Photo Coverage: BEAUTIFUL Stars Reunite for Anika Larsen's Birdland Concert!
By: Walter McBride Mar. 24, 2015
ANIKA LARSEN, the 2014 Tony Award nominee and Drama Desk Award winner currently starring on Broadway in Beautiful -- The Carole King Musical, introduced her debut solo CD Sing you to Sleep with a special concert at Birdland Jazz Club as part of the "Broadway at Birdland" series last night, March 23. Joining Larsen in concert were her original BEAUTIFUL co-stars, Tony winner Jessie Mueller and Tony nominee Jarrod Spector. BroadwayWorld brings you photos from backstage at the concert below!
The collection of dreamy ballads and standards -- recently released on Yellow Sound Label -- was hailed as "a charming, deliciously soothing album" by BroadwayWorld. The songs are drawn from contemporary pop ( "Fields of Gold" by Sting), legendary singer/songwriters ("Make You Feel My Love" from Bob Dylan), musical theater ("Summertime" from Porgy & Bess) and animated classics (An American Tail's "Somewhere Out There," with lyrics by Anika's Beautiful character Cynthia Weil). Special guests for the evening at Birdland are her Beautiful co-stars: Tony Award winnerJessie Mueller and Tony Award nominee Jarrod Spector. Dan Watt serves as executive producer for the concert.
Sing you to Sleep is a tuneful and personal album for adults and children alike, which Larsen recorded with her nine siblings and fourteen nieces and nephews in mind. Jessie Mueller, who won the 2014 Tony Award winner for playing Carole King in Beautiful, is featured on the album in a duet with her co-star for James Taylor's "You Can Close Your Eyes." The album is produced by Emmy Award-winner and Grammy Award-nominee Michael Croiter (Matilda, Big Fish, Heathers), with Dan Watt serving as executive producer.
Anika Larsen -- who has also starred on Broadway in Rent, All Shook Up, Xanadu and Avenue Q -- grew up in Cambridge, Massachusetts with nine brothers and sisters from different races and countries. She made her performance debut singing with her siblings at her parents' annual Christmas parties. Her mother thought they were the multi-cultural Von Trapps. After majoring in theater at Yale, Anika moved to New York City where her first professional job was Rent, during which she was given the nickname Shafrika. In addition to her Broadway credits, she also appeared in Disaster!; Unbroken Circle; Closer Than Ever; Miracle Brothers; Zanna, Don't!, and more. Anika is the only person on the planet who can say she was in the original casts of both Xanadu and Zanna, Don't!
Photo Credit: Walter McBride
Anika Larsen
Anika Larsen
Anika Larsen
Anika Larsen
Anika Larsen
Anika Larsen
Anika Larsen
Anika Larsen
Anika Larsen
Anika Larsen with head of Yellow Sound label Michael Croiter
Anika Larsen with CD Executive producer Dan Watt
Anika Larsen with Jessie Mueller and CD executive producer Dan Watt
Anika Larsen with Jessie Mueller
Anika Larsen with Jessie Mueller
Anika Larsen with Jessie Mueller
Anika Larsen with Jessie Mueller
Anika Larsen with Jessie Mueller
Anika Larsen with Kenita Miller
Anika Larsen with Kenita Miller
Anika Larsen with Jarrod Spector
Anika Larsen with Jarrod Spector
Anika Larsen with Jarrod Spector
Anika Larsen with Jessie Mueller, Jarrod Spector and Kenita Miller
Anika Larsen with Jessie Mueller, Jarrod Spector and Kenita Miller
Anika Larsen with Jessie Mueller, Jarrod Spector and Kenita Miller
Anika Larsen with Jessie Mueller, Jarrod Spector and Kenita Miller
Anika Larsen with her husband Freddie Maxwell
Anika Larsen with her husband Freddie Maxwell
Anika Larsen with her husband Freddie Maxwell
Anika Larsen with her husband Freddie Maxwell
Anika Larsen with her husband Freddie Maxwell
Ben Vereen and Anika Larsen
Anika Larsen with head of Yellow Sound label Michael Croiter, Ben Vereen and CD executive producer Dan Watt
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