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Laurie Hope Beechman (April 4, 1953 – March 8, 1998) was an American actress and singer, known for her work in Broadway musicals. After her death, the West Bank Cafe Downstairs Theater Bar in New York, was renamed the Laurie Beechman Theatre. Beechman made her Broadway debut in the 1977 original production of ''Annie''. For her role as the narrator in the 1982 original Broadway production of ''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'', she was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. She then went on to be the first actress to play the role of Grizabella in the US national touring production of ''Cats'' in 1983, before replacing Betty Buckley in the Broadway production in 1984. She would play the role on Broadway for over four years. She also starred in the Broadway productions of ''The Pirates of Penzance'' (1981) and ''Les Misérables'' (1990) and returned to the role of Grizabella for four months in 1997, when ''Cats'' became the longest running musical in Broadway history. In addition to her Broadway work, she had a career as a cabaret performer and a recording artist. ==Early life== Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, she possessed an incredible singing voice, powerful, yet subtle and nuanced. After moving to Haddon Township, New Jersey, she graduated from Haddon Township High School in 1971.〔Staff. ("Laurie Beechman" ), ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', March 10, 1998. Accessed March 24, 2011. "Laurie Beechman, 44, a diminutive singer and actress whose immense talent, energy and heart took her from the stage at Haddon Township High School all the way to Broadway, died Sunday of ovarian cancer at home in White Plains, N.Y.... Last year, Haddon Township made her the first inductee into the Haddon Township Cultural Hall of Fame."〕 Laurie performed in an acoustic folk-rock group with Rick Ferrante and Roy Baker called The Destiny Trio during the summers of 1971 and 1972 in North Wildwood, NJ at a small club called the Manor Lounge. She subsequently enrolled at New York University. Dropping out of NYU after a few years, Beechman made her Broadway debut in 1977 as part of the original cast of ''Annie'', playing five different roles. This led to small roles in the Public Theater's production of ''The Pirates of Penzance'' and the film version of ''Hair''. A detour into rock and roll resulted in the 1980 Atlantic Records release ''Laurie and the Sighs''. With little support from a new management team at the label, the album failed badly and Beechman was looking for stage work. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Laurie Beechman」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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