Shoshana Bean

Early life and education

Shoshana Bean was born in Olympia, Washington to Jeff Bean and Felice Moskowitz, a dance teacher. She is Jewish; her father is an Ashkenazi Jew and her mother is a Sephardic Jew, whose family was from Greece. When she was 9 years old, her parents divorced and she moved to the Portland, Oregon area.

In 1995, Bean graduated from Beaverton High School. In 1999, Bean received a B.F.A. in Musical Theatre from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM).

Career

Theater

Shortly after moving to New York City in 2000, Bean was cast in the 2000 Off-Broadway revival of Godspell at the York Theatre at Saint Peter's Church in Midtown Manhattan. In 2001, Bean performed in the national tour of Leader of the Pack. In 2002, Bean made her Broadway debut as an original cast member in the role of Shelley, Denizen of Baltimore, which she originated, in the Tony Award-winning production of Hairspray. She was also an understudy for the roles of Tracy Turnblad, Velma Von Tussle, and Prudy Pingleton.

In 2004, Bean joined the Broadway production of the musical Wicked as a replacement standby for Elphaba Thropp, who was played by Idina Menzel. On January 8, 2005, a day before Menzel's scheduled end of her run as Elphaba, Menzel fell through a trap door and cracked a lower rib. Bean went on to perform that show. On January 11, 2005, Bean took over as Elphaba full-time, where she performed opposite Jennifer Laura Thompson and then Megan Hilty as Glinda Upland, until her last show on January 8, 2006. On January 10, she was replaced by Eden Espinosa as Elphaba.

In 2006, Bean reprised the role of Elphaba in the first national tour of Wicked. Her limited engagement ended on December 31. In 2009, Bean joined the new production of Peepshow in Las Vegas in the role of Peep Diva alongside Holly Madison. She replaced Spice Girls singer Mel B. In 2011, Bean wrote and starred in the musical Dear John Mayer, with music and lyrics by Bean and book by fellow CCM graduate Eydie Faye.

In 2015, Bean portrayed the role of CeeCee Bloom in the musical adaptation of the book and movie Beaches at the Drury Lane Theater in Chicago. In June 2016, Bean played Fanny Brice in North Shore Music Theatre's production of Funny Girl. In 2018, Bean performed in the New York City Center Encores! Off-Center production of Songs for a New World. On March 18, 2019, Bean returned to Broadway in the role of Jenna Hunterson in the production of Waitress for a limited engagement through May 2019. On May 13, 2019, it was announced that Bean's run was extended through July 21, 2019.

Starting in March 2022, she returned to Broadway in Mr. Saturday Night at the Nederlander Theatre starring Billy Crystal. For her performance, she received nominations for the Distinguished Performer Award at the Drama League Awards, Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical at the 71st Outer Critics Circle Awards, and the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical at the 75th Tony Awards. At the 65th Annual Grammy Awards Bean was nominated for Best Musical Theater Album as a cast singer.

Between October 2023 to January 2024 Bean starred as Jersey in Alicia Keys' Off-Broadway jukebox musical Hell's Kitchen at The Public Theater. She was confirmed for the Broadway production at the Shubert Theatre, which opened on April 20, 2024. For her performance on and Off-Broadway, she received nominations from the Tony Awards (with her second nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical at the 77th Tony Awards), Drama Desk Awards, Drama League Awards, and Lucille Lortel Awards.

Singer

On December 2, 2008, Bean released her debut solo album, Superhero, on her own label Shotime Records. The record has been described as pop rock. In February 2013, Bean's second album, O'Farrell Street, was released. It was produced by Tim K (Madonna, Celine Dion, Brandy), and incorporates 1960s-era soul. The record reached No. 3 on the iTunes R&B charts.

In December 2014, Bean released an EP album of blues called Shadows to Light. The record was produced by Bean and Jake Schaefer. It reached No. 1 on the iTunes Blues charts. She performed her single "Runaway Train" on The Queen Latifah Show. Beginning in 2015, Bean has performed with Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox (PMJ), performing Justin Bieber's "Sorry" and Backstreet Boys' “I Want It That Way,” among others. In the spring of 2016, she joined the PMJ European Tour.

