Isabel Keating
Template:Short description Script error: No such module "infobox".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".Template:Main otherScript error: No such module "Check for clobbered parameters".Template:Wikidata image Isabel Keating (born May 1, 1961) is an American actress and singer. She is known for her performance as Judy Garland in the original Broadway production of The Boy from Oz, which earned her a Tony Award nomination and a Drama Desk Award.
Early life and career
Keating was born in Savannah, Georgia on May 1, 1961,[1] to a Southern father and Moroccan mother. This background gave rise to an early knack for mimicking accents and, eventually, fluency in multiple languages. As she would tell AP's Lisa Tolin many years later, it was not until reaching her early twenties that Keating, who had long since assumed she would put those skills to use professionally as an interpreter, first "fell into" theater.[2] Her first landing spot—or at least the first paying one—was with the Little Theatre of Savannah Mini-Rep Company,[2] with whom Keating was performing children's theatre as early as the winter of 1983.[3]
Broadway
Keating made her Broadway debut in 2003, in Enchanted April. She replaced Molly Ringwald in the role of Rose Arnott[4] after having created the leading role of Lotty Wilton in the play's world-premiere production at Hartford Stage Company in Hartford, Connecticut.[5]
Keating is widely acclaimed for her portrayal of Judy Garland in the 2003 Broadway production of The Boy From Oz, in which she starred opposite Hugh Jackman (who played Peter Allen). For her performance she received a Tony Award nomination[6] and won a Drama Desk Award[7] and Theatre World Award.[8]
She joined the Broadway cast of Hairspray, directed by Jack O'Brien, in the role of Velma Von Tussle in June 2006[9] and stayed with the production through August 2007.[10]
Keating played Peter Parker's Aunt May and other characters in the Broadway production of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, directed by Julie Taymor.[11]
From 2014 to 2015, Keating appeared on Broadway in Terrence McNally's hit comedy It's Only a Play, directed by Jack O'Brien.
She played Madame Morrible in Wicked on Broadway from January through November 2018[12][13] after performing the same role in the U.S. National Tour.[14]
In 2024, she returned to Broadway in Doubt: A Parable as the understudy for Sister Aloysius, but later temporarily took over the role in early previews, replacing Tyne Daly, who departed the production after a medical emergency.[15]
Other theatre
Keating has performed at Theatre Previews at Duke, where she starred in Gore Vidal's On the March to the Sea opposite Chris Noth, Charles Durning, Richard Easton, Michael Learned and Harris Yulin;[16] at the Long Wharf Theater in New Haven, Connecticut, in Tom Stoppard's Travesties opposite Sam Waterston;[17] and at the Paper Mill Playhouse, in Millburn, New Jersey, in Wendy Kesselman's stage version of The Diary of Anne Frank.
She won the 2000 Helen Hayes Award for Best Actress for her performance in Tom Stoppard's play Indian Ink at the Studio Theatre in Washington, D.C.[18]
Keating appeared as Vi in Lucinda Coxon's Waiting at the Water's Edge in its American premiere, directed by Nela Wagman for the Watermark Theatre Company,[19] and played the Duchess of Berwick in the Oscar Wilde comedy Lady Windermere's Fan directed by Moisés Kaufman in 2005 at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in Williamstown, Massachusetts.[20]
Film and television
Keating co-starred in Indignation—James Schamus's feature film directorial début, based on Philip Roth's novel—opposite Logan Lerman and Sarah Gadon.[21] The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2016 and was theatrically released on July 29, 2016.[22]
She has guest-starred in episodes of 3 lbs (2006),[23] Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2008),[24] The Path (2016), and New Amsterdam (2021) and appeared in films including The Nanny Diaries[25] and The Life Before Her Eyes.[26]
Acting credits
Theatre
| Year | Show | Role | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | La Ronde | Sweet Young Thing | The Studio Theatre (Washington, D.C.) |
| 1986 | The Miss Firecracker Contest | Popeye | Bristol Valley Playhouse (Naples, NY) |
| 1986–1987 | The Slab Boys Trilogy | Lucille | The Studio Theatre (Washington, D.C.) |
| 1989 | The Bright and Bold Design | ||
| 1990 | In Perpetuity Throughout the Universe | Christine | |
| 1994 | Waiting at the Water's Edge | Vi | Off-Broadway: The Ohio Theatre |
| Written and Sealed | Nancy | Off-Broadway: Puerto Rican Traveling Theater | |
| The Rise and Fall of Little Voice | Little Voice | The Studio Theatre (Washington, D.C.) | |
| 1995 | Slavs! | Katarina | |
| Three Sisters | Irina | ||
| Chilean Holiday | Digna | Actors Theatre of Louisville (Louisville, KY) | |
| 1997 | One Foot on the Floor | LaVita Terrafamilia | Denver Center for the Performing Arts (Denver, CO) |
| 1998 | Once in a Lifetime | Florabel Leigh | Off-Broadway: Atlantic Theater Company |
| 1999 | Indian Ink | Flora Crewe | The Studio Theatre (Washington, D.C.) |
| 2000 | Enchanted April | Lottie Wilton | Hartford Stage (Hartford, CT) |
| 2001 | Dinner with Friends | Beth | Old Globe Theatre (San Diego, CA) |
