Isabel Keating
# Isabel Keating

Isabel Keating is an American actress and singer. She is known for her performance as Judy Garland in the original Broadway production of The Boy from Oz, which earned her a Tony Award nomination and a Drama Desk Award.

## Career

### Broadway

Keating made her Broadway debut in 2003, in Enchanted April. She replaced Molly Ringwald in the role of Rose Arnott after having created the leading role of Lotty Wilton in the play's world-premiere production at Hartford Stage Company in Hartford, Connecticut.

Keating is widely acclaimed for her portrayal of Judy Garland in the 2003 Broadway production of The Boy From Oz, in which she starred opposite Hugh Jackman (who played Peter Allen). For her performance she received a Tony Award nomination and won a Drama Desk Award and Theatre World Award.

She joined the Broadway cast of Hairspray, directed by Jack O'Brien, in the role of Velma Von Tussle in June 2006 and stayed with the production through August 2007.

Keating played Peter Parker's Aunt May and other characters in the Broadway production of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, directed by Julie Taymor.

From 2014 to 2015, Keating appeared on Broadway in Terrence McNally's hit comedy It's Only a Play, directed by Jack O'Brien.

She played Madame Morrible in Wicked on Broadway from January through November 2018 after performing the same role in the U.S. National Tour.

### Other theatre

Keating has performed at Theatre Previews at Duke, where she starred in Gore Vidal's On the March to the Sea opposite Chris Noth, Charles Durning, Richard Easton, Michael Learned and Harris Yulin; at the Long Wharf Theater in New Haven, Connecticut, in Tom Stoppard's Travesties opposite Sam Waterston; and at the Paper Mill Playhouse, in Millburn, New Jersey, in Wendy Kesselman's stage version of The Diary of Anne Frank.

She won the 2000 Helen Hayes Award for Best Actress for her performance in Tom Stoppard's play Indian Ink at the Studio Theatre in Washington, D.C.

Keating appeared as Vi in Lucinda Coxon's Waiting at the Water's Edge in its American premiere, directed by Nela Wagman for the Watermark Theatre Company, and played the Duchess of Berwick in the Oscar Wilde comedy Lady Windermere's Fan directed by Moisés Kaufman in 2005 at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in Williamstown, Massachusetts.

### Film and television

Keating co-starred in Indignation—James Schamus's feature film directorial début, based on Philip Roth's novel—opposite Logan Lerman and Sarah Gadon. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2016 and was theatrically released on July 29, 2016.

She has guest-starred in episodes of 3 lbs (2006), Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2008), The Path (2016), and New Amsterdam (2021) and appeared in films including The Nanny Diaries and The Life Before Her Eyes.

## Acting credits

### Theatre

| Year | Show | Role | Venue |
| - | - | - | - |
| 1984 | La Ronde | Sweet Young Thing | The Studio Theatre (Washington, D.C.) |
| 1986 | The Miss Firecracker Contest | Popeye | Bristol Valley Playhouse (Naples, NY) |
| 1986–1987 | The Slab Boys Trilogy | Lucille | The Studio Theatre (Washington, D.C.) |
| 1989 | The Bright and Bold Design | | The Studio Theatre (Washington, D.C.) |
| 1990 | In Perpetuity Throughout the Universe | Christine | The Studio Theatre (Washington, D.C.) |
| 1994 | Waiting at the Water's Edge | Vi | Off-Broadway: The Ohio Theatre |
| 1994 | Written and Sealed | Nancy | Off-Broadway: Puerto Rican Traveling Theater |
| 1994 | The Rise and Fall of Little Voice | Little Voice | The Studio Theatre (Washington, D.C.) |
| 1995 | Slavs! | Katarina | The Studio Theatre (Washington, D.C.) |
| 1995 | Three Sisters | Irina | The Studio Theatre (Washington, D.C.) |
| 1995 | Chilean Holiday | Digna | Actors Theatre of Louisville (Louisville, KY) |
| 1997 | One Foot on the Floor | LaVita Terrafamilia | Denver Center for the Performing Arts (Denver, CO) |
| 1998 | Once in a Lifetime | Florabel Leigh | Off-Broadway: Atlantic Theater Company |
| 1999 | Indian Ink | Flora Crewe | The Studio Theatre (Washington, D.C.) |
| 2000 | Enchanted April | Lottie Wilton | Hartford Stage (Hartford, CT) |
| 2001 | Dinner with Friends | Beth | Old Globe Theatre (San Diego, CA) |
| 2003 | Enchanted April | Rose Arnott (replacement) | Broadway: Belasco Theatre |
| 2003–2004 | The Boy from Oz | Judy Garland | Broadway: Imperial Theatre |
| 2005 | Travesties | Nadya | Long Wharf Theatre (New Haven, CT) |
| 2005 | On the March to the Sea | Minna Hinks | Theatre Previews at Duke (Raleigh, NC) |
| 2005 | Lady Windermere's Fan | Duchess of Berwick | Williamstown Theatre Festival (Williamstown, MA) |
| 2006 | The Diary of Anne Frank | Edith Frank | Paper Mill Playhouse (Millburn, NJ) |
| 2006–2007 | Hairspray | Velma Von Tussle | Broadway: Neil Simon Theatre |
| 2009 | A Lifetime Burning | Lydia Freemantle | Off-Broadway: Primary Stages |
| 2010–2014 | Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark | Aunt May/Mrs. Gribrock/Maxie | Broadway: Foxwoods Theatre |
| 2014 | Travesties | Nadya | Bay Street Theater (Sag Harbor, NY) |
| 2014–2015 | It's Only a Play | Virginia Noyes/Julia Budder | Broadway: Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre |
| 2016–2017 | Wicked | Madame Morrible | U.S. National Tour |
| 2018 | Wicked | Madame Morrible | Broadway: Gershwin Theatre |
| 2019 | Because of Winn Dixie | Franny Block | Goodspeed Opera House (East Haddam, CT) |

### Film and television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| - | - | - | - |
| 1999 | Dead Broke | Forensics Specialist | |
| 1999 | Magnetism | | Short film |
| 2004 | 58th Tony Awards | Herself | TV special |
| 2004 | American Masters | Judy Garland | Episode: "Judy Garland: By Myself" |
| 2006 | 3 lbs | Rosemary Donovan | Episode: "Bad Boys" |
| 2007 | The Nanny Diaries | Paranoid Mom | |
| 2007 | The Life Before Her Eyes | Maureen's Mother | |
| 2008 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Janine | Episode: "Please Note We Are No Longer Accepting Letters of Recommendation from Henry Kissinger" |
| 2016 | The Path | Jeanette Kemp | Episode: "Breaking and Entering" |
| 2016 | Indignation | Miss Clement | |
| 2021 | New Amsterdam | Mary Wheeler | Episode: "More Joy" |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 2000 | Helen Hayes Award | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Resident Play | Indian Ink | Won |
| 2004 | Audie Award | Outstanding Achievement in Fiction Narration | Hissy Fit by Mary Kay Andrews | Finalist |
| 2004 | Outer Critics Circle Award | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | The Boy from Oz | Nominated |
| 2004 | Theatre World Award | Outstanding Debut Performance in a Broadway Production | The Boy from Oz | Won |
| 2004 | Drama League Award | Distinguished Performance | The Boy from Oz | Nominated |
| 2004 | Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | The Boy from Oz | Won |
| 2004 | Tony Award | Best Featured Actress in a Musical | The Boy from Oz | Nominated |
