mary testa
BIO
Mary Testa is a three-time Tony Award nominee, best known for playing Aunt Eller in the Broadway Revival of Oklahoma, Madame Dilly in the Broadway Revival On the Town, and Maggie in the Broadway Revival of 42nd Street. Other Broadway roles include Joyce Heth in Barnum, movie columnist Hedda Hopper in Marilyn: An American Fable, Angel in The Rink, Domina in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Magdalena in Marie Christine, the Matron in Chicago, Melpomene in Xanadu, General Matilda B. Cartwright in Guys and Dolls and Madame Morrible in Wicked. Testa was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her roles in On the Town and 42nd Street. Most recently she starred in the reimagined Circle in the Square revival of Oklahoma! as Aunt Eller.
She is a frequent collaborator with such acclaimed musical dramatists. Testa has appeared in William Finn musicals such as In Trousers as Miss Goldberg, Lisa in A New Brain, March of the Falsettos, and Infinite Joy. For Michael John LaChiusa she appeared as Magdalena in Marie Christine, The Medium/Aunt Monica in See What I Wanna See, Lorena Hickock in First Lady Suite, and Anna Edson Taylor in Queen of the Mist, for which she won a Drama Desk Award. Testa has also appeared as Angel Antonelli in The Rink, Rita La Porta in Lucky Stiff, Domina in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Fanny Brice in Ziegfeld Follies of 1936, Dorine in Tartuffe, various roles in String of Pearls, and Love, Loss, and What I Wore.
Testa made her film debut in Going in Style, and has appeared in numerous movie and television roles since, including Sophia in the sitcom Whoopi, Zia Maria Luisa in the film Big Stone Gap, and Sister Clare in the film adaption Tony n' Tina's Wedding. She also appeared in such films as The Business of Strangers, Stay, Eat Pray Love, The Bounty Hunter and the TV series Law & Order, 2 Broke Girls, Smash, White Collar, Cosby, Sex and the City, and Life on Mars. She also appeared frequently as the voice of Shirley the Medium on Courage the Cowardly Dog.
