Linda Eder
Encyclopedia
Linda Eder is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 singer and actress. She made her Broadway
Broadway 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...

 debut in the musical Jekyll & Hyde
Jekyll & Hyde (musical)
Jekyll & Hyde is a musical based on the novella Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. The original stage conception was by Steve Cuden and Frank Wildhorn. The music is by Wildhorn and the lyrics and book are by Leslie Bricusse.The musical ran on Broadway for 1,543...

, for which she received 1997 Drama Desk
Drama Desk Award
The Drama Desk Awards, which are given annually in a number of categories, are the only major New York theater honors for which productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway compete against each other in the same category...

 and Outer Critics Circle Nominations, as well as the Theatre World Award for Best Actress in a Musical. Eder is also featured on the concept albums of several other Broadway shows, such as The Scarlet Pimpernel
The Scarlet Pimpernel (musical)
The Scarlet Pimpernel is a musical with music by Frank Wildhorn and lyrics and book by Nan Knighton, based on the novel of the same name by Baroness Orczy. The show is set in England and France during the Reign of Terror of the French Revolution...

and The Civil War
The Civil War (musical)
The Civil War is a musical written by Gregory Boyd and Frank Wildhorn, with lyrics by Jack Murphy and music by Wildhorn. The musical centers on the American Civil War, with the musical numbers portraying the war through Union, Confederate, and slave viewpoints. The musical was nominated for a Tony...

. Her name is pronounced "EDD-er."

Biography

Eder was born in Tucson, Arizona
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...

 on February 3, 1961 and raised in Brainerd, Minnesota
Brainerd, Minnesota
Brainerd is a city in Crow Wing County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 13,590 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Crow Wing County and one of the largest cities in Central Minnesota...

. Her parents, Georg (from Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

) and Leila (from Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

), exposed her to music at an early age. She cites Judy Garland
Judy Garland
Judy Garland was an American actress and singer. Through a career that spanned 45 of her 47 years and for her renowned contralto voice, she attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist and on the concert stage...

, Barbra Streisand
Barbra Streisand
Barbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...

, and Eileen Farrell
Eileen Farrell
Eileen Farrell was an American soprano who had a nearly 60 year long career performing both classical and popular music in concerts, theatres, on radio and television, and on disc. While she was active as an opera singer, her concert engagements far outnumbered her theatrical appearances...

 as her childhood inspiration. Eder denotes Garland, specifically, as her greatest influence.

Eder has performed on numerous occasions at New York's 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....

 and Palace Theater, at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is a performing arts center located on the Potomac River, adjacent to the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C...

 in Washington, DC, at the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall
Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall
Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall, the concert hall component of the San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center, was built in 1980 at a cost of US$28 million to give the San Francisco Symphony a permanent home. The hall has a seating capacity of 2743 persons...

 in San Francisco, State Theatre
State Theatre
- Australia :* State Theatre , Australia* State Theatre , Australia- Romania :* State Jewish Theater , a theater specializing in Jewish-related plays in Bucharest, Romania- United States :...

 in Minneapolis, Chicago's Cadillac Palace Theatre
Cadillac Palace Theatre
The Cadillac Palace Theatre is operated by Broadway In Chicago, a Nederlander Presentation. It is located at 151 West Randolph Street in the Chicago Loop area downtown.-History:...

, at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center
Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center
The Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center is a concert hall located in the Arts District of downtown Dallas, Texas . Ranked one of the world's greatest orchestra halls, it was designed by architect I.M. Pei and acoustician Russell Johnson's Artec Consultants, Inc...

 in Dallas, and at the Wortham Center
Wortham Theater Center
The Wortham Theater Center is a performing arts center located in downtown Houston, Texas, United States. The Wortham was designed by Eugene Aubrey of Morris Architects and built entirely with $66 million in private funds...

 in Houston.

Before her work on Broadway
Broadway 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...

, Eder gained experience in the entertainment industry. She teamed up with classmate Paul Todd, who had won international awards for his piano and organ playing, and began the "Paul and Linda Show". They traveled all over the U.S. performing concerts. After the duo went separate ways, Eder found herself as a lounge singer at the famous Harrah's Casino in Atlantic City, NJ. After someone suggested that she should strive for better opportunities, Eder tried her hand at the talent show
Talent show
A talent show is an event where participants perform their talent or talents of acting, singing, dancing, acrobatics, drumming, martial arts, playing an instrument, and other activities to showcase a unique form of talent, sometimes for a reward, trophy or prize...

, Star Search
Star Search
Star Search is a television show that was produced from 1983-95, hosted by Ed McMahon, and created by Alfred Masini. A relaunch was produced in 2003-04. The show was originally filmed at the old Earl Carroll Theatre at 6230 Sunset Blvd...

