Kiara Sasso
English
Português
Biography
Acclaimed by critics and audiences as Brazil’s finest musical theatre artist, Kiara’s career began at the fine age of 8 in Los Angeles, CA, where she was brought up. Dabbling in film, TV and advertisement as a child actress, her career would take a serious turn when she discovered her singing voice at the age of 11.
After three years of voice training and back in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where she was born, Kiara was cast in an ongoing musical called Banana Split. The next few years she played various roles in small shows but at 17 she got her first important part as Luisa in the Brazilian production of the Off-Broadway musical The Fantasticks! After that she played a few relevant shows in Rio such as As Malvadas and Broadway in Café when she then decided to go to school in the U.S.
The next few years she had the opportunity to study Musical Theatre in Santa Monica College, play Polly Peachum in their awarded production of The Threepenny Opera and was also cast in the very first workshop of the hit Broadway Musical Spring Awakening, which back then, took place at the prestigious La Jolla Playhouse and was directed by Tony Award Winner Michael Mayer!
Right after that, Kiara was invited to take part of a touring company of a Brazilian musical called Cole Porter, He Never Said He Loved Me, and played both Bessie Marbury and Elza Maxwell at the Estoril Cassino Theater in Portugal. She then went on to play Elza Maxwell back in Rio, Brazil.
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In 2002 Kiara would have her “big break” being cast as the lead, Belle, in the Brazilian production of the hit Disney Broadway Musical Beauty & the Beast! After that, it was non-stop! She played in The World Goes ‘Round, played Christine in The Phantom of the Opera, Ellen in Miss Saigon, Maria in The Sound of Music, Emma in Jekyll & Hyde, Donna in Mamma Mia!, Jeanie in Hair, Francine in New York New York, Maya in The Little Princess, Kitty in The Drowsy Chaperone and Antonia in Man of La Mancha.
But her talents aren’t restricted to just musical theatre, alone.
Kiara has starred in film and television and can be seen in the films Beak of Death, Dores & Amores, the TV show Caça Talentos and the American TV pilot, Rio.
She has also had her voice featured in various famous cartoon characters in Brazilian Portuguese. She was the singing voice for Disney films such as Ariel in The Little Mermaid, Clio, the gospel singing muse in Hercules, Cinderella in Cinderella II, Mei in Mulan II, Aurora in Disney Princess: Follow Your Dreams and was both talking and singing voice for Angelique in Beauty & the Beast’s Enchanted Christmas.
In 2014 she won a Bibi Ferreira Award (our new musical theatre ‘Tony’ inspired Award) for Best Supporting Actress as Kitty in The Drowsy Chaperone.
2016 Kiara faced her biggest challenge yet, acting in her very own show. In the lovely fairytale musical, The Clown & the Ballerina, she signs off creation, music, lyrics, costume, make-up, producing and directing.
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2017 was the year to celebrate her 30 years in showbiz, and what better way to do it than in her very own concert? SILHOUETTES opened to a full house and has played in São Paulo 3 times and once in Rio de Janeiro to very excited audiences.
Kiara is now rehearsing a new concert called JUST 4 SHOW alongside three amazing singers, Lívia Dabarian, Thais Piza and Talita Real. The show opens September 20th at Teatro Porto Seguro in São Paulo.