Adrienne Warren - Musical Theater

Musical Theater

According to an August 6, 2007 article by Jaedda Armstrong in The Virginian-Pilot, "Warren was 6 when she realized she wanted to act. Her parents had taken her to see the play The Princess and the Pea. She had been singing since she was 2 and dancing at 3, so it just seemed natural".

The October 6, 1997 issue of Jet Magazine had an article about Warren in the "Newsmakers" section. The article discussed the production of the musical Annie with the Hurrah Players in Hampton Roads, Virginia. In it, Warren played the title role while also being of African American ethnicity. According to an October 9, 2008 article by Roy Bahls in The Virginian-Pilot, Warren was "the first African American to play Annie in a regional production". She began performing with Hurrah Players at age 6, first performing in the show Aladdin.

In summer of 2007, Warren played two roles in a production of Dreamgirls at the Fox Theater in Atlanta, Georgia. The roles were of members of the performance groups "The Stepp Sisters" and "Les Style". The production also featured Jennifer Holliday. Warren was the youngest person in the musical. Warren also performed in Dreamgirls in a high school production, as Effie.

Other musical theater performances of hers include one in Babes in Arms with Mercury Summer Stock in Cleveland, Ohio, as Angel in Frank Wildhorn's For the Glory Tribute of the Majestic Theater in Gettysburg, PA, as Aida in Aida, Demeter in Virginia Musical Theater's production of Cats, as Ronette in Little Shop of Horrors, as Dorothy in The Wiz, in Ragtime, and in The Wild Party.

According to the August 6, 2007 article by Jaedda Armstrong in The Virginian-Pilot, Warren said "I love performing live, I love stage and theater. I just want to show people that Broadway is more than The Lion King".

Warren was in the cast of an Off-Broadway production of The Wiz, running from June 12 to July 5, 2009, at the New York City Center. This was one of their Encores! Summer Stars productions. The director was Thomas Kail, and opening night was June 18, 2009. The cast also featured Ashanti, LaChanze and Orlando Jones. Ashanti played the lead role of Dorothy, and Warren was the understudy for Dorothy.

In 2009–2010, Warren performed in a touring production of Dreamgirls. She played the role of Lorrell Robinson, a member of the Dreams. This production began on November 7, 2009 at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, and continued there through December 5, before beginning a national tour. Robert Longbottom directed, Shane Sparks choreographed, and Robin Wagner, Ken Billington and William Ivey Long were the designers.

In 2011, Warren appeared in the off-Broadway production of Bring It On as Danielle. She will be staying with the production during its limited engagement on Broadway, at the St. James Theatre from August 1, 2012 to October 7, 2012. This will mark her first performance on Broadway.