Theatre

Life on stage

I caught the theatre bug early when I played “Molly” in Annie in a local summer stock production. I’ve since played old ladies, teenagers, lots of Jewish women, a prostitute and a ghost. I’ve tap danced and twirled in pointe shoes, done many comedies and a few dramas and even a few plays. I love being a character actress and have proudly averted being put into one box.

There’s nothing like performing in front of a live audience. Collective laughter is a balm for my soul as is the hushed silence when you can feel an audience breathing as one. It is a special kind of magic.

What the critics said

  • I only hope that casting directors leave their desks and their computers long enough to catch this romp, for it boasts a very talented cast. For the record, ‘Irma’ is played deliciously by Vanessa Lemonides. This charmer combines qualities of the young Eartha Kitt, Chita Rivera, Liliane Montevecchi, combines them into something very much her own, with a voice that’s as soothing as honey in her upper register, as brassy as brass in her lower.

    Irma La Douce

    NY Theatre Buzz, by Richard Seff

  • Vanessa Lemonides skillfully assumes several roles, and is luminous as Audrey Felt, Mark's wife. She brings down the house in one number, called "Audrey Felt," singing wistfully about what Audrey Felt felt.

    Mark Felt: Superstar!

    Huffpost.com, by Miles Harter

  • Vanessa Lemonides triumphs as Irma; she's sexy and vulnerable and warm and funny in the role, and she dances and sings beautifully. Her two big numbers, "Dis-Donc" and the title song, are definite highlights.

    Irma La Douce

    nytheatre.com, by Martin Denton

  • In the title role, Vanessa Lemonides is an incandescently appealing performer who can lovingly phrase a tender ballad or kick up her heels and have more fun strumming a fake banjo than anyone has a right to

    Love From Judy

    BroadwayWorld.com, by Michael Dale

  • Vanessa Lemonides as Kathy Selden is much the same physical type as the 20-year-old Debbie Reynolds, but she comes across as more worldly. Lemonides’ program credits cite a degree from Princeton in Slavic Languages, and her Kathy looks as though she might have translated Tolstoy, even when she pops out of the cake at the studio party

    Singin’ in the Rain

    Syracuse New Times, by James MacKillop

  • Vanessa Lemonides is one of the brightest spots in the show as Jeunefille – the part played by Genevieve Bujold in the film. Lemonides is dainty and delicate, yet exudes passionate energy and has an exquisite voice

    The King of Hearts

    The Source, by Amy J. Barry

  • Lemonides appears so tiny and frail she nearly disappears from the stage, but when she sings, a voice of astonishing power comes from we know not where … Lemonides delivers uncanny versions of Bassey’s Goldfinger, Edith Piaf’s Je Ne Regrette Rien and Garland’s The Man That Got Away …

    The Rise and Fall of Little Voice

    Rocky Mountain News, by Lisa Bornstein

  • As L.V., Vanessa Lemonides has the pipes to transport oil from Arvada to Alaska. She is a vocal chameleon who is especially effective at channeling Billie Holiday, Barbra Streisand and Judy Garland.

    The Rise and Fall of Little Voice

    Denver Post, by John Moore

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