Biography

Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, actress and singer Capathia Jenkins starred as Medda in the Disney production of Newsies on Broadway. She made her Broadway debut in The Civil War, creating the role of Harriet Jackson. In 2000 she starred in the Off Broadway revival of Godspell, wowing audiences with her stirring rendition of “Turn Back, O Man,” featured on the original cast recording. She won critical acclaim for her performance of the Bacharach/David hits in the Broadway hit The Look of Love. She then created the roles of The Washing Machine in Caroline, Or Change and Frieda May in Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me, in which she brought down the house every night with “Stop the Show.” In 2007 she starred in another Off Broadway production: (mis)Understanding Mammy: The Hattie McDaniel Story, which led to a nomination for a Drama Desk Award. She was also seen in Nora Ephron’s Love, Loss, and What I Wore.

Ms. Jenkins has appeared in concert with many orchestras, including the Cleveland Orchestra, Houston Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, National Symphony, Atlanta Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Utah Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, Nashville Symphony, Toronto Symphony, San Diego Symphony, and Hong Kong Philharmonic. She was a soloist at the Český Krumlov Music Festival in the Czech Republic. In 2011 she performed in the Broadway Ambassadors to Cuba concert during the Festival de Teatro de La Habana.

Her television credits include 30 Rock, The Practice, Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU, and The Sopranos. She appears in the 2012 film Musical Chairs and can be heard on the film soundtracks for Nine, Chicago, and Legally Blonde 2.

(11/2022)