Jo Sullivan

Jo Sullivan, a.k.a. Jo Loesser is a soprano, widow of composer Frank Loesser, and mother of singer-actress Emily Loesser. In her day, she was acclaimed for her beautiful, lyric soprano, as well as for her natural acting ability and interpretive skills. She was born in Mounds, Illinois.

Opposite Charlotte Rae, Beatrice Arthur, and Lotte Lenya, she starred as Polly Peachum in Marc Blitzstein's English-language adaptation of "The Threepenny Opera" by Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht (off-Broadway, 1954).

On Broadway, she starred in her husband's masterpiece "The Most Happy Fella" (1956) as "Rosabella," alongside Robert Weede and Susan Johnson, which earned her a 1957 Tony Award nomination as Best Featured Actress in a Musical.

She also appeared as herself in an "original special" on Broadway, called "Let's Make An Opera" (1950), which boasted music by Benjamin Britten, a libretto by Eric Crozier, musical direction by Norman Del Mar, and was directed by Marc Blitzstein.

She has also appeared on numerous recordings, such as "Loesser by Loesser" (alongside her daughter Emily) and several albums for Ben Bagley's celebrated "Revisited" series on Painted Smiles Records (most notably "Kurt Weill Revisited", "Leonard Bernstein Revisited", and—of course—"Frank Loesser Revisited".)

Since her husband's death in 1969, she has managed the Frank Loesser estate, which has included guiding production of all of his musicals, including Guys and Dolls, How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying, The Most Happy Fella, and Hans Christian Andersen.

Theatre credits

*"Sleepy Hollow" (June 3rd, 1948 - June 12th, 1948)
*"As the Girls Go" (Nov. 13th, 1948 - Jan. 14th, 1950)
*"Let's Make An Opera" (Dec. 13, 1950 - Dec. 16, 1950)
*"The Threepenny Opera" (Mar. 10th, 1954 - May 30th, 1954)
*"The Threepenny Opera" (Sep. 30th, 1955 - Dec. 17th, 1961)
*"The Most Happy Fella" (May 3rd, 1956 - Dec. 14th, 1957)
*"Perfectly Frank" (Nov. 30th, 1980 - Dec. 13th, 1980)