Josefina Scaglione(born September 5, 1987) is an Argentinianmusical theatreactress and singer, best known for her performance as Maria in the 2009Broadwayrevival ofWest Side Story,for which she received aTony Award nomination for Best Leading Actress in a Musical.
Josefina Scaglione | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 5, 1987 |
| Occupation(s) | Actress and Singer |
| Years active | 2007–present |
Biography
editScaglione was raised inRosario, Santa Fe,and became interested in performing as a child. While in high school, she received a scholarship to attend a summer arts program atPoint Park UniversityinPittsburgh,Pennsylvania.Upon graduating from high school, Scaglione moved toBuenos Airesand began working as a musical theatre actress. In Buenos Aires, she performed inCinderella,and as Amber Von Tussle inHairspray.[1]
In 2008, directorArthur Laurents,unable to find an actress in theUnited Statesappropriate for the part ofMariain aBroadwayrevival ofWest Side Story,discovered Scaglione after friends in Buenos Aires directed him to aYouTubeclip of her performingÁstor Piazzolla's compositionLibertango.[1]Laurents flew Scaglione toNew York Cityto audition, where she immediately received the role, despite the fact that she was unknown in the United States.[1]After performing as Maria at theNational TheatreinWashington, DC,Scaglione made her Broadway debut inWest Side Storyat thePalace Theatreon March 19, 2009. As Maria, Scaglione won theOuter Critics Circle Awardfor Outstanding Actress in a Musical and aTheatre World Award,and was nominated for theTony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical,becoming the first actress portraying Maria to receive a Lead Actress nomination (Carol LawrenceandJosie de Guzmaneach received nominations in the Featured Actress category for their portrayals of Maria in the original 1957 production and 1980 revival). She was in the Nickelodeon Latin American show Kally's Mashup as Professor Abrankhausen in 2017. She was recently on the USA network's "Fairly Legal" as singer Claudia Alves in the episode named "Force Majeure" as well.
References
edit- ^abcGamerman, Ellen."I've Just Met a Girl Named Josefina: A revival of 'West Side Story' bets on a little-known actress from Argentina",The Wall Street Journal,2009-01-29. Retrieved on 2009-05-24.