In February 2018, Bean's third album, Spectrum, was released. The songs are in the genre of rhythm and blues. The record release was accompanied by a tour, which included concerts at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, which featured an 18-piece orchestra, as well as a string of other dates including in London at Cadogan Hall, Las Vegas and Dallas. Bean has said that inspirations for the record were the music of Aretha Franklin, Barbra Streisand, and Frank Sinatra. In August and September 2019, Bean performed selected songs at a series of residency concerts at Feinstein's/54 Below.

Bean's music has been featured on MTV's The Hills, Mercy, Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce, Bad Girls Club and Showtime's The Big C, and she arranged the vocals for Jennifer Lopez's performance of her 2014 song "I Luh Ya Papi" on American Idol. Bean has appeared on film soundtracks to Hairspray, Enchanted, the Wayans Brothers' Dance Flick, and the 2016 animated musical Sing. Bean has performed around the world in cabarets and concerts. She has sung with artists such as BeBe Winans, Brian McKnight, Ariana Grande, David Foster, Jason Robert Brown and Michael Jackson, among others.

Theater credits

Benefits

Discography

LPs

• 2008: Superhero (Shotime Records)
• 2013: O' Farrell Street (Shotime Records)
• 2018: Spectrum (Shotime Records)
• 2025: Only Smoke (Shotime Records)

EPs

• 2014: Shadows to Light - EP (Shotime Records)
• 2020: Selah - EP
• 2022: She Is Risen: Jesus Christ Superstar All-Female Cast - EP

Singles

• 2011: "A Little Hope" (Billy-Boo)
• 2012: "O Holy Night" (Shotime Records)
• 2012: "Runnin' Out Of Days" (Shotime Records)
• 2013: "Skywriter" (Shotime Records)
• 2014: "Runaway Train" (Shotime Records)
• 2015: "Jealous" (Shotime Records) – cover of the Labrinth song
• 2015: "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" (Shotime Records)
• 2017: "One Way to Go" (Shotime Records) – written by Bean and Britten Newbill.

Soundtracks and cast recordings

• 2001: Godspell – Off-Broadway Revival Cast Recording (Varese Sarabande)
• 2002: Hairspray – Original Broadway Cast Recording (Sony Classical)
• 2007: Hairspray – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (New Line Records)
• 2008: Enchanted – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Walt Disney Records)
• 2015: Are You Joking?, "Ain't Life Funny" – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Barb & Associates Records)
• 2018: Songs for a New World - 2018 New York City Center Encores! Off-Center Cast Recording (Ghostlight Records)
• 2022: Mr. Saturday Night - Original Broadway Cast Recording (Craft Recordings)
• 2024: Hell's Kitchen - Original Broadway Cast Recording

Selected other recordings

• 2003: "Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel" on Broadway's Greatest Gifts: Carols for a Cure
• 2005: "I Believe in Love" from Hair for Actor's Fund Benefit Recording
• 2007: "Home" on Dreaming Wide Awake: The Music of Scott Alan
• 2008: "House of Love" on 37 Notebooks by Jeremy Schonfeld
• 2008: "Could" on Matt Cusson by Matt Cusson
• 2009: "Tiny Urban Zoo" on School House Rock:Earth
• 2011: "Sing Me a Happy Song" on My Lifelong Love by Georgia Stitt
• 2012: "Stand Up (The Anthem to Benefit St. Jude)"
• 2013: "Monster" on Alphabet Radio by The Edge Effect
• 2014: "I'm in Pain" on Anything Worth Holding On To by Scott Alan
• 2015: "I Want It That Way" on Selfies on Kodachrome by Postmodern Jukebox
• 2015: "Poison" on Emoji Antique by Postmodern Jukebox
• 2016: "Sorry" on PMJ and Chill by Postmodern Jukebox
• 2016: "Stone Cold" on Swing the Vote by Postmodern Jukebox
• 2017: "I Did Something Bad" by Taylor Swift with Cynthia Erivo
• 2017: "Goodbye to You" on Only Human by Matt Cusson
• 2017: "Flying Monkey Lament" on Straight Outta Oz by Todrick Hall
• 2017: "Who Would Imagine a King" on Christmas Sessions EP by Matt Bloyd
• 2017: "Baby It's Cold Outside" on Warm Up EP by VoicePlay
• 2018: "This is Me" from The Greatest Showman: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
• 2018: "Crashed N' Burned" on Paint Me Back by Patric Scott
• 2021: "Kailangan Ko'y Ikaw" on Giliw: A Troy Laureta OPM Collective Vol. 2 by Troy Laureta

