THE MUSES (CALLIOPE, THALIA, CLIO, MELPOMENE AND TERPSICHORE) -- As goddesses of the arts and proclaimers of heroes, this a-muse-ing quintet narrates the story of Hercules with style and song and serve as a very soulful Greek chorus. With animation supervised by Mike Show, the voices for these lively ladies are provided by Lillias White (Calliope), Vaneese Thomas (Clio), Cheryl Freeman (Melpomene), LaChanze (Terpsichore) and Roz Ryan (Thalia).
LILLIAS WHITE
(Calliope) delivers an outstanding performance as leader of the Muses, bringing with her a whole lot of rhythm and song as the bearer of heroic poetry.
White recalls wanting to be an entertainer ever since she was a little girl. In pursuit of that dream, she followed the footsteps of her Aunt Lillias, the first black dancer in the June Taylor troupe which performed on "The Jackie Gleason Show," to the Great White Way to become an acclaimed singer/performer. Currently, she stars in the hit Broadway musical "The Life," nominated for 12 Tony Awards, including a Best Supporting Actor nod for her. Other Broadway credits include "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying," "CATS" and "Dreamgirls" (Drama-Logue Award). Her off-Broadway credits include "Waiting for Godot," "The Princess & the Blackeyed Pea" and "Antigone Africanus." On television she has appeared in "Law & Order," "NYPD Blue" and four seasons of "Sesame Street" (Emmy Award).
She lives in New York with her children and cat, Mixie.
CHERYL FREEMAN
(Melpomene) is the emotional/over the top Muse of drama. She most recently starred role as Vy in the Old Globe Theatre production of "Play On." Prior to that, she starred on Broadway as the Acid Queen in "The Who's Tommy." Her off-Broadway credits include "Beehive," "The Little Shop of Horrors" and
"Abyssinia." In film, she has had roles in "Dead Presidents," "Fresh," "Get a Life" and "Sunset Heat." For television she has appeared in "Prince Street" and "New York Undercover."
She is a graduate of the Manhattan School of Music.
LACHANZE
(Terpsichore) is the swinging Muse of dance and choral song. She can currently be seen in the Los Angeles production of "Ragtime." Her other stage credits include the Broadway productions of "Company," "Once On This Island" (1991 Tony Award nomination), "Dreamgirls" and "Uptown...It's Hot." Her film credits include "Leap of Faith," "For Love or Money" and "Mo' Better Blues." For television, she has appeared in "New York Undercover," "One Life to Live," "The Cosby Show" and "For Love and Glory." Additionally, she has had roles in the regional theatre productions of "Ragtime," "Comfortable Shoes," "Cry, The Beloved Country" and "Jesus Christ Superstar."
ROZ RYAN
(Thalia) takes a truly entertaining turn as the funny Muse of comedy. For more than 20 years she has been a consummate actress, singer, recording artist and night club performer. On Broadway she appeared in "Dreamgirls," "Ain't Misbehavin'," "South Pacific," and "Blues In The Night" which earned her both the Carbonell and Zoni Awards for Best Actress in a Musical as well as a Carbonell Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in "Cole Porter Requests the Pleasure." Her recording/singing credits include "Boy Where Have You Been" and "Waiting For My Love" as well as her albums ROZ and High On Mad Mountain. Ryan has also performed with recording artists such as Earth, Wind & Fire, Billy Paul and The O'Jays. On television, she played the recurring role of Amelia on the sitcom "Amen" and has been a celebrity guest on shows including "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson."
VANEESE THOMAS
(Clio) does an excellent job as the bright Muse of history who recounts the heroics of Hercules. She was born in Memphis, Tennessee and grew up with a mix of musical influences. R&B, gospel, blues and jazz were standard fare in her household. She has recorded with popular artists such as Freddie Jackson, Eric Clapton and Joe Cocker. On television, she has appeared in the "Late Night with David Letterman," "The Late Show with Conan O'Brien" and "The David Sanborn Show." Thomas also has a lengthy "jingle-ography" and can be heard on numerous television and radio commercials for Coca-Cola, Chevrolet and Domino's Pizza to name a few.
