Mary Testa
Mary Testa is an American actress who recently joined the cast of Wicked on Broadway on February 25, 2014, as Madame Morrible.
Early life[]
Testa was born in Philadelphia and has one sister. At age four, her family moved to Rhode Island. She studied acting at the University of Rhode Island. Testa left school to move to New York in 1976 to pursue a performing career.
Stage[]
Testa made her debut Off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons as Miss Goldberg in William Finn's one-act musical In Trousers (1979), part of his "Marvin Trilogy." She next performed in Finn's March of the Falsettos and next in Company at Playwrights. Her Broadway roles include Joyce Heth in Barnum (1982), movie columnist Hedda Hopper in Marilyn: An Musical Fable (1983), Angel in The Rink (1984), Domina in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1996-1997), Madame Dilly in On the Town (1998), Magdalena in Marie Christine, Maggie Jones in 42nd Street (2001-2002), Matron "Mama" Morton in Chicago (2005), Melpomene in Xanadu (2007-2008), General Matilda B. Cartwright in Guys and Dolls (2009), Madame Morrible in Wicked (2014) and Aunt Eller in Oklahoma (2019).
She is a frequent collaborator with such acclaimed musical dramatists as William Finn (Infinite Joy, A New Brain, In Trousers) and Michael John LaChiusa (Marie Christine, See What I Wanna See, First Lady Suite), while also having appeared in the works of Stephen Sondheim, John Kander & Fred Ebb, Stephen Flaherty & Lynn Ahrens and Leonard Bernstein, among other Off-Broadway and regional theatre credits. She also frequently performs in concerts and cabaret shows.
Film, television and recording[]
Testa made her film debut in Going in Style (1979), and has appeared in numerous movie and television roles since, Sophia in the sitcom Whoopi, Zia Maria Luisa in the 2014 film Big Stone Gap, and Sister Clare in the 2004 film adaptation of Tony n' Tina's Wedding. She also appeared in such films as The Business of Strangers (2001), Stay (2005), Eat Pray Love (2010), The Bounty Hunter (2010) and the TV series Law & Order, Whoopi's Littleburg, 2 Broke Girls, Smash, White Collar, Cosby, Sex and the City, and Life on Mars.
From 1999 to 2002, she appeared frequently as the voice of Shirley the Medium on Courage the Cowardly Dog.
In addition to her show albums, Testa and Michael Starobin released an album, Have Faith in 2014. In contains contemporary interpretations of songs by artists such as Alanis Morisette, Prince, The Beach Boys, Leonard Bernstein, William Finn and Michael John LaChiusa.
Wicked[]
Testa replaced Carol Kane as Madame Morrible in the Broadway production of Wicked on February 25, 2014. She starred alongside Christine Dwyer as Elphaba and Jenni Barber as Glinda. She left the show on December 14 until Kathy Fitzgerald returned to the role on December 16, 2014.