L Morgan Lee is an American actress and singer. She was nominated for the 2022 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical for her performance in A Strange Loop on Broadway, making history as the first openly transgender actor to be nominated for a Tony Award.[1][2]
Early life
Lee grew up in suburban Maryland.[3] She began performing in her early childhood by singing in her nursery school's talent show.[4] She began studying voice at 14 at Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, D.C. At 17, she was a Top 10 Finalist for Wolf Trap's Catherine Filene Shouse Award for Classical Voice. She went on to study musical theater at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia.[4]
Career
Shortly after graduating from UArts, Lee moved to New York City and was quickly cast in a National tour. Next, she danced her way through Europe in a tour of Jesus Christ Superstar directed and choreographed by Baayork Lee. She went on to do a number of off-Broadway, Regional shows, and tours. It was through a Facebook exchange in 2015 that Lee was invited to do a reading of A Strange Loop at the Musical Theatre Factory in New York City.[3] She continued with the show through its 2019 World Premiere off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons where she won an Obie Award and received a Lucille Lortel Award nomination for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical.
In 2021, Lee traveled to the UK to play artist Lili Elbe in a musical adaptation of The Danish Girl being developed in London.
Lee made her Broadway debut in 2022 when A Strange Loop transferred to the Lyceum Theater. The show received rave reviews and went on to win the Tony Award for Best Musical. For her performance as Thought 1, Lee was nominated for her first Tony Award.[5]
Discography
Cast & Concept recordings
- A Strange Loop – Original Cast Recording (2019)
- Soft Butter: A Trans Fantasia – Concept Recording (2019)
- A Strange Loop – Original Broadway Cast (2022)
Collaborative projects
- The Broadway Rainbow Lullaby Album (2021)
- Album (Joe Iconis) (2022)
- Her Sound: Volume 3 (2022)
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Show | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Lucille Lortel Awards | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | A Strange Loop | Nominated | [6] |
| Obie Award | Special Citation | Won | [7] | ||
| Antonyo Awards | Best Featured Performance in a Musical, Off-Broadway | Nominated | [8] | ||
| 2021 | Mark O'Donnell Prize | Won | [9] | ||
| 2022 | Tony Award | Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical | A Strange Loop | Nominated | [10][11] |
| Drama League Award | Distinguished Performance | Nominated | [12] | ||
| Antonyo Awards | Best Featured Performance in a Musical, Broadway | Won | |||
References
- ^ "L Morgan Lee on making Broadway history: 'I could not stop crying'". The Guardian. June 1, 2022. Archived from the original on June 13, 2022. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
- ^ Stevens, Matt (May 9, 2022). "'Know that it's possible': L Morgan Lee on her trailblazing Tony nomination". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on June 13, 2022. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
- ^ a b "'A Strange Loop' breakout star L Morgan Lee makes Tonys history as first openly transgender actress to be nominated". New York Daily News. June 6, 2022. Archived from the original on September 10, 2022. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
- ^ a b "L Morgan Lee on making Broadway history: 'I could not stop crying'". the Guardian. June 1, 2022. Archived from the original on June 13, 2022. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
- ^ Culwell-Block, Logan (May 9, 2022). "A Strange Loop's L Morgan Lee Becomes the First Openly Trans Tony-Nominated Performer". Playbill. Archived from the original on September 10, 2022. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
- ^ "2020 Lucille Lortel Award Nominations Announced - TheaterMania.com". Theatermania. April 14, 2020. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
- ^ "News & Events: 2020 Obie Winners". The American Theatre Wing. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
- ^ "Nominees announced for the inaugural Antonyo Awards celebrating Black theatre". New York Theatre Guide. June 10, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
- ^ "L Morgan Lee Receives Mark O'Donnell Prize". AMERICAN THEATRE. November 11, 2021. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
- ^ Stevens, Matt (May 9, 2022). "'Know that it's possible': L Morgan Lee on her trailblazing Tony nomination". The New York Times.
- ^ Street, Mikelle (May 9, 2022). "'A Strange Loop,' Stunning Broadway Musical, Gets Historic Tony Noms". www.out.com.
- ^ Eckmann, Sam (April 25, 2022). "2022 Drama League Awards nominations unveiled; 43 performers contend for distinguished performance award". GoldDerby.