Ericka Hunter Yang (born May 8, 1982) is a Canadian-born singer, songwriter, dancer and actress.[2] Hunter began her career as a Radio City Music Hall Rockette and made her Broadway debut in 2002. She has since been part of the original Broadway ensemble casts of Rock of Ages (later starring as Sherrie), American Psycho, Doctor Zhivago, the 2017 revival of Miss Saigon, and Moulin Rouge!
Ericka Hunter Yang | |
|---|---|
| Born | Ericka Yang May 8, 1982 |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Partner | Aaron Tveit |
Early life
editYang was born in Ottawa, Ontario, to a Canadian mother and Chinese-born Hong Konger father. She grew up in the city's suburb of Nepean and attended a public performing arts high school. She has an older sister, Vanessa, and younger brother, Warren Yang, a former gymnast and actor.[3][4] Hunter is of Chinese, Dutch, German, and English descent.
Career
editAfter studying dance and theater in her hometown of Ottawa, Ontario, she made her professional debut with Radio City Rockettes at 18. Ericka then joined the Toronto company of The Lion King before being cast as a featured dancer in the ABC/Disney movie The Music Man. In 2002, at the age of 20, she made her Broadway debut in the original revival cast of Flower Drum Song and then went on to perform in the Broadway cast of 42nd Street.
In 2006, she relocated to Los Angeles to develop a music and fashion career. She worked as an assistant to stylist Joe Zee performed alongside artists such as Rihanna, Shakira, and Justin Timberlake. During this period, she began using the professional name Ericka Hunter, taking the last name from a maternal great-grandmother.
In 2008, she returned to New York. She joined the cast of the Broadway musical Rock of Ages in 2009. She later performed in Doctor Zhivago, the musical thriller American Psycho, Rock Of Ages (where she played the lead role of Sherrie), as well as the revival of Miss Saigon (understudied/performed the roles of Gigi and Ellen).
Early in 2018, she performed in the Danny Strong newly scripted version of Chess at the Kennedy Center. In addition to her Broadway credits, she's been cast in multiple TV productions including Mozart In The Jungle (Amazon), Smash (NBC), Modern Love (Amazon), and Katy Keene (CW). In 2021, she was a Core Dancer on Schmigadoon!, released on Apple TV+.[5]
Hunter is featured on French DJ Morgan Nagoya's dance single "Promised Land"[citation needed] along with Jonny Rose and Chris Reeder.[6] She released her first U.S. solo single "Fight to Believe" on January 17, 2013.[2]
Personal life
editHunter is in a relationship with actor Aaron Tveit. Tveit confirmed on his Instagram page in July 2024 that the two are expecting their first child.[7]
Theatre
edit| Year | Production | Role | Venue | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | The Lion King | Ensemble | The Princess of Wales Theatre | Toronto production |
| 2001 | Radio City Christmas Spectacular | Rockette | Radio City Music Hall | |
| 2002–03 | Flower Drum Song | Ensemble | The August Wilson Theatre: October 2002 – March 2003 |
Original Broadway production Credited as: Ericka Yang |
| 2003–04 | 42nd Street | Ensemble | Ford Center for the Performing Arts | Broadway replacement Credited as: Ericka Yang |
| Ethel | ||||
| 2004 | Princesses | Goodspeed Theater | Regional developmental production | |
| 2005 | Aida | Ensemble | Ogunquit Playhouse | Regional production |
| 2007 | Damn Yankees | Ensemble | Freud Playhouse at UCLA: November 2007 |
Reprise Theatre Company |
| 2009–15 | Rock of Ages | Ensemble, Swing (u/s Sherrie, Regina) |
Brooks Atkinson Theatre: March 2009 – March 2013 |
Original Broadway production |
| Ensemble (u/s Sherrie, Justice, Regina) |
Brooks Atkinson Theatre: November 2014 – January 2015 |
Broadway replacement | ||
| 2014 | The Band Wagon | Isabelle | New York City Center Stage II: November 2014 |
Concert staging |
| 2015 | Doctor Zhivago | Ensemble | Broadway Theatre: March – May 2015 |
Original Broadway production |
| 2016 | American Psycho | Sabrina / Video Store Clerk (u/s Evelyn Williams, Courtney Lawrence, Svetlana, Mrs. Bateman, Mrs. Wolfe) |
Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre: March – June 2016 |
Original Broadway production |
| 2017 | Miss Saigon | Ensemble (u/s Gigi, Ellen) |
Broadway Theatre: March – October 2017 |
Broadway revival |
| 2018 | Chess | Ensemble | JFK Center for the Performing Arts: February 2018 |
Concert staging |
| 2018–2022 | Moulin Rouge! | Ensemble (u/s Arabia, La Chocolat) |
Emerson Colonial Theatre: July – August 2018 |
Original Boston production (Pre-Broadway tryout) |
| Al Hirschfeld Theatre: June 2019 – April 2022 |
Original Broadway production | |||
| 2023 | ''Some Like It Hot'' | Swing[1] | Shubert Theatre: March – April 2023; June 2023 |
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | The Music Man | Dancer | Film |
| 2004–2011 | Rescue Me | Singing Nurse | Episode: "Disease" |
| 2012–2013 | Smash | Dancer | 2 episodes |
| 2014 | It Could Be Worse | Lacy | Episode: "Fate" |
| 2014 | Mozart In The Jungle | Dancer | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 2019 | Modern Love | ||
| 2020 | Katy Keene | Episode: "Chapter One" | |
| 2020 | Broadway Profiles with Tamsen Fadal | Self | Episode on Oct 2020 |
| 2021–2023 | Schmigadoon! | Core Dancer, Tribal Dancer,
Cabaret Girl Molly |
9 episodes |
| 2022 | Better Nate Than Ever | Dancer | Film |
References
edit- ^ a b "Ericka Hunter". Playbill. Retrieved 2021-05-10.
- ^ a b http://www.globalnews.ca/entertainment/ottawas+ericka+hunter+wont+stop+believin/6442790747/story.html[permanent dead link]
- ^ Skethway, Nathan (July 5, 2019). "Siblings Ericka Hunter and Warren Yang Face the Challenges of Broadway Together". Playbill. Retrieved 2021-05-10.
- ^ ""I'm Watching Him Do Something Neither Of Us Thought Was A Possibility."". The Ensemblist. Retrieved 2021-05-10.[dead link]
- ^ "Who Is Aaron Tveit's Fiancée? All About Ericka Yang". Peoplemag. Retrieved 2024-09-23.
- ^ Walden, James (6 November 2012). "European Vs American Music: Closing the Gaps With Ericka Hunter". www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/. Archived from the original on 2018-09-07. Retrieved 2020-01-31.
- ^ Baker, Emma Aerin (2024-07-24). "Aaron Tveit and Fiancée Ericka Yang Are Expecting Their First Baby Together: 'Table for 3'". Peoplemag. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
External links
edit- Website
- Ericka Hunter at IMDb, also Erica Yang Hunter at IMDb and Erica Yang at IMDb
- Ericka Hunter at the Internet Broadway Database