Lauren Ashley Zakrin (born 1988 or 1989[1]) is an American musical theatre actress. She was a finalist in MTV's Legally Blonde: The Musical – The Search for Elle Woods, coming in fourth place overall. She has appeared on Broadway, as well as in national tours and regional theatre.
Lauren Zakrin | |
|---|---|
| Born | Lauren Ashley Zakrin 1988 or 1989 (age 35–36) Rochester, Michigan, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Western Michigan University (BFA) |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2008–present |
| Website | laurenashleyzakrin |
Early life and education
editZakrin was born in Rochester, Michigan, and attended Western Michigan University.[2][3]
Career
editZakrin first became known as a finalist on MTV's 2008 reality TV show Legally Blonde: The Musical – The Search for Elle Woods.[4] She made her professional acting debut as the understudy for the role of Elle Woods in the first US tour of the musical Legally Blonde; she and Laura Bell Bundy covered the role while Becky Gulsvig was unable to perform.[5] The following year, Zakrin acted as a replacement in the leading role of Sandy in the US tour of Grease.[6][7] From 2010 to 2011, she was an ensemble member and the understudy for Glinda in the first national tour of Wicked.[8]
During the summer of 2011, Zakrin played Elle Woods in a regional production of Legally Blonde at The Muny Theater in St. Louis, Missouri.[9] Following this, she starred as Brooke Pennington in the Las Vegas production of the 2012 Beach Boys musical Surf at Planet Hollywood, directed by Kristin Hanggi.[10] In 2013, she joined the Off-Broadway cast of Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 as an ensemble member, while understudying the roles of Natasha and Sonya.[11] She made her Broadway debut a year later, in 2014, as a replacement for the leading role of Sherrie in Rock of Ages.[3]
In 2015, Zakrin reprised her roles in the American Repertory Theater production of Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812.[12] She remained in the cast during the show's transfer to Broadway from the fall of 2016 until 2017, when it officially closed.[3] In 2017, she originated the role of Kathryn Merteuil in the Off-Broadway production of Cruel Intentions: The '90s Musical and remained in the show until its closure in 2018.[13]
Zakrin appeared as an ensemble member in the NBC television special Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert in 2018.[14] In early 2019, she played the lead role of Riley in the Off-Broadway musical We Are the Tigers.[15] Later that year, she played Audrey in a regional production of Little Shop of Horrors.[16] Zakrin was cast to play the role of Polly in the San Francisco production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, which opened in 2019.[17] She also understudied the roles of Delphi and Moaning Myrtle. The production temporarily closed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[18] In October 2021, Zakrin announced via Instagram that she would be joining the cast of Once Upon a One More Time during its tryout run at the Sidney Harman Hall in Washington D.C. as Ariel (based on the character from The Little Mermaid).[19] The production began performances on November 30, 2021, and concluded on January 9, 2022.
Theatre credits
edit| Year | Title | Role | Theatre | Director(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008–2009 | Legally Blonde | Elle Woods u/s | National tour | Jerry Mitchell | |
| 2009–2010 | Grease | Sandy Dumbrowski (replacement) | National tour | Kathleen Marshall | |
| 2010–2011 | Wicked | Ensemble (u/s Glinda) | National tour | Joe Mantello | |
| 2011 | Legally Blonde | Elle Woods | The Muny | Marc Bruni | |
| 2012 | Surf | Brooke Pennington | Planet Hollywood Las Vegas | Kristin Hanggi | |
| 2013 | Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 | Ensemble (u/s Natasha/Sonya) | Kazino Meatpacking District / Kazino Times Square | Rachel Chavkin | |
| 2014 | Rock of Ages | Sherrie Christian (replacement) | Helen Hayes Theatre | Kristin Hanggi | |
| 2015 | Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 | Ensemble (u/s Natasha) | American Repertory Theater (out-of-town tryout) | Rachel Chavkin | |
| 2016–2017 | Ensemble (u/s Natasha/Sonya) | Imperial Theatre | |||
| 2017–2018 | Cruel Intentions: The '90s Musical | Kathryn Merteuil | (Le) Poisson Rouge | Lindsey Rosin | |
| 2019 | We Are the Tigers | Riley Williams | Theatre 80 St. Marks | Michael Bello | |
| Little Shop of Horrors | Audrey | The Cape Playhouse | Michael Rader | ||
| 2019–2020 | Harry Potter and the Cursed Child | Polly Chapman (u/s Delphi/Myrtle) | Curran Theatre | John Tiffany | |
| 2021–2022 | Once Upon a One More Time | Little | Sidney Harman Hall (out-of-town tryout) | Keone and Mari Madrid | |
| 2022 | Harry Potter and the Cursed Child | Moaning Myrtle (u/s Delphi) | The Lyric Theatre | John Tiffany | |
| 2023 | Once Upon a One More Time | Little (u/s Cin/Snow White/Betany) | Marquis Theatre | Keone and Mari Madrid |
• Credits in bold indicate Broadway production(s)
Filmography
editTelevision
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Legally Blonde: The Musical – The Search for Elle Woods | Herself | Fourth place finalist[4] |
| 2018 | Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert | Ensemble |
References
edit- ^ Conley, Patti (2009-06-07). "'Legally Blonde' hits Pittsburgh". The Times. Retrieved 2021-05-29.
