Laurie Hope Beechman (April , â€" March , ) was an American actress
and singer, known for her work in Broadway musicals. She also had a
career as a cabaret performer and recording artist. After her death,
the West Bank Cafe Downstairs Theater Bar in New York was renamed the
Laurie Beechman Theatre.Beechman made her Broadway debut in the
original production of Annie. For her role as the narrator in the
original Broadway production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor
Dreamcoat, she was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured
Actress in a Musical. She then went on to be the first actress to play
the role of Grizabella in the US national touring production of Cats
in , before replacing Betty Buckley in the Broadway production in .
She would play the role on Broadway for over four years. She also
starred in the Broadway productions of The Pirates of Penzance () and
Les Misérables () and returned to the role of Grizabella for four
months in , when Cats became the longest running musical in Broadway
history.Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Beechman possessed an
incredible singing voice, powerful, yet subtle and nuanced. After
moving to Haddon Township, New Jersey, she graduated from Haddon
Township High School in .Laurie performed in an acoustic folk-rock
group with Rick Ferrante and Roy Baker called The Destiny Trio during
the summers of and in North Wildwood, NJ, at a small club called the
Manor Lounge. She subsequently enrolled at New York University.
Dropping out of NYU after a few years, Beechman made her Broadway
debut in as part of the original cast of Annie, playing five
different roles. This led to small roles in the Public Theater's
production of The Pirates of Penzance and the film version of Hair.
and singer, known for her work in Broadway musicals. She also had a
career as a cabaret performer and recording artist. After her death,
the West Bank Cafe Downstairs Theater Bar in New York was renamed the
Laurie Beechman Theatre.Beechman made her Broadway debut in the
original production of Annie. For her role as the narrator in the
original Broadway production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor
Dreamcoat, she was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured
Actress in a Musical. She then went on to be the first actress to play
the role of Grizabella in the US national touring production of Cats
in , before replacing Betty Buckley in the Broadway production in .
She would play the role on Broadway for over four years. She also
starred in the Broadway productions of The Pirates of Penzance () and
Les Misérables () and returned to the role of Grizabella for four
months in , when Cats became the longest running musical in Broadway
history.Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Beechman possessed an
incredible singing voice, powerful, yet subtle and nuanced. After
moving to Haddon Township, New Jersey, she graduated from Haddon
Township High School in .Laurie performed in an acoustic folk-rock
group with Rick Ferrante and Roy Baker called The Destiny Trio during
the summers of and in North Wildwood, NJ, at a small club called the
Manor Lounge. She subsequently enrolled at New York University.
Dropping out of NYU after a few years, Beechman made her Broadway
debut in as part of the original cast of Annie, playing five
different roles. This led to small roles in the Public Theater's
production of The Pirates of Penzance and the film version of Hair.
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