Laura Osnes -- Broadway star and MN native -- wasn't given COVID-19 test option due to 'miscommunication'

Ross Raihala, Pioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn.
·2 min read

Aug. 19—It appears the Laura Osnes vaccination saga has come to a close.

Nearly a week after the New York Post first reported that the Broadway star and Minnesota native Laura Osnes had lost a gig after refusing to be vaccinated against COVID-19, the paper has followed up with a story that said "miscommunication" was the reason Osnes wasn't given the option to instead take a COVID test.

Osnes, 35, was set to star in a one-night-only production of "Crazy for You" on Aug. 29 at Guild Hall in East Hampton. After the Post's first story ran, Osnes issued a lengthy response on Instagram. She said she refused to get vaccinated and voluntarily left the production, but that "I would have tested in a heartbeat — something I have been doing for months, and will continue to do, in order to keep working safely."

The Post's latest story includes a statement from Guild Hall: "Unfortunately, there was a miscommunication of our policy, and Laura Osnes voluntarily opted out of the one-night-only performance. She was graciously doing this event as a charitable gesture to Guild Hall, and for this we are grateful. Laura is a talented artist and we look forward to working with her again in the future."

Born in Burnsville and raised in Eagan, Osnes earned national attention when she won the role of Sandy in a Broadway revival of "Grease" after competing in the 2007 NBC reality show "Grease: You're the One that I Want." She went on to establish herself as one of Broadway's brightest young talents, starring in "South Pacific," "Anything Goes" and "Bandstand." She received Tony Award nominations for her roles in "Bonnie and Clyde" and Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Cinderella."

If Osnes, who has described herself as a conservative Christian, continues to refuse the vaccine, she won't be working on Broadway any time soon, as the Broadway League has announced that when shows reopen, audience, performers and staff will need to show proof of vaccination.