Kay Cole

Kay Cole (born January 13, 1948) is an American stage and television actress, voice actress, dancer, and choreographer. She has appeared in numerous Broadway and off-Broaday productions in New York and Los Angeles, and several television series since the late 1960s.

Kay Cole was born in Miami, Florida, on January 13, 1948. She began taking dance lessons at a young age and got her start by age 10. In 1958, she went on the US tour of The Music Man, a musical by Meredith Willson, based on a story by Willson and Franklin Lacey. She played "Amaryllis" alongside Forrest Tucker (as Professor Harold Hill), Benny Baker (as Marcellus Washburn), and Cliff Hall (as Mayor Shinn). The same year, she made her television debut in the episode "Bentley and the Talent Contest" of the TV series Bachelor Father.

Three years later, Cole made her official professional debut in the Broadway production of the two-act musical comedy Bye Bye Birdie (music by Charles Strouseand lyrics by Lee Adams, based upon a book by Michael Stewart).

From September 1963 to February 1964, she played "Jane" in Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley's musical Stop the World – I Want to Get Off at Ambassador Theatre on 49th Street in New York. Also in 1963, she was seen in the off-Broadway revival of Best Foot Forward, a 1941 musical based on a book by John Cecil Holm, with songs by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane.

In November 1974, Cole was part of the opening night cast of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band on the Road, an off-Broadway production directed by Tom O'Horgan. She played "Strawberry Fields" alongside Ted Neeley (Billy Shears), Allan F. Nicholls (Jack Hammer), Alaina Reed Hall (Lucy), B.G. Gibson (Claw Hammer), and William Parry (Sledge Hammer).

Other major stage appearances

• The Roar of the Greasepaint-The Smell of the Crowd, Shubert Theatre, New York (May 16, 1965 - Dec 04, 1965)
• Pousse-Café, 46th Street Theatre, New York (Mar 18, 1966 - Mar 19, 1966)
• Hair, Biltmore Theatre (Apr 29, 1968 - Jul 01, 1972)
• Jesus Christ Superstar, Mark Hellinger Theatre, New York (Oct 12, 1971 - Jul 01, 1973)
• Words & Music, John Golden Theatre, New York (Apr 16, 1974 - Aug 03, 1974)
• A Chorus Line, Shubert Theatre (Jul 25, 1975 - Apr 28, 1990) and US tour in 1976
• Snoopy!!! (Off-Broadway, 1982)
• One Man Band (Off-Off-Broadway, 1985)

In 1988, Cole was part of the second US tour of Claude-Michel Schönberg and Herbert Kretzmer's famous musical Les Misérables based on a book by Alain Boubliland Schönberg. She portrayed the character of "Madame Thénardier", sharing the stage with Jeff McCarthy (Javert), Gary Beach (Thénardier), Phillip Glasser (Gavroche), Michelle Nicastro (Eponine), and Karen Fineman (Cosette).

Major film and television appearances

• 1964: TV series The Doctors and the Nurses, (episode "Time for You and Time for Me",) with Shirl Conway, Zina Bethune, Michael Tolan, Joseph Campanella, and Hilda Simms
• 1968: TV series Family Affair, (episode "His and Hers",) with Brian Keith, Kathy Garver, Anissa Jones, Johnny Whitaker, Sebastian Cabot
• 1969: Jack Arnold and Ricou Browning's comedy Hello Down There starring Tony Randall, Janet Leigh, Roddy McDowall, Jim Backus, and Ken Berry
• 1978: Michael Crichton's thriller Coma starring Geneviève Bujold, Michael Douglas, Elizabeth Ashley, Rip Torn, and Richard Widmark
• 1994: Deran Sarafian's crime drama The Road Killers starring Christopher Lambert, Craig Sheffer, David Arquette, Josh Brolin, and Michelle Forbes

Cole lent her voice to the "Grand Dame" character in Tony Leondis' 2008 animation Igor. She has also been a guest star on The Carol Burnett Show (Season 10, episode 7 - aired November 6, 1976). In 2018, she was a chorus member for the TV series Grace and Frankie (Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin).

Cole directed the world premiere of the comedy Desperate Writers (Edgemar Centre for the Arts, 2007), starring Brian Krause (of the TV series Charmed fame). In 2009, she directed A. R. Gurney's The Dining Room at the Victory Theatre Centre.

Choreography

Cole has overseen the choreography of several noteworthy productions in Los Angeles:

• 1999: Sweeney Todd - Christine Baranski (as Mrs. Lovett) and Kelsey Grammer(as Todd)
• 2002: Follies - Patty Duke (as Phyllis)
• 2003: On The 20th Century - Marin Mazzie (as Lily)
• 2003: My Fair Lady - Melissa Errico (as Eliza) and John Lithgow (as Higgins)
• 2004: Mame - Christine Ebersole (as Vera)

In 2006, she directed and choreographed the musical I Only Have Eyes For You - the Life and Lyrics of Al Dubin at the Ricardo Montalban Theatre. The music was directed by Gerald Sternbach.

Music

In 2020, Cole released her debut solo album Souvenir on Kritzerland Records, with musical direction by John Boswell and production by Bruce Kimmel.