- ^ "Resume". LaurenAshleyZakrin.com. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e "Lauren Zakrin (Performer)". Playbill. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
- ^ a b Diamond, Robert (2009-11-29). "Ace Young, Allison Fischer, Laura D'Andre, Jesse JP Johnson and Jamison Scott Join GREASE TOUR". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved 2010-12-22.
- ^ a b Sierra, Gabrielle (2009-05-26). "Zakrin, Bundy Share The Spotlight As Elle In TPAC's LEGALLY BLONDE 6/15-6/29". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved 2010-12-22.
- ^ a b Lewis, Jessica (2009-10-23). "GREASE National Tour Welcomes Lauren Ashley Zakrin as 'Sandy,' 10/23". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved 2010-12-22.
- ^ "TALKING WITH LAUREN ASHLEY ZAKRIN… also known as SANDY". PlayhouseSquare.org. Archived from the original on 2014-02-01. Retrieved 2010-12-22.
- ^ a b "Wicked". WorldOfStage.com. Archived from the original on 2011-07-18. Retrieved 2010-12-22.
- ^ a b Rosky, Nicole (2011-06-16). "Lauren Ashley Zarkin to Lead MUNY's LEGALLY BLONDE; Complete Cast Announced!". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved 2021-05-29.
- ^ a b Hetrick, Adam (June 7, 2012). "Kristin Hanggi Will Direct Beach Boys Musical Surf; Lauren Zakrin, Adrian Zmed, Robert Torti to Star". Playbill.
- ^ a b Levitt, Hayley (2013-09-17). "The Downtown Cast of Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 Moves to Times Square for a Midtown Run". TheaterMania. Retrieved 2021-05-29.
- ^ a b Simoes, Monica (2015-11-30). "Pics! First Look at Proscenium Reinvention of Natasha Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 at A.R.T." Playbill.com. Retrieved 2021-05-29.
- ^ a b Stewart, Zachary (2017-12-11). "Cruel Intentions: The Musical". TheaterMania. Retrieved 2021-05-29.
- ^ Gans, Andrew (2018-04-02). "What Did Critics Think of NBC's Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert, Starring John Legend?". Playbill.com. Retrieved 2021-05-29.
- ^ a b Gans, Andrew (December 20, 2018). "The Great Comet and Cruel Intentions' Lauren Zakrin Among Cast of Off-Broadway Musical We Are the Tigers". Playbill. Retrieved 2019-04-15.
- ^ a b Franklin, Marc J. (2019-06-27). "See Andrew Keenan-Bolger and Lauren Zakrin in Little Shop of Horrors". Playbill.com. Retrieved 2021-05-29.
- ^ a b c McPhee, Ryan (2019-08-02). "Cast Set for San Francisco's Harry Potter and the Cursed Child". Playbill.com. Retrieved 2021-05-29.
- ^ O'Shea, Lucy (2021-05-06). ""Cursed Child" Reportedly Exploring Changes to Production". MuggleNet. Retrieved 2021-05-29.
- ^ a b Moynihan, Caitlin (2021-10-18). "Cast Set for World Premiere of Britney Spears Musical Once Upon a One More Time". Broadway.com. Retrieved 2021-12-28.