Laura Osnes
Osnes in 2017
Born	Laura Ann Osnes (1985-11-19)November 19, 1985 (age 39) Burnsville, Minnesota, U.S.
Education	University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
Occupations	Actress singer
Years active	2007–present
Spouse	Nathan Johnson ​ (m. 2007)​

Laura Ann Osnes (born November 19, 1985)^[1] is an American actress and singer known for her work on theBroadway stage. She has played starring roles inGrease as Sandy,South Pacific as Nellie Forbush,Anything Goes as Hope Harcourt, andBonnie and Clyde asBonnie Parker, for which she received aTony Award nomination forBest Actress in a Musical. She also starred in the title role ofRodgers & Hammerstein'sCinderella on Broadway, for which she received aDrama Desk Award and her secondTony Award nomination for Best Actress in a Musical.

Osnes was born inBurnsville, Minnesota, raised in nearbyEagan, a suburb ofSaint Paul,^[2] and is a Christian. Her first acting performance was in the second grade, where she played a munchkin inThe Wizard of Oz. She attendedEagan High School. Osnes attended theUniversity of Wisconsin–Stevens Point for one year as a Musical Theatre major, before dropping out to pursue a professional career.

In 2005–2006 she returned to Minneapolis to be a performing apprentice at theChildren's Theatre Company, performing inWorking,Aladdin Jr.,Prom, andPippi Longstocking. She also played the lead of Sandy inGrease at the nation's largest dinner theatre, the Chanhassen Dinner Theatres, but her run was cut short when she was chosen to compete in the nationally televised Broadway talent competitionGrease: You're the One that I Want!.

Long-time boyfriend Nathan Johnson proposed to Osnes on December 23, 2006.^[3] They were married on May 11, 2007. They lived inManhattan with their dog, Lyla, for over a decade once Laura started her Broadway career.

In 2015, Osnes was a judge and mentor for the Songbook Academy, a summer intensive for high school students operated by theGreat American Songbook Foundation and founded byMichael Feinstein.^[4]

Laura Osnes was nicknamed "Small Town Sandy" in the show. She was a favorite to win during the entire course of the show, never showing up in the "sing-off" bottom two during the show's run. She was named the winner on March 25, 2007, which meant she would perform the lead character of Sandy oppositeMax Crumm, who won the role of "Danny".

Osnes and Crumm played their final performances as Sandy and Danny on July 20, 2008, and they were succeeded byAshley Spencer and Derek Keeling, two of the runners-up ofGrease: You're the One that I Want!.^[5]

Osnes starred in theKennedy Center for the Performing Arts'Broadway: Three Generations, a three-act evening featuring condensed versions ofGirl Crazy,Bye Bye Birdie, andSide Show. The show was presented at the Kennedy Center's Eisenhower Theater October 2–5, 2008.^[6] She then played Elizabeth (Lizzy) Bennet for the concert version of the new Broadway-aimed musicalPride & Prejudice that was presented October 21, 2008, at theEastman Theatre inRochester, New York.^[7] In early December Osnes returned home to Minneapolis and performed in a local Christmas pageant. On January 11, 2009, she took part in theRock Tenor Showcase, a showcase of a new concert experience that melds classical and Broadway music with rock-n-roll songs, at theFlorence Gould Hall inManhattan,^[8] and then sang at Dreamlight Theatre Company's "Bright Lights" concert series on the evening of January 26 entitledA Night with The Ladies.^[9]

In March 2009, Osnes took over the role of Ensign Nellie Forbush in theLincoln Center Theater Broadway revival ofSouth Pacific. She stayed with the show through October 4, 2009, when the production's original star,Kelli O'Hara, returned from maternity leave.^[10] She then starred asBonnie Parker in the world premiere ofBonnie & Clyde at theLa Jolla Playhouse from November 10 to December 20, 2009.^[11][12] Osnes returned to the role of Nellie inSouth Pacific on Broadway on January 5, 2010. She played her final performance on August 8, 2010.^[13][14] She reprised the role of Bonnie inBonnie & Clyde at theAsolo Repertory Theatre,Sarasota, Florida, in November and December 2010.

Osnes then played Hope Harcourt in the Broadway revival ofAnything Goes, which began previews on March 10, 2011, and officially opened on April 7, 2011, starringSutton Foster andJoel Grey.^[15] For this role Osnes received nominations for theOuter Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical^[16] as well as theDrama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical.^[17] She was also nominated for anAstaire Award for excellence in dance. Osnes departed the production on September 11, 2011.^[18]

Beginning previews on November 4, 2011, with a December 1 opening night, Osnes once again played Bonnie, this time in the Broadway debut ofBonnie and Clyde at theGerald Schoenfeld Theatre. She was joined by her Asolo Rep castmateJeremy Jordan as Clyde.^[19] The show received negative reviews, had lackluster ticket sales and closed on December 30, 2011. However, despite the critics' distaste for the production, Osnes received rave reviews for her performance as well as her first Tony Award nomination for Best Leading Actress in a Musical.^[20]

Osnes next performed at the 2011Kennedy Center Honors in a tribute toBarbara Cook alongsideSutton Foster,Rebecca Luker,Kelli O'Hara,Patti LuPone,Glenn Close andAudra McDonald.^[21]

In January 2012, she played the title character in a reading of a reworked adaptation of theRodgers and Hammerstein musical,Cinderella.^[22] She then led theEncores! stage concert production of Rodgers and Hammerstein'sPipe Dream, based onJohn Steinbeck's novelSweet Thursday. Under the direction of Marc Bruni, the production ran from March 28 to April 1, 2012.^[23] On April 24, 2012, Osnes headlined a concert performance ofThe Sound of Music atCarnegie Hall (New York City) as Maria. Also featured wereTony Goldwyn as Captain von Trapp,Brooke Shields as Elsa Schraeder andPatrick Page as Max Detweiler.^[24]