Filmography

• 2009: The Battery's Down (TV Series) as Dr. Mary Jane Essajay in 1 episode: "I Think I'm Gonna Like it Here"
• 2009: The Girls Next Door (TV Series) as Peep Diva in 1 episode: "Look Before You Peep"
• 2009: Schoolhouse Rock! (TV Series short) vocals in 1 episode: "A Tiny Urban Zoo"
• 2017: Bloodline (TV Series) as Shayna in 1 episode: "Part 30"
• 2020: Bill & Ted Face the Music as First Noble
• 2024: The Boys as Queen Maeve (voice)

Awards and honors

References

References

1. (10 December 2008). "Shoshana E Bean, United States Public Records, 1970-2009".
2. (2009). "Diva Talk: Chatting with Wicked's Shoshana Bean Plus News of Neuwirth and Ripley". [[Playbill]].
3. (6 August 2018). "With 'Spectrum,' Singer Shoshana Bean Defies Gravity — And Musical Convention, Too". [[HuffPost]].
4. "Shoshana Bean: Biography & History". [[AllMusic]].
5. (4 September 2006). "Wicked actors big break: Just doing my job, really". [[Portland Tribune]].
6. (5 April 2021). "Shoshana Bean and the Moskowitz Family: From CNS to Broadway and Back".
7. (11 July 2018). "Exclusive Interview: Shoshana Bean". The BroadwayBlog.
8. (7 March 2018). "Beaverton High to Broadway - and then back again". [[Beaverton Valley Times]].
9. (26 April 2019). "Broadway star sings to save Beaverton HS arts". [[KOIN]].
10. "University of Cincinnati alumni on Broadway: Shoshana Bean, CCM '99". [[University of Cincinnati]].
11. (2 August 2000). "Godspell – York Theatre at St. Peter's". [[Lortel Archives]].
12. (9 August 2000). "Theater Review; A 70's Musical Revival Sheds Flower Children But Keeps the Faith". [[The New York Times]].
13. (8 March 2019). "9 Things You Need to Know About Shoshana Bean, the Next Star of 'Waitress'". [[ALMA Magazine.
14. (10 January 2005). "Ding Dong, a Witch Is Hurt, but She Takes Her Final Bow". [[The New York Times]].
15. (12 December 2004). "Shoshana Bean to Replace Idina Menzel in Wicked". [[Playbill]].
16. (14 June 2006). "Wicked's Bean and Hilty to Reunite for Wicked Tour". [[Playbill.com]].
17. (26 June 2009). "Photo Flash: Shoshana Bean Joins Jerry Mitchell's Las Vegas PEEP SHOW". [[BroadwayWorld]].
18. (2009). "Shoshana Bean to Join Cast of Mitchell's Vegas Peepshow". [[Playbill]].
19. (16 June 2011). "Dear John Mayer, Scored by Shoshana Bean, to Play Los Angeles". [[Playbill]].
20. (24 June 2011). "CCM grads Bean and Faye debut new musical". [[The Cincinnati Enquirer]].
21. (2 July 2015). "Broadway-Bound 'Beaches', Starring Shoshana Bean and Whitney Bashor, Opens Tonight". [[Playbill]].
22. (25 April 2017). "Shoshana Bean and Mark Rylance Among IRNE Winners". [[Playbill]].
23. (30 June 2018). "Review: Joyously Rediscovering 'Songs for a New World'". [[The New York Times]].
24. (21 February 2019). "Shoshana Bean Will Take Over the Role of Jenna in WAITRESS". [[BroadwayWorld]].
25. (May 13, 2019). "Shoshana Bean Extends Run in Broadway's Waitress Into July". [[Playbill]].
26. "71st Outer Critics Circle Awards".
