Kuhn was born in New Y… Read Full Bio ↴Judy Kuhn is an American actress and soprano.
Kuhn was born in New York City on May 20, 1958. Her training as a classical soprano was at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, from which she graduated in 1981. She earned her first Broadway credit working as an assistant to the director of a short-lived musical, Don't Step on My Olive Branch, in 1976. Her first onstage appearance on the Great White Way was in The Mystery of Edwin Drood, a Rupert Holmes musical based on the unfinished Charles Dickens novel, in 1985. Her next production was the ill-fated Rags, which closed two days after opening night, but she hit paydirt with her next assignment, the New York premiere of Les Misérables (1987), in which she portrayed Cosette, and for which she received her first Tony Award nomination, as Best Featured Actress in a Musical.
The following year, Kuhn took on another transfer from London's West End, the Trevor Nunn-directed Chess, with music by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus (formerly of ABBA) and lyrics by Tim Rice. Despite the show's huge success in London, its creative team decided to rework it for Broadway, with disastrous results. It was greeted indifferently by the critics and closed after a less than two-month run, but Kuhn managed to earn another Tony nod, this time as Best Actress. Two Shakespearean Actors (1992), despite an impressive cast that included Brian Bedford, Frances Conroy, Hope Davis, Victor Garber, Laura Innes, and Eric Stoltz, was even less successful, closing after only sixty-two performances.
Kuhn hit the jackpot once again with the 1993 revival of She Loves Me - the charming musical adaptation of the film The Shop Around the Corner - in which she portrayed Amalia Balash, a young Budapest shopgirl who is unaware that the co-worker she despises is the young man with whom she's been sharing an anonymous correspondence. Her performance was rewarded with a third Tony nomination.
Kuhn's most recent Broadway appearances were in concerts. King David was a 1997 Disney project with a book and lyrics by Tim Rice and music by Alan Menken and directed by Mike Ockrent, but despite its impressive credits it never evolved into a full-scale production. Funny Girl (2002), with an all-star cast - including a series of different actresses taking on the role of Fanny Brice - was the much-anticipated second annual benefit for The Actors' Fund, with Kuhn singing the plaintive "Who Are You Now?"
Kuhn's off-Broadway and regional theater credits include Eli's Comin' (for which she won an Obie Award), the title role in The Ballad of Little Jo at the Steppenwolf Theater Company in Chicago, As Thousands Cheer, Strike Up The Band, The Glass Menagerie, and Martin Guerre. She appeared in the Los Angeles production of Sunset Boulevard, and in London was nominated for an Olivier Award for her performance in Metropolis.
She sang the title role in Disney's animated film Pocahontas, as well as in the made-for-video sequel, Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World.
In the same year, Kuhn reprised her role as Cosette for the 10th anniversary production of Les Miserables at the Royal Albert Hall, London.
Kuhn's television credits include the NBC crime drama Law & Order, the soap opera All My Children on ABC, and two PBS productions - My Favorite Broadway: The Leading Ladies and In Performance At The White House.
Kuhn has performed in concert at Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, and Avery Fisher Hall in Manhattan, and at the Royal Albert Hall in London. In addition to being a cast member on various original cast recordings, she released a solo album, Just In Time: Judy Kuhn Sings Jule Styne.
Discography
* The Mystery of Edwin Drood (1985 Original Broadway Cast)
* Les Misérables (1987 Original Broadway Cast)
* Chess (1988 Original Broadway Cast)
* Metropolis (1989 Original London Cast)
* Sunset Boulevard (1994 Los Angeles Cast)
* Just in Time: Judy Kuhn Sings Jule Styne (1995)
* Les Miserables 10th Anniversary Concert (1996)
* As Thousands Cheer (1998 New York Revival Cast)
Just Around the Riverbend
Judy Kuhn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You can't step in the same river twice
The water's always changing, always flowing
But people, I guess, can't live like that
We all must pay a price
To be safe, we lose our chance of ever knowing
What's around the riverbend
I look once more
Just around the riverbend
Beyond the shore
Where the gulls fly free
Don't know what for
What I dream, the day might send
Just around the riverbend
For me
Coming for me
I feel it there, beyond those trees
Or right behind these waterfalls
Can I ignore that sound of distant drumming?
