Laura McClain
Actor/Singer
"This charming and emotionally alive actress emerged this season as one of the best non-Equity singers in Chicago. A classy, elegant performer with a guileless quality, this fast-emerger shone both in A Man of No Importance at Bailiwick Arts Center and the Bohemian Theatre Ensemble's recently closed Jekyll and Hyde. She says she doesn't know what she’s doing next. But we bet she’ll do it with heart." - Chris Jones, 2008
"Many of our alums have gone on to make their mark, not just in Chicago but in New York, Los Angeles and beyond. Laura McClain was in the class of 2008."
- Chris Jones, 2015
Press
"Hot New Faces of the Chicago Stage"
Chicago Tribune, July 2008
Ragtime
Griffin Theatre Company
May - July 2017
2018 Jeff Nominations, Leading Performer in a Musical, Best Musical (winner); Outstanding Ensemble (winner)
On Stage with Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2gwXoYC36c
“…this is my favorite of the several small "Ragtime" revivals here over the years… You feel every heartbeat of betrayal and self-actualization alongside Laura McClain's Mother.”
- Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune
“…director Scott Weinstein (among the most gifted musical theater directors now at work here) has staged what may well be the finest version of the show ever mounted — the original 1998 Broadway production included. It all begins in New Rochelle [with]…graceful, golden-voice Laura McClain…”
- Hedy Weiss, The Chicago Sun-Times
“It’s almost beyond the pale to single anyone out among this true ensemble, but we’ll make exceptions for the trusty Laura McClain and Jason Richards as the ambivalent Mother and determined Tateh.”
- Kris Vire, TimeOut Chicago
“[A] warm, welcoming revival [with a] tight, energetic ensemble…”
- Jack Helbig, Chicago Reader
“I can't recall a production as evocative as Griffin Theatre's superb, chamber-style revival… Laura McClain, whose acting is as authentic as her voice is lovely, plays Mother.”
- Barbara Vitello, Daily Herald
“But it is Laura McClain in her role as the matriarch of the New Rochelle family who shines brightest. The effortless beauty and elegance of her singing voice is matched by her deft navigation of her character arc. She is tasked with embodying a shift that is gradual yet profound, and she carries it off so well that it forms the spine for a text that has been criticized by its detractors for not having a strong enough through-line. Her rendition of ‘Back to Before,’ a ballad that can too easily fall flat coming so late in an already emotionally draining evening, is instead electrifying and positively anthemic.”
- Bryson David Hoff, Chicagoland Musical Theater
“[Laura] McClain sings through Mother's budding ethical development with nuance and wit.”
- Adelaide Lee, TheaterMania
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Griffin Theatre
November - December 2013
2014 Jeff Nomination, Supporting Actress in a Musical
"It feels unfair to single out anyone among Weinstein's astounding young cast.... But Laura McClain deserves a callout as the bee's unctuous former-champ host; the rising musical-theater actress appears to be having unprecedented fun working her improv chops to wrangle the guest spellers."
- Kris Vire, TimeOut Chicago
“The sprightly and sly banter of judges Rona Lisa Peretti (Laura McClain), a former spelling champ, and Vice Principal Douglas Panch (Andy Cameron) reminded me of Christopher Guest's film ‘Best in Show,’ which also follows a group of dedicated obsessives bent on conquest.”
- Kerry Reid, Chicago Tribune
“Overseeing the bee is Rona Lisa Peretti (expertly played in subtle high-drive by Laura McClain), a real estate agent and long-ago winner…”
- Hedy Weiss, Chicago Sun-Times
“Director Scott Weinstein's savvy cast find the heart and soul of every character, and the result is nothing short of R-E-S-P-L-E-N-D-E-N-T."
- Jack Helbig, Chicago Reader
The Full Monty
Kokandy Productions
March - April 2015
2015 Jeff Nomination, Best Musical
"Laura McClain plays Pam, Jerry’s wife, with spunk and spirit."
- Colin Douglas, Chicago Theater Review
"The vocal power of the ensemble is impressive throughout."
- Hedy Weiss, Chicago Sun-Times
Company
Griffin Theatre
October - November 2010
"Best 10 Productions of 2010" - The Huffington Post
“…a brilliantly chosen cast that sings and (just as crucially) acts the stuffing out of Sondheim's often brutally soul-baring score. The women here are outstanding…[including] Laura McClain's soaring vocals…”
- Hedy Weiss, The Chicago Sun-Times
“Laura McClain is charming as Susan, the sweet southern belle celebrating her divorce from husband Peter…”
- John Olson, Talkin’ Broadway
“Then there's perfect couple Susan (Laura McClain, whose voice is simply glorious) and Peter (a deliberate Robert McLean) whose divorce improves their relationship.”
- Barbara Vitello, Daily Herald
“The sound produced by the cast of Company was so impressive, captivating and powerful that at intermission you checked your programs in disbelief that they weren't Equity members.”
- Hannah Fenlon, The Huffington Post
The Christmas Schooner
Bailiwick Repertory
November 2008 - January 2009
2009 Jeff Nomination, Principal Actress in a Musical
“Thanks to the presence of the charming Chicago actress Laura McClain in the lead role, the show has the most solid vocal anchor in its history.”
- Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune
“Stand outs include…Laura McClain as his stalwart, loving wife Alma…. All four actors bring considerable musical talents to their roles, but each injects his character with a unique humanity that transcends what could’ve been a simple, two-dimensional portrayal. Mulopulos’ lovely male soprano blends nicely with McClain’s glorious vocals in their duet.”
- Colin Douglas, Centerstage Chicago
“…sunny Laura McClain...anchor(s) Peter and Alma's conflict in a believable, quiet love. ‘Schooner’ veteran Jim Sherman…and McClain both earn the audience's moist eyes in the second act.”
- Web Behrens, Chicago Free Press
Jekyll & Hyde
BoHo Theatre Ensemble
June - July 2008
“There is, one terrific performance from Laura McClain, an emotionally alive young actress with a knockout voice who is so good as the virginal Emma, you wonder why Dr. J. is even thinking of experimenting on himself, instead of running for the hills with this empathetic charmer.”
- Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune
“McClain succeeds in bringing some much-needed depth and self-conflict to the role, and by the musical’s end brilliantly reveals the many facades Emma hides behind.”
- Misha Davenport, The Chicago Sun-Times
“McClain gives a powerful vocal performance as Jekyll’s fiancée …”
- Kay Daly, TimeOut Chicago
“Equally matched on the vocal level is Dr. Jekyll's love interest Laura McClain, whose role as Emma evokes much sympathetic emotion.”
- Dennis Mahoney, Centerstage Chicago
“Laura McClain is simply stunning as the virginal Emma, Jekyll's betrothed. McClain brings impressive tenderness and empathy to the role, and her vocal chops can rival any green girl you might find flying through the air at the Oriental Theatre downtown.”
- Showbizchicago.com
Weird Romance
Blue Moon Studio Theatre August - September 2007
“…Laura McClain projects an assured and sympathetic presence.”
- Kerry Reid, Chicago Tribune
Adding Machine
The Hypocrites
March - May 2016
2016 Jeff Nomination, Best Musical, Midsize
Adding Machine
The Hypocrites
March - May 2016
2016 Jeff Nomination, Best Musical, Midsize
Titanic
Griffin Theatre
October - December 2014
U.S. Premiere, Chamber version
2015 Jeff Nomination, Best Musical
2015 Jeff Nomination, Ensemble
"The ensemble cast is full of remarkable performances."
- Kris Vire, TimeOut Chicago
"...a cast totally at one with its warped intensity... ...Andres Enriquez, Jonah D. Winston, Laura McClain, John Taflan and Tyler Brown – add their clarion voices throughout."
- Hedy Weiss, Chicago Sun-Times
"...the cast pours their heart and soul into the piece, and it’s not a work that lends itself to that so easily. ...The cast is, appropriately, a well-oiled machine, and it’s beautiful to watch."
- Abigail Traube, PerformInk
"Jonah D. Winston, Laura McClain, John Taflan and Tyler Brown utterly commit to their parts, at once mundane and macabre. Living embodiments of the uncanny valley effect, the automatons approximate human behavior with an at once unfeeling and malevolent fervor. Under Button’s deft direction, they are hypnotizing and repugnant to behold."
- Ian Rigg, Chicagoland Musical Theater
"The gifted ensemble, each of whom play several characters, is comprised of the excellent Tyler Brown, Laura McClain, John Taflan and Jonah D. Winston."
- Colin Douglas, Chicago Theater Review
“...impressive and emotional is the relationship built by Laura McClain and Matt Edmonds, two halves of a couple eloping to America.”
- Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune
“…excellent performances from the well-cast ensemble help to flesh out lightly-sketched characters; there's particularly fine work from Laura McClain and Matt Edmonds as an eloping British couple…”
- Kris Vire, TimeOut Chicago
“Laura McClain, a lovely singer, plays aristocrat Caroline Neville, who elopes with commoner Charles Clarke (the well-matched Matt Edmonds)…”
- Barbara Vitello, Daily Herald
“Lovely Laura McClain makes a strong and beautifully sung Caroline Neville with Matt Edmonds providing a suave and dapper love interest, Charles Clarke.”
- Colin Douglas, Chicago Theater Review
“…highly polished execution by a golden-voiced cast of 20…In second class are…the aristocratic Caroline Neville (Laura McClain), who is madly in love with a shopkeeper, Charles Clarke (Matt Edmonds).”
- Hedy Weiss, Chicago Sun-Times
Pride and Prejudice
Lifeline Theatre
April - June 2012
2013 Jeff Nomination, Principal Actress in a Play
“…the chemistry between McClain's Lizzy and Dennis Grimes' Darcy mixes into a convincing concoction. It's easier to see the shift from disdain to respect to outright passion in McClain's performance.”
- Kerry Reid, Chicago Tribune
“At the center of the story is their second-oldest daughter, Elizabeth Bennet (the fresh, expressive Laura McClain), whose intelligence, pride and sense of self-worth almost get the better of her.”
- Hedy Weiss, The Chicago Sun-Times
“McClain’s willful, witty Elizabeth is a fine match for Grimes’s rigid Mr. Darcy, who becomes immediately more amiable and alluring once he confesses his secret love for her. There’s an exhilarating release when the two finally kiss—which speaks to Austen’s lasting ability to thrill.”
- Oliver Sava, TimeOut Chicago
“...expertly played by Laura McClain...”
- Keith Griffith, Chicago Reader
“And McClain is indeed an endearing Lizzy, the sharp-witted favorite of Mr. Bennet… In this telling, Lizzy is also the narrator, regularly turning to the audience to explain circumstances. McClain manages this device so off-handedly, and with such infectious dollops of irony, that Lizzy and the audience steadily grow to be pals.”
- Lawrence Johnson, Chicago on the Aisle
Death Takes a Holiday
Circle Theatre
April - May 2013
Midwest premiere
“…McClain’s wonderful soprano alone is worth the price of admission. Her Grazia faces the ultimate conflict – revel in a second chance at life, or willingly enter a tragic romance – and every note and moment is completely convincing.”
- Lauren Whalen, Chicago Theater Beat
“…Nate Lewellyn and Laura McClain are an engaging pair of young lovers…”
- Mary Shen Barnidge, Windy City Times
The Philadelphia Story
Circle Theatre
July - September 2010
2010 Broadway World Audience Award - Leading Actress in a Play
“Laura McClain easily captures her character's crazily impulsive spirit…”
- Hedy Weiss, The Chicago Sun-Times
“…McClain steps into the role written for Katherine Hepburn with fitting poise and self-awareness.”
- Keith Griffith, Chicago Reader
“A delightful actress…[McClain] invests herself in the role's sprightly energy…”
- Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune
“McClain often seems to be channeling Hepburn in her performance…”
- John Beer, TimeOut Chicago
Little Women
Circle Theatre
November 2009 - January 2010
“Laura McClain shines as the prim, fragile Meg…”
- Ali Weiss, TimeOut Chicago
“Laura McClain and Kieran Welsh-Phillips are marvelous as Meg and Jo, the older sisters at the center of the story.”
- Jack Helbig, Chicago Reader
“They are the pretty, ever-proper Meg (a sweet-voiced Laura McClain)…”
- Hedy Weiss, The Chicago Sun-Times
“The show is anchored by the good-looking trio of Laura McClain, Kieran Welsh-Phillips and Jeremy Myers as Meg, Jo and Laurie respectively, delineating adolescent turmoil with charm.”
- Jonathan Abarbanel, Windy City Times
A Man of No Importance
Bailiwick Repertory
March - April 2008
2008 Jeff Nomination, Best Musical
Dear World
Circle Theatre
February - March 2006
“But there's also some talent on the stage—including the charming Laura McClain as the show's complex ingénue.”
- Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune
“As Adele Rice, the newest member of the theatrical troupe, the lovely Laura McClain is every inch the princess that Alfie sees in her, despite her reluctance to accept such praise.”
- Colin Douglas, Centerstage Chicago
“Joining Alfie in his theatrical endeavors is newcomer Adele (a guileless Laura McClain) …”
- Barbara Vitello, The Daily Herald
“Lovely work comes from Laura McClain as a country girl who has her own reason to seek solace on the stage.”
- Lawrence Bommer, Chicago Free Press
“Stars Laura McClain (as the sweet waitress) and Anita Hoffman (as the titular grand-dame countess) have charming moments....”
- Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune