Who is Natalie Venetia Belcon?
Natalie Venetia Belcon is an actress and singer who was born in Trinidad and later became an American citizen. She is most recognized for her portrayal of the character Gary Coleman, a former child television star, in the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical Avenue Q.
Additionally, her Broadway repertoire features roles such as Omara in Buena Vista Social Club, Joanne Jefferson in Rent, and Erzulie in Once on This Island.
Career
Natalie Venetia Belcon has contributed to the original cast recordings of Avenue Q, The Glorious Ones, and The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin.
She portrayed Columbina in the world premiere of the musical The Glorious Ones, which is adapted from the novel of the same title by Francine Prose, at the Pittsburgh Public Theater in April 2007.
Later in 2007, she reprised the same role Off-Broadway, where a critic noted that her “seductive presence is matched by her smoky voice.”
Belcon has been involved in various productions and workshops of The Last Smoker in America, an original four-character musical by Bill Russell and Peter Melnick, which had its world premiere at CATCO in Columbus, Ohio.
A workshop production was previously held during the 2009 New York Musical Theatre Festival. The Last Smoker in America began its Off-Broadway run at the Westside Theatre on July 11, 2012, and ended in September 2012.
She was cast as Mrs. Phelps in Matilda the Musical on Broadway at the Shubert Theatre, succeeding Karen Aldridge.
In March 2025, she debuted in the Broadway production of Buena Vista Social Club, taking on the lead role of Omara, where she “excels at dropping dry cut-downs with the hauteur of someone who does not suffer fools or amateurs.” She earned a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical.
Belcon appeared as an HR representative in Damages. Before this, she was featured in Johnny and the Sprites until its finale, alongside her Avenue Q co-star, John Tartaglia. She plays the character Gwen, who is the neighbor of Tartaglia’s character, Johnny T.
Natalie Venetia Belcon has had recurring roles on television series such as The Education of Max Bickford, Beverly Hills, 90210, and Roc.
Her most notable guest appearance occurred in an episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, where she played JoAnn Morgan. She has also guest-starred in episodes of Martin, Living Single, and The Cosby Show.
