About Jacquelyn
Jacquelyn Piro Donovan is one of the few actresses to have had the fortune to perform in many Broadway Blockbuster musicals. She holds the distinction of portraying both the young, innocent Cosette and the tragic heroine Fantine, in the mega-hit Les Miserables, the only actor in Broadway history to do so.
She originated the role of Cosette in The Third National Tour and San Francisco Companies, later reprised the role for her Broadway debut, and years later returned to Broadway as Cosette’s mother, Fantine.
No stranger to Schonberg and Boublil, the creators of Les Miserables, Jacquelyn delighted audiences on Broadway and across North America with her “standout performance” as Ellen in another Broadway Blockbuster Miss Saigon. During her year with Miss Saigon, she was granted a leave of absence to perform as Nellie in Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein’s Sweet Adeline at the nationally celebrated City Center Encores! concert series on Broadway.
She is well known to theatre audiences across the United States and abroad having starred in a succession of Broadway National Tours.
After crisscrossing North America and ending up on Broadway with Les Miserables, Jacquelyn started a two year long run starring as Lily in the Tony award winning The Secret Garden, most notably performing in Tokyo, Kyoto, and Nagoya. After returning to the great white way as Ellen in Miss Saigon, she joined the company of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Sunset Boulevard starring as Betty Schaefer opposite Petula Clark. Later that year, she was asked by composers Richard Maltby and David Shire to re-create the role of Susan Lawrence in their touring production of the hit musical Big, based on the Tom Hanks film. In 2014 she had the pleasure of once again crossing the United States, only this time it was as The Wicked Witch of the West in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s pre-Broadway version of The Wizard of Oz. Most recently, she starred as Mama Who for the seasonal Broadway production of How The Grinch Stole Christmas playing Boston, Chicago and Madison Square Garden!
Off-Broadway she created the roles of Alison in 
The York Theatre’s production of Suburb, Madame Calcet in Kathie Lee Gifford’s Under The Bridge (Recording on Lambchop Productions), Sariah in 37 Art’s production of The Ark (Recording), Jackie in New World Stage’s NYMF production of Have a Nice Life, winning the Outstanding Ensemble NYMF Excellence Award, the title role in The York Theatre’s production of I Remember Mama (as part of their Musicals in Mufti Series) and most recently The York Theatre’s Alliance Award winning revival of Closer Than Ever.
Jacquelyn has been generously awarded for her performances. She won the coveted Helen Hayes Award, Best Actress in a Musical, for her portrayal as Lizzie Curry in Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt’s reworking of 110 in the Shade at Signature Theatre in Washington, D.C. The following year, she was awarded the Connecticut Critics Award, Outstanding Actress in a Musical, for her portrayal as Millie in Goodspeed Opera House’s production of 7 Brides for 7 Brothers.
She has performed in many pre-Broadway workshops and readings including The Witches of Eastwick (Sukie, American Premiere at The Signature Theatre), Chaplin (Hedda Hopper, NYS&F @ Vassar), Marty (Mary, Reading starring John C. Reilly), Time and Again (Kate, Reading), Winchell…the Musical (June Winchell, Workshop), and the world premieres of Nevermore (Elmira, Signature Theatre) and Heartland (Sarah, Madison Rep & Dallas Summer Musicals).
She has performed at regional theatres throughout the country including the title roles in Evita, Mama Rose in Gypsy, Dolly Levi in Hello Dolly, Miss Hannigan in Annie, Grizabella in Cats, Nancy in Oliver, Marian in The Music Man (co-starring Tom Wopat), Amalia in She Loves Me, Sarah Brown in Guys and Dolls, Eve Harrington in All About Eve (co-starring with Gena Rowlands), Maria in The Sound of Music, Grace Farrell in Annie (co-starring with Rue McClanahan), and as Edith/Little Edie in The Cape Playhouse’s production of Grey Gardens to name a few. Television credits include Paul Sorvino’s movie development deal King Lear (Reagan), Another World, Broadway on Broadway, CBS’s The Early Show, the final broadcast of The Rosie O’Donnell Show, and The Today Show’s segment “Everyone Has a Story” honoring a teen with alopecia.
In concert, Jacquelyn most recently sang with The Cape Cod Symphony Orchestra in their Holiday Pops Concert, and on separate occasions, had the honor of singing for President Bush and President Reagan. Her “rafter-reaching vocal chords” were heard singing the National Anthem for the Orlando Magics, Rochester Americans and the Chicago Cubs versus the White Sox at Wrigley Field