, where she reigned undefeated for a record 13 weeks. Her performance caught the notice of Angel Records
Angel Records
Angel Records is a record label belonging to EMI. It was formed in 1953 and specialised in classical music, but included an occasional operetta or Broadway score...

 and, subsequently, Frank Wildhorn
Frank Wildhorn
Frank Wildhorn is an American composer known for both his musicals and popular songs. He is most known for his musical Jekyll & Hyde, which ran four years on Broadway, and for writing the #1 International Hit song "Where Do Broken Hearts Go?" for Whitney Houston.-Early years:Wildhorn was born in...

. She starred in two 1991 stagings of his musical Svengali
Svengali (musical)
Svengali is a musical with a book and lyrics by Gregory Boyd and music by Frank Wildhorn. It is based on the 1894 novel Trilby by George du Maurier....

, the 1990 World Premiere, 1995-6 National Tour, and 1997 Broadway production of his Jekyll & Hyde
Jekyll & Hyde (musical)
Jekyll & Hyde is a musical based on the novella Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. The original stage conception was by Steve Cuden and Frank Wildhorn. The music is by Wildhorn and the lyrics and book are by Leslie Bricusse.The musical ran on Broadway for 1,543...

, and the 2003 World Premiere of Camille Claudel
Camille Claudel (musical)
Camille Claudel is a musical with a book and lyrics by Nan Knighton and music by Frank Wildhorn, their second musical. It is based on the life of the real-life French sculptor and graphic artist of the same name. The show was believed to be "sculpted" around Mr. Wildhorn's ex-wife, Linda Eder, who...

. The two married in 1998 and divorced in 2004; they have one son, Jake. Eder is a recipient of the Theater World Award (1996–97) for her work in Jekyll & Hyde.

During Eder & Wildhorn's high-time on Broadway, she received much attention for not only her Broadway vocals, but her pop-albums as well. She made frequent appearances on the Rosie O'Donnell Show and Live with Regis and Kathie Lee, as well as countless other talkshows, especially displaying her vocal abilities. She also appeared on Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman is a U.S. late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and is produced by Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants Incorporated. The show's music director and band-leader of the house band, the CBS Orchestra, is...

, guest hosted by Kathie Lee Gifford
Kathie Lee Gifford
Kathie Lee Gifford is an American television host, singer, songwriter and actress, best known for her 15-year run on the talk show Live with Regis and Kathie Lee, which she co-hosted with Regis Philbin...

 while Letterman recovered from heart bypass surgery. Gifford and O'Donnell often proclaimed Eder among the best voices they have ever heard. On O'Donnell's show, she would often be seen playing a clip of Linda's famous single "Vienna," at random moments. She was invited to Gifford's final performance on "Live..." and sang the song "Anything Can Happen," which was written for the musical Wonderland: Alice's New Musical Adventure
Wonderland: Alice's New Musical Adventure
Wonderland: A New Alice, formerly called Wonderland: Alice's New Musical Adventure, is a musical with a book by Jack Murphy and Gregory Boyd, lyrics by Murphy, and music by Frank Wildhorn...

, and will have its world premiere in 2011 at last (although not starring Eder).

Linda lists her first musical theatre credit to her high school days as the Mother Abbess in The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music is a musical by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the memoir of Maria von Trapp, The Story of the Trapp Family Singers...

. The first professional Broadway musical production, a national tour, she saw was Evita, a role which she had once expressed interest in playing.

Broadway

As mentioned above, Linda's major theatrical career began in 1988, when she auditioned in Florida in front of musical theater composer Frank Wildhorn for the leading role of Lucy in Jekyll & Hyde. Very impressed with her vocal skills, she was immediately cast, although no production was planned at that time.

Jekyll and Hyde

In 1990, the Alley Theatre in Houston agreed to host the world premiere of Jekyll & Hyde, the first musical ever performed there. The show was extended several times, and Eder received raves for her performance. Following this triumph, Wildhorn debuted the musical Svengali, starring his two leading performers from Jekyll: Linda and Chuck Wagner
Chuck Wagner
Chuck Wagner is an American actor, Director, Musical Theatre Historian, and Teacher.-Education and early career:Wagner was born in Nashville, Tennessee, and raised in Hartsville, Tennessee. He attended public school in Gallatin, TN...

. The musical also eventually played at the Asolo Theatre in Sarasota Florida in 1991. She then performed with several workshops for The Scarlet Pimpernel, as the leading lady Marguerite St. Just.

