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Phyllis Newman

Birth Place: Jersey City, NJ, USA

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BIO

Newman got her start in show business at 4 years old imitating Carmen Miranda in theatres and clubs. Her portrayal of Martha Vail in the Jule Styne/Comden and Green musical Subways Are For Sleeping - costumed only in a bath towel - earned her a Tony Award. Her other Broadway credits include Bells Are Ringing, The Apple Tree, On the Town, The Prisoner of Second Avenue, Awake and Sing, Wish You Were Here, First Impressions, and her one-woman musical The Madwoman of Central Park West, which she co-authored with Arthur Laurents. She garnered a Tony Award nomination for her highly-acclaimed performance in Neil Simon's Broadway Bound.



Off-Broadway she earned a Drama Desk Nomination for her starring performance in James Lapine's The Moment When... at Playwrights Horizons. She received unanimous praise from critics for her role as an eccentric crisis hotline operator in Nicky Silver's off-Broadway comedy, The Food Chain, appeared with Fisher Stevens and Annabella Sciorra in the Naked Angels production of Shyster and starred in the Drama Desk-nominated revival of A Majority of One. Regionally she has been seen in Pleasures & Palaces and Rocket to the Moon as well as Arthur Laurents' My Good Name directed by Daniel Sullivan.

Photos

STAGE CREDITS

The Vagina Monologues
[Off-Broadway]
Original Off-Broadway Production, 1999
Performer [Replacement]
[Replacement]
[Replacement]
[Replacement]
The Moment When
[Off-Broadway]
1999
Paula
Follies
[Milburn, NJ (Regional)]
Paper Mill Production, 1998
Stella Deems
Angela Lansbury - A Celebration
[Broadway]
Angela Lansbury Tribute Benefit, 1996
Performer
The Food Chain
[Off-Broadway]
1995
Bea
Broadway Bound
[Broadway]
1986
Blanche
I Married an Angel
[Off-Off-Broadway]
Off-Off-Broadway Concert, 1986
Performer
Follies
[Off-Broadway]
New York Concert, 1985
Stella Deems
Awake and Sing!
[Broadway]
Broadway Revival, 1984
Bessie Berger (Saint Tome (Sao Tome) and Principe)
(St. Louis, MO (Regional))
(Standby)
The Madwoman of Central Park West
[Broadway]
Original Broadway Production, 1979
Performer
I'm Getting My Act Together and Taking It On the Road
[Off-Broadway]
Original Off-Broadway Production, 1978
Heather [Replacement]
[Replacement]
[Replacement]
[Replacement]
The Prisoner of Second Avenue
[Broadway]
1971
Edna Edison [Replacement]
[Replacement]
On the Town
[Broadway]
Broadway Revival, 1971
Claire DeLoone
The Apple Tree
[Broadway]
Original Broadway Production, 1966
(Albania) [Replacement]
Ella and Passionella (Albania) [Replacement]
Eve (Albania) [Replacement]
(Alternate) [Replacement]
Ella and Passionella (Alternate) [Replacement]
Eve (Alternate) [Replacement]
(Saint Tome (Sao Tome) and Principe) [Replacement]
Eve (Saint Tome (Sao Tome) and Principe) [Replacement]
Ella and Passionella (Saint Tome (Sao Tome) and Principe) [Replacement]
(St. Louis, MO (Regional)) [Replacement]
(St. Louis, MO (Regional)) [Replacement]
Eve (St. Louis, MO (Regional)) [Replacement]
Ella and Passionella (Standby) [Replacement]
(Standby) [Replacement]
Eve (Standby) [Replacement]
Pleasures and Palaces
[Broadway]
Closed on the road, 1965
Countess Sura
Subways Are for Sleeping
[Broadway]
Original Broadway Production, 1961
Martha Vail
Wonderful Town
[Regional (US)]
Los Angeles Revival, 1961
Ruth Sherwood
Moonbirds
[Broadway]
1959
Sylvie
First Impressions
[Broadway]
Original Broadway Production, 1959
Jane Bennett
Bells Are Ringing
[Broadway]
Original Broadway Production, 1956
Ella Peterson (Saint Tome (Sao Tome) and Principe)
(St. Louis, MO (Regional))
(Standby)
Wish You Were Here
[Broadway]
Original Broadway Production, 1952
Sarah
Fay Fromkin (Understudy)
(Unknown)
(Unknown)
(Unknown)
(Unknown)
(Unknown)
(Unknown)

