Carol Woods (performer)
Encyclopedia
Carol Woods is an American performer. In February 2008 she received a standing ovation during the 50th Grammy Awards
broadcast singing "Let It Be
" from the soundtrack of the film Across the Universe
, with Timothy T. Mitchum. Inspired by Barack Obama
's campaign and win she has recorded Grammy Award
winner Julie Gold
's song America .The CD of America
(The Song) made its debut in a Limited Inaugural Edition at the "Shades of Blue" Inaugural Gala ,hosted by Create the Vision Source in Washington D.C. January 20, 2009.In July 2009 ,America became available to the public at large. In early 2009 she reprised the role of Matron Mama Morton in Chicago
on Broadway, followed by two weeks at the National Theater in Washington, D.C. (March 31 - April 12, 2009 ). She will remain on tour with the show as Matron "Mama" Morton through June 2010, returning to the Broadway production in July.She is also recording material for a new CD titled Blues In The Night.
credits include Matron Mama Morton in Chicago
. Stella Deems in the Roundabout Theater's 2001 revival of Stephen Sondheim
's Follies
, Mrs Crosby in Neal Simon's The Goodbye Girl
(1993), Maybelle in Grind in 1985. She also made a special guest appearance in the 2002 One Mo Time revival as Ma Reed. She was nominated for an Olivier Award for her role in the 1987 London production of Blues in the Night
, which led to a NYC run at the Minetta Lane Theater, and in 2008 reprised the role in a San Francisco Production. As a founding member of Tony Randall
's National Actors Theatre
, in 1992, Carol appeared in their first two productions A Little Hotel on the Side and as Tituba in The Crucible
. She left Big River
in 1987 to play Rose in the Tommy Tune
-directed Stepping Out (play)
.On Tour she recreated the role of Jeanette Burmeister in The Full Monty
.
Off-Broadway
, she is best known for her portrayal of Big Bertha in the Village Gate's 1979 production of One Mo Time and its TV commercial where she sang part of You've Got The Right Key But You're Working On The Wrong Keyhole and viewers were invited to see the rest in person.
In 1993, she portrayed Lorena Hickok in First Lady Suite at The Public Theater.
In 1997 at the Samuel Beckett Theater she appeared as Vy, Aladdin's mother in Dreamstuff a contemporary musical spin on Aladdin
.
Her Regional theater credits include An Evening Dinner Theatre in Elmsford, New York
where she appeared as Jewel in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
At the McCarter Theater in Princeton, New Jersey
, Carol Woods appeared in C'mon and Hear: Irving Berlin's America (1994), A Christmas Carol
(1996) ,Greensboro: A Requiem (1996)
At Montclair State University
in 1992 Carol Woods repeated the starring role in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
, which she had played in London's Royal National Theater three years earlier.
During Theaterfest '94 she appeared in Side by Side by Sondheim, and during TheatreFest '98, Triplets: The Diva Musical with Ruth Brown
, and Angela Robinson.
For the Williamstown Theatre Festival
she appeared in Hot L Baltimore
(2000)
(1987)
She reprises her stage role of Rose in the Stepping Out (1991 film)
version, with Liza Minnelli
, Shelly Winters, Bill Irwin
and Jane Krakowski
.
Rose's son in the film was played by Carol's real son Raymond Rickman
She performed at both the Toronto Benefit for Starlight during the filming and at the Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS New York Premiere of the film.
In Sweet and Lowdown
(1999) as Helen Minton she sings All Of Me .
In the Honeymooners (2005) she plays Alice's Mom .
Across the Universe (film)
(2007)
Having been directed by Jack Wrangler
in cabaret, she appears as herself in the 2008 documentary Wrangler Anatomy Of An Icon.
Steam as Ella , with Ruby Dee
.
When the Evening Comes (2009) as Mrs. Anderson is in post-production.
Law & Order
Third Watch
The Practice
episode - Neighboring Species
Lost In The Stars
Breakfast At Tiffany's
Barcelona
While appearing in the London Production of Blues In The Night ,Carol was befriended by Freddie Mercury
of Queen
who asked her to sing backup on this Album
Three CDs in The Riverwalk Series:
New Year's All Star Jam
American Love Songs
Hot Jazz For A Cool Yule.
