Kerstin Anderson

Kerstin Anderson
Anderson in 2024
Born
Kerstin Bridget Anderson

(1994-09-10) September 10, 1994
South Burlington, Vermont, U.S.
Alma materPace University
Years active2015–present

Kerstin Bridget Anderson (born September 10, 1994) is an American stage actress and singer. She starred as Maria Von Trapp in the 2015–2017 U.S. national tour of The Sound of Music, for which she received critical praise.[1] She made her Broadway debut as the alternate for Eliza Doolittle in the 2018–2019 revival of My Fair Lady.[2] Since then, she has performed mostly in U.S. regional theatre.

Early life and education

Anderson was raised in South Burlington, Vermont, the daughter of Frederick G. "Ted" Anderson, a scientist with IBM,[3][4] and Kathleen "Kathy" Kilcoyne, a college athletic director.[4][5] She grew up singing,[6] and while attending South Burlington High School, in 2010, she played the title role in Peter Pan with the nearby Lyric Theatre Company.[7][8] In high school productions, she played Asaka in Once on This Island (2011)[9] and Elle Woods in Legally Blonde (2012).[10] While still in high school, she directed You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown (2011), the first musical produced by a new community theatre company, Spotted Pup Productions. She then played Heidi in their production of [title of show] (2012).[11] She also competed on the high school's dance team, which won the state championship her junior year.[12][13]

After graduating from high school in 2013, Anderson attended Pace University. There, she starred as Clara in The Light in the Piazza,[7] directed by Victoria Clark, and as Annie in The Visit.[14] In 2014, Anderson played Shy in the Forestburgh Playhouse production of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.[15] She interrupted her education after her second year to play Maria Von Trapp in the 2015–2017 U.S. national tour of The Sound of Music.[16]

Career

The national tour of The Sound of Music began in September 2015.[17][18] Reviews of Anderson's performances as Maria were strongly positive. Jordan Riefe of The Hollywood Reporter wrote, "Her crisp, clear soprano voice isn’t the strongest in the cast, but Anderson makes a fine fit for the tricky role."[19] Margaret Gray of the Los Angeles Times commented, "Anderson takes charge with a spirit so joyful, a physicality so lithe and coltish, and a soprano so flawlessly soaring, that only Frau Schraeder ... could possibly resist her charm."[20] Tim Smith of The Baltimore Sun agreed: "She shines right from her first scene.... She is ... persuasive an actor, effortlessly connecting with the children and making Maria's spiritual struggle register. She is especially adept at conveying Maria's gradual falling in love with von Trapp".[21] In Variety, Bob Verini commented that Anderson has a "natural glow (though she ... seems to have no control over her hands)".[22] The tour ended in July 2017.[23] For the role, she was nominated in 2017 for the IRNE Award: Large Theater: Best Visiting Actress.[24]

Anderson made her Broadway debut as Eliza in the 2018 Broadway revival of My Fair Lady. Originally an understudy for the role, she became the alternate for the role, playing Saturday matinée performances beginning on July 8, 2018,[2] switching to Tuesday nights in October 2018[25] and continuing until the production closed in July 2019.[23]

She repeated the role of Maria for Northern Stage in Vermont from November 2019 to January 2020, followed by Lucy Lemay in the musical Unknown Soldier, composed by Michael Friedman, at Playwrights Horizons in New York in February and March 2020 and again at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. from March to May 2024; Sister James in Doubt: A Parable at Westport Country Playhouse in Connecticut in November 2021; Simone in the musical Afterwords, by Zoe Sarnak (music and lyrics) and Emily Kaczmarek (book), at 5th Avenue Theatre, Seattle, Washington, in April and May 2022; Diana Dahl Bennett in Cult of Love at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, California, from January to March 2024; Anne Egerman in A Little Night Music in concert production at Lincoln Center's David Geffen Hall in June 2024; Jenna in Waitress at 5th Avenue Theatre, Washington, and at Theatre Under the Stars in Houston, Texas, in March 2025; and Natalie Haller in All Shook Up at Goodspeed Musicals, Connecticut, from June to August 2025.[26] She also appears on the cast recording of Unknown Soldier; a review in Musical Theatre Review stated: "The cast is excellent and includes: Kerstin Anderson".[27]

Of Anderson's performance as Jenna in Waitress, Natalie de la Garza of Houston Press complimented both her acting and singing, writing: "Anderson beautifully ... turns in the most grounded and the most affecting performance. [W]hen she sings, the production hits another level. ... The anticipation was high and Anderson more than delivered."[28] Gemma Wilson of The Seattle Times agreed: "Anderson sounds sensational. ... Listening to her, Gresham and Shaw ... is a unique pleasure, one to remind you what makes musical theater a joy."[29] D. R. Lewis of DC Theater Arts. commented that, in Unknown Soldier, "Anderson ... deftly captures [Lucy's] mounting desperation."[30]

