Linedy Genao
{{Short description|American actress (born 1991)}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Linedy Genao
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1991|05|27}}
| birth_place = Brooklyn, New York
| nationality = American
| education = University of Connecticut
| occupation = {{flatlist|
- Actress
- singer
}}
| years_active = 2015–present
| known_for = Bad Cinderella
}}
Linedy Genao (born May 27, 1991) is an American actress. She is known for playing the role of Cinderella in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Bad Cinderella on Broadway.
Early life and education
Genao was born on May 27{{Cite Instagram|postid=CswAzyHOvPJ|user=linedygenao|title=I get to literally play and be a princess, Cinderella, la Cenicienta, on my birthday, on Broadway, living my absolute dreams, twice in one day. Wow. ✨|date=May 27, 2023|author=Linedy Genao}}{{Cite Instagram|postid=CPbFwtRDl-j|user=linedygenao|title=Thank you from the bottom of my heart to every single person that took time out of their day to wish me a happy birthday! It means the world! 💕|date=May 28, 2021|author=Linedy Genao}} in Brooklyn, New York, to a Dominican family. At age ten, she moved with her family to Hamden, Connecticut, where she performed in plays in middle school and Hamden High School.{{Cite web |last=Ruiz |first=Michelle |date=2023-03-20 |title=How 'Bad Cinderella' Star Linedy Genao Made It to the Ball |url=https://www.vogue.com/article/linedy-genao-bad-cinderella-interview |access-date=2023-03-24 |website=Vogue |language=en-US}} After applying to both theatre and business schools, Genao studied business at the University of Connecticut and worked in banking while continuing to do community theater.{{Cite web |last=Reyes |first=Raul A. |date=March 14, 2023 |title=Broadway's 'Bad Cinderella': A real-life fairy tale for show's Latina star |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/bad-cinderella-linedy-genao-first-latina-star-lloyd-webber-musical-rcna74376 |access-date=2023-03-24 |website=NBC News |language=en}}
Career
Genao's Broadway debut was in 2015, as an original Broadway cast member of On Your Feet!, a musical about Gloria and Emilio Estefan. She got the part at an open casting call. When theatres had to close during the COVID-19 pandemic, she returned to her previous profession, doing remote banking work. She has stated that she considered returning to banking full-time at the time but decided against it when she was offered to join the cast of Dear Evan Hansen as an understudy when it re-opened on Broadway. She had previously been a vacation swing on the first national tour of the show, prior to the pandemic.{{Cite web |last=Scheps |first=Leigh |date=March 28, 2023 |title=Banker to Broadway: Meet 'Bad Cinderella' Star Linedy Genao |url=https://www.shondaland.com/inspire/a43391671/banker-to-broadway-meet-bad-cinderella-star-linedy-genao/ |access-date=2023-03-30 |website=Shondaland}} In late 2022, she starred as Gloria in a production of On Your Feet! at the Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey.{{Cite Instagram|postid=Cl2CgBLOw4L|user=linedygenao|title=We closed #OnYourFeet at Paper Mill exactly a month ago. 🥹❤️|date=December 6, 2022|author=Linedy Genao}}
Genao played the role of Cinderella in the Broadway production of Bad Cinderella at the Imperial Theatre, opening officially on March 23, 2023.{{Cite web |last=Evans |first=Greg |date=2023-03-24 |title='Bad Cinderella' Broadway Review: Andrew Lloyd Webber's Latest Could Use Some Badness |url=https://deadline.com/2023/03/bad-cinderella-broadway-review-andrew-lloyd-webber-1235307221/ |access-date=2023-03-24 |website=Deadline }} She was the first Latina woman to originate a leading role in a Lloyd Webber production.{{Cite web |title="Bad Cinderella" star Linedy Genao becomes first Latina to originate leading role in a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/bad-cinderella-star-linedy-genao-first-latina-to-originate-leading-role-broadway-musical-by-andrew-lloyd-webber/ |access-date=2023-05-07 |website=CBS|date=16 April 2023 }} The show closed on June 4, 2023.{{Cite news |last=Paulson |first=Michael |date=May 11, 2023 |title='Bad Cinderella' to Close on Broadway, Ending Lloyd Webber's Streak |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/11/theater/bad-cinderella-broadway-closing.html |access-date=June 16, 2023 |issn=0362-4331}}
Theatre credits
| class="wikitable"
!Year !Production !Role !Theatre |
| 2015
|rowspan=2|On Your Feet! |Ensemble |
| 2015–2017
|Rachel / Ensemble |Marquis Theatre, Broadway |
| 2017
|Vanessa |
| 2018
|rowspan=2|West Side Story |rowspan=2|Rosalia |
| 2019 |
| 2019–2020
|rowspan=2|Dear Evan Hansen |rowspan=2|u/s Zoe Murphy |US National Tour |
| 2021–2022
|Music Box Theatre, Broadway |
| 2022
|Gloria Estefan |
| 2023
|Imperial Theatre, Broadway |
| 2025
|Myrtle Wilson |Broadway Theatre, BroadwayWild, Stephi [https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Linedy-Genao-and-Austin-Colby-Will-Join-THE-GREAT-GATSBY-20250212 Linedy Genao and Austin Colby Will Join THE GREAT GATSBY] BroadwayWorld, February 12, 2025 |
Discography
= Singles =
| class="wikitable"
!Year !Title |
| 2022 |
| 2023
|"I Know I Have a Heart (Because You Broke It)" |
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Genao, Linedy}}
Category:American musical theatre actresses
Category:Actresses from Brooklyn
Category:21st-century American actresses
Category:American singers of Dominican Republic descent