Boston Conservatory Grads Costar with Sutton Foster and Kelli O’Hara for One Night Only

“I’ll be seeing you soon, I know it,” Tony-winning actor Kelli O’Hara '25H told Boston Conservatory at Berklee graduates in her May 2025 commencement speech, anticipating they might become future colleagues. But, few would have expected her prediction to pan out in months, not years. By July, O’Hara was already working with two members of the class of 2025—Bailey Greemon and Liesie Kelly—who joined her and fellow Broadway star Sutton Foster '19H for a sold-out performance with the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood.

Among their outrageously long list of accolades, Foster and O’Hara have earned a combined 15 Tony nominations and three wins. Both also hold honorary doctorates from Boston Conservatory, and so it made sense that when casting the ensemble for their nearby Tanglewood show, they would look to Conservatory grads, recruiting young performers who aspire to follow in their footsteps. 

Though they’ve been friends for more than 20 years and fixtures on Broadway for equally as long, Foster and O’Hara have never costarred together in a musical. So, they created their own vehicle: a nationally touring show called One Night Only, modeled after a landmark 1960s television special featuring all-time Broadway besties Carol Burnett and Julie Andrews. An update on the classic musical theater revue, the show is built around the natural affinity and serious vocal talents of its two stars.

Roommates and best friends, Greemon and Kelly studied together in the Conservatory’s musical theater program and brought an added layer of camaraderie to their One Night Only performance. The pair danced and sang backing vocals on golden-age Broadway tunes from Anything Goes, Most Happy Fella, and The Music Man. They also were gifted a duet of their own to sing: “I Will Never Leave You” from the musical Side Show. 

Despite their very recent alumni status, Greemon and Kelly already have acquired a hefty amount of professional theater experience. Kelly spent their junior year as an ensemble member of the Jagged Little Pill national tour, covering the roles of Jo and Bella; while Greemon, during her senior year, joined the national tour of Funny Girl as a swing, covering an impressive eight tracks.

Watch the complete commencement speeches by Sutton Foster and Kelli O’Hara, and learn more about Boston Conservatory at Berklee’s undergraduate program in musical theater.