References

  1. ^ Toppman, Lawrence (November 24, 2015). "The Sound of Music has never rung so profoundly". The Charlotte Observer (online ed.). Retrieved 2018-12-22.
  2. ^ a b Fierberg, Ruthie (2018-07-02). "Kerstin Anderson to Play Eliza Doolittle at Select My Fair Lady Performances". Playbill (online ed.). Retrieved 2018-12-22.
  3. ^ "Ted Anderson". www.linkedin.com. Retrieved 2016-01-20.
  4. ^ a b "Kerstin Bridget Anderson", Vermont Vital Records, 1760–2008, FamilySearch, accessed January 21, 2016
  5. ^ "Kathy Kilcoyne". www.linkedin.com. Retrieved 2016-01-20.
  6. ^ "Putting college on hold for The Sound of Music". Southern California Public Radio. 2015-10-12. Retrieved 2016-01-20.
  7. ^ a b Hallenbeck, Brent. "From Vermont to Broadway: Kerstin Anderson takes on Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady", Burlington Free Press, July 23, 2018
  8. ^ "Backstage: Peter Pan" Archived 2016-01-28 at the Wayback Machine, Lyric Theatre Company, 2005, accessed January 21, 2016
  9. ^ "SBHS Drama Presents Once on This Island" Archived 2016-01-28 at the Wayback Machine, The Spotlight, Lyric Theatre Company, October 2011, accessed January 21, 2016
  10. ^ "Legally Blonde Cast List", SBHS Drama, 2012, accessed January 21, 2016
  11. ^ "Past Productions" Archived 2017-04-20 at the Wayback Machine, Spotted Pup Productions, accessed January 21, 2016
  12. ^ "Chittenden County dance, cheerleading preview capsules", USA Today High School Sports, December 13, 2012, accessed January 25, 2016
  13. ^ "Dance Team Wins State Championship" Archived 2016-01-31 at the Wayback Machine, The Other Paper (South Burlington, Vermont), February 23, 2012, accessed January 25, 2016
  14. ^ Bios: Kerstin Anderson (Maria Rainer), The Sound of Music on Tour, accessed February 22, 2016
  15. ^ Di Bello, J. A. "This Ain’t No Junior Prom, Ya Know", The Catskill Chronicle, July 18, 2014, accessed February 22, 2016
  16. ^ Elkon, Gadi. "Dallas Summer Musicals – Sound of Music – Interview with Kerstin Anderson (Maria Rainer)", Selig Film News, November 3, 2015
  17. ^ "Sound of Music tour starts with a tomboy leading the way". The Denver Post. 15 September 2015. Retrieved 2016-01-20.
  18. ^ "How one actress solves a problem like Maria". Miami Herald. Retrieved 2016-01-20.
  19. ^ Riefe, Jordan. "The Sound of Music: Theater Review", The Hollywood Reporter, October 1, 2015
  20. ^ "The Sound of Music at the Ahmanson is fresh and lively", Los Angeles Times, October 1, 2015
  21. ^ Smith, Tim. "The Sound of Music gets classy revival at Hippodrome", The Baltimore Sun, December 14, 2015
  22. ^ Verini, Bob. "L.A. Theater Review: The Sound of Music, Directed by Jack O’Brien", Variety, October 1, 2015
  23. ^ a b "Kerstin Anderson", Internet Broadway database. Retrieved August 1, 2025
  24. ^ "The Independent Reviewers of New England Awards: 2017", AbouttheArtists. Retrieved August 1, 2025
  25. ^ Paulson, Michael (2018-08-23). "Laura Benanti to Join 'My Fair Lady' on Broadway". The New York Times (online ed.). Retrieved 2018-12-22.
  26. ^ "Kerstin Anderson", AbouttheArtists. Retrieved August 1, 2025
  27. ^ "CD Review: Unknown Soldier – Original Cast Recording", Musical Theatre Review, 11 October, 2021
  28. ^ De la Garza, Natalie. "A Perfectly Baked and Beautifully Sung Waitress Comes to TUTS", Houston Press, April 18, 2025
  29. ^ Wilson, Gemma. "Waitress at Seattle's The 5th serves up delicious musical theater", The Seattle Times, March 17, 2025
  30. ^ Lewis, D. R. "A moving and thought-provoking Unknown Soldier is recalled at Arena", DC Theater Arts, April 13, 2024
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