For a handsome sturdy husband, who builds handsome sturdy walls
And never dreams that something might be coming?
Just around the riverbend
Just around the riverbend
I look once more
Just around the riverbend
Beyond the shore
Somewhere past the sea
Don't know what for
Why do all my dreams extend
Just around the riverbend?
Just around the riverbend
Should I choose the smoothest course
Steady as the beating drum?
Should I marry Kocoum?
Is all my dreaming at an end?
Or do you still wait for me, Dream Giver
Just around the riverbend?
The lyrics of the song "Just Around The Riverbend" by Judy Kuhn beautifully capture the dualities of life - the excitement of exploring the unknown and the safety of living a predictable life. The first lines of the song declare the singer's love for rivers, as they symbolize the constant motion and change of life: "What I love most about rivers is You can't step in the same river twice The water's always changing, always flowing." However, the second half of the verse shows that humans crave stability and are not content with living in constant change: "But people, I guess, can't live like that We all must pay a price To be safe, we lose our chance of ever knowing What's around the riverbend Waiting just around the riverbend."
The chorus of the song frames the dilemma perfectly - on the one hand, the singer dreams of exploring what's around the riverbend, and on the other hand, they are aware of the tradeoffs of venturing into the unknown: "I look once more just around the riverbend Beyond the shore, where the gulls fly free Don't know what for what I dream the day might send Just around the riverbend for me, coming for me." The final verse presents the singer's final conflict - to choose a safe and predictable life or embrace the adventure of the unknown: "Should I choose the smoothest course Steady as the beating drum? Should I marry Kocoum? Is all my dreaming at an end? Or do you still wait for me, Dream Giver Just around the riverbend?" The song leaves this question open-ended, highlighting the eternal struggle between comfort and adventure, predictability and exploration.
Line by Line Meaning
What I love most about rivers is
Rivers always change and flow, which is what I love about them the most.
You can't step in the same river twice
Rivers are constantly changing, so each time you step in, it's a new experience.
The water's always changing, always flowing
The movement of a river is always different and never stagnant.
But people, I guess, can't live like that
People crave stability and consistency in their lives, unlike rivers.
We all must pay a price
In exchange for stability, we must give up the thrill of uncertainty and exploration.
To be safe, we lose our chance of ever knowing
We sacrifice the excitement of discovering new things in order to feel secure.
What's around the riverbend
What new experiences await us around the corner?
Waiting just around the riverbend
Exciting possibilities lurk just out of sight.
I look once more just around the riverbend
I am eager to discover what lies beyond my current view.
Beyond the shore, where the gulls fly free
I want to explore beyond the safe confines of my current surroundings.
Don't know what for what I dream the day might send
I am curious and open to the unknown possibilities that await me.
Just around the riverbend for me, coming for me
I sense that there are great things waiting for me on the horizon.
I feel it there beyond those trees
I sense that there is something great just beyond my current view.
Or right behind these waterfalls
Maybe the thing I seek is hidden behind an obstacle that I can overcome.
Can I ignore that sound of distant drumming?
I am tempted to ignore the call of adventure, but I know deep down it is what I truly want.
For a handsome sturdy husband who builds handsome sturdy walls
I am tempted to settle down and build a comfortable, predictable life with a reliable partner.
And never dreams that something might be coming?
This partner is content to remain complacent and ignorant of the endless possibilities that life holds.
Should I choose the smoothest course
Should I choose the easy, predictable path?
Steady as the beating drum?
Should I follow a path that's well-worn and reliable?
Should I marry Kocoum?
Should I settle down with a predictable partner and live a comfortable life?
Is all my dreaming at an end?
Have I given up on my dreams and settled for the mundane?
Or do you still wait for me, Dream Giver
Is there still a chance for me to chase my dreams and explore new challenges?
Just around the riverbend?
Are there still new experiences waiting for me, just around the corner?
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Alan Menken, Stephen Laurence Schwartz
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind