Eva Maria Noblezada (/ˈvə nbləˈzɑːdə/; born March 18, 1996) is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her work in theatre, starring in musicals in the West End and on Broadway. Her accolades include a Grammy Award and two Tony Award nominations.

Eva Noblezada
Eva Noblezada (age 23) as "Eurydice" in Hadestown at The Tony Awards (2019)
Noblezada in 2019
Born
Eva Maria Noblezada

(1996-03-18) March 18, 1996 (age 28)
Occupations
  • Actress
  • singer
Years active2013–present
Spouse
Leo Roberts
(m. 2017; div. 2019)
PartnerReeve Carney (2019–present)
RelativesAnnette Calud (aunt)

Noblezada made her professional debut as Kim in the West End revival of Miss Saigon, a performance for which she earned a WhatsOnStage Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical. She then appeared as Éponine in the West End production of Les Misérables before reprising the role of Kim in the Broadway revival of Miss Saigon, for which she won a Theatre World Award and nominations for a Tony Award and Drama League Award. She returned to London to star as Eurydice in the original London production of Hadestown, later reprising the role in the original Broadway production, earning a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album and a second Tony Award nomination.

On-screen, Noblezada has starred as Rose in the film Yellow Rose. She also provided the voice for Sam in Luck and appeared as Tala in Easter Sunday.

Early life edit

Eva Maria Noblezada was born on March 18, 1996, in San Diego, California. Her father, Jon, is of Filipino ancestry while her mother, Angie, is of Mexican descent.[1] Noblezada's paternal grandparents are from Maguindanao and Iloilo.[2] She and her family moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, where she attended the Northwest School of the Arts until she was 17.[3] Her aunt is Annette Calud, who played Celina on Sesame Street and Kim in Miss Saigon on Broadway.[4]

Career edit

On July 1, 2013, Noblezada became one of five finalists for the 2013 National High School Musical Theatre Awards.[5] Her performance of the song "With You" from Ghost during the awards ceremony at the Minskoff Theatre in New York City was noted by casting director Tara Rubin, who arranged an audition for Noblezada, then 17, before producer Cameron Mackintosh for the forthcoming West End revival of Miss Saigon. Noblezada was cast in the lead role of Kim.[citation needed]

In the spring of 2014, Noblezada left the Northwest School of the Arts in Charlotte to star in Miss Saigon in London. For her performance as Kim, Noblezada won the 2015 WhatsOnStage Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical.[6] She performed "I'd Give My Life for You" at the 2015 Laurence Olivier Awards ceremony.[7]

Following the limited run of Miss Saigon in London, Noblezada assumed the role of Éponine in the West End production of Les Misérables in April 2016.[8]

On May 2, 2016, Noblezada made her Carnegie Hall debut, celebrating Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg, performing "The Movie in My Mind" with Lea Salonga and The New York Pops.[9]

Noblezada reprised her performance as Kim in the first Broadway revival of Miss Saigon, which opened at the Broadway Theatre on March 23, 2017, for a limited run through January 14, 2018. For her performance, Noblezada was nominated for the 2017 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical, becoming one of the youngest nominees in the category, at age 21.[10][1][4]

She played the role of Ayla in the musical Vanara in a London workshop presentation on May 11, 2018. In November 2018, Noblezada opened in the lead role of Eurydice in the Royal National Theatre's production of the musical Hadestown.[11] She continued in the role of Eurydice when the production transferred to Broadway's Walter Kerr Theatre in April 2019.[12] She received her second Tony Award nomination for her role[13] and won the Broadway.com Audience Choice Award for Favorite Leading Actress in a Musical.[14] Noblezada played her final performance in the role on August 13, 2023.[15]

Noblezada made her film debut in the Diane Paragas film Yellow Rose (2019) as the titular character, Rose. She starred alongside Lea Salonga, who originated the role of Kim in Miss Saigon. The film was released by Sony Pictures Stage 6 on October 9, 2020.[16] In 2022, she starred in the film Easter Sunday, featuring an all-Filipino cast.[17] In 2022, Blogtalk with MJ Racadio named her one of the "75 Most Influential Filipino-Americans".[18]

