Carolee Carmello


Carolee Ann Carmello is an American actress best known for her performances in Broadway musicals and for playing the role of Maple LaMarsh on the series Remember WENN. She is a three-time Tony Award nominee and a 5-time Drama Desk nominee, winning the 1999 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical for her role in Parade.

Career

Carmello graduated from the University of Albany with a degree in business administration.
Carmello made her Broadway debut in a small role in City of Angels and returned to close the show in the role of "Oolie/Donna". She left City of Angels to take the role of Florence in the tour of Chess, from January 1990 to May 1990. She played "Cordelia, the kosher caterer" in the original Broadway company of Falsettos, and also played Abigail Adams in the revival of 1776. In the Broadway company of The Scarlet Pimpernel she was a replacement in the role of "Marguerite St. Just". She created the role of Lucille Frank in Parade at Lincoln Center, for which she won the 1999 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical and was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical. Next came "Kate" in the Broadway revival of Kiss Me, Kate and "Ms. Pennywise" in Urinetown. She starred as "Gabrielle" in ', for which she received nominations for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical and the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical.
She appeared as Donna Sheridan in the long-running hit musical, Mamma Mia! several times, joining the show initially in October 2004. She again joined the cast as Donna in September 2006, taking a leave from March 14, 2007 to May 13, 2007 to appear in an early version of Saving Aimee.
Carmello originated the role of Alice Beineke in the musical version of The Addams Family. For this role she was nominated for the Drama Desk Award and the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical.
She took over the role of the Mother Superior from Victoria Clark in the Broadway production of Sister Act on November 19, 2011. In 2012, she played the role of Aimee Semple McPherson on Broadway in the musical ', for which she received a Drama Desk nomination and a Tony Award nomination for Best Lead Actress in a Musical. She performed the role of Mrs. du Maurier in the Broadway musical Finding Neverland from March 2015 through February 2016, and was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical.
Carmello appeared in the role of Mae Tuck in the Broadway musical adaptation of Tuck Everlasting, in April 2016 at the Broadhurst Theatre. Following its closing in May, she returned to Finding Neverland on July 5, 2016, for the show's last six weeks.
Carmello joined the US national tour of Hello, Dolly, playing Dolly Levi, from September 2019 to its closing in March 2020.

Theatre credits

Broadway

Sources: Playbill BroadwayWorld
YearProductionRoleLocation
1989City of AngelsEnsemble/Oolie/DonnaVirginia Theatre
1992–93FalsettosCordeliaJohn Golden Theatre
1997–981776Abigail Adams replacementGershwin Theatre
1998–99ParadeLucille FrankVivian Beaumont Theatre
1999–00The Scarlet PimpernelMarguerite St. JustNeil Simon Theatre
2001Kiss Me, KateLilli Vanessi/KatharineMartin Beck Theatre
2003–04UrinetownPenelope PennywiseHenry Miller's Theatre
2004Mamma Mia!Donna SheridanWinter Garden Theatre
2006'GabriellePalace Theatre
2006–07Mamma Mia!Donna SheridanWinter Garden Theatre
2010–11The Addams FamilyAlice BeinekeLunt-Fontanne Theatre
2011–12Sister ActMother SuperiorBroadway Theatre
2012'Aimee Semple McPhersonNeil Simon Theatre
2015–16Finding NeverlandMadame du MaurierLunt-Fontanne Theatre
2016Tuck EverlastingMae TuckBroadhurst Theatre
2016Finding NeverlandMadame du MaurierLunt-Fontanne Theatre

National tours

Sources: Lortel.orgBroadwayWorld.com
She is divorced from fellow actor Gregg Edelman. They have two children. She resides in Leonia, New Jersey.