About

Originally from Washington, DC, Erin Granfield has appeared on stages across the country. She most recently played the role of Francesca Johnson to critical acclaim in the DC/Baltimore regional premiere of The Bridges of Madison County. Favorite credits include the first national tour of the Stroman-directed Broadway revival of The Music Man (Marian Paroo us/ performed, original cast), The Secret Garden (Martha), Sweeney Todd (Johanna), Into the Woods (Witch & Baker's Wife), and Brigadoon (Fiona). A New Yorker for many years, Erin produced and performed her own one-woman cabaret shows and has sung in clubs and cabaret rooms throughout New York City (Laurie Beechman, Birdland, Metropolitan Room, Duplex, Danny's Skylight, Iridium). She is currently a cantor, section leader, and soloist at the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Washington, DC. She is a company member of Pallas Theatre Collective, a Helen Hayes Awards © John Aniello Award for Outstanding Emerging Theatre Company nominated ensemble committed to fostering the legacy and future of the American musical. A National YoungArts top award winner and U.S. Presidential Scholar of the Arts semi-finalist, Erin graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in Vocal Performance and Opera and a certificate from Northwestern's renowned Music Theater Program.

Critics have called her talent "astonishing", her voice "magnificent", her performances "striking"…

"Erin Granfield is one of those rare actresses on local stages that makes you completely forget she’s playing a character. She is Francesca. She’s stepping into some mighty big shoes, following the likes of Meryl Streep and Kelli O’Hara. Scratch that – this lady’s got her own shoes. With a voice that can go from a whisper to a wail and rip your heart out along the way, she’s perfection in this part. Shy and yearning for more life – or something. In her scenes with Robert, we watch her resolve melt away as she throws herself into an affair that she knows will cost her dearly. And we see it all in Ms. Granfield’s expressions and her body language. If I had to pick a favorite song I couldn’t. From the opening number 'To Build A Home' to her final 'Always Better' her voice is amazing. She is a gifted performer and a true artist."
- Timoth David Copney, MD Theatre Guide review of The Bridges of Madison County
(full review: http://mdtheatreguide.com/2017/09/theatre-review-bridges-of-madison-county-at-red-branch-theatre/)

"Erin Granfield is just exceptional, vocally and in terms of acting."
- J.Wynn Rousuck, NPR (WYPR) radio review of The Bridges of Madison County
(http://wypr.org/post/rousucks-review-bridges-madison-county)

"Erin Granfield brings a lovely, trained soprano to the vocally demanding role of Francesca. From her opening memories as an Italian war bride in 'To Build a Home' through her complex relationships to family and her adopted American community, Granfield never makes a single dramatic misstep... Together, Burke and Granfield make the romantic duet between Robert and Francesca, 'Falling Into You', one of the most touchingly heartfelt musical moments of this theatrical year."
- John Harding, DC Metro Theater Arts review of The Bridges Of Madison County
(https://dcmetrotheaterarts.com/2017/09/23/review-bridges-madison-county-red-branch-theatre-company/)

“When the expressive Erin Granfield sings about Iowa, drawing out each letter and syllable, you learn everything you need to know about her character’s quiet restlessness and pent-up longing. Granfield fervently plays Italian-American farmwife Francesca, plopped down in the middle of the Iowa cornfield by her G.I. husband Bud (Chad Wheeler, playing a straight-arrow farmer with skill and nuance) and wondering what exactly she’s done with her life since leaving her beloved Naples after World War II….When the musical concentrates on [Francesca and Robert's] love story, it soars, through spiraling arias for Francesca that recall Italian opera accompanied by gentler, folk and bluesy plaints for Robert. Together, they make music of the transcendent kind.... magic conjured by Granfield and Burke, playing two lonely souls who find and fulfill each other in the middle of an Iowa cornfield.”
- Jayne Blanchard, DC Theatre Scene review of The Bridges of Madison County
(https://dctheatrescene.com/2017/09/26/bridges-madison-county-review-2/)

“Erin Granfield has spectacular consistency with the Italian affectation she cases over her spoken and sung English. There is something to be said for the way she carries the accent into her singing voice, authenticating the songs in a way that feels true to the character’s origins. Granfield covers the full story arc of Francesca, from “To Build a Home” through to “Always Better” and hits all of the emotional peaks and valleys along the way.”
- Amanda N. Gunther, Theatrebloom review of The Bridges of Madison County

Recent Productions