In July 2023, it was announced that Noblezada and Jeremy Jordan will star in a new musical adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. The show features music and lyrics by Jason Howland and Nathan Tysen and a book by Kait Kerrigan. The musical had its world premiere at the Paper Mill Playhouse on October 12, 2023.[19]

Noblezada is represented by United Talent Agency.[20]

Personal life edit

Noblezada has been vocal about her personal struggles with anxiety, depression, bulimia, and body dysmorphic disorder.[21][22][4]

In November 2017, Noblezada announced her marriage to English actor Leo Roberts.[23]

Since 2019, Noblezada has been in a relationship with fellow Broadway actor Reeve Carney, who starred opposite her in Hadestown.[24]

Acting credits edit

Theatre edit

Year Title Role Theatre Notes Ref.
2014–16 Miss Saigon Kim Prince Edward Theatre, West End West End revival
2016 Les Misérables Éponine Queen's Theatre, West End Replacement
2017–18 Miss Saigon Kim Broadway Theatre, Broadway Broadway revival
2018–19 Hadestown Eurydice Royal National Theatre, London Original London production
2019–23 Walter Kerr Theatre, Broadway Original Broadway production
2023 The Great Gatsby Daisy Buchanan Paper Mill Playhouse, Millburn
2024 Broadway Theatre, Broadway Original Broadway production

Film edit

Year Title Role Notes
2016 Miss Saigon: 25th Anniversary Kim Live recording of staged performance
2019 Yellow Rose Rose Garcia Feature film debut
2022 Champ Genevieve Short film
Luck Sam (voice)
Easter Sunday Tala

Television edit

Year Title Role Notes
2021 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Zoey Carrera Episode: "Turn Me On, Take Me Private"[27]

