Stephanie J. Block

Block was born on September 19, 1972, in Brea, California, and has one sister, Renée. Her mother, Rosemarie (née Garritano), worked for the local school district, and her father, Steven Block, was a welfare fraud investigator.[1] She was raised Catholic.[2]

Of German and Italian descent,[3] Stephanie grew up in Brea, where she attended St. Angela Merici Parish School (then 1-8, now pre-K through 8). Later she attended an all-girls Catholic private school, Rosary High School (in Fullerton, California), for her secondary education. She finished up her high-school years at the Orange County High School of the Arts.

Block started her professional musical theater career with regional theater, appearing in many productions including Funny Girl, Crazy for You, Oliver!, James Joyce's The Dead, and Bells Are Ringing. Block was additionally the original Belle in the Disneyland production of Beauty and the Beast and did voice work for numerous commercials, including the singing voice of Barbie.

In early 2000, Block read the part of Elphaba in the first reading of the new musical Wicked. After a few months of reading, she was replaced by Idina Menzel, a decision that left Block devastated, but accepting of the decision that had been made to cast a more experienced performer in the role. She was Menzel's understudy in the San Francisco tryout in 2003, but she left the show prior to Broadway when she was offered a lead role in a new Broadway musical, The Boy from Oz.

Block made her Broadway debut in 2003, playing the role of Liza Minnelli opposite Hugh Jackman's Peter Allen in the show. The show received mixed reviews but proved to be a hit with audiences, playing on Broadway for close to a year. The musical received several Tony Award nominations, including a nomination for Best Musical.[4]

Stephanie J Block with Stephen Oremus, with whom she worked in Wicked.

In spring 2005, Block originated the role of Elphaba in the first national tour of Wicked. She was awarded both the 2006 Helen Hayes Award and the 2007 Carbonell Award for Best Actress in a Non-Resident Production for this role. Block received great reviews for a show-stopping performance. After performing with the tour for a year, Block left the production in March 2006 and was replaced by Julia Murney.

In 2007 Block performed in the title role of the new Broadway musical The Pirate Queen, with music written by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil. Block was praised by critics, such as Ben Brantley from The New York Times, for giving a "truly felt, realistic, performance".[5] She also received a nomination for a Drama League Award for her performance. Plagued by insufficient ticket sales and harsh reviews, the show opened in April and barely played for two months at the Hilton Theatre, closing in June.[6] Later that year Block reprised the role of Elphaba in Wicked on Broadway beginning October 9, 2007, where she replaced Julia Murney. She left the production after eight months, on June 15, 2008, and was succeeded by Kerry Ellis.[7]

Block starred alongside Allison Janney, Megan Hilty, and Marc Kudisch in the musical adaptation of the 1980 film 9 to 5. The production was directed by Joe Mantello with music written by Dolly Parton. The show opened on Broadway in April 2009 at the Marquis Theatre and closed in September 2009. Block starred as Judy Bernly, the frazzled divorcée, the role played by Jane Fonda in the film. For this role Block was nominated for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical.[8]

In 2009, Block released her debut album through PS Classics titled This Place I Know. Although the album failed to chart, it was a hit with critics with some hailing it as the best album that has come out of the Broadway community in some time.[9]

More recently, she has done concert work in London's West End. In February 2010 she performed live at the New Players Theatre in London.[10]

Block was seen as Grizabella in the Municipal Opera Production production of Cats, which ran from July 19–25, 2010.[11] Block also starred as Sonia Walsk alongside Jason Alexander in the Reprise Theatre Company's production of They're Playing Our Song, which played at the UCLA Freud Playhouse for two weeks from September 28 – October 10, 2010.[12]

Block made her off-Broadway debut as Gloria Mitchell in the play By the Way, Meet Vera Stark by Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage alongside Karen Olivo and David Garrison.[13] By the Way, Meet Vera Stark played at Second Stage Theatre through June 12, 2011.[14] Entertainment Weekly wrote that Block's performance in the show was, "terrifically over-the-top".[15] She received a nomination for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play.[16]

Block starred as Reno Sweeney in the Broadway revival of Anything Goes, first playing the role for three weeks in November 2011 while Sutton Foster was away filming a pilot episode.[17][18] Block performed with co-star Colin Donnell on the 2011 CBS Thanksgiving Day Parade.[19] Block returned to the role on March 15, 2012, as Foster left the production permanently on March 11.[20] She remained with the show until its closure on July 8, 2012.[21]

Block performed the lead role in Roundabout Theatre Company's production of The Mystery of Edwin Drood, which ran from November 13, 2012, to March 10, 2013. For this role, she was nominated for another Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical and received a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical.[22][23]

From November 14 to December 15, 2013, Block appeared in the Off-Broadway production of Little Miss Sunshine at Second Stage Theatre as Sheryl Hoover.[24] For this role, she received a nomination for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical.[25]

Block played Trina in the 2016 Broadway revival of Falsettos, directed by James Lapine. She was joined by Christian Borle and Andrew Rannells who played Marvin and Whizzer, respectively.[26] The musical began previews on September 29, 2016,[27] and opened officially on October 27, 2016. The limited run ended on January 8, 2017. For her performance, Block received rave reviews, with The New York Times writing that she is "better here than ever".[28] She received nominations for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical, the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical, and the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical.

Block had a recurring role in the NBC series Rise, playing Patricia, a devout Catholic who ends up at odds with her husband over their son's involvement in a controversial high school play.[29]

Block played singer Cher in the biomusical The Cher Show. The musical played an out-of-town tryout in Chicago at the Oriental Theatre, beginning on June 12, 2018, and running through July 15. The production opened on Broadway at the Neil Simon Theatre in December 2018.[30] For this performance, Block won the 2019 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical and the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical.[31] She also won an Outer Critics Circle Award and was nominated for a Drama League Award. The Cher Show ended its run on August 18, 2019.[32]

On August 1, 2021, Stephanie launched the Stages podcast, with Marylee G. Fairbanks.[33]

In August 2022, it was announced that Block would replace Sara Bareilles as the Baker's Wife in the Broadway revival of Into the Woods beginning September 6 of that year and would star alongside her husband Sebastian Arcelus, who played the Baker.[34] She then starred alongside Brian d'Arcy James, who returned to the show after Arcelus's limited engagement ended the following month.[35] Block and Arcelus reprised their roles in the production's U.S. national tour, which launched in early 2023.[36] Prior to that, Arcelus once again starred alongside Block in the Broadway production for its final week of performances in January 2023.[37] Block also starred as Norma Desmond in the Kennedy Center production of Sunset Boulevard from February 1–8, 2023.[38]

Block married actor Sebastian Arcelus on October 25, 2007. Arcelus starred alongside Block in the first national tour of Wicked as the Fiyero replacement from January to March 2006 and again on Broadway from October to December 2007.[39] They have one daughter, Vivienne Helena Arcelus, who was born January 19, 2015.[40]

• Official website
• Interview with Stephanie on MusicalTalk Podcast
• Stephanie J. Block at the Internet Broadway Database
• Stephanie J. Block at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
• Stephanie J. Block at IMDb
• Star File: Stephanie J. Block
• BroadwayWorld.com interview with Stephanie J. Block, August 21, 2007
• Stephanie J. Block at Playbill Vault (archive)