Louise Pitre

This week on Finding Your Bliss, Life Coach and Bliss Expert Judy Librach is joined by legendary and award-winning musical theatre actress, singer, dancer and composer Louise Pitre! Receiving a Tony nomination for her Broadway debut in the smash hit "Mamma Mia!" was a highlight for Louise Pitre, Canada’s first lady of musical theatre. In a career that spans theatre, television and concert stages all across North America and Europe, Louise Pitre is a beautiful artist and this show is like a masterclass for all theatre-goers and students of the theatre. In addition to headlining the Toronto, Broadway and US touring company casts of Mamma Mia!, Louise is known for her signature performances as Fantine in "Les Misérables" (Toronto, Montreal and Paris), the title character in "Edith Piaf," Mama Rose in "Gypsy" (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Gary Griffin director) and Joanne in "Company," again with director Gary Griffin. She also earned raves for leading roles in "Annie Get Your Gun," "Song & Dance," "Jacques Brel Is Alive And Well And Living In Paris," "The World Goes ‘Round," "Blood Brothers," "Tartuffe," "Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf?," "The Roar of the Greasepaint – The Smell of the Crowd," "Applause," "The Toxic Avenger," "A Year With Frog and Toad;" and "I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change." In 2014 she premiered in the new Asolo Rep Theatre production of "Luck Be A Lady" created and directed by Gordon Greenberg and in 2015, she originated the role of the Snake in the World Premiere of "The Little Prince" by James D. Reid and Nicholas Lloyd Webber at Theatre Calgary for which she won a Critter Award. For her role as Edith Piaf in the North American premiere of "The Angel & the Sparrow" at the Segal Centre in Montreal in 2018, Louise received a META nomination (Montreal English Theatre Awards) for Outstanding Lead Performance by an Actress. The show’s director Gordon Greenberg stated: “Louise is probably the foremost interpreter of Edith Piaf in the world”. In 2019, "The Angel & The Sparrow" was brought to Toronto by Mirvish Productions and retitled "Piaf/Dietrich, A Legendary Affair" at which time Louise reprised her role as Piaf to enthusiastic reviews. Also in 2019, Louise played Adult Marie van Goethem in the new musical Marie, Dancing Still presented at the 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle. The musical is largely the result of collaboration by five-time Tony Award-winning director-choreographer Susan Stroman and the Tony Award-winning team of writer Lynn Ahrens and composer Stephen Flaherty. In the 2019 Musical Stage Company production of Next To Normal in Toronto, Louise broke through gender boundaries by playing the role of Doctor Madden (Doctor Fine) previously portrayed as male. In September 2009, Louise made her Carnegie Hall debut singing the role of Ulrika in the concert version of the musical "Kristinaby" ABBA’s Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus which she reprised at Royal Albert Hall in April 2010. In 2013 Louise premiered her self-penned one-woman show "On The Rocks" at Theatre Passe Muraille in Toronto with original songs by Louise Pitre and W. J. Matheson. During the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, Louise sought an opportunity to share her intimate show virtually in May 2021 through Stream Stage Productions. Louise has guested with orchestras across Canada and the U.S. and appears in concert regularly throughout North America with accompaniment ranging from big band to solo piano. Her small screen appearances include Lifetime’s "A Christmas Wedding," "Recipe for a Perfect Christmas," "Merry Matrimony," "MVP," "Flashpoint" and the CBC biopic "Celine" in which she played Celine Dion’s mother, Therese. Louise was the host of "Star Portraits" on Bravo for its two seasons. She was chosen to be one of the three judges for Andrew Lloyd Webber’s CBC series "Over The Rainbow." Louise is the winner of a National Broadway Touring Award, a New York Theatre World Award, a San Francisco Theatre Critics’ ...