Grace McLean is an American actor, playwright, composer and singer. She is known for her roles in various Off-Broadway and Broadway productions such as Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812, Bedbugs, Alice by Heart, and In The Green, the latter of which she wrote and orchestrated. She is also known for her work as a music educator and for fronting the band Grace McLean and Them Apples.
Career
Theatre
In 2013, McLean starred as Marya Dmitriyevna in the original Off-Broadway production in Dave Malloy's EDM-rock opera Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812. She later reprised this role in the 2015 American Repertory Theatre and 2016 Broadway productions, as well as on both of the show's official cast recordings. In 2017, McLean was named one of Lincoln Center's writers-in-residence, allowing her free rein of office space and materials to create original theatre works. Them Apples had previously performed in both the 2015 and 2016 Lincoln CenterAmerican Songbook series. In 2019 McLean starred in the new Off-Broadway musical Alice By Heart based on Alice's Adventures in Wonderland as The Queen of Hearts, Red Cross Nurse, and Magpie. Also in 2019 McLean wrote the book, music, lyrics, and orchestrations for In the Green, a new musical about the life of eleventh centurysaint, mystic, composer, and polymathHildegard von Bingen. McLean also plays Jutta, Hildegard's mentor and fellow prisoner. The show opened on June 4 Off-Broadway at Lincoln Center's LCT3 Theatre and closed on August 14, 2020. The show was nominated for 6 awards at the 2020 Lucille Lortel Award including Outstanding Musical, and McLean winning for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical. McLean said on social media that a cast recording is forthcoming.
Music
Her voice has been described as "a flexible instrument with unexpected reserves of power". She is also noted for her use of loops, creating layers of sound, turning her solo voice into a full rhythm section. Her band, Grace McLean & Them Apples, incorporates a myriad of styles including swing, hip-hop, electronica, jazz, and musical theatre In 2015 and 2016 the band toured Russia and Pakistan as ambassadors for the U.S. State Department. The band have released two extended plays, Make Me Breakfast in 2012 and Natural Disaster in 2016. A full-length album was announced to be forthcoming in 2019, though it remains unreleased. She also voiced Madame Sunshine in the musical podcastThe Fallof the House of Sunshine.
