Kim Criswell
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Kim Criswell (born July 19, 1957) is an American musical entertainer and actress.


Life and career

Criswell was born in
Hampton, Virginia Hampton () is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 137,148. It is the List ...
, United States, and grew up in
Chattanooga, Tennessee Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020 ...
. After she graduated from
Hixson High School Hixson High School is a public high school in the Hamilton County Schools system located in the Chattanooga, Tennessee, suburb of Hixson, with grades 9–12. History Hixson High School was founded in 1909. Its current site opened in 1966. It h ...
in suburban Chattanooga, she studied musical theatre at the
University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati) is a public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1819 as Cincinnati College, it is the oldest institution of higher education in Cincinnati and has an annual enrollment of over 44,0 ...
's College Conservatory of Music. She then moved to
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
where she landed a role in the touring company of '' Annie''. She made her Broadway debut in '' The First'' in 1981. She has been in numerous musicals and has appeared with some of America's leading symphony orchestras as the featured soloist. She won the
Helen Hayes Award The Helen Hayes Awards are theater awards recognizing excellence in professional theater in the Washington, D.C. area since 1983. The awards are named in tribute of Helen Hayes, who is also known as the "First Lady of American Theatre." They ar ...
in 1989 for her 1988 performance in ''
Side By Side By Sondheim ''Side by Side by Sondheim'' is a musical revue featuring the songs of Broadway and film composer Stephen Sondheim. Its title is derived from the song "Side by Side by Side" from ''Company''. History The musical had its origins when David ...
'' at the Olney Theatre in Washington. In September 1991, she presented her one-woman show ''Doin What Comes Naturally'', at the Shaw Theatre in London. She has lived in
London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
since 1992, when she was invited to play Annie Oakley in
Irving Berlin Irving Berlin (born Israel Beilin; yi, ישראל ביילין; May 11, 1888 – September 22, 1989) was a Russian-American composer, songwriter and lyricist. His music forms a large part of the Great American Songbook. Born in Imperial Russ ...
's musical '' Annie Get Your Gun''. On August 1, 2009, she was a featured soloist in the " BBC Proms 2009: a Celebration of Classic MGM Film Musicals" at the
Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...
. On that evening she performed a number of songs including: " The Trolley Song", " Over the Rainbow" and " Get Happy" all originally made famous by
Judy Garland Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. While critically acclaimed for many different roles throughout her career, she is widely known for playing the part of Dorothy Gale in '' The ...
. She additionally performed the songs "
I Got Rhythm "I Got Rhythm" is a piece composed by George Gershwin with lyrics by Ira Gershwin and published in 1930, which became a jazz standard. Its chord progression, known as the " rhythm changes", is the foundation for many other popular jazz tunes suc ...
" (also in Garland's repertoire) and "
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire ''Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?'' (often informally called ''Millionaire'') is an international television game show franchise of British origin, created by David Briggs, Mike Whitehill and Steven Knight. In its format, currently owned and l ...
" in a duet with
Seth MacFarlane Seth Woodbury MacFarlane (; born October 26, 1973) is an American actor, animator, filmmaker, comedian, and singer. He is the creator and star of the television series '' Family Guy'' (since 1999) and '' The Orville'' (since 2017), and co-creat ...
. On October 4, 2009, she was a featured artist at the ''Broadway to West End'' Gala in the Theatre Royal Drury Lane. She repeated her Proms Concert success when she appeared in a Rodgers and Hammerstein evening, once again with the
John Wilson Orchestra The John Wilson Orchestra was formed by British orchestral conductor John Wilson in 1994. It is a symphony orchestra that includes a jazz big band. It performs the original arrangements of MGM musicals and the works of Rodgers and Hammerstein. ...
at The Royal Albert Hall with opera singer Rod Gilfry in August 2010. In January 2012, she performed at Vienna's Volksoper, starring in Bernstein's ''
Candide ( , ) is a French satire written by Voltaire, a philosopher of the Age of Enlightenment, first published in 1759. The novella has been widely translated, with English versions titled ''Candide: or, All for the Best'' (1759); ''Candide: or, Th ...
''.


