Suzanne Lane

“A beautiful soprano with wickedly good comic timing” (DC Metro Theatre Arts), Suzanne Lane has been charming audiences and critics alike with her unique versatility and powerful stage presence.  Most recently, Ms. Lane was appearing in Guys and Dolls at the legendary Ford’s Theatre. Ms. Lane wrapped up the previous season with a pair of comic roles at Olney Theatre Center: Lucy Schmeeler in On the Town, for which she was named a “comic master” (DC Theatre Scene), and Cunegonde in Candide in Concert, singing the iconic aria, “Glitter and Be Gay.”  Ms. Lane’s performance of Johanna in REP Stage's production of Sweeney Todd was met with glowing reviews: “Lane's voice wraps around lyrical ‘Green Finch and Linnet Bird’ like a velvet glove” (DC Theatre Scene), and her “crystalline voice kills every high note” (The Baltimore Sun). A performer with uncommon range, Ms. Lane has been proving herself capable of carrying productions spanning from Theatre for Young Audiences to beloved classic operas. Recent highlights include Ms. Lane's widely acclaimed operatic debut as Norina in Don Pasquale, her heartwarming portrayal of a pre-verbal toddler in the children's musical, Knuffle Bunny, and her “glorious” interpretation of Hope in Urinetown.  Ms. Lane lives in New York City with her husband, Keanan.

The 2017-2018 season saw Suzanne Lane return to her operatic roots, performing frequently with the opera (& more) company, The In Series. Ms. Lane began the season singing the role of Papagena in The Magic Flute, followed by a turn as a soloist in Operetta Holiday, directed by Nick Olcott. Her comic solo numbers in Operetta Holiday were acclaimed as being “brilliantly sung,” (DC Theatre Scene), but Ms. Lane also showed that she “handles heavier fare with gusto” in the romantic duets (DCMTA). As a soprano soloist, Ms. Lane performed Schubert's Mass in G and Berlioz's L'enfance du Christ at the Basilica of St. Mary in Old Town Alexandria. Combining operatic training and musical theatre experience, Ms. Lane starred in All the Things You Are: Jerome Kern with The In Series at Atlas Performing Arts Center, impressing one critic with her “expressive silent-film visage” (DC Theatre Scene) and another as being “very cute and sly as a maid, dazzling on the sassy 'She Didn't Say Yes'” (Broadway World). Ms. Lane is a favorite at Riderwood in Silver Spring, performing frequently in their concert series Bella Voci. In April, Ms. Lane appeared at Riderwood in the world premiere of a new arrangement of Canteloube's Chants d'auvergne, by acclaimed DC pianist Carlos César Rodríguez.

Suzanne Lane had a busy and varied 2016-2017 season. She began by igniting the DC Mom-blogosphere with her portrayal of Trixie in Adventure Theatre MTC's production of Knuffle Bunny. Parents marveled at Ms. Lane's ability to “mesmerize children” (The DC Moms), and create connections between parent and child. “The sound of an audience full of children laughing at Lane's antics was probably my favorite part of the entire show. I think at one point my daughter was laughing so hard she started crying a little,” says an Our Kids blogger. A Beltway Bambinos blogger wrote that she and her son were “both laughing hysterically as we watched because she (Lane) acted identically like my 23-month-old daughter.” This heartwarming performance was also noticed by critics, who described Ms. Lane as having “fantastic physicality” (Maryland Theatre Guide) and “perfectly timed humor” (DCMTA). Also in the 2016-2017 season, Ms. Lane made her DC area soprano soloist debut at the Basilica of St. Mary, performing Mozart's Coronation Mass under the baton of David Elliott. Another highlight of the season was Ms. Lane's operatic debut as Norina in Don Pasquale with The In Series, where she was widely acclaimed by critics, and praised as being “unquestionably the star of the show” in Don Pasquale, owning “every scene in which she appeared, playing and singing Norina like a short but potent human dynamo, carrying the entire production relentlessly forward into its madcap finale,” (Communities Digital News). This season ended with Ms. Lane performing a brief run as the title role in Junie B. Jones is Not a Crook, again at Adventure Theatre MTC.

The 2015-2016 season began with Ms. Lane playing Spider in James and the Giant Peach at Adventure Theatre MTC, for which she was recognized with a Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Ensemble in a Musical. Critics loved Ms. Lane's “hilarious” (Broadway World) portrayal of Hope in Urinetown, performed with Monumental Theatre Company. It was Ms. Lane's performance in Urinetown's final number, “I See a River” that had critics particularly charmed, citing this as the moment when Ms. Lane got “to truly show off her exceptional voice,” (DCMTA). Ms. Lane ended her season by appearing in Ethan McSweeny's popular production of The Tempest at the Tony Award winning Shakespeare Theatre Company.

Highlights of past seasons include Ms. Lane's portrayal of the title role in Mary-Kate Olsen is in Love at Studio Theatre, directed by Holly Twyford, and appearances at Olney Theatre Center in The Little Mermaid and Carousel. Ms. Lane made her DC area theatrical debut at NextStop Theatre, playing Rapunzel in Into the Woods. Previously, Ms. Lane lived in Oklahoma, where she performed with the children's opera company, Cimarron Opera, and appeared with Reduxion Theatre and Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park. Suzanne Lane received her degree in vocal performance from the University of Oklahoma, where she was the recipient of the Marilyn Horne Scholarship and had the privilege of studying with the legendary mezzo-soprano regularly in lessons and masterclasses.