Talia Suskauer

Talia Suskauer
Talia Suskauer
Born (1996-08-02) August 2, 1996
Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, United States
Alma materPenn State University (BFA)
OccupationActress
Years active2000–present
Known forBroadway productions of Wicked and Be More Chill
Parent(s)Michelle Suskauer
Scott Suskauer
RelativesBecca Suskauer (sister)

Talia Suskauer (born August 2, 1996) is an American musical theatre actress, who is best known for playing Elphaba in the Broadway company of the smash-hit musical Wicked.

Early life

Suskauer was born in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.[1] Her mother, Michelle Suskauer was a criminal defense lawyer who would later become president of the Florida Bar Association; her father Scott Suskauer was also an attorney who would later become a judge on Florida's 15th Judicial Circuit.[2] By age 4, she had begun acting in local roles at her community temple.[3] As a child, her parents would take her to attend Broadway shows in New York and played cast albums for her; as a result Suskauer claims that theater "was the only thing I ever really wanted to do".[3] She attended Bak Middle School of the Arts and Dreyfoos School of the Arts,[4] majoring in theatre, and performed on stage locally at StarStruck Theatre in Stuart.[3] She attended Penn State University as part of the musical theater BFA program, graduating in 2018.[1][3] During her freshman year, she was selected to be a 2015 YoungArts winner in Theatre Arts.[1]

Broadway performances: Be More Chill and Wicked

In 2018, a year after graduating college, Suskauer made her off-Broadway debut at the Signature Theatre in New York City as the female standby and assistant dance captain in Be More Chill.[1] The performance was then transferred to the Lyceum Theatre on Broadway in February 2019. Suskauer stayed with the production until its closing in August 2019.[1]

Suskauer auditioned for the role of Elphaba in Wicked in August 2019, shortly after completing her tenure in Be More Chill. She was selected after receiving a final callback just one week after her first audition and joined the national tour in Las Vegas as Elphaba on September 24, 2019, replacing Mariand Torres.[5][6] She performed as Elphaba until March 12, 2020, when the tour temporarily shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[7] She reopened the show in Dallas at the Music Hall at Fair Park on August 3, 2021, in the first Broadway touring performance to take place since the COVID shutdown began.[5][8][9] She played her final performance on tour on March 20, 2022 and was replaced by Lissa deGuzman.[10]

It was then announced that Suskauer would be transferring to the Broadway production, replacing Lindsay Pearce as Elphaba on May 24, 2022.[11] She played her final performance on March 5, 2023, and was replaced by her standby, Alyssa Fox.[12] A TikTok of Suskauer's longtime vocal coach Craig Wich's reaction to the news that she would be joining the cast went viral.[13][4] She returned to Wicked for one day only on March 27, 2024 to provide emergency cover for Elphaba and later returned to the production on January 27, 2026 as a temporary standby for Elphaba, standing by for Lencia Kebede and Keri René Fuller before leaving the company on March 15, 2026.[14][15][16]

Suskauer's performances as Elphaba have been received favorably by critics. KDHX's Tina Farmer said "Talia Suskauer shines as Elphaba, with beautiful diction and a rich voice that resonates with relatable insecurity and determination."[17] BroadwayWorld's Daniel Collins said of Suskauer, "Elphaba may have a magical broom but she's also got a powerful set of pipes, nearly shaking the rafters as Suskauer belts out songs like 'Defying Gravity' and 'No Good Deed,' each ending with a powerful, how-long-can-she-sustain-that-note vocal crescendo."[18]

Other performances

Suskauer has performed regionally at the New London Barn Playhouse in New London, New Hampshire, repeatedly earning New Hampshire Theatre Award nominations for roles such as Princess Fiona in Shrek the Musical, Rosa Bud in The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Lily Craven in The Secret Garden, and Jo March in Little Women.[19] She has also performed at the Penn State Centre Stage with roles as Ms. Asp in Love In Hate Nation and Daphna in Bad Jews. From January 21 to September 7, 2025, she played the role of Lucille Frank in the national tour of the Tony Award-winning revival of the 1998 musical Parade.[20]

Suskauer is represented by the Harden Curtis Kirsten Riley talent agency and Moxie Artists management.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f "home". talia-suskauer. Retrieved 2024-09-15.
  2. ^ "Michelle Suskauer: President of The Florida Bar". The Florida Bar. Retrieved 2024-09-16.
  3. ^ a b c d Hait, Ari (2022-05-06). "Palm Beach Gardens woman 'defying gravity,' lands the lead in 'Wicked' on Broadway". WPBF. Retrieved 2024-09-15.
  4. ^ a b "From Palm Beach Gardens to Broadway: Dreyfoos School graduate to star in 'Wicked'". WPTV News Channel 5 West Palm. 2022-05-04. Retrieved 2024-09-16.
  5. ^ a b "Behind the green". Segerstrom Center for the Arts. Retrieved 2024-09-15.
  6. ^ Gans, Andrew. "Talia Suskauer, Allison Bailey, and Tony Winner Cleavant Derricks Will Join Wicked Tour". Playbill. Retrieved 2026-02-08.
  7. ^ Viviani, Nick. "Overture cancels Wicked, all other performance". WMTV 15 News. Retrieved 2026-02-08.
  8. ^ Paulson, Michael. "'Wicked' Hits the Road, Carrying the Hopes of Broadway Tours". New York Times.
  9. ^ Gans, Andrew. "Talia Suskauer, Allison Bailey, and Cleavant Derricks Star in Return of Wicked Tour". Playbill.
  10. ^ Gans, Andrew. "Wicked Tour Welcomes Lissa deGuzman, Jennafer Newberry, John Bolton, More March 22". Playbill. Retrieved 2026-02-08.
  11. ^ Gans, Andrew. "Talia Suskauer, James D. Gish, Tony Winner Cleavant Derricks, More Fly Into Broadway's Wicked May 24". Playbill. Retrieved 2026-02-08.
  12. ^ Gans, Andrew. "Broadway's Wicked Will Welcome Alyssa Fox as Elphaba in March". Playbill. Retrieved 2026-02-08.
  13. ^ Unknown. "WATCH NOW: IDINA MENZEL SURPRISES BROADWAY'S NEW ELPHABA TALIA SUSKAUER". Broadway Direct.
  14. ^ @taliasuskauer; (2024-03-28). "One short day in the Emerald City". Retrieved 2026-02-08 – via Instagram.
  15. ^ @taliasuskauer; (2026-01-31). "SWEET OZ! In case you missed it, ya girl is back at Ye Olde Gershwin standing by for Elphaba until the middle of March!". Retrieved 2026-02-08 – via Instagram.
  16. ^ "Talia Suskauer (Performer)". Playbill. Retrieved 2026-03-23.
  17. ^ "Review: The phenomenally popular 'Wicked,' dazzles with a tale of friendship and misunderstanding in Oz - KDHX". kdhx.org. Retrieved 2024-09-16.
  18. ^ Collins, Daniel. "Review: WICKED at THE HIPPODROME". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2024-09-16.
  19. ^ "Wicked's Talia Suskauer on How She Built Up the Stamina to Play Elphaba Every Night on Tour". Broadway.com. Retrieved 2024-09-15.
  20. ^ Culwell-Block, Logan (September 19, 2024). "Max Chernin and Talia Suskauer Are Taking Parade on Tour". Playbill. Retrieved August 10, 2025.
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