Reva Rice

Reva Rice is an American musical theatre actress and singer born in Toledo, Ohio to Flute and Pearl Esterine Shields Rice. She began training in dance, theatre, and piano at age five and later graduated from the Boston Conservatory of Music. Rice's Broadway career spanned from 1987 to 2007.

Rice originated the role of Pearl the Observation Car in the Broadway production of Starlight Express, a credit for which she became widely recognized. Following the show's 1992 revision, she reprised the role in the London production and subsequently performed the part on a US tour and in Las Vegas. In 1993, a cast recording of the revised London production, titled The New Starlight Express, was released with Rice featured as Pearl. On the recording, she performs solos including "Make Up My Heart" and "He'll Whistle At Me," and duets with Greg Ellis on "Next Time You Fall in Love," which was also issued as a single. Rice returned to the Starlight Express universe in June 2018, joining the Bochum production in the role of Mama, a female version of the character Poppa.

In 1991, Rice was among the finalists on the television talent show Star Search. Later in the decade, she took over Valarie Pettiford's role in the Broadway production of Fosse, a show based on the work of choreographer Bob Fosse, joining the cast in 1999. She subsequently led the cast of Fosse on both the US tour and in the Japanese production.

Rice's additional Broadway credits include the role of Velma in Chicago and a role in The Color Purple, for which she performed in the ensemble of the US national tour while understudying the lead character Shug Avery. Her stage work outside of Broadway includes the role of Roz in the world premiere of JAM: Just Another Man, a musical about the life of Clint Holmes, presented at the Judy Bayley Theatre at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She also served as standby for The Lady of the Lake in the Las Vegas production of Spamalot and participated in the Las Vegas tryout of All In: The Poker Musical. Additional credits include Smokey Joe's Cafe and David Saxe's Vegas! The Show, performed at the Saxe Theater at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino. Rice also starred in Reva Las Vegas, a 90-minute revue drawn from her career spanning Broadway to Las Vegas. Her television credits include appearances on The Watcher.