Ann Harada

Early life

Harada was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii. She attended the Punahou School and was active in theatre in high school. After college at Brown University, she moved to New York City and worked with producer Suzanne Schwartz. She performed with the New York City Gay Men's Chorus, did cabaret, and appeared in the Broadway production of M. Butterfly.

Career

Harada earned her Equity card in 1987 when she was cast in Maury Yeston and Larry Gelbart's 1,2,3,4,5 at Manhattan Theatre Club. She is a member of the Vineyard Theatre's Community of Artists and appeared in four original musicals there, including Hit the Lights!.

In 1998, Harada starred in the National Asian American Theatre Company's production of Falsettoland. Peter Marks of The New York Times described her rendition of "Holding to the Ground" as a "full-throttle success." Also in 1998, Harada had a small part in the Todd Solondz film Happiness.

Harada was in the original Broadway company of Seussical in 2000. She had also been in its first workshop and all of the pre-Broadway iterations of the show.

''Avenue Q''

Harada got involved in Avenue Q starting with the first performance of the show at the York Theatre in 2000. Lyricist Amanda Green had recommended Harada to Avenue Q writers Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx. Harada opened Avenue Q at the Vineyard Theatre in New York in March 2003 and moved with the show to Broadway that July. She took a break for parental leave in late 2004, returning in early 2005. Harada left the Broadway company of Avenue Q on 26 February 2006. In June 2006, she opened the London production of Avenue Q at the Noël Coward Theatre in the West End. She played her last performance on 18 November 2006. She is the only actor who played the role of Christmas Eve in both the Broadway and West End productions of Avenue Q.

About her performance in the Broadway production, Ben Brantley wrote in The New York Times: "[S]he deliver[s], in the show's wittiest coup de théâtre, a full-throated ballad in the manner of a 1950's musical diva...in a shivery, rafters-shaking alto." Hilton Als of The New Yorker called her "a funny girl who can sing, act, and let the audience in on the joke all at the same time."

On July 6, 2009, Harada returned as part of the final Broadway cast of Avenue Q. The show closed on September 13, 2009.

In 2009, Harada reprised the character of Christmas Eve for a series of one-night-only benefits for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS originally entitled Christmas Eve with Christmas Eve, singing reinterpretations of duets with Broadway leading men.{{Cite web|title = Christmas Eve with Christmas Eve 2013|website = broadwaycares.org|url = http://www.broadwaycares.org/christmaseve2013|access-date = 16 November 2013|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150610200207/http://www.broadwaycares.org/christmaseve2013|archive-date = 2015-06-10|url-status = dead

2000s

On April 24, 2007, Harada joined the Broadway company of Les Misérables playing Madame Thénardier; she replaced Jenny Galloway. Harada left Les Misérables on October 30, 2007, being replaced by Galloway.

Harada was featured Wes Anderson-directed commercials for AT&T.

Harada was a guest on John Tartaglia's television show Johnny and the Sprites, singing the Laurence O'Keefe song "Everything Must Go" on an episode entitled "The Sprites Save Grotto's Grove". It premiered on the Disney Channel on 22 March 2008.

Harada was in The Muny's production of High School Musical on Stage! in 2008, playing the drama teacher Ms. Darbus and the science teacher Ms. Tenny.

She was in the original cast of 9 to 5 as Kathy and in the ensemble through June 21, 2009. She left to return to the cast of Avenue Q.

2010s

In May 2011, she played the role of Annette in a production of God of Carnage at George Street Playhouse.

Her recording of "A Last Confession" on Steve Marzullo's album Show Some Beauty was a featured in USA Today in June 2011.

She appeared as Linda the stage manager in eighteen episodes of NBC's Smash.

From January 2013 to December 2014, she appeared in the original Broadway production of Cinderella as the stepsister Charlotte. In its review of the show, Variety said that Harada gives "a hoot of a perf."

Harada was the star of her own installment of the 2014 American Songbook series at Jazz at Lincoln Center's Allen Room in New York City on 22 February 2014.

Harada was in the original cast of the musical Brooklynite, which opened its world premiere run at the Vineyard Theatre in New York on 25 February 2015.

On 8 June 2015, in a one-night-only concert of Bombshell, *Smash'''s show-within-the show, Harada reprised her role as Linda and performed *"*I Never Met a Wolf Who Didn't Love to Howl".

