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Born in New Jersey, Jodi began her career as an entertainer when she was seven, visiting her grandfather, a New York City bandleader from the ‘40s. She learned how to sing from her mother, a performer with her grandfather’s band. When she was seventeen, she entered the Miss Philadelphia Pageant, but realized she enjoyed performing more than competition. So, the runner-up in her first pageant returned the following year as a featured performer. Jodi started playing the french horn because she “heard it makes you a good kisser.” In an unrelated incident, she is also credited with saving a man from drowning.
During her senior year at Penn State University, majoring in theatre with a concentration in classics, she auditioned for an off-Broadway show called My Name Is Pablo Picasso. The show ran for eight weeks as Jodi became a New York actor with a BFA in theatre.
As Sheila in the Surflight Theatre production of A Chorus Line, she danced and sang “At The Ballet,” and as Maggie in the national tour of Lend Me A Tenor, she began to attract the notice of audiences and critics. Then, to capture the interest of the theatrical community, she produced and starred in Tennessee Williams’ one-act play, 27 Wagons Full Of Cotton, at the Intar Theatre on 42nd Street.
She next appeared in the production of Bodyshop at New York’s Westbeth Theatre, receiving outstanding notices for her portrayal of an unwed mother who became an exotic dancer. Her classical training served her well when she was asked to be the guest artist at the Palm Beach Shakespeare Festival.
Jodi was cast to play Lily St. Regis in the twentieth-anniversary production of Annie at the Goodspeed Opera House under the direction of author Martin Charnin. During that production, she secured the role in Jekyll & Hyde that was to be her Broadway debut. In a remarkable leap forward, she doubled as first cover to Linda Eder. Soon Jodi herself took the stage in the leading role.
While working in the theatre, Jodi has pursued a television and film career. Her TV appearances have included recurring roles in “Central Park West,” “All My Children,” “Law And Order,” “Tribeca,” and “Sex And The City.” Her film work includes Abel Ferrara’s The Funeral and the upcoming thriller Descendent.
On a break from Jekyll & Hyde, Jodi played the role of Marlene Dietrich in the La Jolla production of Barry Manilow’s Harmony. In 2001, she returned to La Jolla for the pre-Broadway run of Dracula, The Musical. The fall of 2002 marks the beginning of her return to Broadway, this time to create the lead role of Pam in Urban Cowboy in 2003.
Jodi also lends her talents to the charitable efforts of several organizations, including “Books on Tape” for the New York Public Library, and “USO AIDS,” an Andrews Sisters-style vocal group that performs at the Broadway County Fair.
The release of Girl Talk is accompanied by live performances and other recordings, including a guest performance of the track “My Romance” recorded for Jay Leonhart’s CD Rodgers & Leonhart. Look for her on the Original Cast Recording of Urban Cowboy in 2003.
©2002 sons of sound productions ltd.