Biographie
Jennifer Leigh Warren is a celebrated actress and singer renowned for her standout Broadway roles, including the original "Alice's Daughter" in BIG RIVER—where she performed the song "How Blest We Are," composed specifically for her by Roger Miller—the original Crystal in the Howard Ashman/Alan Menken hit LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, the original Lincoln Center cast of MARIE CHRISTINE, and "the Muse" in the Drama Desk Award-nominated LONESOME TRAVELER.
She showcased her acting and singing versatility in the television musical event RENT: LIVE, portraying Mrs. Jefferson, Mrs. Cohen, Support Sue, the Homeless "who the H lady," and served as narrator and vocalist in the LA Philharmonic concerts "Rock My Soul" and "Power to the People" at Disney Concert Hall.
Her voice appears on the Grammy-nominated cast albums of Big River and Little Shop of Horrors. She also recorded for the "Stephen Schwartz Album," performed in the Stephen Schwartz Concert at the Ford Amphitheatre, and presented her one-woman show Diamonds Are Forever: Songs of Dame Shirley Bassey, directed by Richard Jay-Alexander, at the Renberg Theatre in Los Angeles.
Warren starred as "the Blues Singer" in all four tours of A NIGHT WITH JANIS JOPLIN across the USA and Canada, including productions at Houston's Alley Theater, North Carolina Theatre, LaMirada Theatre in California, and Ivoryton Theatre in Connecticut. The show was filmed, released in theaters nationwide, and streams on BroadwayHD.
Her notable regional work includes membership in Sir Peter Hall's Shakespeare Repertory Company at the Ahmanson Theater; playing Carlotta in FOLLIES at The Broad Theater (Musical Theatre Guild); starring in NINA SIMONE: FOUR WOMEN (South Coast Repertory); Lalume in KISMET; Cleo in THE MOST HAPPY FELLA; a memorable Sheila in HAIR with a vocal arrangement crafted for her by Peter Matz (Reprise!); Miss Amponsah in THE AFRICAN MEAN GIRLS PLAY (American Stage); Miss Emma in PASSING THROUGH (Goodspeed Musicals); Gretchen Cryer’s I'M STILL GETTING MY ACT TOGETHER (Laguna Playhouse); THE EDUCATION OF RANDY NEWMAN (South Coast Repertory); and The Muse in LONESOME TRAVELER (Rubicon Theatre).
Internationally, she performed a duet with Al Jarreau in Denmark on the televised special MUSICAL OF THE YEAR, broadcast live to thirty countries. She reprised her Broadway role as Alice's Daughter in BIG RIVER in Japan with a Japanese cast, performing her Roger Miller gospel number in Japanese alongside Hiroyuki Sanada as Huck and Ron Richardson as Jim. She also appeared as Noyabre in Juni Ka Getsu No Nina (NINA & THE 12 MONTHS), featuring a song composed for her by Rodion Shchedrin, choreographed by Maya Plisetskaya. This production marked the first American, Russian, and Japanese collaboration on a new musical and featured thirteen flying effects by Peter Foy.
Warren has appeared on The Tonight Show, CONAN, and Jimmy Kimmel, performing with artists such as Broken Bells, The Kills, Trombone Shorty, Moon Taxi, Lisa Loeb, and OK Go. At Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Rose Hall, she performed in tribute to Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, and Marcia Gay Harden, and has opened for Steve Tyrell at the Americana at Brand.
Her film credits include Garry Marshall’s Valentine's Day, The Other Sister, Dear God, Allison Anders and Martin Scorsese’s Grace of My Heart, Sean Penn’s The Crossing Guard, and Larry David’s Sour Grapes. Television appearances include Pretty Little Liars, Lipstick Jungle, Dirt, ER, Scrubs, The Game, Touched by an Angel, and All My Children.
Awards she has received include the LA Ovation Award with multiple nominations, two NAACP Theatre Award nominations, a Backstage Award, Dartmouth College Creative Arts Award, two BroadwayWorld Awards, and seven nominations for her Shirley Bassey concert and the Lythgoe Family Cinderella Christmas Panto in the same year. She is an active member of AEA and SAG-AFTRA.