In June 2016, Harada appeared as Maggie Jones in The Muny's production of 42nd Street and in its production of Mamma Mia! in July.

In October 2016, Harada appeared as Stacey in The Women's Project's world premiere of Stuffed, a new play by Lisa Lampanelli.

The Wall Street Journal wrote that "Ann Harada is especially good in the unlikely-sounding triple role of the Emperor of Japan, a French admiral and a whorehouse madam" in John Doyle's staging of Pacific Overtures, which opened at Classic Stage Company on 4 May 2017 and ran through 18 June 2017.

Harada was in the world premiere of the musical The New World at Bucks County Playhouse in October, 2017 and "br[ought] down the house."

In the March 2019 Encores! production of I Married an Angel, "[i]n a relatively insignificant role, Ann Harada manage[d] to steal the show at the end with the perfectly hilarious delivery of a single line."

2020s

In early 2020, Harada played Pile of Poo in the musical Emojiland.

On April 26, 2020, Harada rejoined three of her Pacific Overtures castmates for Take Me to the World: A Sondheim 90th Birthday Celebration on Broadway.com in a split-screen video version of the song "Someone in a Tree". Wesley Morris, writing in The New York Times, described it as "pure magic" and named it one of the best performances of 2020. Take Me to the World won the 2021 Drama League Award for Outstanding Digital Concert Production.

In October 2020, Harada was announced in the cast of the musical show Schmigadoon! Harada plays Florence Menlove, the wife of the Mayor; she sings "He's a Queer One, That Man o' Mine" in the series' third episode.

In May 2022, Harada played Jack's Mother in the Encores! production of Into the Woods. In The New York Times Critic's Pick review of the production, she was described as a "comic genius." She reprised the role in the Broadway revival beginning September 27, 2022, when she replaced Aymee Garcia in the part.

In a well-received June 2023 production at The Muny of Beauty and the Beast, she played Mrs. Potts. In November 2023, Harada originated the role of Myra Babbitt in the acclaimed world premiere of Babbitt at La Jolla Playhouse.

In June 2024, Harada was "brightly amusing" in the American premiere of Lucy Kirkwood's The Welkin at the Atlantic Theater Company.

In February 2025, Harada reprised her role as Florence Menlove in the world premiere of Schmigadoon! as a stage musical at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