She also appears on the Cast Albums of :
Grind
,
The Goodbye Girl
Blues In The Night
Songs In The Key Of Stevie reunited her with Ron Richardson
The Stevie Wonder tribute was directed by Obba Babatundé
New Year's Eve Party with opening act Dianna Jones
Featured Vocalist at Late Night Swing Shows
During One Mo' Time made frequent "guest " appearances in the Terrace Bar Cabaret
She continued this practice when she dropped in to see other performers, notably Emmy Kemp , until "The Gate" closed.
Carnegie Hall
An Evening with Carol Woods November 27, 2000
Benefit concerts for the Lauri Strauss Leukemia Foundation honoring Johnny Mercer
(2001), Kander & Ebb (2003), and Marvin Hamlisch
(2006).
92nd Street Y
Various Lyrics and Lyricists shows
Downtime
Her CD Bosom Buddies was recorded there live
Arci's Place
Stick Around ran from January 30 through February 24, 2001
Rainbow and Stars
S Wonderful, 'S Marvelous, 'S Gershwin(1992) with Jo Anne Worley
Michaels Pub
Tribute shows to Sammy Davis Jr. and Pearl Bailey
(1991)
Freddy's Supper Club June 1985
Nell's
B. Smiths
Iridium
50th Grammy Awards
The 50th Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, on February 10, 2008. Kanye West received the most nominations, with eight. Amy Winehouse was the big winner, winning a total of five awards. Herbie Hancock's River: The Joni Letters won Album of the Year,...
broadcast singing "Let It Be
Let It Be (song)
"Let It Be" is a song by The Beatles, released in March 1970 as a single, and as the title track of their album Let It Be. It was written by Paul McCartney, but credited to Lennon–McCartney. It was their final single before McCartney announced his departure from the band...
" from the soundtrack of the film Across the Universe
Across the Universe (film)
Across the Universe is a musical romantic drama film directed by Julie Taymor, produced by Revolution Studios, and distributed by Columbia Pictures. The film's plot is centered around songs by The Beatles. It was released in the United States on October 12, 2007. The script is based on an original...
, with Timothy T. Mitchum. Inspired by Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
's campaign and win she has recorded Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
winner Julie Gold
Julie Gold
Julie Gold is a New York singer-songwriter. She is best known for Bette Midler's version of her song "From a Distance" which won the Grammy for Song of the Year in 1991....
's song America .The CD of America
(The Song) made its debut in a Limited Inaugural Edition at the "Shades of Blue" Inaugural Gala ,hosted by Create the Vision Source in Washington D.C. January 20, 2009.In July 2009 ,America became available to the public at large. In early 2009 she reprised the role of Matron Mama Morton in Chicago
Chicago (musical)
Chicago is a musical set in Prohibition-era Chicago. The music is by John Kander with lyrics by Fred Ebb and a book by Ebb and Bob Fosse. The story is a satire on corruption in the administration of criminal justice and the concept of the "celebrity criminal"...
on Broadway, followed by two weeks at the National Theater in Washington, D.C. (March 31 - April 12, 2009 ). She will remain on tour with the show as Matron "Mama" Morton through June 2010, returning to the Broadway production in July.She is also recording material for a new CD titled Blues In The Night.
Theater
Carol Woods Broadway theatreBroadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
credits include Matron Mama Morton in Chicago
Chicago (musical)
Chicago is a musical set in Prohibition-era Chicago. The music is by John Kander with lyrics by Fred Ebb and a book by Ebb and Bob Fosse. The story is a satire on corruption in the administration of criminal justice and the concept of the "celebrity criminal"...
. Stella Deems in the Roundabout Theater's 2001 revival of Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Joshua Sondheim is an American composer and lyricist for stage and film. He is the winner of an Academy Award, multiple Tony Awards including the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, multiple Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize and the Laurence Olivier Award...
's Follies
Follies
Follies is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Goldman. The story concerns a reunion in a crumbling Broadway theatre, scheduled for demolition, of the past performers of the "Weismann's Follies," a musical revue , that played in that theatre between the World Wars...
, Mrs Crosby in Neal Simon's The Goodbye Girl
The Goodbye Girl
The Goodbye Girl is a 1977 American romantic comedy-drama film. Directed by Herbert Ross, the film stars Richard Dreyfuss, Marsha Mason, Quinn Cummings, and Paul Benedict...
(1993), Maybelle in Grind in 1985. She also made a special guest appearance in the 2002 One Mo Time revival as Ma Reed. She was nominated for an Olivier Award for her role in the 1987 London production of Blues in the Night
Blues in the Night (musical)
Blues in the Night is a musical revue conceived by Sheldon Epps. It was produced by Mitchell Maxwell, Alan J. Schuster, Fred H. Krones and M Squared Entertainment, Inc., and Joshua Silver ....
