Grace McLean

Grace McLean is an American actor, playwright, composer and singer. She is known for her roles in various Off-Broadway and Broadway productions such as Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812, Bedbugs, Alice by Heart, and In The Green, the latter of which she wrote and orchestrated. She is also known for her work as a music educator and for fronting the band Grace McLean and Them Apples.[1]

Grace McLean
NationalityAmerican
Occupationactor, playwright, composer, singer, songwriter, orchestrator, educator
Musical career
Genres
Instrumentsvocals, piano, ukulele, pump organ, loops
LabelsSelf-released

Career

Theatre

In 2013, McLean starred as Marya Dmitriyevna in the original Off-Broadway production in Dave Malloy's EDM-rock opera Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812. She later reprised this role in the 2015 American Repertory Theatre and 2016 Broadway productions, as well as on both of the show's official cast recordings.

In 2017, McLean was named one of Lincoln Center's writers-in-residence, allowing her free rein of office space and materials to create original theatre works. Them Apples had previously performed in both the 2015 and 2016 Lincoln Center American Songbook series.[2]

In 2019 McLean starred in the new Off-Broadway musical Alice by Heart based on Alice's Adventures in Wonderland as The Queen of Hearts, Red Cross Nurse, and Magpie.

Also in 2019 McLean wrote the book, music, lyrics, and orchestrations for In the Green, a new musical about the life of eleventh century abbess, christian mystic, composer, and polymath Hildegard von Bingen. McLean also plays Jutta von Sponheim, Hildegard's mentor and fellow prisoner. The show opened on June 4 Off-Broadway at Lincoln Center's LCT3 Theatre and closed on August 14, 2019.[3] The show was nominated for 6 awards at the 2020 Lucille Lortel Award including Outstanding Musical, and McLean winning for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical.[4] The original cast recording was released on October 16, 2020 through Ghostlight Records.[5]

Music

Her voice has been described as "a flexible instrument with unexpected reserves of power". She is also noted for her use of loops, creating layers of sound, turning her solo voice into a full rhythm section.[6]

Her band, Grace McLean & Them Apples (which consists of her, Hiroyuki Matsuura, and Justin Goldner), incorporates a myriad of styles including swing, hip-hop, electronica, jazz, and musical theatre In 2015 and 2016 the band toured Russia and Pakistan as ambassadors for the U.S. State Department.[7]

The band have released two extended plays, Make Me Breakfast in 2012 and Natural Disaster in 2016.[8][9] A full-length album was announced to be forthcoming in 2019, though it remains unreleased.[10]

She also voiced Madame Sunshine in the musical podcast The Fall of the House of Sunshine.[11]

Theatre credits
Year Title Role Notes[12][13]
2007 Help Yourself Lucille/Tiffany/Ravanna Melon Williamstown Theatre Festival
2007 The Prophet Muhammad: A Musical Khadija/Merchant/Kid Williamstown Theatre Festival
2008 Twelve Ophelias R McCarren Park
2010 The Last Goodbye Apothecary/Servant/Samson Williamstown Theatre Festival
2011 Sleep No More Caroline Reville/Madeline Off-Broadway
2013 Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 Marya Dmitrievna Off-Broadway
2014 Bedbugs Carly Off-Broadway
2014 The World Is Round Off-Broadway
2015 Brooklynite Blue Nixie Vineyard Theatre
2015 Pump Boys and Dinettes Prudie Cupp Weston Playhouse
2016 Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 Marya Dmitrievna Broadway
2019 Alice by Heart Red Queen/Red Cross Nurse/Magpie Off-Broadway
2019 In The Green Jutta Off-Broadway
2019 Cyrano Chaperone Marie Off-Broadway

References
  1. "Grace McLean's Official website". Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  2. "Odds & Ends: The Great Comet's Grace McLean Named Lincoln Center Theater Writer-in-Residence & More". Broadway Buzz. August 3, 2017. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  3. "In The Green". LCT.org. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  4. "Breaking: THE WRONG MAN, A STRANGE LOOP & More Nominated for Lucille Lortel Awards- Updating Live!". April 14, 2020. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  5. "IN THE GREEN (ORIGINAL CAST RECORDING)". ghostlightrecords.com. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
  6. Stephen Holden (April 4, 2016). "Review: Grace McLean, Whose Songs Skip Across Boundaries". The New York Times. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  7. "Odds & Ends: The Great Comet's Grace McLean Named Lincoln Center Theater Writer-in-Residence & More". Broadway Buzz. August 3, 2017. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  8. "Make Me Breakfast by Grace McLean & Them Apples". Bandcamp. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  9. "Natural Disaster by Grace McLean & Them Apples". Bandcamp. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  10. Julie Musbach (March 25, 2019). "BWW Interview: Down the Rabbit Hole with ALICE BY HEART's Grace McLean". Broadwayworld.com. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  11. "The Fall of the House of Sunshine website". Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  12. "Grace McLean Credits". Broadway World. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  13. "About the Artist: Grace McLean". Retrieved April 15, 2020.
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