"Growing up in western Oklahoma, I didn’t have much access to live theatre except for a wonderful school teacher named Debbie Sizemore, who taught drama," Kelli O'Hara tells Local Profile.
That teacher ran a summer program. Each year, while other kids were at the pool or at home watching TV, O’Hara was in rehearsal, perfecting bits of musicals and plays to perform. “These were enough to pique my curiosity from an early age,” she says. O’Hara was bitten by the theatre bug early on, recalling, “I did see one live production of Oklahoma at Discovery Land in Tulsa when I was 4 years old, and I still remember almost everything about it.”
It was from that tiny town of Elk City, that a star was born. While in college at Oklahoma City University, she got a summer stock job at the Music Theatre of Wichita. "Even though I went to college for music, I wasn’t sure I would make my career in performing,” she said. “I just knew I loved singing and acting. That summer, I knew I would never turn back. I got bit by the bug and made the decision that I would move to New York City after graduation the next year."
O'Hara has had a versatile career spanning Broadway, TV, and film. She is an eight-time Tony nominee and won Best Actress in a Musical for The King and I at the 69th Tony Awards in 2015. She’s also appeared in 13 Reasons Why and The Gilded Age, and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy for her role in The Accidental Wolf at the 70th Creative Arts Emmy Awards in 2018.
Soon, O’Hara will perform in North Texas for A Night of Broadway with The Dallas Symphony Orchestra, March 28-30. Conducted by Steven Reineke, the concert will feature Broadway stars Kelli O’Hara and Sutton Foster, offering an evening of iconic Broadway hits, from classic to contemporary.
The Ups and Downs of The Big Stage
"I think what makes me most proud is the variety of work that I have been able to do," O’Hara said. "I’m so proud to have spent so many years on Broadway, which was my original dream, but to add TV and film, the Metropolitan Opera, concert and philanthropic work to that dream has been the most fulfilling."
However, balancing career ambitions with family life has been one of the most challenging aspects of O'Hara’s journey. "The most challenging part is also the most rewarding part, and that is building my family while I have built my career,” she said. “It has been hard at times and there have been sacrifices, but neither career nor personal life would be as full without the other. They enhance each other for sure."
Looking forward, O'Hara’s drive for personal and artistic growth remains unwavering. "I’m such a curious person — I will never stop learning."
O'Hara’s diverse and successful career has been marked by a series of unforgettable roles, each with its own impact. "That’s a very difficult question to answer because they have all been very different in my mind, and they have all given me a great deal. So,'it’s like choosing your favorite child."
But if she could relive one theatrical experience, it would be Ragtime on Broadway. "It’s the only show I saw multiple times, and it was right when I moved to NYC,” O’Hara said. “I had a friend who would sneak me in for free. Marin Mazzie and Audra McDonald became soprano heroes of mine (and friends), and I would love to go back and experience that first viewing again, to feel blown away and inspired all over again. It’s when I really started dreaming big for myself."
What To Expect From A Night of Broadway
For those attending A Night of Broadway in Dallas, O'Hara has one main goal in mind: joy. "I hope the biggest takeaway will be joy and light and a fun collaboration between two women (which doesn’t happen all that often), who have been inspired by the great pairing of Carol Burnette and Julie Andrews." The concert promises to be a night of lighthearted fun, filled with the kind of magic that only Broadway can offer.
See The show
Join O'Hara, Foster and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra for an evening that will leave audiences inspired and uplifted, celebrating the best of Broadway's legacy with two of its most brilliant stars.
Tickets start at $75 and are available at dallassymphony.org.
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