, which led to a NYC run at the Minetta Lane Theater, and in 2008 reprised the role in a San Francisco Production. As a founding member of Tony Randall
Tony Randall
Tony Randall was a U.S. actor, comic, producer and director.-Early years:Randall was born Arthur Leonard Rosenberg to a Jewish family in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the son of Julia and Mogscha Rosenberg, an art and antiques dealer...
's National Actors Theatre
National Actors Theatre
The National Actors Theatre was a theater company founded in 1991 by Tony Randall, whose dream it was to create such an organization. He was chairman until his death in 2004. At first the company was housed at the Belasco Theatre New York, then at the nearby Lyceum Theatre, and in 2002 was based...
, in 1992, Carol appeared in their first two productions A Little Hotel on the Side and as Tituba in The Crucible
The Crucible
The Crucible is a 1952 play by the American playwright Arthur Miller. It is a dramatization of the Salem witch trials that took place in the Province of Massachusetts Bay during 1692 and 1693. Miller wrote the play as an allegory of McCarthyism, when the US government blacklisted accused communists...
. She left Big River
Big River (musical)
Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a musical with a book by William Hauptman and music and lyrics by Roger Miller.Based on Mark Twain's classic 1884 novel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, it features music in the bluegrass and country styles in keeping with the setting of the novel...
in 1987 to play Rose in the Tommy Tune
Tommy Tune
Thomas James "Tommy" Tune is an American actor, dancer, singer, theatre director, producer, and choreographer. Over the course of his career, he has won nine Tony Awards and the National Medal of Arts.-Early years:...
-directed Stepping Out (play)
Stepping Out (play)
Stepping Out is a play written by Richard Harris in 1984. It was produced in the West End, London, where it received the Evening Standard Comedy of the Year Award, and on Broadway, New York.-Plot:...
.On Tour she recreated the role of Jeanette Burmeister in The Full Monty
The Full Monty (musical)
The Full Monty is a musical with a book by Terrence McNally and score by David Yazbek.In this Americanized musical stage version adapted from the 1997 British film of the same name, six unemployed Buffalo steelworkers, low on both cash and prospects, decide to present a strip act at a local club...
.
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
, she is best known for her portrayal of Big Bertha in the Village Gate's 1979 production of One Mo Time and its TV commercial where she sang part of You've Got The Right Key But You're Working On The Wrong Keyhole and viewers were invited to see the rest in person.
In 1993, she portrayed Lorena Hickok in First Lady Suite at The Public Theater.
In 1997 at the Samuel Beckett Theater she appeared as Vy, Aladdin's mother in Dreamstuff a contemporary musical spin on Aladdin
Aladdin
Aladdin is a Middle Eastern folk tale. It is one of the tales in The Book of One Thousand and One Nights , and one of the most famous, although it was actually added to the collection by Antoine Galland ....
.
Her Regional theater credits include An Evening Dinner Theatre in Elmsford, New York
Elmsford, New York
Elmsford is a village in Westchester County, New York, United States. Roughly one mile square, the village is fully contained within the borders of the town of Greenburgh...
where she appeared as Jewel in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas is a musical with a book by Texas author Larry L. King and Peter Masterson and music and lyrics by Carol Hall...
At the McCarter Theater in Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton is a community located in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is best known as the location of Princeton University, which has been sited in the community since 1756...
, Carol Woods appeared in C'mon and Hear: Irving Berlin's America (1994), A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol is a novella by English author Charles Dickens first published by Chapman & Hall on 17 December 1843. The story tells of sour and stingy Ebenezer Scrooge's ideological, ethical, and emotional transformation after the supernatural visits of Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of...
(1996) ,Greensboro: A Requiem (1996)
At Montclair State University
Montclair State University
Montclair State University is a public research university located in the Upper Montclair section of Montclair, the Great Notch area of Little Falls, and Clifton, New Jersey. As of October 2009, there were 18,171 total enrolled students: 14,139 undergraduate students and 4,032 graduate students...
in 1992 Carol Woods repeated the starring role in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom is a 1982 play - one of the ten-play Pittsburgh Cycle by August Wilson, a Pulitzer Prize-winning American playwright - that chronicles the twentieth century African American experience...
