Joan Roberts
| Joan Roberts | |
|---|---|
| Born |
July 15, 1917 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Died | August 13, 2012 (aged 95) Stamford, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Occupation | Musical theatre, film and television actress |
Joan Roberts (July 15, 1917 – August 13, 2012) was an American actress, most famous for creating the role of Laurey in the original Broadway production of Oklahoma! in 1943.
Roberts was born Josephine Rose Seagrist in Manhattan, New York and first appeared on stage at age 6. She was active in dramatic productions as a student at St. Patrick's Cathedral (Manhattan) High School and gained additional experience in summer stock productions.
Roberts was a regular on The Texaco Summer Theater on CBS July 4 - December 5, 1943. The program was a summer replacement for The Fred Allen Show but was extended when Allen did not return as scheduled.
Sunny River was Roberts' first Broadway production. She played Madeleine Caresse December 4, 1941 - January 3, 1942. Later in 1942 she played in Hit the Deck with the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera.
Roberts initially auditioned for the role of Ado Annie in the original Broadway production of Oklahoma! (which eventually went to Celeste Holm), but the show's librettist Oscar Hammerstein cast her as the female lead, Laurey. At the time of her death she was one of four surviving cast members of the original 1943 opening night production of Oklahoma! and the only one who played a principal role (Celeste Holm died several weeks earlier), along with George S. Irving, Marc Platt, and Bambi Linn. Roberts subsequently starred as Sara Longstreet on Broadway in the musical High Button Shoes.
Recently, Ms. Roberts conducted workshops on singing and voice projection. In 2011 she was honored by the University of North Carolina's School of the Arts while attending their replica production of the original Oklahoma!
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