Marla Schaffel is an American actress, especially in musical theatre, noted for her award winning performance in the title role in the musical adaptation of ''

Jane Eyre ''Jane Eyre'' ( ; originally published as ''Jane Eyre: An Autobiography'') is a novel by the English writer Charlotte Brontë. It was published under her pen name "Currer Bell" on 19 October 1847 by Smith, Elder & Co. of London. The first ...

''.

Personal life

Schaffel was raised in

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

,"Marla Schaffel Biography
filmreference.com, retrieved February 24, 2010 and attended Miami Palmetto High School. She attended the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most elit ...

's drama division,"Schaffel Biography"
masterworksbroadway.com, retrieved February 24, 2010 as a member of ''Group 19'' (1986–1990), where her classmates included

Jeanne Tripplehorn Jeanne Marie Tripplehorn (born June 10, 1963) is an American actress. She began her career on stage, acting in several plays throughout the early 1990s, including Anton Chekhov's '' Three Sisters'' on Broadway. Her film career began with the ro ...

and Laura Linney. She then attended the Moscow Art Theatre School and was featured at the first Soviet International Theatre Festival. She graduated from Juilliard in 1990.

Career

Schaffel's first major acting job was in 1991 with the original

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 ...

production of ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its origin ...

'', as a swing and understudying the role of

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 ...

. She performed opposite

Natalie Toro Natalie Toro is an American singer and actress for stage, television, and film. Early life and education Toro was born in Bronx, NY, where her parents both immigrated to from Puerto Rico. She debuted at the Apollo Theater at the age of five. Lat ...

(as Eponine) and J. Mark McVey (as Valjean). She left the theatre after turning down the coveted role of Christine Daaé in Andrew Lloyd Webber's ''

The Phantom of the Opera ''The Phantom of the Opera'' (french: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra) is a novel by French author Gaston Leroux. It was first published as a serial in from 23 September 1909 to 8 January 1910, and was released in volume form in late March 1910 by Pier ...

''. She had a small role in the television series Kung Fu: The Legend Continues, as Tyler Smith, Peter Caine's girlfriend in season 1. In 1995, she won over several competitors for the title role in the

Manhattan Theatre Club Manhattan Theatre Club (MTC) is a theatre company located in New York City, affiliated with the League of Resident Theatres. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Lynne Meadow and Executive Producer Barry Grove, Manhattan Theatre Club has g ...

workshop of ''Jane Eyre - The Musical''. She was featured alongside

Anthony Crivello Anthony Crivello (born August 2, 1955) is an American actor who has appeared in the original cast of several Broadway shows, including ''Les Misérables'', '' Kiss of the Spider Woman'', '' Golden Boy'', '' Marie Christine'', and '' The News''. ...

Edward Rochester Edward Fairfax Rochester (often referred to as Mr Rochester) is a character in Charlotte Brontë's 1847 novel ''Jane Eyre''. The brooding master of Thornfield Hall, Rochester is the employer and eventual husband of the novel's titular protagonist ...

and Mary Stout as Mrs. Fairfax. Later that year, she was featured in the world première of the musical, starring these two as well, in

Wichita, Kansas Wichita ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 397,532. The Wichita metro area had a population of 647,610 in 2020. It is located in ...

at the Center for Arts. In 1996, the musical had its Canadian premiere at The Royal Alexandra Theatre in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

. The show released a cast recording. In 1995, she starred in the title role of '' Evita'', as part of the national tour in order to promote the film. In 1997, she starred as Maria in ''

West Side Story ''West Side Story'' is a musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play '' Romeo and Juliet'', the story is set in the mid ...

'' at the Westchester Broadway Theatre in New York. She starred in Julie Davis' first film ''

I Love You, Don't Touch Me! ''I Love You, Don't Touch Me!'' is a 1997 American independent romantic comedy film written and directed by Julie Davis and starring Marla Schaffel and Mitchell Whitfield. Plot Katie is a 25-year-old virgin living in Los Angeles who wants to ...

'', which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 1997. She played her second Broadway role in ''

Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British passenger liner, operated by the White Star Line, which sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 after striking an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, Unit ...

'', as a replacement for the role of Caroline Neville, from April 14, 1998 until March 28, 1999. Following ''Titanic'', ''

'' received its Broadway try-out at the

La Jolla Playhouse La Jolla Playhouse is a not-for-profit, professional theatre on the campus of the University of California, San Diego. History La Jolla Playhouse was founded in 1947 by Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire, and Mel Ferrer. In 1983, it was revived under ...

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United State ...

from July to September 1999. Schaffel was cast once more as Jane, with former castmates Mary Stout, Elizabeth DeGrazia and Don Richard; joining as Rochester was James Stacy Barbour. ''Jane Eyre'' opened on Broadway at the

Brooks Atkinson Theatre The Lena Horne Theatre (previously the Mansfield Theatre and the Brooks Atkinson Theatre) is a Broadway theater at 256 West 47th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1926, it was designed by Herbert ...

on December 10, 2000. The show received mixed notices, several of which claimed Marla was too pretty to play a "Plain Jane". The show announced a closing for May 20, but Alanis Morissette (a Canadian herself, as was the composer and many of the cast including DeGrazia) supported the show to last out through the

Tony Awards 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 c ...

, for which was nominated as Best Leading Actress. Jane Eyre closed on June 10, 2001. Before ''Jane Eyre'' opened on Broadway, she originated and created the role of Judith in the play ''Glimmerglass'' at the

Goodspeed Opera House Goodspeed Musicals is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and advancement of musical theater and the creation of new works, located in East Haddam, Connecticut. A distinctive feature of the view from the Connecticut River, th ...

for the world première in 1999. Schaffel appeared in the York Theatre Company's production of '' Enter Laughing'' as Angela. The show opened in January 2009 and closed in March. Schaffel has been Artist-in-Residence at

The Mirror Theater Ltd The Mirror Theater was founded by Sabra Jones in 1983, who was also the Founding Artistic Director. The first program of the theater was the Mirror Repertory Company (MRC). Founding members of the company included Eva Le Gallienne, John Stras ...

’s GAAR in Greensboro, Vermont since 2012 and has performed in numerous productions to universally positive reviews.Joseph Gresser,
Greensboro Arts Alliance — a well kept secret
, ''The Chronicle'' (Barton, Vermont), July 26, 2013.

Awards and nominations

; Awards *2001 - Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical – ''Jane Eyre'' *2001 - Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Actress in a Musical – ''Jane Eyre'' ; Nominations *2001 - Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical – ''Jane Eyre'' *2002 - Leon Rabin Award for Outstanding Performance by a Leading Actress – ''My Fair Lady'' (Dallas Production)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Schaffel, Marla 1968 births Living people American musical theatre actresses Juilliard School alumni 21st-century American actresses Actresses from Miami 20th-century American actresses American film actresses