Accolades edit

Year Award Category Work Result Ref.
2013 Jimmy Award Best Performance by an Actress Footloose Top 3
2015 WhatsOnStage Award Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical Miss Saigon Won
2017 Tony Award Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical Nominated
Drama League Award Distinguished Performance Nominated
Broadway.com Audience Choice Award Favorite Breakthrough Performance Nominated
Theatre World Award Honoree
2019 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival Best Breakthrough Performance Yellow Rose Won [29]
Tony Award Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical Hadestown Nominated
Broadway.com Audience Choice Award Favorite Leading Actress in a Musical Won
Favorite Onstage Pair (with Reeve Carney) Nominated
2020 Grammy Award Best Musical Theater Album Won [32]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b Wolf, Matt (September 18, 2014). "London Miss Saigon Star Eva Noblezada on her Chipotle Ordering Skills, Meeting Lea Salonga & 'B to the S' Rumors". Broadway.com. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
  2. ^ Matalog, Patricia (January 21, 2021). "Get to know 'Yellow Rose' star Eva Noblezada and her Filipino roots!". ABS-CBN News. Archived from the original on January 21, 2021. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
  3. ^ Salonga, Lea (October 2, 2014). "The girl who would be Kim". Inquirer.net. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
  4. ^ a b c Barnard, Christopher (June 9, 2017). "Meet Eva Noblezada, the 21-Year-Old Competing for a Tony Award Against Veterans Bette Midler and Patti LuPone". W Magazine. Retrieved July 1, 2019.
  5. ^ "Eva Noblezada's Journey from the Jimmy Awards to Broadway Leading Lady". Playbill. April 27, 2017. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
  6. ^ Ellis-Petersen, Hannah (February 15, 2015). "Miss Saigon dominates WhatsOnStage awards". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
  7. ^ Lzbth, Emma (April 13, 2015), Miss Saigon Olivier Awards 2015 – 'I'd Give My Life For You', archived from the original on December 12, 2017, retrieved November 5, 2017
  8. ^ "Photo Flash: Eva Noblezada Joins the Barricade as 'Eponine' in West End's LES MISERABLES". BroadwayWorld. April 4, 2016. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
  9. ^ "The New York Pops 33rd Birthday Gala". carnegiehall.org. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
  10. ^ Kelley, Seth (May 2, 2017). "Tony Nominations Announced: Full List of 2017 Nominees". Variety. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
  11. ^ "Hadestown". National Theatre. April 11, 2018.
  12. ^ "Full Cast Announced for HADESTOWN on Broadway; Rehearsals Begin Today!". BroadwayWorld. February 11, 2019.
  13. ^ "Full List of the 2019 Tony Award Nominees". The New York Times. April 30, 2019. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
  14. ^ a b "Be More Chill Leads Broadway.com Audience Choice Award Winners; Pretty Woman, Mockingbird Also Take Top Prizes". Broadway.com. May 16, 2019. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
  15. ^ Gans, Andrew (July 10, 2023). "Eva Noblezada Sets Final Performance in Broadway's Hadestown". Playbill.com. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
  16. ^ Gans, Andrew (October 9, 2020). "New Film Yellow Rose, Starring Hadestown's Eva Noblezada, Released October 9; Soundtrack Now Available". Playbill.com. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  17. ^ Easter Sunday’ Actress Eva Noblezada on Representation: ‘People Want to See Themselves’ by Eva Noblezada from VARIETY May 25, 2022 1:00pm PT. Accessed July 8, 2022
  18. ^ "Comedian Jo Koy leads 75 Most Influential Filipino Americans list". goodnewspilipinas.com. October 18, 2022. Retrieved November 6, 2022.
  19. ^ Heckmann, Ann Marie (July 25, 2023). "Jeremy Jordan & Eva Noblezada to Star in Paper Mill Playhouse's World Premiere of the Great Gatsby, A New Musical". Paper Mill Playhouse. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
  20. ^ Kroll, Justin (October 8, 2020). "UTA Signs Grammy Winner Eva Noblezada". Deadline. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  21. ^ Ferri, Josh (June 9, 2017). "Eva Noblezada Opens Up About 10 Things She Learned About Herself, Life, & Showbusiness During Her Years as Kim in Miss Saigon". BroadwayBox.com. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  22. ^ @livevamaria (December 20, 2019). "having a mid show anxiety attack is never fun. However, in my own journey..." Archived from the original on December 24, 2021. Retrieved June 13, 2020 – via Instagram.
  23. ^ McPhee, Ryan (November 5, 2017). "Miss Saigon's Eva Noblezada Marries U.K. Actor Leo Roberts". Playbill. Retrieved March 1, 2024.
  24. ^ Tran, Diep (July 24, 2023). "Hadestown's Eva Noblezada Is Looking Forward to Not Performing 8 Shows a Week". Playbill. Retrieved March 1, 2024.
  25. ^ "17-Year-Old Eva Noblezada to Star in MISS SAIGON in the West End". BroadwayWorld. November 21, 2013.
  26. ^ Jeremy Jordan and Eva Noblezada to Return to Broadway in The Great Gatsby Musical
  27. ^ Evans, Greg (January 6, 2021). "'Law & Order: SVU' Turns To A Dark Broadway For Job-Hunting Actors". Deadline. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  28. ^ James, Théoden (May 2, 2017). "Former Northwest School of the Arts student is now up against Bette Midler for a Tony Award". The Charlotte Observer.
  29. ^ "Announcing the LAAPFF2019 Award Winners". Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
  30. ^ McPhee, Ryan (April 30, 2019). "2019 Tony Award Nominations: Hadestown and Ain't Too Proud Lead the Pack". Playbill. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
  31. ^ Wontorek, Paul (May 7, 2019). "Fan-Picked 2019 Broadway.com Audience Choice Award Nominations Announced; Be More Chill Leads With 12". Broadway.com.
  32. ^ "2020 GRAMMYs Awards Show: Complete Winners & Nominations List". www.grammy.com. Retrieved January 15, 2023.

External links edit