Sarah Rice Obituary News: Creator of Johanna’s character in Sweeney Todd Sarah Rice Passes away
With great sadness, BroadwayWorld announces that on Saturday, January 6th, Sarah Rice, who was most recognized for creating the character of Johanna in Sweeney Todd, departed from cancer.
Additional theater credits include The Girl in the original off-Broadway production of THE FANTASTICKS and Marianne in the off-off-Broadway production of HANG ON TO YOUR RIBBONS. In addition, she portrayed the roles of Gretel in HANSEL AND GRETEL, Liesl in THE SOUND OF MUSIC, Miranda in THE TEMPEST, Cunegonde in CANDIDE at the Guthrie, and Anne in A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC.
Marie in Daughter of the Regiment, Gilda in Rigoletto, Cunegonde in Candide, Mabel in Pirates of Penzance, Kathie in The Student Prince, Lady Catherine in The Vagabund King, Monica in The Medium, Madame Goldentrill in The Impresario, Maria in West Side Story, Marietta in Naughty Marietta, Magnolia in The Showboat, Christine Daae in Phantom of the Opera, Sarah in Bittersweet, Margot in The Desert Song, Susanna in The Secret of Susanna, Gretel in Christopher Columbus, THE Merry Widow (featuring Dame Joan Sutherland in her final US operatic stage production), Tirese/Tiresias in Les Mamelle de TIRESIAS, Eolo in L’ORIONE, Marian Paroo in THE MUSIC MAN, Sarah Brown in Guys and Dolls, and numerous other leading roles. She collaborated with theater and opera groups all over the world, such as Santa Fe Opera, Central City Opera, Dallas Opera, Gran Teatro la Fenice in Venice, Italy, and others.
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Rice originated the parts of Belle in A CHRISTMAS CAROL for Eastern Opera Theatre, Elizabeth in SWAN SONG at the York Theatre Company, Susan in the Virginia Woolf musical THE WAVES at the New York Theatre Workshop, and Eloise in that off-Broadway Abelard and Eloise musical ETERNAL LOVE.
Ophelia from HAMLET, Woman #1 from MURDER IN THE CATHEDRAL, Elisabeth from AURELIE’S WALTZ, Inez from the film adaptations of THE KNIGHT FROM OLMEDO, Isobel from THE PHANTOM LADY, Anne Bullen from HENRY VIII, and Adriana from THE COMEDY OF ERRORS are a few examples of dramatic parts. She acted as Jenny Lind and sang in an HBO original documentary titled P. T. BARNUM AND HIS HUMAN ODDITIES. In THE BEST OF FAMILIES, a PBS series, she portrayed Maude Arthur.
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Recordings include YOUR ARM’S TOO SHORT TO BOX WITH GOD (she sung the high notes), Jerome Kern REVISITED, THE WAVES, SWEENEY TODD, and WINTERS ARE WARMER. She worked with Laura Thomas to study voice.
