Andréa Burns is an American actress and singer best known for her portrayal of the hairdresser Daniela in Lin-Manuel Miranda's musical In the Heights, as Carmen in Douglas Carter Beane's The Nance, and as Mrs. Spamboni in The Electric Company.

Early life

Burns was born in Miami Beach, Florida to a Jewish father and a Venezuelan mother. She has described herself as "a Venezuelan Jewess from Miami who grew up loving Broadway." She spent many summers training at the French Woods Festival of the Performing Arts and is a graduate of Miami's New World School of the Arts.

Career

Burns began her career touring the opera houses of Europe as Maria in West Side Story when she was 18 years old. She has appeared on Broadway as Belle in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, as Vicki Nichols in The Full Monty, as Carmen in The Nance, as Daniela in In the Heights, and as Googie Gomez in The Ritz, and she has sung concerts at Carnegie Hall. Burns appeared in the original company of Jason Robert Brown’s critically acclaimed Songs for a New World. Burns portrayed Lucille Frank in the national tour of Brown's Parade, for which she received a Touring Broadway Awards nomination for Best Actress. She was also created the role of Celeste in Saturday Night, by Stephen Sondheim, at Second Stage Theatre. Her début solo album A Deeper Shade of Red was described by Playbill as "superb on all counts!" In 2006, "100 Stories", a single she co-wrote with her brother, music producer Mike Burns, rose to the No. 2 spot on the 2006 Billboard Hot Dance Club Play charts. Television credits include Marvel Comics's Jessica Jones, Kevin Can Wait, Sky Dancers, Law & Order: SVU, Rescue Me, Blue Bloods, The Electric Company (2009 TV series), and Wonder Pets. She can also be heard on the original cast recordings of In The Heights, Songs for a New World, This Ordinary Thursday – The Songs of Georgia Stitt, Saturday Night, It's Only Life, Dear Edwina, Shine!, Broadway Bound, and Broadway Musicals of 1953. Burns starred as Lenora in the 2015 film Akron, an official selection of the Out on Film Festival 2015, and played Fausta in Steven Spielberg's 2021 film West Side Story.

Personal life

She is married to director Peter Flynn. Their son, Hudson Flynn, is featured on the cover art of her solo album, A Deeper Shade of Red.

Stage credits

Original Broadway Production, 2024 Lincoln Center, 2023 New York City Center, 2023 Chicago Shakespeare Theater, 2022 Broadway Revival, 2019 Encores! Off-Center Revival, 2019 New York Premiere at 59E59 Theaters, 2019 York Theatre Company Off-Broadway Revival, 2019 Two River Theater World Premiere, 2018 Original Broadway Production, 2015 Oriental Theatre (Chicago), 2015 City Theatre (Pittsburgh), 2014 Original Broadway Production, 2013 Hangar Theatre, 2012 Hangar Theatre, 2012 The Muny, 2011 Broadway Transfer, 2008 Broadway Revival, 2007 Original Off-Broadway Production, 2007 World Premiere, 2006 Reading, 2006 US National Tour, 2001 Original Broadway Production, 2000 Off-Broadway Production, 2000 US National Tour, 1999 New York Concert, 1999 Original Off-Off-Broadway Production, 1995 Original Broadway Production, 1994 Source:

Recording credits

[Motion Picture Soundtrack, 2021] [Studio Cast, 2008] Performer [Solo album, 2007] [The Songs of Georgia Stitt, 2007] Performer [ John Bucchino, 2006] Performer [Studio Cast, 2004] Performer [Demo Recording, 2002] Performer [Studio Recording, 2002] Performer [Original Off-Broadway Cast Album, 2000] [Original Off-Broadway Cast Album, 1995] Performer

Awards