Opening Night: An Evening with Sutton Foster

Sutton Foster currently stars as Liza in the critically-acclaimed TV Land series, “Younger.” Created by “Sex in the City’s” Darren Star and styled by the iconic Pat Field, the series centers around a 40-year-old suburban single mother, Liza, who re-invents herself as a 26-year-old in order to get a job at a publishing company. Also starring Hilary Duff, Nico Tortorella, Miriam Shor and Debi Mazar, the series returned for its third season in September 2016.

Previously, Foster starred as Michelle Simms in Amy Sherman-Palladino’s ABC Family series, “Bunheads.”  The series is about a former ballerina turned Las Vegas showgirl who gets married on a whim and winds up teaching alongside her new mother-in-law at her ballet school in a sleepy costal town. Sutton earned a Critics’ Choice Television Award nomination for Best Actress in a Comedy Series for her performance in the role. Sutton recently reunited with Amy Sherman-Palladino as she had a guest starring role in the highly-anticipated Netflix revival, “Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life” which was released on November 25, 2016.

Sutton is a two-time Tony winning actress, singer and dancer who is currently starring in the title role of the New Group’s 50th anniversary revival of Sweet Charity. Directed by Violet director Leigh Silverman, the show is running at the Pershing Square Signature Center in November 2016. Sutton previously starred in the title role of Jeanine Tesori and Brian Crawley’s Tony-nominated Broadway revival, Violet, earning Tony, Drama League, Drama Desk, Outer Critic Circle and Broadway.com Audience Choice Award nominations for her performance. Sutton performed the role of Violet in the acclaimed concert performance at City Center Encores! Off-Center in July 2013.  Sutton also recently appeared on stage as Queenie in New York City Center Encores! Off-Center’s production of The Wild Party in July 2015.

Perhaps best-known for her role as Reno Sweeney in the Roundabout Theatre Company’s revival of Anything Goes at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre, Foster earned a 2011 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical, as well as the Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, the Fred and Adele Astaire, and Broadway.com’s Audience Favorite Awards for her performance as a former Evangelist, now nightclub singer, aboard an ocean liner bound from New York to London.

Under the direction of Michael Mayer, Sutton previously starred as Millie Dillmount, a young, modern woman from Kansas who travels to New York City intending to marry for money, in the 2002 Broadway production of Thoroughly Modern Millie at the Marquis Theatre.  Originating the role, Sutton established herself as one of the greatest talents in the industry and earned a Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical, as well as the Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, and the Fred and Adele Astaire Awards for her performance.

In addition to her Tony-winning performances, Foster originated numerous notable roles, most recently, Princess Fiona in Jeanine Tesori and David Lindsay-Abaire’s Shrek The Musical at The Broadway Theatre.  Starring opposite Brian d’Arcy James, she won her second Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical and was nominated for a Tony, Drama League, and Drama Desk Awards.  Foster also originated the role of Inga, the yodeling lab assistant to Dr. Frederick Frankenstein, in Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan’s parody of the horror film genre, Young Frankenstein, at Foxwoods Theatre.

Her performance as Janet Van De Graaff in Casey Nicholaw’s The Drowsy Chaperone at the Marquis Theatre in 2006 earned her Tony Award, Drama Desk, Drama League, Outer Critics Circle, and Ovation Award nominations.  Previously, Sutton took on the role of Jo, the brassy, tomboy, and aspiring writer, in the 2005 Broadway production of Little Women, directed by Susan H. Schulman at the Virginia Theatre.  For this role, she earned Tony, Drama Desk, Drama League and Outer Critics Circle nominations.  Among her other theater credits include:  Les Miserable, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Annie and Grease.  In addition, Foster made her Off-Broadway debut as Prudence in Paul Weitz’s comedy Trust which showed at Second Stage Theatre and starred Zach Braff, Bobby Cannavale, and Ari Graynor.

As a solo artist, Sutton has toured the country with her hit solo concert which featured songs from her debut solo CD “Wish” as well as her follow up CD, “An Evening With Sutton Foster: Live at the Cafe Carlyle.” She has also graced the stages of Carnegie Hall, Feinstein’s, Lincoln Center’s American Songbook series and many others.

Foster was first seen on television on “Star Search” at the young age 15, and has more recently appeared in HBO’s comedy series “Flight of the Conchords,” USA Network’s “Royal Pains,” “Law & Order: SUV” and “Elementary.”  She has also made guest appearances on the well-known children series Disney’s “Johnny and the Sprites,” and PBS’s “Sesame Street.”

In 2014, Sutton made her feature film debut in Phil Alden Robinson’s The Angriest Man in Brooklyn.  Featuring an all-star cast including Mila Kunis, Peter Dinklage, Robin Williams, Melissa Leo and James Earl Jones, the film tells the story of a physician who accidentally tells an obnoxious patient that he has a brain aneurism and only ninety minutes to live. As the patient races around the city, trying to right his wrongs, the doctor attempts to find him as he tries to find what he must do in the final moments of his life. Sutton also appeared as Kerry in James Roday’s Halloween American comedy horror film Gravy.

Sutton Foster currently splits her time between New York City and Los Angeles.