| 2003 | Enchanted April | Rose Arnott (replacement) | Broadway: Belasco Theatre |
| 2003–2004 | The Boy from Oz | Judy Garland | Broadway: Imperial Theatre |
| 2005 | Travesties | Nadya | Long Wharf Theatre (New Haven, CT) |
| On the March to the Sea | Minna Hinks | Theatre Previews at Duke (Raleigh, NC) | |
| Lady Windermere's Fan | Duchess of Berwick | Williamstown Theatre Festival (Williamstown, MA) | |
| 2006 | The Diary of Anne Frank | Edith Frank | Paper Mill Playhouse (Millburn, NJ) |
| 2006–2007 | Hairspray | Velma Von Tussle (replacement) | Broadway: Neil Simon Theatre |
| 2009 | A Lifetime Burning | Lydia Freemantle | Off-Broadway: Primary Stages |
| 2010–2014 | Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark | Aunt May/Mrs. Gribrock/Maxie | Broadway: Foxwoods Theatre |
| 2014 | Travesties | Nadya | Bay Street Theater (Sag Harbor, NY) |
| 2014–2015 | It's Only a Play | Virginia Noyes/Julia Budder (standby) | Broadway: Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre |
| 2016–2017 | Wicked | Madame Morrible | U.S. National Tour |
| 2018 | Broadway: Gershwin Theatre | ||
| 2019 | Because of Winn Dixie | Franny Block | Goodspeed Opera House (East Haddam, CT) |
| 2024 | Doubt: A Parable | Sister Aloysius (u/s) | Broadway: Todd Haimes Theatre |
| The Queen of Versailles | Debbie Debbie | Emerson Colonial Theatre | |
| 2025 | Theatre People | Charlotte Sanders | Westport Country Playhouse (Westport, CT) |
Film and television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Dead Broke | Forensics Specialist | |
| Magnetism | Short film | ||
| 2004 | 58th Tony Awards | Herself | TV special |
| American Masters | Judy Garland | Episode: "Judy Garland: By Myself" | |
| 2006 | 3 lbs | Rosemary Donovan | Episode: "Bad Boys" |
| 2007 | The Nanny Diaries | Paranoid Mom | |
| The Life Before Her Eyes | Maureen's Mother | ||
| 2008 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Janine | Episode: "Please Note We Are No Longer Accepting Letters of Recommendation from Henry Kissinger" |
| 2016 | The Path | Jeanette Kemp | Episode: "Breaking and Entering" |
| Indignation | Miss Clement | ||
| 2021 | New Amsterdam | Mary Wheeler | Episode: "More Joy" |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Helen Hayes Award | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Resident Play | Indian Ink | Template:Won[27] |
| 2004 | Audie Award | Outstanding Achievement in Fiction Narration | Hissy Fit by Mary Kay Andrews | Template:CFinalist |
| Outer Critics Circle Award | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | The Boy from Oz | Template:Nom[28] | |
| Theatre World Award | Outstanding Debut Performance in a Broadway Production | Template:Won[8] | ||
| Drama League Award | Distinguished Performance | Template:Nom[29] | ||
| Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | Template:Won[7] | ||
| Tony Award | Best Featured Actress in a Musical | Template:Nom[6] |
References
External links
- Isabel Keating homepage
- Template:First word Template:PAGENAMEBASE at the Internet Broadway DatabaseTemplate:EditAtWikidataTemplate:WikidataCheck
- Template:Trim/ Template:PAGENAMEBASE at IMDbTemplate:EditAtWikidataScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
- Isabel Keating Interview by Beth Stevens on Broadway.com
Template:DramaDesk MusicalOutstandingFeaturedActress 2001-2025
- ↑ Willis, John (1996). Theatre World, 1993-1994 Season. New York, NY : Applause. p. 220. Template:ISBN. "KEATING, ISABEL. Born May 1, 1961 in Savannah, GA. Attended Lycee St. Gilles/Brussels. Debut OB 1989 in Underground Man."
- ↑ a b Tolin, Lisa (January 23, 2004). "Actress becomes Garland". The Daily Oklahoman. p. 17-D. Retrieved April 7, 2025. "The role of Garland seems tailor-made for Keating, a 42-year-old Savannah, Ga., native who was told after stints in summer stock that she reminded folks of a young Judy Garland. [...] Mimicry comes easily to Keating, who learned to imitate accents as a child listening to her Moroccan mother and Southern father. Fluent in several languages, she originally planned to be an interpreter before she 'fell into' theater at the age of 24. Her first paying job was at a children's theater in Savannah, and she moved from city to city before hitting her stride in Washington, where in 2000 she won the Helen Hayes Award for best actress."
- ↑ "Final Super Sunday". The Island Packet. March 1, 1983. p. 19. Retrieved April 7, 2025. "The final Super Sunday of the season will take place on March 6 at 2:30 p.m. at the Hilton Head Library. Members of the Little Theatre of Savannah Mini-Rep Company will perform a play for children, "'Tarradiddle Tales.' [...] The Mini-Rep Company is made up of R. Barrett Kemper Jr., Isabel Keating, Henry Steele, Priscilla Anderson and David Snowden. The director is Leslie Gordon."
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- Pages with script errors
- IBDB name template using Wikidata
- 1961 births
- Actresses from New York (state)
- Actresses from Savannah, Georgia
- American film actresses
- American musical theatre actresses
- American people of Moroccan descent
- American stage actresses
- American television actresses
- Drama Desk Award winners
- Living people
- Theatre World Award winners
- 21st-century American women