Writing

Newman & Green
Bookwriter

Movies

Let's Rock
[ 1958 ] Kathy Abbott
The Naked Witch
[ 1967 ] Robert's Mother
Bye Bye Braverman
[ 1968 ] Myra Mandelbaum
To Find a Man
[ 1972 ] Betty McCarthy
A Secret Space
[ 1977 ] Ann
Mannequin
[ 1987 ] Emmy's Mother
Saying Kaddish
[ 1991 ] Lynn
Only You
[ 1994 ] Faith's Mother
The Beautician and the Beast
[ 1997 ] Judy Miller
A Price Above Rubies
[ 1998 ] Mrs. Gelbart
A Fish in the Bathtub
[ 1998 ] Sylvia Rosen
It Had to Be You
[ 2000 ] Judith Penn
Just for the Time Being
[ 2000 ] Maggie
The Human Stain
[ 2003 ] Iris Silk

TV Shows

100 Centre Street
Sarah Rifkind
Coming of Age
Ginny Hale
Thirtysomething
Elaine Steadman

Awards and Nominations


winner
Tony Awards - 2009 - Special Tony Award

Phyllis Newman


winner
Drama Desk Awards - 1999 - Outstanding Featured Actress - Play

Phyllis Newman, The Moment When

Tony Awards - 1987 - Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play

Phyllis Newman, Broadway Bound

Drama Desk Awards - 1978 - Outstanding Actress - Musical

Phyllis Newman, My Mother was a Fortune Teller


winner
Tony Awards - 1962 - Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical

Phyllis Newman, Subways Are for Sleeping

Videos

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News


Actress and Broadway League Alum Harriet Slaughter Dies at 88 Photo
Actress and Broadway League Alum Harriet Slaughter Dies at 88
by Stephi Wild - Nov 24, 2025

BroadwayWorld is saddened to report that Harriet Slaughter, a Broadway actress and longtime director of labor relations at the League of American Theater Producers, died on November 12.
Cast Set For Workshop Presentation of A MIST UPON THE WINDOW Photo
Cast Set For Workshop Presentation of A MIST UPON THE WINDOW
by Stephi Wild - Jul 7, 2025

Casting has been announced for A MIST UPON THE WINDOW, a new play by Nick Rafello. A private industry workshop will be presented at Manocherian Mainstage at Milliron Studios in New York City.
WICKED National Tour Surpasses $7 Million Raised For Broadway Cares Photo
WICKED National Tour Surpasses $7 Million Raised For Broadway Cares
by A.A. Cristi - Apr 30, 2025

The National Tour of WICKED has reached an extraordinary milestone, raising more than $7 million for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. This remarkable fundraising achievement was made possible by past and current WICKED tour company members.
BROADWAY BACKWARDS Will Return in March Photo
BROADWAY BACKWARDS Will Return in March
by Stephi Wild - Jan 30, 2025

Broadway Backwards will return in March, featuring a lineup of Broadway stars taking on beloved songs in the Broadway canon and transforming them into queer anthems and love ballads.
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How many Broadway shows has Phyllis Newman been in?

Phyllis Newman has appeared on Broadway in 13 shows.

How many West End shows has Phyllis Newman been in?

Phyllis Newman has not appeared in the West End.

What awards has Phyllis Newman been nominated for?

Special Tony Award (Tony Awards) for , Outstanding Featured Actress - Play (Drama Desk Awards) for The Moment When, Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play (Tony Awards) for Broadway Bound, Outstanding Actress - Musical (Drama Desk Awards) for My Mother was a Fortune Teller and Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical (Tony Awards) for Subways Are for Sleeping.

What awards has Phyllis Newman won?

Phyllis Newman has won several prestigious awards, including the Special Tony Award, the Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical for Subways Are for Sleeping, and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play for The Moment When.

How many shows has Phyllis Newman written?

Phyllis Newman has written 2 shows including The Madwoman of Central Park West (Bookwriter), Newman & Green (Bookwriter).

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