In 1995, after several workshops with Jekyll & Hyde, she was once again Lucy; Robert Cuccioli
Robert Cuccioli
Robert Cuccioli is an American actor and singer born in Hempstead, New York. He is best known for originating the lead dual title roles in the musical Jekyll and Hyde, for which he received a Tony Award nomination and won the Joseph Jefferson Award, the Outer Critics Circle Award, the Drama Desk...

 and Christiane Noll
Christiane Noll
Christiane Noll is an American singer and actress known for her work in musicals and on the concert stage. She is perhaps best known for originating the role of Emma Carew in Frank Wildhorn's Jekyll & Hyde, as well as her roles in Urinetown and City of Angels.-Life and career:Noll was born in New...

 starred opposite her. The show debuted at the Theatre Under the Stars
Theatre Under the Stars
Theatre Under The Stars or TUTS may refer to:*Theatre Under The Stars - musical theatre company in Vancouver, British Columbia*Theatre Under The Stars - musical theatre company in Houston, Texas...

 in Houston, before moving to Seattle's 5th Avenue Theatre
5th Avenue Theatre
The 5th Avenue Theatre is a landmark theater building located in Seattle, Washington, USA. It has hosted a variety of theatre productions and motion pictures since it opened in 1926. The building and land is owned by the University of Washington and was once part of the original campus...

. Following these two successful runs, Linda's headlining stint as Lucy traveled across the national from Fall 1995 until Spring 1996, with a hopeful Broadway mounting then. However, the show was delayed.

Finally beginning previews the following March 1997, new creative team members joined, which Linda has both said helped the production greatly, but was also its downfall. Along with the transfer came the dismissal of Lucy's first big number, "Bring on the Men." Although several rumors have circulated as to why it was cut, Linda has said that Director/Choreographer/Scenic Designer Robin Phillips
Robin Phillips
Robin Phillips is an English actor and director.Phillips was born in Haslemere, Surrey, the son of EllenAnne and James William Phillips. He trained at the Bristol Old Vic and worked as an actor and director for many years in the United Kingdom, finishing as Artistic Director at the Greenwich...

 felt that it was unnecessary, did not fit the piece, and a more friendly approach was necessary. Linda on her Greatest Album hits mentions that it was his "stupid decision" to cut the song, which was one of her favourites from the piece. She has however given some praise to him, mostly due to the acting coaching he gave to her. Linda was rewarded with 1997 Drama Desk Award and Outer Critics Circle Award nominations, and a 1997 Theatre World Award for her debut performance. Critics such as Regis Philbin
Regis Philbin
Regis Francis Xavier Philbin is an American media personality, actor and singer, known for hosting talk and game shows since the 1960s. Philbin is often called "the hardest working man in show business" and holds the Guinness World Record for the most time spent in front of a television camera...

 and Rosie O'Donnell
Rosie O'Donnell
Roseann "Rosie" O'Donnell is an American stand-up comedian, actress, author and television personality. She has also been a magazine editor and continues to be a celebrity blogger, LGBT rights activist, television producer and collaborative partner in the LGBT family vacation company R Family...

 considered Eder robbed of a Tony Award nomination, both of which had featured her (and Frank Wildhorn and his other musicals) on their respective shows several times. Eder was married to Wildhorn whilst performing on Broadway, and officially left on August 30, 1998. Luba Mason replaced her. During this time, rehearsals were about to begin for The Scarlet Pimpernel
The Scarlet Pimpernel (musical)
The Scarlet Pimpernel is a musical with music by Frank Wildhorn and lyrics and book by Nan Knighton, based on the novel of the same name by Baroness Orczy. The show is set in England and France during the Reign of Terror of the French Revolution...

SP 2.0 to begin, in which many thought Linda would be joining as Marguerite. However, Linda declined (as she was to have a child) and instead Rachel York
Rachel York
Rachel York is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her roles in City of Angels, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Les Misérables, Victor Victoria, Kiss Me, Kate, Sly Fox, and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels...

 was cast.

Linda performed for several workshops and demo recordings for Mr. Wildhorn. Most importantly, she did several tracks for his Wonderland: Alice's New Musical Adventure
Wonderland: Alice's New Musical Adventure
Wonderland: A New Alice, formerly called Wonderland: Alice's New Musical Adventure, is a musical with a book by Jack Murphy and Gregory Boyd, lyrics by Murphy, and music by Frank Wildhorn...

(previously called "Alice"), which is having its world premiere ten years after the first single ("Anything Can Happen") was released, Havana (for which she has released the title song and several others), Bonnie & Clyde: A New Musical
Bonnie & Clyde: A New Musical
Bonnie & Clyde is a musical with a book by Ivan Menchell, music by Frank Wildhorn, and lyrics by Don Black. It is directed by Jeff Calhoun. The musical made its world premiere at the La Jolla Playhouse in November 2009, and opened on Broadway with previews beginning November 4, 2011.The musical...

(which was to recently star Brandi Burkhardt
Brandi Burkhardt
Brandi Lynn Burkhardt is an American vocalist, actress and beauty queen. She grew up in Pasadena, Maryland but currently lives in Los Angeles.-Education:...

, but now Laura Osnes
Laura Osnes
Laura Ann Osnes is an American stage actress, and the winner of the role of "Sandy" on the televised Grease: You're the One that I Want! competition. She played Sandy in the 2007 Broadway run of Grease, which opened August 19, 2007, starring alongside the other winner, Max Crumm, who played the...

, having its world premiere in 2009), Dracula, the Musical
Dracula, The Musical
Dracula, the Musical is a musical based on the original Victorian novel by Bram Stoker. The score is by Frank Wildhorn, with lyrics and book by Don Black and Christopher Hampton....

as Mina, Cyrano de Bergerac
Cyrano de Bergerac The Musical
Cyrano de Bergerac - The Musical is a musical with a book and lyrics by Leslie Bricusse and music by Frank Wildhorn. It is based on the play of the same title by Edmond Rostand.-Production history:...

~ The Musical as Roxanne (opposite Douglas Sills
Douglas Sills
-Life and career:Born in Detroit, Michigan, he grew up in the suburb of Franklin, where he was friends with both Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell. Sills attended Cranbrook School, from which he graduated in 1978, and the University of Michigan where he majored in music...

 in the title role), and finally Camille Claudel
Camille Claudel (musical)
Camille Claudel is a musical with a book and lyrics by Nan Knighton and music by Frank Wildhorn, their second musical. It is based on the life of the real-life French sculptor and graphic artist of the same name. The show was believed to be "sculpted" around Mr. Wildhorn's ex-wife, Linda Eder, who...

, which was written for specifically her, and she was able to perform at 2 runs - one at Goodspeed Opera House and once at the New York Musical Theatre Festival.

Linda's next musical outing was in Camille Claudel in 2003. She performed the role twice that year, at the Goodspeed Opera House. Although the show, presented in an entire chamber-style form, received mixed reviews, Linda gained much attention again. In 2004, it was performed at the New York Musical Theatre Festival however, the show has yet to be produced on a major scale, although several European productions were planned - then scrapped.

The Other Side of Me

Released on September 30, 2008, her new CD The Other Side of Me has a pop/country feel. This is a departure from the style she is known for which is standards and ballads. Her official site www.LindaEder.com has a posting where Linda says "It took a year and a half to make my new CD, the other side of me, but in reality, it has been a lifetime in the making."

She goes on to say:

Solo albums

  • 1989 Vienna (Early UK release of the Linda Eder album)
  • 1991 Linda Eder
  • 1994 And So Much More
  • 1997 It's Time
  • 1999 It's No Secret Anymore
  • 2000 Christmas Stays the Same
  • 2002 Gold
  • 2003 Storybook
  • 2003 Broadway, My Way
  • 2005 By Myself: The Songs of Judy Garland
  • 2007 Greatest Hits
  • 2008 The Other Side of Me
  • 2009 Soundtrack
  • 2011 Now

Musical Albums

  • 1990 Jekyll & Hyde: Romantic Highlights (Concept Album) - Lucy Harris & Lisa Carew
  • 1992 The Scarlet Pimpernel (Concept Recording) - Marguerite St. Just
  • 1995 Jekyll & Hyde: The Complete Work (Concept Album) - Lucy Harris
  • 1997 Jekyll & Hyde - The Musical: Original Broadway Cast - Lucy Harris
  • 1998 The Scarlet Pimpernel: Encore! (Second Broadway Cast) - Marguerite St. Just ("Only Love," "You Are My Home")
  • 1998 The Civil War: An American Musical (Concept Album)
  • 1998 The Civil War: The Nashville Sessions
  • 2003 Camille Claudel: A New Musical (Studio Demo Recording)* - Camille Claudel
  • 2004 Cyrano de Bergerac ~ The Musical (Concept Album)* - Roxanne
  • 2005 Peter Pan (Leonard Bernstein) World Premiere Recording of the complete Bernstein score - Wendy


*- Although planned, final outcome was that it was not to be released.

Singles

  • A Little Bit of Heaven
  • Something To Believe In
  • Vienna
  • Never Dance
  • The Christmas Song
  • Bells of St. Paul (Christmas)
  • Gold (From Camille Claudel
  • I Am What I Am
  • Lifted
  • The Other Side Of Me

Awards

Awards Performance
Theater World Award Best Broadway Debut, Jekyll & Hyde (1997) WON
Drama Desk Award Leading Actress (Lucy), Jekyll & Hyde (1997) Nominated
Outer Critics Circle Leading Actress (Lucy), Jekyll & Hyde (1997) Nominated

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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