27. Culwell-Block, Logan. (May 11, 2022). "2022 Tony Award Nominations: ''A Strange Loop'', ''MJ'', ''Paradise Square'' Lead the Pack".
28. Culwell-Block, Logan. (October 12, 2023). "Alicia Keys' Hell's Kitchen Extends Upcoming World Premiere at The Public".
29. Culwell-Block, Logan. (February 26, 2024). "Alicia Keys Musical ''Hell's Kitchen'' Finds Full Broadway Cast". Playbill.
30. Higgins, Molly. (April 4, 2024). "Wet Brain Leads 2024 Lucille Lortel Award Nominations; Read the Complete List".
31. (22 August 2008). "Shoshana Bean's Solo Debut 'Superhero' to Be Released 12/2". [[BroadwayWorld]].
32. (2015). "'I Feel Like There's More to Do,' Says Shoshana Bean On Leaving New York for the Freedom of Expression". [[Playbill]].
33. (7 February 2015). "Shoshana Bean performs "Runaway Train" on The Queen Latifah Show". [[The Queen Latifah Show]].
34. (14 April 2016). "BWW Interview: Shoshana Bean - on PMJukebox, Wicked, Hairspray and more!". [[BroadwayWorld]].
35. (30 January 2015). "BWW Reviews: Postmodern Jukebox Entertains in their O.C. Debut Concert". [[BroadwayWorld]].
36. (24 July 2018). "Shoshana Bean On Her Album, "Spectrum," And Her Upcoming Apollo Theater Show". BUILD Series.
37. (27 August 2019). "Shoshana Bean Extends Feinstein's/54 Below Debut". [[Playbill]].
38. (30 November 2015). "Beaverton's Shoshana Bean returns for Neveh Shalom performance, talk". [[Beaverton Valley Times]].
39. (22 November 2018). "4 Musicians Pay Their Gratitude Forward On Thanksgiving". [[NPR]].
40. (29 March 2017). "Broadway's Shoshana Bean Commands the Mike at April Jazz Concert". [[Playbill]].
41. (7 January 2016). "Jason Robert Brown, Shoshana Bean, and Ariana Grande Take Hollywood!". [[BroadwayWorld]].
42. (28 October 2008). "Diva Talk Special: The Yellow Brick Road Not Taken". [[Playbill]].
43. Culwell-Block, Logan. (20 April 2022). "Final Release Set for All-Female Jesus Christ Superstar Album Starring Cynthia Erivo, Shoshana Bean, Ledisi, More".
44. (14 March 2022). "WATCH: Broadway's Shoshana Bean sings 'Kailangan Ko'y Ikaw'".
45. "Video: Shoshana Bean, Andrew Rannells, and James Monroe Iglehart Sing on THE BOYS".
46. (26 January 2010). "9th IMA Winners Announced – Independent Music Awards".
47. (21 August 2015). "Jeff Awards Equity nominations honor outstanding 2014-2015 productions". [[Jeff Award]].
48. Gans, Andrew. (June 12, 2022). "2022 Tony Award Winners: A Strange Loop, The Lehman Trilogy, Company, Take Me Out Win Top Honors". [[Playbill]].
49. "''Some Like It Hot'', Annaleigh Ashford, ''Leopoldstadt'', More Win 2023 Drama League Awards".
50. "Shoshana Bean {{!}} Artist".
51. (2024-04-04). "2024 Lucille Lortel Award nominations announced".
52. (April 22, 2024). "2024 Drama League Awards Nominations Are Out; Read the Full List".
53. (April 29, 2024). "2024 Drama Desk Awards Nominations- The Full List".
54. Huston, Caitlin. (April 30, 2024). "'Stereophonic,' Alicia Keys' 'Hell's Kitchen' Lead Tony Award Nominations".
55. (May 6, 2024). "The Great Gatsby, The Notebook and Back to the Future Lead Nominations for Broadway.com Audience Choice Awards".