Stage credits

Broadway

Other stage credits

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

References

References

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2. "Sleight of Hand".
3. "M. Butterfly".
4. Harada, Ann. "How I Got My Equity Card: Ann Harada".
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6. Marks, Peter. (1998-07-17). "THEATER REVIEW; It's Family That Matters, No Matter What Family". The New York Times.
7. Gans, Andrew. (27 July 2007). "DIVA TALK: Chatting with ''Les Miz'' Star Ann Harada Plus Betty Buckley at the Blue Note".
8. Gans, Andrew. (2004-10-22). "Playbill News: DIVA TALK: Catching Up with Avenue Q 's Ann Harada; Family Night at the Cabaret Convention and Showstoppers!".
9. (October 2006). "Extension and New Cast Member Announcement". Avenue Q the Musical London.
10. (1 August 2003). "Theater Review: A Feeling You're Not on Sesame Street". The New York Times.
11. Als, Hilton. (2003-08-03). "Mayhem and Madness". The New Yorker.
12. Hernandez, Ernio. (29 June 2009). "PHOTO CALL: Harada, Larsen and More to Join Final ''Avenue Q'' Cast".
13. "Christmas Eve Plays Santa for Broadway's Leading Men".
14. "Christmas Eve Makes Wishes Come True at Holiday Hunkfest".
15. "Christmas Eve's Holiday Hunkfest".
16. Jones, Kenneth. (20 March 2007). "Avenue Vous: Harada Will Be Madame T in ''Les Miz'', With Davis, von Essen and Bruno".
17. "Ann Harada {{!}} How Art Changed Me".
18. Gans, Andrew. (22 March 2008). "''Avenue Q''{{'}}s Harada and Tartaglia Reunited on March 22 "Sprites" Episode".
19. (18 June 2008). "Harada, Bogardus, McGinnis and More Cast in Muny's ''High School Musical''".
20. Newmark, Judith. (25 June 2008). "Young crowd soaks up energy of Disney phenomenon". St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
21. McKee, Christopher . (2015-04-03 ). "High School Musical- List of Characters". Cold Spring Harbor Central School District.
22. (2008-07-15). "9 to 5 Headed for Broadway's Marquis Theatre; Complete Cast Announced".
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34. Collins-Hughes, Laura. (14 October 2016). "Review: 'Stuffed' Details Fights Women Wage With Their Weight". The New York Times.
35. Teachout, Terry. (4 May 2017). "'Pacific Overtures' Review: Shortening Sondheim". Wall Street Journal.
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37. (12 November 2017). "Review: 'The New World' at Bucks County Playhouse". DC Theater Arts.
38. (21 March 2019). "''I Married an Angel'' Is the ''Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt'' of 1938 — and Not in a Good Way". TheaterMania.
39. (23 January 2020). "Actress dishes on playing poo emoji character onstage in 'Emojiland'".
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43. Petski, Denise. (2020-10-01). "Keegan-Michael Key, Alan Cumming, Fred Armisen, Kristin Chenoweth Among 10 Cast For Apple Musical Comedy Project Starring Cecily Strong".
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45. (23 July 2021). "Schmigadoon! Season 1 Episode 3 Review: Cross That Bridge".
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47. Hall, Margaret. (12 August 2022). "Stephanie J. Block, Sebastian Arcelus, Krysta Rodriguez, Montego Glover, More to Join Broadway's Into the Woods".
48. (24 June 2023). "Review: DISNEY'S BEAUTY AND THE BEAST at The Muny". Broadway World.
49. (13 November 2023). "Review: La Jolla Playhouse's "Babbitt"". San Diego Magazine.
50. (13 June 2024). "'The Welkin' Review: Sandra Oh Leads a Jury of Women". Wall Street Journal.
51. (3 February 2025). "'Schmigadoon!' is a fizzy valentine to musicals". The Washington Post.
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53. "The Moment When".
54. (29 June 2006). "Avenue Q". The Guardian.
55. (23 June 2008). "Muny's ''High School Musical'', with Harada, Bogardus and McGinnis, Begins June 23".
56. Brantley, Ben. (May 10, 2010). "Just Like Other Dads (Well, Almost)".
57. Isherwood, Charles. (25 February 2015). "Review: 'Brooklynite,' a Superhero Musical With Matt Doyle and Nicolette Robinson". [[The New York Times]].
58. (24 June 2016). "Broadway Actors Star in Muny ''42nd Street'', Beginning Tonight".
59. (31 May 2016). "Julia Murney, Ann Harada, Justin Guarini Set for Muny ''Mamma Mia!''".
60. (9 May 2018). "'The Nerd' is a zany, fun and ultimately safe trip at George Street Playhouse: review". The Star-Ledger.
61. (15 May 2018). "Ann Harada, Adam Heller, and More Join Beth Leavel in ''Gypsy'' at the Muny". TheaterMania.
62. (31 October 2018). "The Cast of Paper Mill Playhouse's ''Holiday Inn'' Meet the Press".
63. (2 July 2018). "At Williamstown, Matthew Broderick in ''The Closet'' and Mary-Louise Parker in ''The Sound Inside''". TheaterMania.
64. (19 February 2019). "Nikki M. James, Ann Harada, and More to Star in Encores!'s ''I Married an Angel''".
65. (18 June 2019). "''Dropping Gumballs on Luke Wilson'', Directed by Theresa Rebeck, Opens Off-Broadway".
66. (7 August 2019). "BWW Review: The Muny's MATILDA is Magically Mary".
67. "Review: 'South Pacific' at Aspen Music Festival".
68. (19 January 2020). "'Emojiland Review: There's a Rom-Com in Your Phone with Music".
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70. (16 March 2023). "Review: In 'Dear World,' Donna Murphy Leads a Righteous March". The New York Times.
71. (2024-10-08). "Matthew Broderick as a Trump prototype is way less interesting than you'd think". The Washington Post.
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78. "Awards for Happiness (1998)".
79. "2004 Audience Choice Awards".
80. "2003-2004".
81. (2007-02-27). "WOS Photos: Stewart Goes Solo, Q Ensemble".
82. (2013-04-15). "Vote Now! Kinky Boots and Matilda Top the 2013 Broadway.com Audience Choice Award Nominations".