weil in '' Beautiful: The Carole King Musical''. Larsen has made an album of recordings titled, ''Sing You To Sleep''.

Personal life

Larsen was raised in

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston ...

in a blended family of adopted children, from Cambodia, Vietnam, and America. She studied theatre at

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

and performed in the a cappella choir, ''Shades''. In 2015 she married musician Freddie Maxwell and gave birth to their first child, a son named Kie Larsen Maxwell. In 2017, she gave birth to their second son, Ashe.

Career

Larsen made her Broadway debut in 2000 in the ensemble of '' Rent''. In 2002 she originated the role of Roberta in the cult Off-Broadway musical, ''

Zanna, Don't! ''Zanna, Don't!'' (subtitled "A Musical Fairy Tale") is a 2003 musical written by Tim Acito with additional lyrics and material by Alexander Dinelaris. The story is set in a parallel universe where homosexuality is the norm and heterosexuality i ...

'', for which she received a

Lucille Lortel Award The Lucille Lortel Awards recognize excellence in New York Off-Broadway theatre. The Awards are named for Lucille Lortel, an actress and theater producer, and have been awarded since 1986. They are produced by the League of Off-Broadway Theatre ...

nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. In 2005 she again appeared on Broadway in the ensemble of '' All Shook Up'' and in 2007 performed in the original Broadway ensemble of '' Xanadu''. She has also performed in '' Avenue Q'' playing the role of Lucy the Slut/Kate Monster on National Tour, Broadway, and Off-Broadway. In 2019, The

Old Globe Theatre The Old Globe is a professional theatre company located in Balboa Park in San Diego, California. It produces about 15 plays and musicals annually in summer and winter seasons. Plays are performed in three separate theatres in the complex, which i ...

premiered the musical ''Almost Famous'', based on the

Cameron Crowe Cameron Bruce Crowe (born July 13, 1957) is an American journalist, author, writer, producer, director, actor, lyricist, and playwright. Before moving into the film industry, Crowe was a contributing editor at '' Rolling Stone'' magazine, for w ...

film of the same name, with additional music and lyrics by Tom Kitt, with Larsen starring as Elaine Miller (played by

Frances McDormand Frances Louise McDormand (born Cynthia Ann Smith; June 23, 1957) is an American actress and producer. Throughout her career spanning over four decades, McDormand has received numerous accolades, including four Academy Awards, two Primetime Emm ...

in the film. Larsen is the founder of the Jaradoa Theatre Company, which combines performance with community service. In 2009 a musical based on her own life, titled ''Shafrika: The White Girl'', dealing with her experiences of living with a blended adoptive family, was staged at the

Vineyard Theatre The Vineyard Theatre is an Off-Broadway non-profit theatre company, located at 108 East 15th Street in Manhattan, New York City, near Union Square. Its first production was in 1981. It is best known for its productions of the Tony award-winning ...

References

External links

Official website
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Larsen, Anika 1973 births American stage actresses Living people Singers from Massachusetts 21st-century American singers 21st-century American actresses