Introduction
Carolee Carmello (born September 1, 1962, in Albany, New York) is an American actress best known for her performances in Broadway musicals and for playing the role of Maple LaMarsh in AMC's first original series Remember WENN (1996–1998). She is a three-time Tony Award nominee and a 5-time Drama Desk nominee, winning the 1999 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical for her role in Parade.
Career
Carmello made her Broadway debut in a small role in City of Angels and returned to close the show in the role of "Oolie/Donna". She played "Cordelia, the kosher caterer" in the original Broadway company of Falsettos, and also played Abigail Adams in the revival of 1776. In the Broadway company of The Scarlet Pimpernel she replaced in the role of "Marguerite St. Just". She created the role of Lucille Frank in Parade at Lincoln Center, for which she won the 1999 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical (in a tie with Bernadette Peters) and was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical. Next came "Kate" in the Broadway revival of Kiss Me, Kate and "Ms. Pennywise" in Urinetown. She starred as "Gabrielle" in Lestat, for which she received nominations for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical and the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. She also appeared as Donna Sheridan in the long-running hit musical, Mamma Mia!.
Carmello originated the role of Alice Beineke in the new musical version of The Addams Family. For this role she was nominated for the Drama Desk Award and the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical.
She took over the role of the Mother Superior from Victoria Clark in the Broadway production of Sister Act on November 19, 2011. In 2012, she played the role of Aimee Semple McPherson on Broadway in the musical Scandalous, for which she received a Drama Desk nomination and a Tony Award nomination for Best Lead Actress in a Musical. She performed the role of Mrs. du Maurier in the Broadway musical Finding Neverland from March 2015 through February 2016, and was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical.
Carmello recently appeared in the role of Mae Tuck in the Broadway musical adaptation of Tuck Everlasting, at the Broadhurst Theatre. Following its closing in May, she returned to "Finding Neverland" for the show's last six weeks.
Personal life
She is divorced from fellow Broadway actor Gregg Edelman. They have two children.
Theatre credits
| Year(s) | Production | Role | Location | Category |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989–92 | City of Angels | Ensemble/Oolie/Donna | Virginia Theatre | Broadway |
| 1992–93 | Falsettos | Cordelia | John Golden Theatre | Broadway |
| 1997–98 | 1776 | Abigail Adams | Gershwin Theatre | Broadway |
| 1998–99 | Parade | Lucille Frank | Vivian Beaumont Theatre | Broadway |
| 1999–00 | The Scarlet Pimpernel | Marguerite St. Just | Neil Simon Theatre | Broadway |
| 2001 | Kiss Me, Kate | Lilli Vanessi/Katharine | Martin Beck Theatre | Broadway |
| 2003 | God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater | Sylvia Rosewater | Cooper Union | CooperArts Concert |
| 2003–04 | Urinetown | Penelope Pennywise | Henry Miller's Theatre | Broadway |
| 2004–05 | Mamma Mia! | Donna Sheridan | Winter Garden Theatre | Broadway |
| 2006 | Lestat | Gabrielle | Palace Theatre | Broadway |
| 2006–07 | Mamma Mia! | Donna Sheridan | Winter Garden Theatre | Broadway |
| 2008 | Show Boat | Julie La Verne | Carnegie Hall | Concert |
| 2010–11 | The Addams Family | Alice Beineke | Lunt-Fontanne Theatre | Broadway |
| 2011–12 | Sister Act | Mother Superior | Broadway Theatre | Broadway |
| 2012 | Scandalous | Aimee Semple McPherson | Neil Simon Theatre | Broadway |
| 2015–16 | Finding Neverland | Madame du Maurier | Lunt-Fontanne Theatre | Broadway |
| 2016 | Tuck Everlasting | Mae Tuck | Broadhurst Theatre | Broadway |
| 2016 | Finding Neverland | Madame du Maurier | Lunt-Fontanne Theatre | Broadway |
| 2017 | Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street | Mrs. Nellie Lovett | Barrow Street Theatre | Off-Broadway |
National Tours
- Big River
- Chess
- Les Misérables
- Falsettos
Regional
- The King and I, Paper Mill Playhouse (Millburn, NJ)
- On The Twentieth Century, Reprise! (Los Angeles)
- Bells are Ringing, Reprise! (Los Angeles)
- Baby, Paper Mill Playhouse (Millburn, NJ)
- Saving Aimee, Signature Theatre (Arlington, Virginia)
- Little Shop of Horrors, Charles Playhouse (Boston, MA)
- Scandalous, (Pavilion Theatre (Glasgow / UK)
- The Music Man, (Schenectady Theatre)
- Grease, (Pittsburgh C.L.O)
- Tuck Everlasting, (Alliance Theatre, Atlanta Georgia)