Sierra Boggess

Sierra Boggess is an American actress and singer born on May 20, 1982, in Denver, Colorado, where she grew up in a family of professional musicians. As a child, she was a member of the Colorado Children's Chorale and attended George Washington High School, where drama studies shaped her early development. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2004 from Millikin University, where she studied voice with Cynthia Douglas.

Before reaching Broadway, Boggess built her early career in regional theater and on tour. She joined the U.S. national tour of Les Misérables as an ensemble member and understudy for Cosette, and took on the roles of Binky and Ram Dass in the musical Princesses at Goodspeed Opera House and the 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle. Her regional credits include Maria in West Side Story, Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance, Polly in The Boy Friend, and Charity in Sweet Charity.

Her professional profile rose significantly when she was cast as Christine Daaé in Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera at The Venetian Las Vegas, a production that opened on June 24, 2006, with Anthony Crivello and Brent Barrett alternating in the title role. Boggess remained with the Las Vegas production for a year before transitioning to her Broadway debut.

That debut came when she originated the role of Ariel in The Little Mermaid. The production held a pre-Broadway tryout at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts' Ellie Caulkins Opera House from July 26 through September 9, 2007, before beginning Broadway previews at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on November 3, 2007. A stagehand strike temporarily closed the show from November 10 through November 28, 2007, pushing the official opening night from December 6, 2007, to January 10, 2008. Boggess received a Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Actress in a Musical in 2008 for the role and played her final performance as Ariel on May 31, 2009. While still performing in The Little Mermaid, she appeared opposite Kristin Chenoweth in the Encores! staged concert of Music in the Air in February 2009.

Boggess returned to the role of Christine Daaé for the original London production of Love Never Dies, the Phantom of the Opera sequel, running from February 2010 to March 2011. She also participated in the Rodgers and Hammerstein Prom at the Royal Albert Hall on August 22, 2010. On October 1 and 2, 2011, she reprised Christine at the 25th anniversary concert of The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall, co-starring with Ramin Karimloo as the Phantom.

Following Love Never Dies, Boggess joined the Broadway revival of Master Class beginning June 14, 2011, playing Sharon alongside Tyne Daly. The limited engagement concluded on September 4, 2011. She then appeared in the Off-Broadway production Love, Loss, and What I Wore from February 29 through March 25, 2012. In July 2012, she joined the West End company of Les Misérables at the Queen's Theatre, taking over the role of Fantine through January 10, 2013.

On January 21, 2013, Boggess returned to the Broadway production of The Phantom of the Opera for its 25th anniversary, co-starring opposite Hugh Panaro for a six-week limited engagement through March 2, 2013. She returned to the same production again beginning May 12, 2014, this time opposite Norm Lewis, who made history as the first African-American actor to play the title role in the Broadway cast. Boggess concluded that run on September 6, 2014. On April 3, 2014, she played Sarah Brown in a Carnegie Hall concert staging of Guys and Dolls opposite Patrick Wilson, Nathan Lane, and Christopher Fitzgerald.

In 2013, Boggess made her cabaret debut with a solo show titled Awakening at 54 Below in New York. The performances were recorded and released as a live album, Awakening: Live at 54 Below, on December 10, 2013, through Broadway Records.

Boggess originated the role of Rebecca Steinberg in the 2015 Broadway production of It Shoulda Been You at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre, directed by David Hyde Pierce and co-starring Tyne Daly. The show began previews on March 17, opened on April 14, and closed on August 9, 2015. She then originated the role of school principal Rosalie Mullins in the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical School of Rock – The Musical at the Winter Garden Theatre, with previews beginning November 9, 2015, and the official opening on December 6. She remained with the production until August 8, 2016.

In February 2016, Boggess appeared in the Manhattan Concert Productions staging of The Secret Garden, performing the role of Lily alongside Ramin Karimloo and Cheyenne Jackson. Her Broadway credits also include appearances in Harmony and Master Class, among other productions. Boggess was born and raised in Denver, Colorado, and received her formal training at Millikin University, to which she later returned to perform a benefit concert for the school's Theatre and Dance building.