Marla Schaffel
| Marla Schaffel | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 17, 1968 (age 48) |
| Education | Juilliard School (1990) |
| Occupation | actress |
| Years active | 1991–present |
| Family | Dani Schaffel (sister) |
Marla Schaffel (born April 17, 1968) is an American actress, especially in musical theatre, noted for her award winning performance in the title role in the musical adaptation of Jane Eyre.
Schaffel was raised in Miami, Florida, and attended Miami Palmetto High School. She then attended the Moscow Art Theatre School and was featured at the first Soviet International Theatre Festival. Finally, she attended the Juilliard School's drama division, as a member of Group 19 (1986–1990), where her classmates included Jeanne Tripplehorn and Laura Linney. She graduated from Juilliard in 1990.
Schaffel's first major acting job was in 1991 with the original Broadway production of Les Misérables, as Fantine. She performed opposite Natalie Toro (as Eponine) and J. Mark McVey (as Valjean). She left the theatre after turning down the coveted role of Christine Daae in Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera. She had a small role in the television series Kung Fu: The Legend Continues, as Tyler Smith, Peter Caine's girlfriend in season 1.
In 1995, she won over several competitors for the title role in the Manhattan Theatre Club workshop of Jane Eyre - The Musical. She was featured alongside Anthony Crivello as Edward Rochester and Mary Stout as Mrs. Fairfax. Later that year, she was featured in the world première of the musical, starring these two as well, in Wichita, Kansas at the Center for Arts. In 1996, the musical had its Canadian premiere at The Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto. The show released a cast recording.
...
Wikipedia