Broadway star Mandy Gonzalez, joined by the Tuscarawas Philharmonic, will perform at the Performing Arts Center at Kent State University - Tuscarawas on Friday, April 11th at 7:30 p.m.
Mandy Gonzalez is an accomplished film, TV, stage actor and author. She possesses one of the most powerful and versatile contemporary voices of our time.
Mandy is a survivor, thriver, and exudes positivity. Mandy’s passion for theatre began at the age of 15 when she attended a musical theatre camp with teachers like Ann Reinking, Treat Williams and Gregory Hines. At 19, she left college to go on tour with Bette Midler as a backup singer before moving to NYC to pursue her Broadway dreams.
Her first Broadway role was in Aida. Mandy then brought her talent to Lin-Manuel Miranda’s, In the Heights, where she originated the role of Nina Rosario in the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, where she received a Drama Desk Award. As a proud Latina-American, the story of Nina resonated deeply.
Mandy then soared as Elphaba in Wicked and left an indelible mark in the megahit Hamilton, where she starred as Angelica Schuyler for 6 years. Mandy also received an OBIE Award and overwhelming critical praise for her performance in the Off-Broadway production of Eli’s Comin’. Mandy is currently guest-starring in the role of Norma Desmond at select performances of Broadway‘s Sunset Blvd.
At the beginning of 2020, Mandy was diagnosed with breast cancer and battled the disease doing chemotherapy while still performing 8 shows a week in Hamilton. Her fight persisted through the pandemic which included remote schooling for her daughter as well as continuing chemotherapy alone due to visitor restrictions. In July 2020 she got to ring the “cancer-free” bell.
Television viewers have had the pleasure of seeing Mandy in her recurring roles in the hit series Madam Secretary, BULL, Quantico, and alongside Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez in Only Murders in the Building. Equally at home on the big screen, Mandy has appeared in Across the Universe, Man on a Ledge, and she can be heard as the voices of Mei in Disney’s Mulan 2 and Mother Rose on Disney series Alice’s Wonderland Bakery.
A frequent concert soloist, Mandy has performed with symphony orchestras around the world. Highlights include: Carnegie Hall with the New York Pops, Boston Pops, The National Symphony Orchestra, Houston Symphony and Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra to name a few.
Mandy released her debut album FEARLESS, with Warner Music East/West, which debuted in the top 20 of iTunes pop charts. In her quest to create positive change, Mandy is the proud founder of #FearlessSquad—a social media movement for inclusiveness and positivity. Mandy is also an accomplished author who recently published her Young Adult series, FEARLESS -- a 4 book middle-grade series that follows young thespians whose brushes with the supernatural teach them about theater, friendship and themselves.
Mandy will be joined on stage by the Tuscarawas Philharmonic under the direction of Associate Conductor Dr. Scott MacPherson and will perform an extraordinary songbook from Broadway and beyond.
Tickets for Mandy Gonzalez In Concert start out at $49 and are on sale now at the Performing Arts Center box office, 330-308-6400 or online at www.kent.edu/tuscpac. The box office is open Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Free and convenient parking is available for all shows. The Performing Arts Center is located on the campus of Kent State Tuscarawas at 330 University Dr. N.E. in New Philadelphia.
The Performing Arts Center’s 2024-2025 Season is sponsored by the Tuscarawas County Community Foundation.