, which she had played in London's Royal National Theater three years earlier.
During Theaterfest '94 she appeared in Side by Side by Sondheim, and during TheatreFest '98, Triplets: The Diva Musical with Ruth Brown
Ruth Brown
Ruth Brown was an American pop and R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, composer and actress, noted for bringing a pop music style to R&B music in a series of hit songs for Atlantic Records in the 1950s, such as "So Long", "Teardrops from My Eyes" and " He Treats Your Daughter Mean".For these...
, and Angela Robinson.
For the Williamstown Theatre Festival
Williamstown Theatre Festival
The Williamstown Theatre Festival is a regional summer stock theatre on the campus of Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, founded in 1954 by Williams College news director, Ralph Renzi, and drama program chairman, David C. Bryant. The theatre was conceived as a way to use the Adams...
she appeared in Hot L Baltimore
Hot L Baltimore
The Hot l Baltimore is a play by Lanford Wilson. Set in the lobby of the Hotel Baltimore, it focuses on the residents of the decaying property who are faced with eviction when the structure is condemned...
(2000)
Films
Her first film credit was as the infamous Aunt Bunny in Eddie Murphy RawEddie Murphy Raw
Eddie Murphy Raw is an American stand-up comedy film directed by Robert Townsend and starring Eddie Murphy. It was Murphy's second feature stand-up video, following Eddie Murphy Delirious...
(1987)
She reprises her stage role of Rose in the Stepping Out (1991 film)
Stepping Out (1991 film)
Stepping Out is a 1991 musical-comedy film directed by Lewis Gilbert, starring Liza Minnelli, written by Richard Harris and based on a play also written by Harris. Minnelli plays the role of a has-been Broadway performer who gives tap lesson to a group of misfits who, through their dance classes,...
version, with Liza Minnelli
Liza Minnelli
Liza May Minnelli is an American actress and singer. She is the daughter of singer and actress Judy Garland and film director Vincente Minnelli....
, Shelly Winters, Bill Irwin
Bill Irwin
William Mills "Bill" Irwin is an American actor and clown noted for his contribution to the renaissance of American circus during the 1970s. He is known for his vaudeville-style stage acts, but has made a number of appearances on film and television and won a Tony Award for a dramatic role on...
and Jane Krakowski
Jane Krakowski
Jane Krakowski is an American actress and singer. She is most well known for her performance of Elaine Vassal on Ally McBeal, for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award, and for her current role as Jenna Maroney on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock, for which she has been nominated for three Emmy...
.
Rose's son in the film was played by Carol's real son Raymond Rickman
She performed at both the Toronto Benefit for Starlight during the filming and at the Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS New York Premiere of the film.
In Sweet and Lowdown
Sweet and Lowdown
Sweet and Lowdown is a 1999 American comedy film written and directed by Woody Allen which tells the story of a fictional arrogant, obnoxious, alcoholic jazz guitarist named Emmet Ray who regards himself as perhaps the best guitarist in the world, or second best, after his idol, Django Reinhardt...
(1999) as Helen Minton she sings All Of Me .
In the Honeymooners (2005) she plays Alice's Mom .
Across the Universe (film)
Across the Universe (film)
Across the Universe is a musical romantic drama film directed by Julie Taymor, produced by Revolution Studios, and distributed by Columbia Pictures. The film's plot is centered around songs by The Beatles. It was released in the United States on October 12, 2007. The script is based on an original...
(2007)
Having been directed by Jack Wrangler
Jack Wrangler
Jack Wrangler was an American actor of gay and straight adult film, theatrical producer, and director. Open about his homosexuality and adult film work throughout his career, Wrangler was considered an icon of the gay-liberation movement.In 2008, a feature-length documentary film, Wrangler:...
in cabaret, she appears as herself in the 2008 documentary Wrangler Anatomy Of An Icon.
Steam as Ella , with Ruby Dee
Ruby Dee
Ruby Dee is an American actress, poet, playwright, screenwriter, journalist, and activist, perhaps best known for co-starring in the film A Raisin in the Sun and the film American Gangster for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.-Early years:Dee was born Ruby...
.
When the Evening Comes (2009) as Mrs. Anderson is in post-production.
Television
The Parent Hood with Robert Townsend as Mrs Wilcox - Season 1Law & Order
Law & Order
Law & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It aired on NBC, and in syndication on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24,...
