Julia Migenes


Julia Migenes is an American soprano working primarily in musical theatre repertoire. She was born on the Lower East Side of Manhattan to Juan and Julia Migenes, parents of Puerto Rican and Irish descent, respectively. She is sometimes credited as Julia Migenes-Johnson. She attended The High School of Music & Art in New York City. Migenes played Tevye's second daughter, Hodel, in the original Broadway production of the long-running musical Fiddler on the Roof. She played Ciboletta in the 1973 film Eine Nacht in Venedig. She also starred in the 1984 film of Carmen.

Early career on Broadway

Migenes' year of birth has been disputed with the years 1943, 1945, 1948, and 1949 all being cited. As a child, Migenes performed the role of "Ngana" in the first national tour of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical South Pacific; she alternated in the role with her sister . Also in the cast were her brother, John, in the role of Jerome, and her half-sister, Jeanette, as Bloody Mary's assistant. Reportedly, the siblings made enough money from the tour to buy their family a small house in the Bronx.
She made her Broadway debut in the musical Carnival! She was a replacement understudy for the lead role of ‘Lili.’ Migenes performed the role from April 2 to April 14, 1962, when lead actress Anna Maria Alberghetti took vacation. Migenes then took on the leading role of ‘Maria’ in the 1964 Broadway revival of West Side Story which played a limited run from April 8 to May 2, 1964, at City Center. Migenes created the role of "Hodel", the second oldest of Tevye’s daughters in the original Broadway cast of Fiddler on the Roof. While the production ran for almost eight years, Migenes’ tenure extended from the production’s first preview on September 17, 1964, through April 1, 1967. Mimi Turque succeeded her in the role of Hodel.

Personal life

Migenes has been married four times. The first time was in 1962 as a teenager to William L. Dean Jr., a singer with Coral Records Company and the Fred Waring Orchestra; the union was annulled in 1963. Her second marriage to Danjo Hotnik ended in divorce, but brought Migenes her first daughter, Martina Michaela. In 1979, Migenes married Jervis Johnson, with whom she had a second daughter, Jessica Allegra. She married Hungarian film director Peter Medak in 1988; they divorced in 2003.

Selected discography

Television

Migenes has also appeared on television, including appearances in: Top C's and Tiaras Channel 4, UK: 6 episodes of songs from operetta and musical theatre. She also appeared in episodes of The Twilight Zone, Webster, and Magnum, P.I..

Film