Musicals

*''The First'' (1981) as ''Hilda/ensemble'' *'' Nine'' (1982) as ''Francesca'' (also as ''Claudia''-first replacement) *'' Baby'' (1983) as ''Narrator/Sixth Woman'' *''
Jesus Christ Superstar ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' is a sung-through rock opera with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. Loosely based on the Gospels' accounts of the Passion, the work interprets the psychology of Jesus and other characters, with ...
'' at Papermill Playhouse as ''Mary Magdalene'' *''
Cats The cat (''Felis catus'') is a domestic species of small carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and is commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from the wild members o ...
'' (1985-1986 LA Production) as ''Grizabella'' *''Stardust'' (1986) as ''Soloist'' *''Three Musketeers'' (1983) as ''Queen Anne'' *''Side By Side By Sondheim'' (1988) *''
The Threepenny Opera ''The Threepenny Opera'' ( ) is a " play with music" by Bertolt Brecht, adapted from a translation by Elisabeth Hauptmann of John Gay's 18th-century English ballad opera, '' The Beggar's Opera'', and four ballads by François Villon, with mu ...
'' (1989) at Lunt Fontanne Theatre, Broadway as ''Lucy Brown'' *''Annie Get Your Gun'' (1992) at Prince Of Wales Theatre, London as ''Annie Oakley'' *'' I Married an Angel'' at Theatre Off Park as ''Peggy'' *'' Dames at Sea'' (1996) as ''Mona Kent'' *''The Slow Drag'' (1997) as ''June Wedding'' *''
Of Thee I Sing ''Of Thee I Sing'' is a musical with a score by George Gershwin, lyrics by Ira Gershwin and a book by George S. Kaufman and Morrie Ryskind. The musical lampoons American politics; the story concerns John P. Wintergreen, who runs for President o ...
'' (1998) as ''Diana Deaveraux'' *''
Wonderful Town ''Wonderful Town'' is a 1953 musical with book written by Joseph A. Fields and Jerome Chodorov, lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, and music by Leonard Bernstein. The musical tells the story of two sisters who aspire to be a writer and act ...
'' (1999) as ''Ruth Sherwood'' *''Hollywood and Broadway II -Herself, Bonnie Langford&
Wayne Sleep Wayne Philip Colin Sleep (born 17 July 1948) is a British dancer, director, choreographer, and actor who appeared on the BBC series '' The Real Marigold on Tour'' and ITV's '' The Real Full Monty''. Early life Sleep was born in Plymouth, D ...
- 1993 *''Anything Goes'' (2002) at Grange Park Opera as ''Reno Sweeney'' *''
Call Me Madam ''Call Me Madam'' is a musical written by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, with music and lyrics by Irving Berlin. The musical is a satire on politics and foreign policy that spoofs postwar America's penchant for lending billions of dollars to ...
'' (2004) at Goodspeed Opera House as ''Mrs. Sally Adams'' *''
Into The Woods ''Into the Woods'' is a 1987 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. The musical intertwines the plots of several Brothers Grimm fairy tales, exploring the consequences of the characters' wishes and quests. T ...
'' (2006) as ''The Witch'' *''
Candide ( , ) is a French satire written by Voltaire, a philosopher of the Age of Enlightenment, first published in 1759. The novella has been widely translated, with English versions titled ''Candide: or, All for the Best'' (1759); ''Candide: or, Th ...
'' (2006) at the Théâtre du Châtelet (Paris - France) as ''The Old Woman'' *''
The Sound of Music ''The Sound of Music'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, ''The Story of the Trapp Family Singers''. S ...
'' (2009) at the Théâtre du Châtelet (Paris - France) as ''The Mother Abbess'' *''
Hysteria Hysteria is a term used colloquially to mean ungovernable emotional excess and can refer to a temporary state of mind or emotion. In the nineteenth century, hysteria was considered a diagnosable physical illness in women. It is assumed that ...
'' (2011) as ''Mrs. Castellari'' *'' Carrie'' (2015) at the Southwark Playhouse (London) as Margaret White


Films

*''
The Man Who Made Husbands Jealous ''The Man Who Made Husbands Jealous'' (1993) is a novel written by Jilly Cooper as part of the Rutshire Chronicles, about a womanizer who gets embroiled in a scheme to punish wayward husbands. The book was first published in hardback in 1993 a ...
'' (1997) as Georgie Maguire


Recordings

"Dearest Enemy" (2012) Mary Murray


Solo albums

*''The Human Cry'' (1993) *''The Lorelei'' (1994) *''Back to Before'' (1999) *''Something to Dance About''


References


External links


Interview with Kim Criswell
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Criswell, Kim 1957 births Living people University of Cincinnati – College-Conservatory of Music alumni