Rebecca Naomi Jones
| Rebecca Naomi Jones | |
|---|---|
| Born |
April 1981 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress/Singer |
Rebecca Naomi Jones is an American actress and singer best known for her performances in the Broadway rock musicals Passing Strange, American Idiot, and Hedwig and the Angry Inch.
Life and career
Jones was born in New York City, New York, to a musician father. Her mother is Jewish and her father is African-American.[1] Jones performed in the children's chorus of the Metropolitan Opera as a youth and graduated from the Berkeley Carroll School in 1999. "I did theatre all throughout middle school and high school and was really into it, the same with singing," she said.[2] Jones received her BFA in drama from the North Carolina School of the Arts, and appeared in the national tours of Rent and Caroline, or Change.
In 2007 Jones made her Off-Broadway debut in Passing Strange, which transferred to Broadway on February 28, 2008. She created the role of Whatsername in the Green Day rock opera American Idiot, which opened on Broadway on April 20, 2010.[1] Paper magazine said of Jones, "She's carved out a nice niche for herself as the girl to call when there's a cooler-than-thou musical in town."[3]
In 2012 Jones played the Narrator in Manhattan Theatre Club's Off-Broadway musical Murder Ballad, for which she received a Lucille Lortel Award nomination for Outstanding Featured Actress. Jones returned for the show's engagement at the Union Square Theatre, which ran from May 22, 2013, to July 21, 2013.[4] Later that summer, Jones appeared in a new musical adaptation of Love's Labour's Lost at Central Park's Delacorte Theater.
On June 2, 2014, Jones received a Lilly Award, a prize designed to honor women in the theater.[5]
On April 14, 2015, Jones replaced Lena Hall as Yitzhak in the Broadway production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Jones played the role through the production's end on September 13.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Miracle at St. Anna | Zana Wilder's Assistant | |
| 2009 | Passing Strange | Sherry / Renata / Desi | |
| 2010 | The Switch | Party Guest | |
| 2014 | Lovesick | Nancy | |
| 2014 | You Must Be Joking | Newscaster | |
| 2015 | Ratter | Nicole | Post-production |
| 2015 | Geezer | Gypsy | Post-production |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Great Performances | Sherry / Renata / Desi | Episode: "Passing Strange" |
| 2009 | Fringe | Risa Pears | Episode: "Bad Dreams" |
| 2010 | America's Got Talent | Whatsername | Episode: "Top Ten Results" |
| 2010 | Late Night with Jimmy Fallon | Whatsername | Season 2, episode 137 |
| 2010 | Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade | Herself | TV special |
| 2011 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Leila | Episode: "Bombshell" |
| 2011 | Nurse Jackie | Sister Anne | 2 episodes: "Game On" and "Enough Rope" |
| 2011 | Pzazz 101 | Herself | Episode: "Rebecca Naomi Jones" |
| 2012 | Smash | Laura | Episode: "Enter Mr. DiMaggio" |
| 2012 | NYC 22 | Monica Pridgen | Episode: "Block Party" |
| 2013 | Broadway Idiot | Herself | Documentary |
| 2013 | The Broadway.com Show | Herself | Season 1, episode 18 |
| 2014 | Blue Bloods | Barbara Keyes | Episode: "Manhattan Queens" |
Theatre
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Passing Strange | Sherry / Renata / Desi | Off-Broadway; Broadway |
| 2008 | Wig Out! | Fay | Off-Broadway |
| 2009 | This Beautiful City | Performer | Off-Broadway |
| 2010 | American Idiot | Whatsername | Broadway |
| 2012 | Murder Ballad | Narrator | Off-Broadway |
| 2013 | Love's Labour's Lost | Jaquenetta | Off-Broadway |
| 2014 | The Fortress of Solitude | Lala / Abby | Off-Broadway |
| 2015 | Big Love | Lydia | Off-Broadway |
| 2015 | Hedwig and the Angry Inch | Yitzhak | Broadway |
References
- 1 2 Gamerman, Ellen (Apr 2, 2010). "‘American Idiot’s’ Rebecca Naomi Jones on Green Day, Billie Joe Armstrong and Singing in Her Underwear". The Wall Street Journal Speakeasy. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
- ↑ Gans, Andrew. "DIVA TALK: A Chat With Murder Ballad Star Rebecca Naomi Jones", Playbill.com, 17 May 2013.
- ↑ "Little Miss Whatsername", Paper, 21 Apr. 2010.
- ↑ Hetrick, Adam, and Andrew Gans. "Off-Broadway Rock Musical Murder Ballad Will Close in July", Playbill.com, 27 June 2013.
- ↑ Kozinn, Allan. "'Wicked' Writer Is Among Those Winning Lilly Awards", The New York Times, 19 May 2014.
External links
- Rebecca Naomi Jones at the Internet Movie Database
- Rebecca Naomi Jones at the Internet Broadway Database
- Rebecca Naomi Jones at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
- Rebecca Naomi Jones at the Playbill Vault