2004–2009: Early roles and Broadway debut In 2004, while hanging around in New York City's
Lower East Side club scene, Ashford met nightlife personality
Lady Starlight, a local rock DJ and performance artist. Lady Starlight invited Ashford to dance at her 1970s glitter rock party "Lady Starlight's English Disco" and christened her
Hollywood Starr. Ashford performed in Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey's
Feeling Electric as Natalie at the
New York Musical Theatre Festival in 2005. Soon after graduating from college, Ashford got her big break performing as one of Glinda's friends, Pfanne, and understudying the role of
Glinda on the first national tour of
Wicked. She joined the cast in December 2005 and left in September 2006. She then originated the role of Margot in
Legally Blonde: The Musical, her Broadway debut. She understudied the lead role of Elle Woods, but only played it once. She was featured on the original cast recording and appeared in the
MTV televised airing. Ashford left the show in September 2007. In July 2007, she worked on a musical adaptation of
Catch Me If You Can as Brenda Strong. She previously did a staged reading for the project under the
Tony Award-winning director of
Hairspray,
Jack O'Brien. She departed the company on May 11, 2008, when Kassebaum returned to the role, and transferred to the Chicago production, replacing
Kate Fahrner as Glinda on June 3, 2008. She played her final performance as Glinda on January 25, 2009, when the Chicago production closed. In 2008, she made her film debut with a small part in
Sex and the City: The Movie playing a "spoiled label queen". That same year she also appeared in the
Jonathan Demme film
Rachel Getting Married starring
Anne Hathaway. Ashford played a counter girl. In August 2008, Ashford played
Wednesday Addams in the staged reading for musical adaptation of
The Addams Family with
Nathan Lane and
Bebe Neuwirth, but was later replaced by
Krysta Rodriguez. Other readings include
Bring It On: The Musical as Campbell,
The Black Suits, ''C'mon Get Happy
, Pal Joey'', and a gender-bent version of
Stephen Sondheim's
Company. In 2009, it was announced that Ashford would be one of the principal characters and singers in the new vaudeville styled
Cirque du Soleil show,
Banana Shpeel. However, it was later announced that Ashford and her colleague Michael Longoria were no longer in the cast of the show. Publicists announced that it was a creative decision to remove large portions of dialogue from the show, therefore making their characters non-existent. Ashford was originally slated to stay in the production from its premiere in
Chicago until sometime in 2010.
2010–2013: Established career Ashford starred as Jeanie in the Broadway revival of
Hair. She succeeded Kacie Sheik in the role from March 9, 2010, through June 27, 2010, when the production closed. In September 2010, Ashford made her directorial debut at
Birdland Jazz Club, directing fellow
Hair alum Jay Armstrong Johnson in his solo concert debut. The concert was met with rave reviews, including a notice for Ashford's "thoughtfully put together" directorial style. In September 2010, Ashford played Veronica Sawyer in a concert version of the new musical
Heathers in
New York City. The role was later played by
Barrett Wilbert Weed in the 2014 off-Broadway premiere. In November 2010, Ashford was part of a reading of the musical
Carrie. '' at the
Al Hirschfeld Theatre (2013) In January 2012, Ashford ended her run playing Maureen Johnson in the
Off-Broadway revival of
Rent, which began July 14, 2011 and closed on September 9, 2012. Emma Hunton replaced Ashford as Maureen on January 13, 2012. In February 2012, Ashford made a cameo on
Smash as Lisa McMann and returned for another short appearance in 2013 before the show's cancellation. From June 27 to August 19, 2012, she appeared in the Off-Broadway musical
Dogfight, based on the
1991 film of the same name, playing a toothless hooker named Marcy. The role was played in the film by
Elizabeth Daily. Ashford also performed on the original cast recording of the musical. In 2013, Ashford provided the voice of a troll in
Frozen. She has a short line greeting Kristoff and sings the second female solo after Maia Wilson in the song "Fixer Upper" for the soundtrack. In 2013, after appearing in the Chicago try-outs, Ashford reprised her role as Lauren in the Broadway production of
Kinky Boots, a musical with a book by
Harvey Fierstein and music and lyrics by
Cyndi Lauper.
Variety described Ashford's performance as "sensational", and noted that she was "the only one in the entire cast, by the way, to manage a convincingly impenetrable working-class English accent." For this role, Ashford received nominations for the
Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical and the
Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical. Ashford left her role in
Kinky Boots on March 2, 2014. That same year, Ashford appeared in the recurring role of young sex worker Betty DiMello in season one of the Showtime series
Masters of Sex. Her part was upgraded from a recurring to regular for Season 2. In a limited run from October 2, 2015, to January 3, 2016, Ashford starred as the titular canine in the first Broadway production of
A. R. Gurney's comedy
Sylvia. The show opened at the
Cort Theatre on October 27, 2015. Directed by
Daniel J. Sullivan, the show also starred
Julie White,
Matthew Broderick, and Robert Sella.
Tony Award-winning director
Daniel Sullivan compared Ashford to
Bill Irwin, writing, "she is a great clown, aside from being a wonderful actor...she has that same kind of, just throw it up there, keep trying, finding it, and refining it." Ashford's debut album
Lost in the Stars: Live at 54 Below was released November 13, 2015. On November 17, 2015, it was announced that Ashford had signed with talent agency
ICM Partners. On November 20, 2015, Ashford was selected to present the sixth annual Clive Barnes Theatre Award, taking place on January 11, 2016. On November 30, 2015, Ashford played eight roles in a reading of
Paul Rudnick's critically acclaimed play
Jeffrey, directed by
Christopher Ashley. Other cast included
Michael Urie,
Robin de Jesus,
James Monroe Iglehart,
Andrew Keenan-Bolger, and
Russell Tovey.
