Ashley Brown originated the title role in Mary Poppins on Broadway, for which she received Outer Critics, Drama League and Drama Desk nominations for Best Actress. Ms. Brown also starred as Mary Poppins in the national tour of Mary Poppins, where she garnered a 2010 Garland Award for “Best Performance in a Musical.” Ms. Brown’s other Broadway credits include Belle in The Beauty and The Beast, and she has starred in the national tour of Disney's On The Record.  Ms. Brown recently returned to the Lyric Opera of Chicago to star in the role of Laurey in Oklahoma. 

She previously played Magnolia opposite Nathan Gunn in Francesca Zembello’s Showboat at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Ashley has performed with virtually all of the top orchestras in North America. She has also performed with the BBC Orchestra opposite Josh Groban.   

Ashley made her solo concert debut at The Kennedy Center as part of Barbara Cook’s “Spotlight Series,” and has appeared in New York City at prestigious venues including Feinstein’s at the Regency and Birdland.  Other projects include a star turn at the La Jolla Playhouse in a production of Limelight; The Sound of Music at the St. Louis MUNY, which garnered her a Kevin Kline Award; and her own PBS special called “Ashley Brown: Call Me Irresponsible,” which received a PBS Telly Award.

Ms. Brown’s long-awaited album of Broadway and American Songbook standards is available on Ghostlight/Sony.