Third Watch
Third Watch
Third Watch is an American television drama series which first aired on NBC from 1999 to 2005 for a total of 132 episodes, broadcast in 6 seasons of 22 episodes each....
The Practice
The Practice
The Practice is an American legal drama created by David E. Kelley centering on the partners and associates at a Boston law firm. Running for eight seasons from 1997 to 2004, the show won the Emmy in 1998 and 1999 for Best Drama Series, and spawned the successful and lighter spin-off series Boston...
episode - Neighboring Species
Recording artist
Bosom Buddies with Karen SaundersLost In The Stars
Breakfast At Tiffany's
Barcelona
While appearing in the London Production of Blues In The Night ,Carol was befriended by Freddie Mercury
Freddie Mercury
Freddie Mercury was a British musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Queen. As a performer, he was known for his flamboyant stage persona and powerful vocals over a four-octave range...
of Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
who asked her to sing backup on this Album
Three CDs in The Riverwalk Series:
New Year's All Star Jam
American Love Songs
Hot Jazz For A Cool Yule.
She also appears on the Cast Albums of :
Grind
Grind (musical)
Grind is a musical with a book by Fay Kanin, music by Larry Grossman, and lyrics by Ellen Fitzhugh. Grind is a portrait of a largely African-American burlesque house in Chicago in the Thirties.The reviews were mixed at best...
,
The Goodbye Girl
Blues In The Night
Concerts and cabaret
The Village GateThe Village Gate
The Village Gate was a nightclub at the corner of Thompson and Bleecker Street in Greenwich Village, New York.Art D'Lugoff opened the club in 1958, on the ground floor and basement of 158 Bleecker Street. The large 1896 Chicago School structure by architect Ernest Flagg was known at the time as...
Songs In The Key Of Stevie reunited her with Ron Richardson
Ron Richardson
Ronald E. Richardson was an American actor and operatic baritone. Richardson began his career in the mid 1970s appearing in regional theater and opera productions...
The Stevie Wonder tribute was directed by Obba Babatundé
Obba Babatunde
Obba Babatundé is an American actor of stage and screen, known for his Emmy-nominated performance in the television movie Miss Evers' Boys, a NAACP Image Award-nominated performance in the TV movie Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, and a Tony Award-nominated role for his performance as C.C...
New Year's Eve Party with opening act Dianna Jones
Featured Vocalist at Late Night Swing Shows
During One Mo' Time made frequent "guest " appearances in the Terrace Bar Cabaret
She continued this practice when she dropped in to see other performers, notably Emmy Kemp , until "The Gate" closed.
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
An Evening with Carol Woods November 27, 2000
Benefit concerts for the Lauri Strauss Leukemia Foundation honoring Johnny Mercer
Johnny Mercer
John Herndon "Johnny" Mercer was an American lyricist, songwriter and singer. He is best known as a lyricist, but he also composed music. He was also a popular singer who recorded his own songs as well as those written by others...
(2001), Kander & Ebb (2003), and Marvin Hamlisch
Marvin Hamlisch
Marvin Frederick Hamlisch is an American composer. He is one of only thirteen people to have been awarded Emmys, Grammys, Oscars, and a Tony . He is also one of only two people to EGOT and also win a Pulitzer Prize...
(2006).
92nd Street Y
92nd Street Y
92nd Street Y is a multifaceted cultural institution and community center located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States, at the corner of E. 92nd Street and Lexington Avenue. Its full name is 92nd Street Young Men's and Young Women's Hebrew Association...
Various Lyrics and Lyricists shows
Downtime
Her CD Bosom Buddies was recorded there live
Arci's Place
Stick Around ran from January 30 through February 24, 2001
Rainbow and Stars
S Wonderful, 'S Marvelous, 'S Gershwin(1992) with Jo Anne Worley
Jo Anne Worley
Jo Anne Worley is an American actress. Her work covers television, films, theater, game shows, talk shows, commercials, and cartoons. She is best known for her work on the comedy-variety show Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In.-Biography:...
Michaels Pub
Tribute shows to Sammy Davis Jr. and Pearl Bailey
Pearl Bailey
Pearl Mae Bailey was an American actress and singer. After appearing in vaudeville, she made her Broadway debut in St. Louis Woman in 1946. She won a Tony Award for the title role in the all-black production of Hello, Dolly! in 1968...
(1991)
Freddy's Supper Club June 1985
Nell's
B. Smiths
Iridium
External links
- Official site
- Carol Woods at Internet Off-Broadway Database