Carly Rae Jepsen, whose #1 hit pop song “Call Me Maybe” was undoubtedly burned on your brain for a good part of 2012, will make her Broadway debut as the title princess of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella, replacing Broadway.com Audience Choice Award winner Laura Osnes. Jepsen will begin performances on February 4 2014.
Before climbing the music charts, Jepsen performed in musicals as a high schooler, starring in Annie, The Wiz and Grease and later attended the Canadian College of Performing Arts. “Call Me Maybe” rose to the #1 spot on the Billboard charts in 47 countries, holding that position for nine consecutive weeks in the U.S. She released her debut album Kiss in 2012, winning the American Music Award for Best New Artist as well as two Grammy Award nominations.
Jepsen shared her excitement in a prepared statement released by producers: "Broadway has been a dream of mine since I was a little girl and I look forward to working with this incredibly talented cast to tell this classic tale. These last few years have been a real fairy tale come to life for me, so I feel especially blessed to play this part and be reminded that you must never stop dreaming!” Jepsen has been announced for a 12-week run in the musical.
Osnes, who earned a Tony Award nomination and two Broadway.com Audience Choice Awards for her performance, will depart the production sometime in January. Sitcom queen Fran Drescher will join the production on the same night as Jepsen in the role of Cinderella’s stepmother, Madame.