2016–present: Career expansion On February 1, 2016, it was announced that Ashford would play the role of Columbia in the
FOX television remake ''
The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do the Time Warp Again''. Ashford starred alongside
Laverne Cox,
Victoria Justice, and
Ryan McCartan. (2014) On July 14, 2016, it was announced that Ashford would be starring opposite
Jake Gyllenhaal in
New York City Center's three October concert performances of
Sunday in the Park with George as Dot/Marie, a role originated by
Bernadette Peters on Broadway. On December 13, 2016, it was announced that Ashford would reprise her role as Dot/Marie opposite Gyllenhaal in
Sunday in the Park with George in the show's Broadway 10-week revival at the
Hudson Theater. Ashford was not eligible for a Tony Award for this performance, as the production withdrew itself from any award competition, including the
Tony Awards. A statement was released on February 3, 2017, saying: "The producers of
Sunday in the Park with George will not be submitting Hudson Theatre’s engagement of this New York City Center production for awards eligibility. With a season so full of tremendous, soon-to-be long-running new musicals and revivals, the producers feel this extremely limited, special run stands most appropriately outside of any awards competition. The production is nevertheless proud to be part of such a landmark Broadway season." David Rooney of
The Hollywood Reporter praised her work writing, "Ashford is the funniest Dot in memory", noting "her mischievous humor and openness [plays] a delicate counterpoint to Gyllenhaal’s Seurat...But there are tremendously moving layers to her characterization too, revealing the searing wound beneath the pride" Marilyn Stasio of
Variety also praised Ashford writing that she has a "stunning voice and [was] quite enchanting". In 2017 the cast album was released by
Warner Music Group. It was produced and mixed by Bart Migal and features the full Broadway company, including
Jake Gyllenhaal,
Robert Sean Leonard,
Erin Davie, and
Penny Fuller. On April 4, 2017, it was announced that Ashford would be joining
The Public Theater's
Shakespeare in the Park production of ''
A Midsummer Night's Dream as Helena. The production also co-starred Phylicia Rashad as Titania, Kristine Nielsen as Puck and Danny Burstein as Nick Bottom. The production received mixed responses but Ashford was praised. Elizabeth Vincentelli of Newsday'' wrote, "[Ashford] has emerged as a sublimely gifted comedienne. She [has] impeccable timing with delightfully unexpected line readings." On September 12, 2017, it was announced that Ashford would join the cast of
Woody Allen's drama film
A Rainy Day in New York, which was completed on October 23, 2017. The film was released in Europe, Asia, Central America, and South America in 2019 and in the UK and US in 2020. On November 3, 2017, it was announced that Ashford would make her
New York Philharmonic debut in a televised New Year's Eve concert celebrating the music of
Leonard Bernstein. Also featuring
Laura Osnes,
Aaron Tveit, and
Christopher Jackson,
New Year’s Eve: Bernstein on Broadway featured songs from Bernstein's scores for
On the Town,
West Side Story,
Candide, and
Wonderful Town. It was accompanied by
Bramwell Tovey and aired on
PBS on December 31, 2017. musicals Ashford appeared as Elizabeth Cote in four episodes of the mini-series
The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, which premiered on January 17, 2018. On February 15, 2018, it was announced that Ashford would lead a single-camera comedy pilot
Southern Hospitality for
ABC.
Tristram Shapeero was set to direct. The pilot was not picked up. Ashford co-starred in the
Jennifer Lopez-led comedy film
Second Act as Hildy, opposite
Vanessa Hudgens. The film was released in 2018. On July 23, 2018, it was announced that Ashford would be starring in
American Reject, a new musical film. Ashford was set to reprise her role as Dot/Marie in
Sunday in the Park with George at the
Savoy Theatre in
London in 2020. However, due to the
COVID-19 pandemic, the run was postponed to 2021. In February 2020, Ashford was cast as one of the two main lead roles for the CBS situation comedy
B Positive, in which she plays Gina, an unstable woman who is the perfect match for a person in need of a kidney, who happens to be a divorced father who she knows from the past. For its second season, the series was revamped and centered on Ashford's character. Ashford also performed the series' lengthy opening theme in a musical-theater style. The final episode aired March 10, 2022. The series was greenlit by
CBS on May 8, 2020, as an entry in the 2020–21 television season. In 2021 she played
Paula Jones in the
Ryan Murphy limited drama series
American Crime Story: Impeachment on
FX. The role, a departure from her comedic roles, was a serious one that demanded a physical transformation. Ashford did not meet with the real-life figure but heavily relied on the wealth of material available. She said "I can have empathy for the fact that she came from a very conservative family...I also have a great deal of empathy for the way the media treated her and the way she was seduced by right-wing operatives to make certain choices at the same time." The following year she played Irene in the
Hulu limited series
Welcome to Chippendales. She starred alongside
Kumail Nanjiani,
Murray Bartlett, and
Juliette Lewis. In 2023, she returned to Broadway in the revival of
Stephen Sondheim's
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street taking on the role of
Mrs. Lovett opposite
Josh Groban as the titular character. She earned rave reviews for her performance, including praise of her vocal abilities and her comedic timing, with many stating she made the role her own and distinguished herself from
Angela Lansbury who originated the role. She received her third
Tony Award nomination, this time for
Best Actress in a Musical. She also earned her first
Grammy Award nomination for
Best Musical Theater Album for her performance on the cast album. It was announced on October 14, 2023, that Ashford's final performance as Mrs. Lovett would be on January 14, 2024. Later that month, it was announced that
Sutton Foster would succeed Ashford as Mrs. Lovett starting on February 9, 2024. ==Personal life==