Josefina Gabrielle - Oklahoma

[SouthernCakes]

Posted: 8/14/19 at 12:39am

So, I saw Oklahoma tonight, and Ive never seen a professional production, so I went down a YouTube rabbit hole, and watched the Nunn production. And came across Gabrielle, and she made her Broadway debate, and then no other credits. A lot of famous people in this production, so where did she go?! Seems like a big deal.

[DCS]

Posted: 8/14/19 at 12:46am

Josefina has lots of theatre credits....you probably didn't realize that she's not a US based actress....she's from the UK which is where she has done lots of stage work

Josefina Wikipedia Page

[jagman1062]

Posted: 8/14/19 at 12:56am

Gabrielle is British and originated the role of Laurey in the Royal National Theater's production of Oklahoma! When the show came to Broadway she was one of the few, if only, NT cast members to transfer with the show.  After her run on Broadway ended she returned to the UK where she's had a healthy career in theater.  The London production was filmed and you can catch her performance in that recording.

[jo]

Posted: 8/14/19 at 4:22am

At his currrent music tour (TheManTheMusicTheShow), Hugh welcomed at the O2 in London the original cast of the RNT OKLAHOMA! as his special guests for a one-night performance of the title song. Josefina is the one with long hair cuddling up to Hugh's left while Maureen Lipman who played Aunt Eller was on his right.

https://www.facebook.com/sylke.wohlschiess/videos/2122049031237537/

Updated On: 8/14/19 at 04:22 AM

[ajh]

Posted: 8/14/19 at 7:03am

She's Gussie in the filmed version of the UK Merrily We Roll Along, for which she was Olivier award nominated. Her other post-Oklahoma credits in the West End include Nicky/Ursula in Sweet Charity (another Olivier nom), both Roxie AND Velma in Chicago, Alexandra Spofford (replacing Lucie Arnaz) in The Witches Of Eastwick, Mrs Teavee in Charlie & The Chocolate Factory, all the female roles in The 39 Steps. Nothing else on Broadway...as yet. She's awesome!

[LarryD2]

Posted: 8/14/19 at 8:31am

She was fine as Laurey but, to be honest, nothing special. At the time, there was a lot of thought that she'd break big, and a lot of publicity around her, but it never really happened. She didn't get a Tony nomination and, as other have already said, hasn't been back on Broadway since. She works steadily in the UK.

[Dubliner]

Posted: 8/14/19 at 9:03am

She's very good. I liked her in Oklahoma!. She was a very fine Anna in a touring production of The King and I a few years ago and she was sensational as Gussie in Merrily We Roll Along.

 

[ClapYo'Hands]

Posted: 8/14/19 at 9:43am

Josefina Gabrielle is a wonderful, wonderful actor/singer/dancer.

She was most recently a brilliant Desiree Armfeldt in A Little Night Music, and the best Velma Kelly I've ever seen in the recent West End revival of Chicago.

[SouthernCakes]

Posted: 8/14/19 at 11:56am

Good to know! Was reading the N.Y. Times review of the current Oklahoma and then started watching clips of the other revival. It didn’t seem all that interesting or unique.

[devonian.t]

Posted: 8/14/19 at 12:35pm

Clap- I totally agree with you.  She is a brilliant and versatile performer and thoroughly lovely, too.

[jagman1062]

Posted: 8/14/19 at 12:43pm

LarryD2 said: "She was fine as Laurey but, to be honest, nothing special. At the time, there was a lot of thought that she'd break big, and a lot of publicity around her, but it never really happened. She didn't get a Tony nomination and, as other have already said, hasn't been back on Broadway since. She works steadily in the UK."

I agree that she was a very competent and pleasant Laurey, but there was nothing truly remarkable about her performance.  As I recall, she was handpicked my Mackintosh and because she is a trained ballet dancer, she danced in the dream sequence to choreography created especially for her by Stroman.  Those seemed to be the big selling points for the reason she transferred with the show.  As you said, instant stardom didn't occur in New York.  There were many actresses/dancers who could have performed the role with equal or better competence.

[LarryD2]

Posted: 8/14/19 at 1:46pm

I was working on Broadway at the time, though not on this production, and I recall that Mackintosh and Nunn wanted to bring as much of the London cast over as possible. But Jackman was already committed to The Boy From Oz, and he wasn't going to do two big musicals back to back. In the end, Gabrielle was the only British cast member who transferred -- Hensley did it in London, of course, but he's American.

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 8/14/19 at 11:38pm

LarryD2 said: "I was working on Broadway at the time, though not on this production, and I recall that Mackintosh and Nunn wanted to bring as much of the London cast over as possible. But Jackman was already committed to The Boy From Oz, and he wasn't going to do two big musicals back to back. In the end, Gabrielle was the only British cast member who transferred -- Hensley did it in London, of course, but he's American."

As I recall Cameron Mackintosh wanted the transfer to happen pretty quickly after their limited run at the Lyceum in the West End. I seem to to remember him trying to claim that to open it as quickly as he wanted it needed a minimal rehearsal period for the Broadway run and that he could only do this by transferring the entire cast from London. Equity understandably fought back and that's a big part of the reason why the revival ultimately didn't open until 2002.

[jo]

Posted: 8/15/19 at 5:46am

AEA AGMA SM said: "LarryD2 said: "I was working on Broadway at the time, though not on this production, and I recall that Mackintosh and Nunn wanted to bring as much of the London cast over as possible. But Jackman was already committed to The Boy From Oz, and he wasn't going to do two big musicals back to back. In the end, Gabrielle was the only British cast member who transferred -- Hensley did it in London, of course, but he's American."

As I recall Cameron Mackintosh wanted the transfer to happen pretty quickly after their limited run at the Lyceum in the West End. I seem to to remember him trying to claim that to open it as quickly as he wanted it needed a minimal rehearsal period for the Broadway run and that he could only do this by transferring the entire cast from London. Equity understandably fought back and that's a big part of the reason why the revival ultimately didn't open until 2002."

However, it would be doubtful that Hugh Jackman would have been available for the Broadway production had there been an earlier transfer. By fall 1999, he was already filming the first XMen movie ( for which he auditioned while still in the London run of OKLAHOMA!), which gave him his major career break. Before The Boy from Oz, he was busy filming Someone Like You, Kate and Leopold, XMen 2 and Van Helsing. 

 

[Dollypop]

Posted: 8/15/19 at 1:08pm

Saw OKLAHOMA! five times in New York and felt Josefina was the weakest link in the show. Playing opposite Patrick Wilson, she came across as being too mature for the role and her singing wasn't up to the demands of the score. Her dancing was quite good, though.