Leanne Borghesi is a solo-performer specializing in the creation and performance of comedic ‘theatrical cabarets.’ Her shows blend the magic of theater with the music and setting of cabaret shows. Her pieces are interactive, making each performance unique, personal, and full of surprises. Leanne has been a Guest Artist at The Eugene O’Neill Theater Center Cabaret Conference where she debuted her one-woman show, BAZAZZ under the direction of Michael Bush. Here she performed in Accentuate the Positive, A Johnny Mercer Tribute alongside such legendary performers as Lillias White, Marilyn Maye, Penny Fuller, and Amanda McBroom. Leanne attended the International Cabaret Conference at Yale University where she trained with Tovah Feldshuh, Sally Mayes, Julie Wilson, Amanda McBroom, Alex Rybeck and Sharon McKnight. She has performed in the UK in David Kent’s This Summer I Lived. She has played houses in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco including Feinstein’s 54 Below, Feinstein’s at the Nikko, The Triad, The Metropolitan Room, Rrazz Room, MBar Hollywood, Herbst Theater, Marines Memorial, Palace of Fine Arts, and The Duplex.
A Northern California native, Leanne has been a staple of the San Francisco cabaret and theater scene for over a decade. Borghesi’s previous theatre credits include NEW YORK: Workshop of Jonathan Brielle’s 40 Naked Women A Monkey and Me with Veanne Cox and Doreen Montalvo directed by Michael Bush (Sir Studios NYC and Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center, CT), Smeraldina in The Servant of Two Masters (Sonnet Rep), Jan in Mr. Irresistible (LaMaMa Etc), world premiere of Valerie Solanas’ Up Your A$$ (PS 122) and Dora Bailey in Singin’ in the Rain (Gateway Playhouse). REGIONAL: Chaperone in The Drowsy Chaperone, Mrs. Medlock in The Secret Garden (TheatreWorks), Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Cape Fear Regional Theatre), Rona Lisa Peretti in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (CenterREP), Nancy in Oliver (PCPA Theaterfest), Mrs. Bassett in Eccentricities of a Nightingale (Aurora Theater). Leanne is the recipient of Best Actress in a Musical award from the Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Awards for NCTC’s Productions of Dames at Sea (Mona Kent) and her solo theatrical cabaret, Divalicious. She is a founding member of The National Theater of Uptown in Manhattan, one-third of the comedic trio B.O.O.B.S! (Busty, Outrageous, Over-the-Top, Broads, Singin’), and moonlights as San Francisco’s own original Faux Queen, Ms. Anita Cocktail. She collaborates with many not-for-profit organizations performing in numerous Gala and Benefit shows on both coasts. Leanne is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association