Brandon Uranowitz

Brandon Jacob Uranowitz is an American stage and television actor,[1] best known for his roles as Adam Hochberg in An American in Paris and Mendel Weisenbachfeld in the 2016 Broadway revival of Falsettos.

Brandon Uranowitz
Born
Brandon Jacob Uranowitz

(1986-07-09) July 9, 1986
Livingston, New Jersey
Alma materNew York University
OccupationActor, dancer, singer
Years active2009–present
Partner(s)Zachary Prince (2016 - present)

He was a 2015 Tony Award nominee for his featured performance in An American in Paris, and received subsequent Tony Award nominations in 2017 for his featured performance in Falsettos and in 2019 for his featured performance in Burn This.[2][3]

Background

Uranowitz grew up in West Orange, New Jersey. He is from a Jewish family, and had a Bar Mitzvah at the age of 13. It was a three-act production with swimming, dancing, and towels that said "I had a splash at Brandon's bar mitzvah."[4] He attended Montclair Kimberley Academy. He graduated from New York University with a degree in theater arts from their Tisch School of the Arts. In his youth, he studied at Performers Theatre Workshop.

Career

Theater

Uranowitz trained at NYU and had roles in Off-Broadway productions prior to being cast in Rent. He was part of the ensemble cast of Evita at the Paper Mill Playhouse, held the roles of Richard in Richard III and the King of France in All's Well That Ends Well at Classical Studio, the role of Cardinal Bellarmin in Galileo at The Skirball Center, the role of Dante in Only Children at The Abe Burrows Theatre, the role of Feste in Twelfth Night at the Kirk Theatre,[5] and the role of Eugene in Brighton Beach Memoirs / Broadway Bound in 2010 at the Old Globe Theatre.[6][7]

His first major role after NYU was an ensemble member and later Mark in the national tour of Rent.[8]

In the jukebox musical Baby It's You!, Uranowitz played the role of Stanley,[9] the blind composer and son of Florence Greenberg as played by Beth Leavel.[10][11][12] In their review of the musical, Variety noted that the "show is continually perked up by... ...Brandon Uranowitz (as a long-suffering press guy and Goldberg's blind son)."[11]

In 2014, he joined the original cast of the stage adaption of An American in Paris as composer Adam Hochberg. The show premiered in Paris at Théâtre du Châtelet in December 2014 and transferred to Broadway, opening in April 2015. He departed the show on August 7, 2016.

He also portrayed Mrs. White in the 30th Anniversary one time tribute performance of the classic film Clue in December 2015.[13]

Uranowitz joined the first revival of 1992 musical Falsettos, which opened on Broadway at the Walter Kerr Theatre on October 27, 2016, as a limited engagement. He portrayed Mendel, a psychiatrist, opposite Christian Borle as Marvin, Andrew Rannells as Whizzer, and Stephanie J. Block as Trina. For his performance, he received a 2017 Drama Desk Award nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Musical and a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Musical.[3]

Uranowitz appeared in the revue Prince of Broadway, which opened on Broadway in August 2017 and closed in October 2017. The revue featured the work of the director and producer Harold Prince.[14][15]

Television and film

Uranowitz has had minor appearances in the television series Law & Order: CI, Inside Amy Schumer, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and horror-musical film Stage Fright.

Recognition

Of Uranowitz's appearance as Feste in Twelfth Night, MusicOMH wrote "Uranowitz rocks it... ...playing the fool character with restrained glee.",[16] PlayShakespeare.com wrote, "Brandon Uranowitz’ effortless command of the language and, again, his willingness to explore his characters’ depth makes him absolutely spellbinding."[17] For his performance, Uranowitz received a PlayShakespeare.com Falstaff Award nomination for 'Best Supporting Performance, Male'.[18]

He was nominated for a Featured Actor Tony Award in 2015 for his role as Adam in An American in Paris.

His turn as Mendel in Falsettos received rave reviews. He was called "warmly funny and convincingly neurotic" as Mendel by the New York Times,[19] "wholly endearing" by Entertainment Weekly,[20] and The Hollywood Reporter said "Uranowitz is a worthy successor to the wonderful Chip Zien in the original production. He flirts with the stereotypical view of a Jewish therapist only marginally less messed-up than his patients, while also finding the truth in a compassionate man who has to convince himself of his right to be happy".[21] Vulture said that Uranowitz offered "an unusually sexy Mendel".[22]

Of Uranowitz's contribution as part of the ensemble cast in the Julius Shulman's 1998 production The Broadway Kids Sing Broadway, The New York Times wrote he "was a testament to youthful enthusiasm and lung power".[23]

Personal life

He is openly gay.[24] As of July 2016, Uranowitz is in a relationship with actor Zachary Prince. They met at the audition for Baby It's You! and Prince was subsequently cast as Uranowitz's understudy.[25]

Theatre credits
Year(s) Title Role Theatre Director(s) Ref.
2009–10 Rent Mark Cohen (replacement) U.S National Tour Michael Greif
[8]
2011 Baby, It's You! Stanley Greenberg, Murray Schwartz,
Johnny Cymbal, Kingsman		 Broadhurst Theatre Sheldon Epps
[26]
2014–15 An American in Paris Adam Hochberg Théâtre du Châtelet Christopher Wheeldon
[27]
2015–16 Palace Theatre
[28]
2016–17 Falsettos Mendel Walter Kerr Theatre James Lapine
[29]
2017 Prince of Broadway Various roles Samuel J. Friedman Theatre Harold Prince and Susan Stroman
[14]
Man of La Mancha in Concert Sancho Merkin Concert Hall Jack Cummings III
[30]
2018 Grand Hotel Otto Kringelein New York City Center Rob Berman
[31]
The Band's Visit Itzik (replacement) Ethel Barrymore Theatre David Cromer
[32]
2019 Burn This Larry Hudson Theatre Michael Mayer
[33]
Road Show Addison Mizner New York City Center Will Davis
[34]

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Ref.
2014 Stage Fright Artie Getz
[35]
2018 Goodbye, Brooklyn Nicolas
[35]
2019 The Kitchen Shmuli Chudakoff
[35]

Television
Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2009 Law & Order: Criminal Intent Dovid Episode: "Rock Star"
[35]
2013 Inside Amy Schumer Generations Instructor Episode: "Real Sext"
[35]
2017 Falsettos: Live from Lincoln Center Mendel Filmed stage production
[35]
Blue Bloods Michael Goldman Episode: "Pick Your Poison"
[35]
2018 Dietland Pablo Episode: "F... This"
[35]
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Buzz Goldberg 3 episodes
[35]
2019 Fosse/Verdon Dustin Hoffman Episode: "All I Care About Is Love"
[36]

Awards and nominations
Year Award Category Work Result
2015 Tony Award Best Featured Actor in a Musical An American in Paris Nominated
2016 Grammy Award Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album Nominated
2017 Tony Award Best Featured Actor in a Musical Falsettos Nominated
Drama Desk Award Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical Nominated
2019 Tony Award Best Featured Actor in a Play Burn This Nominated
Drama Desk Award Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play Nominated

References
  1. "Brandon Uranowitz". The New York Times. Retrieved September 2, 2012.
  2. 2015 Tony Nominees
  3. Piepenburg, Erik (2017-05-02). "Tony Awards 2017: The Full List of Nominations". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-05-02.
  4. "Broadway.com #LiveatFive with Brandon Uranowitz". Broadway.com. June 8, 2017. at 11:20 and 12:55
  5. Wilson, Gregory (January 2009). "Review, Twelfth Night". Curtain Up. Retrieved September 2, 2012.
  6. Lowerison, Jean (October 7, 2010). "Old Globe double-dips with Neil Simon's "Brighton Beach Memoirs" and "Broadway Bound"". San Diego Gay & Lesbian News. Retrieved September 2, 2012.
  7. Hebert, James (September 26, 2010). "Globe's 'Broadway' a brooding return to Brooklyn". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved September 2, 2012.
  8. Lapointe, André (January 10, 2010). "Rent : The Broadway Tour". Regard en Coulisse (in French). Archived from the original on April 30, 2019. Retrieved September 2, 2012.
  9. Brown, Scott (Apr 27, 2011). "Black Music Gets Whitewashed Again in Baby It's You!". New York Magazine. Retrieved September 2, 2012.
  10. Winer, Linda (September 2, 2012). "review: "Baby It's You!". Newsday. Retrieved April 27, 2011.
  11. Suskin, Steven (April 27, 2011). "review: Baby It's You!". Variety. Retrieved September 2, 2012.
  12. Isherwood, Charles (April 27, 2011). "review: "Baby It's You!". The New York Times. Retrieved September 2, 2012.
  13. Clement, Olivia. "Michael Urie and Brandon Uranowitz Headline Celebrity Performance of Clue " Playbill, December 7, 2015
  14. "Brandon Uranowitz, Emily Skinner, Tony Yazbeck & More to Star in Prince of Broadway". Broadway.com. Retrieved 2017-05-02.
  15. McPhee, Ryan (September 19, 2017). "Prince of Broadway Extends Limited Engagement". Playbill. Retrieved 2017-12-08.
  16. Patterson, Richard (September 2, 2012). "review: Twelfth Night". musicOMH. Retrieved January 1, 2009.
  17. Barbot, Matthew (January 15, 2009). "If Music Be the Food of Love, Rock On". PlayShakespeare.com. Retrieved September 2, 2012.
  18. "Falstaff Awards for 2009". PlayShakespeare.com. Archived from the original on August 18, 2011. Retrieved September 2, 2012.
  19. Isherwood, Charles (2016-10-27). "Review: 'Falsettos,' a Perfect Musical, an Imperfect Family". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-12-20.
  20. "'Falsettos': EW Stage Review". Entertainment Weekly's EW.com. Retrieved 2016-12-20.
  21. "'Falsettos': Theater Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2016-12-20.
  22. "Theater Review: Fizzing in Every Direction, Falsettos Marches Back to Broadway". Vulture. 2016-10-28. Retrieved 2016-12-20.
  23. Graeber, Laurel (January 9, 1998). "Family Fare". The New York Times. Retrieved September 2, 2012.
  24. Wong, Curtis. "This Tony Nominee Doesn’t Want Praise For Playing A Straight Guy" huffingtonpost.com, June 5, 2017
  25. Spaner, Whitney. "What Happens When You Have a Crush on Your Standby?" Playbill, July 10, 2016
  26. Hetrick, Adam (January 24, 2011). "Shirelles Musical Baby It's You!, With Beth Leavel, Will Play the Broadhurst; Complete Cast Announced". Playbill.com. Archived from the original on January 27, 2011. Retrieved August 29, 2018.
  27. Gans, Andrew (December 10, 2014). "Broadway-Bound An American in Paris Opens in Paris Tonight". Playbill.com.
  28. Gans, Andrew (July 17, 2014). "An American in Paris Will Open at Broadway's Palace in 2015". Playbill.
  29. Paulson, Michael (March 31, 2016). "'Falsettos' Revival Casts Its Leads: Christian Borle, Andrew Rannells and Stephanie J. Block". The New York Times.
  30. Levitt, Hayley (December 8, 2017). "Brandon Uranowitz, Alexandra Silber, and More Join Man of La Mancha in Concert". Theater Mania.
  31. McPhee, Ryan (February 14, 2018). "Brandon Uranowitz, Stephanie Styles, James Snyder, and More Set for Encores! Grand Hotel". Playbill.
  32. Clement, Olivia (September 18, 2018). "Brandon Uranowitz to Join Broadway's The Band's Visit". Playbill.
  33. Lefkowitz, Andy (November 27, 2018). "Brandon Uranowitz & David Furr to Join Keri Russell & Adam Driver in Burn This at Broadway's Hudson Theatre". Broadway.com.
  34. Gordon, David (July 25, 2019). "Raúl Esparza and Brandon Uranowitz Liven Up Sondheim's Road Show". Theater Mania.
  35. "Brandon Uranowitz - IMDb". IMDb.
  36. "Fosse/Verdon (TV Series 2019– ) - Full Cast & Crew - IMDb". IMDb.com.
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