Broadway actor Chris Peluso, known for his work in productions such as Mamma Mia and Wicked, died Wednesday, August 15, his family confirmed to Playbill. He was 40.
A cause of death has not been revealed. His sudden passing came a year after he announced he would be stepping away from acting to seek treatment for a schizoaffective disorder, Playbill reported.
An alum of the University of Michigan Theatre Department, Peluso became known as a respected understudy on Broadway, first covering The Balladeer in the 2004 Tony-winning revival of Assassins, as Louis and Nicolas in Elton John’s Lestat , and all three leading male roles in Beautiful The Carole King Musical.
He played Sky in the 2008 Broadway production of Mamma Mia. He also starred and covered the role of Fiyero in the touring company of Wicked, and he starred in Off Broadway’s The Glorious Ones.
In London’s West End, he appeared...
A cause of death has not been revealed. His sudden passing came a year after he announced he would be stepping away from acting to seek treatment for a schizoaffective disorder, Playbill reported.
An alum of the University of Michigan Theatre Department, Peluso became known as a respected understudy on Broadway, first covering The Balladeer in the 2004 Tony-winning revival of Assassins, as Louis and Nicolas in Elton John’s Lestat , and all three leading male roles in Beautiful The Carole King Musical.
He played Sky in the 2008 Broadway production of Mamma Mia. He also starred and covered the role of Fiyero in the touring company of Wicked, and he starred in Off Broadway’s The Glorious Ones.
In London’s West End, he appeared...
- 8/18/2023
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
An all-Broadway cast will present new musical The Valley in concert starring Desi Oakley Waitress, Chicago, Les Misrables, Wicked, Kara Lindsay Wicked, Newsies, Beautiful, Tiffany Mann Be More Chill, Waitress, Kevin Massey Tarzan, Memphis, A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, Brittney Johnson Wicked, Les Misrables, Jelani Remy Ain't Too Proud, The Lion King, and Devin Ilaw Miss Saigon, Les Misrables.
- 3/9/2020
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
The name on everybody's lips is gonna be ... Chicago The legendary revival of Kander and Ebb's iconic musical is celebrating 23 years of all that jazz on Broadway today To celebrate, we're looking back at some standout moments from the production over the years, featuring cast membersranging from original stars Ann Reinking and Bebe Neuwirth to more recent additions like Brandy and Desi Oakley. Check it all out...
- 11/14/2019
- by Linnae Medeiros
- BroadwayWorld.com
This week's performances will feature the casts of Waitress Shoshana Bean, Brandon Kalm, Charity Angel Dawson, Dayna Dantzler, Jessie Hooker-Bailey, Max Kumangai, Tyrone Davis Jr. Chicago Lana Gordon, Desi Oakley, Eddie Bennett, Gary Cooper, Jessica Ernest, Dan Gutierrez, Mary Claire King, Barrett Martin, Pilar Millhollen, Drew Nellessen, Beth Nicely, Rachel Schur, Colt Weiss Beetlejuice Alex Brightman, Sophia Anne Caruso, Natalie Charle Ellis, Sean Montgomery Come From Away Josh Breckenridge, Petrina Bromley, Holly Ann Butler, De'Lon Grant, John Jellison, Tony LePage, Julie Reiber, Pearl Sun, Astrid Van Wieren, Jim Walton Jersey Boys Austin Colby, Aaron de Jesus, Mark Edwards, John Gardiner, Dianna Barger, Amanda Dela Cruz, Olivia Valli.
- 7/22/2019
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
This week's performances will feature the casts of Waitress Shoshana Bean, Brandon Kalm, Charity Angel Dawson, Dayna Dantzler, Jessie Hooker-Bailey, Max Kumangai, Tyrone Davis Jr. Chicago Lana Gordon, Desi Oakley, Eddie Bennett, Gary Cooper, Jessica Ernest, Dan Gutierrez, Mary Claire King, Barrett Martin, Pilar Millhollen, Drew Nellessen, Beth Nicely, Rachel Schur, Colt Weiss Beetlejuice Alex Brightman, Sophia Anne Caruso, Natalie Charle Ellis, Sean Montgomery Come From Away Josh Breckenridge, Petrina Bromley, Holly Ann Butler, De'Lon Grant, John Jellison, Tony LePage, Julie Reiber, Pearl Sun, Astrid Van Wieren, Jim Walton Jersey Boys Austin Colby, Aaron de Jesus, Mark Edwards, John Gardiner, Dianna Barger, Amanda Dela Cruz, Olivia Valli.
- 7/16/2019
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
You don’t have to be a Broadway baby to scratch your onstage acting itch. In fact, all around the country—and outside of it—there are bustling theater communities producing works so vibrant they’d have Edward Albee rolling over in his grave. Want in on that action? You’d be wise to know the ins and outs of industry happenings, and this is a good place to start: From across the pond and back again, here is the week’s biggest regional theater news. Wakanda heads to the West End.Wakanda forever, indeed. Letitia Wright and Danai Gurira, who both starred in the massive hit “Black Panther,” will re-team for a stage project. “The Convert,” written by Gurira (who will not appear in the piece onstage), will star Wright and begin performances Dec. 7 at the Young Vic in London. The piece, set in 1896 Zimbabwe, will play a limited engagement through Jan.
- 9/10/2018
- backstage.com
In Sara Bareilles and Jessie Nelson’s stage musical adaptation of the feature film Waitress, there’s a purity and innocence baked into the sweet story which follows, like the title suggests, a small-town waitress who unexpectedly gets pregnant from her abusive husband and escapes reality by baking spectacularly quirky pies and develops a relationship with her so-dorky-that-he’s-charming doctor. But rumbling through this musical’s sun-kissed score is a story about the treatment of women —especially now. Once the musical reconciles the toxic bitterness of that unfortunate and all-too-familiar story of abuse, the sweetness of the musical becomes even sweeter, giving a story of female empowerment, choice, and removing horrible people out of your life and surrounding yourself with a foundation of support so that you can live your best life.
The history behind the Waitress film gives more emotional nuance considering the unfortunate circumstances in which it premiered.
The history behind the Waitress film gives more emotional nuance considering the unfortunate circumstances in which it premiered.
- 8/6/2018
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
“Waitress” isn’t the only pie Sara Bareilles has baking in the oven.
The California native told Variety at the opening night of “Waitress” at the Pantages in Hollywood that bringing the show she composed, wrote the lyrics for, and starred in–twice–felt like coming home.
“La was my home for 15 years. I went to UCLA, so there’s just a real sense of pride and gratitude to be able to come home and share this project that has been the great love of my life for the last five years with what feels like a very hometown place for me,” Bareilles said on the red carpet.
The “Gravity” singer, who played pie-maker Jenna Hunterson in March 2017 and again in January 2018 on Broadway, recalled when she jumped at the chance to play the titular waitress.
“When Jessie Mueller, our incredible original lead, left the show, there was a part...
The California native told Variety at the opening night of “Waitress” at the Pantages in Hollywood that bringing the show she composed, wrote the lyrics for, and starred in–twice–felt like coming home.
“La was my home for 15 years. I went to UCLA, so there’s just a real sense of pride and gratitude to be able to come home and share this project that has been the great love of my life for the last five years with what feels like a very hometown place for me,” Bareilles said on the red carpet.
The “Gravity” singer, who played pie-maker Jenna Hunterson in March 2017 and again in January 2018 on Broadway, recalled when she jumped at the chance to play the titular waitress.
“When Jessie Mueller, our incredible original lead, left the show, there was a part...
- 8/4/2018
- by Tara Bitran
- Variety Film + TV
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