Osnes starred in the title role ofCinderella on Broadway, which began previews at theBroadway Theatre on January 25 and opened on March 3, 2013.^[25] Osnes received positive reviews,^[26] won a 2013Drama Desk award^[27] and was nominated for aTony Award for her performance.^[28] She left the production on January 26, 2014, and was replaced byCarly Rae Jepsen.^[29]

Osnes starred as Polly Peachum in theAtlantic Theatre Company'sOff-Broadway revival ofThe Threepenny Opera from March to May 2014.^[30] For this role, Osnes received her second nomination for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical.^[31] Osnes starred as Julie Jordan in theLyric Opera of Chicago's production ofCarousel, alongsideSteven Pasquale, in spring 2015. The production closed on May 3, 2015.^[32] The production received positive reviews.^[33]

She took part in the world premiere of the new original musical,Bandstand, directed and choreographed byAndy Blankenbuehler, which premiered at thePaper Mill Playhouse, New Jersey from October 8 through November 8, 2015. The musical has music byRichard Oberacker and book and lyrics by Robert Taylor and Oberacker.^[34] Osnes most recently starred in the musical on Broadway at the Jacobs Theatre, with her co-starCorey Cott. It opened on April 26, 2017, with previews beginning March 31.^[35] The production closed on Broadway on September 17, 2017, after 24 previews and 166 regular performances.

Following the closing ofBandstand, Osnes has performed frequently in the Broadway Princess Party show that premiered at Feinstein's/54 Below, which she also hosts and co-developed with music director Benjamin Rauhala. The Princess Party has become a recurring live event at that venue that gathers both popular and up-and-coming stage actresses; at these performances, each actress assumes the identity of aDisney Princess and performs a song from stage or screen in character as that princess, with Osnes typically emceeing and performing as Cinderella. She also performs in this show on the road consistently with fellow Broadway actressesSusan Egan (Beauty and the Beast,Hercules) andCourtney Reed (Aladdin).^[36][37]

In August 2021, Osnes exited a concert production ofCrazy For You at the Guild Hall in East Hampton, NY after the producers mandatedCOVID-19vaccinations for performers, though she denied the initial reports that said she was fired and said she chose to exit, defending her decision to not get vaccinated.^[38][39]

In 2011 Osnes was cast in the pilot forHBO'sThe Miraculous Year, starringLee Pace,Susan Sarandon,Patti LuPone,Eddie Redmayne andNorbert Leo Butz;^[40] the show was not picked up by the network. In 2013, she voiced a guest spot for theNickelodeon children's showTeam Umizoomi as "Sunny the Sunshine Fairy."^[41] In 2013 she appeared in an episode of theCBS television seriesElementary.^[40][42]

In 2015, she was the guest artist for the annual Pioneer Day Concert of theTabernacle Choir at Temple Square,Music for a Summer Evening, broadcast onBYUtv.^[43] She also performed with the Tabernacle Choir, the Orchestra at Temple Square, and the Bells on Temple Square for the annual Christmas Concerts of theTabernacle Choir in December (2015), broadcast onPBS.^[44] On July 4, 2017, she performed in PBS'sA Capitol Fourth, which was broadcast live from the west lawn of the U.S. Capitol.^[45]

Osnes starred in theHallmark Channel filmIn the Key of Love, starring alongsideScott Michael Foster, as Maggie Case. The movie was released on the network on August 11, 2019.^[46] She also starred as Charlotte in Hallmark Movies & Mysteries'A Homecoming for the Holidays^[47] and as Anna inHallmark Channel'sOne Royal Holiday alongsideAaron Tveit andVictoria Clark.^[48] Osnes has gone on to star in several more Hallmark Channel and Great American Family made-for-television films.

In October 2022, Osnes released original music for the first time on an extended play (EP) titledOn the Other Side, Part 1. The EP includes five songs that Osnes co-wrote. She has since released several more songs individually and a music video for the song "Getaway".

Wikimedia Commons has media related toLaura Osnes.

Wikiquote has quotations related toLaura Osnes.

• Laura Osnes at theInternet Broadway Database
• Laura Osnes at theInternet Off-Broadway Database
• Laura Osnes atIMDb 
• Interview about her role in SOUTH PACIFIC
• NBC profile
• Chanhassen Dinner Theatres
• Mpls.-St. Paul Magazine Article
• Laura Osnes at Playbill Vault at theWayback Machine (archived December 5, 2011)
• Laura Osnes: IF I TELL YOU - Songs of Maury Yeston PS Classics
• "Laura Osnes to Release New Single 'When You Smile', 8/10".BroadwayWorld.com. June 26, 2014. RetrievedJuly 8, 2022.
• "Laura Osnes to Release New Single by Daniel and Laura Curtis".Londontheatre1.com. June 26, 2014. RetrievedJune 26, 2014.
• "Cinderella Star Laura Osnes Will Release New Single in August".Playbill.com. June 27, 2014. RetrievedJuly 8, 2022.

• 1985 births
• Living people
• People from Burnsville, Minnesota
• People from Eagan, Minnesota
• Actresses from Minnesota
• American musical theatre actresses
• American stage actresses
• Participants in American reality television series
• Reality casting show winners
• University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point alumni
• 21st-century American actresses
• Drama Desk Award winners

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