NEWS
When veteran music producer Scott M. Riesett thanked the cast and crew of the Best Musical Theater Album winning Broadway production of Some Like It Hot at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards February 4th, it included cast member and principal vocalist Adrianna Hicks.
A 34-year-old musical theater actress from McKinney, Texas, Hicks starred as “Sugar” in the show based on the 1959 film. The passion, charisma and smile that helped propel Hicks to Grammy Award stardom has always been with her.
But her path began at OU.
As a fine arts student at the Weitzenhoffer School of Musical Theatre and 2011 graduate, faculty said Hicks engrossed herself in her passion. From tap dancing to jazz and singing, Hicks excelled and caught the eye of her professors early on.
“Adrianna is one of a kind,” said Lyn Cramer, a Weitzenhoffer endowed professor of tap, jazz and theater dance. “We are so proud of her.”
Since she began teaching at OU in 2001, Cramer has seen multiple former students graduate from the University of Oklahoma to the Great White Way. Once Hicks arrived in 2007, Cramer recognized how special she was.
“She had an incredible work ethic and was a delight to have in class,” Cramer said. “She is always eager to do her best, prove herself, and work hard.”
During her time at OU, Hicks worked under Cramer for the productions of Anything Goes and Rent. Hicks’ talent and passion led her to participate in theater work outside of the university. With the help and guidance of Cramer, Hicks became a member of the vocal ensemble in The Christmas Show with the OKC Philharmonic Orchestra.
After Hicks graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theater in 2011, her professional career began in Oklahoma at the Lyric Theater in the Plaza District of Oklahoma City. Cramer directed her during her debut in the production Hairspray.
“She’s got great energy in the room. She’s kind to everyone she comes in contact with,” Cramer told the OU Daily. "Especially in this day and age and in that business, that goes a long way — it’s why people want her back again and again.”
Hicks’ talents have taken her all over the world from Germany to New York City and back to Oklahoma. After her 2015 Broadway debut in The Color Purple, she performed in the ensemble in Aladdin before starring as Catherine of Aragon in the North American premier of SIX, a British production based on the six wives of King Henry VIII.
Finally in 2022, she premiered as Sugar in Some Like it Hot before starring in a production of Cabaret.
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Kaleb Briscoe, Ph.D., an assistant professor at the University of Oklahoma Jeannine Rainbolt College of Education, was recently invited to the White House for a workshop to present her research and speak in a panel discussion.
