James Barbour (singer)

James Barbour (born April 25, 1966)[1] is an American singer and theatre actor who played the title role in the Broadway production of The Phantom of the Opera from February 2015 until December 2017. Among his other credits are the Beast in Beauty and the Beast and Sydney Carton in A Tale of Two Cities, for which he was nominated for a Drama Desk Award.

For other people named James Barbour, see James Barbour (disambiguation).

James Barbour
Born (1966-04-25) April 25, 1966
Cherry Hill, New Jersey, U.S.
EducationHofstra University
Occupation(s)Actor, singer
Years active1993–present
Criminal chargesTwo counts of endangering the welfare of a child
Criminal penalty36 days in prison (2008); three years of probation
SpouseDana Stackpole
Children2

In 2008, Barbour pleaded guilty to two counts of endangering the welfare of a child,[2] and he admitted to engaging in sexual activities with a 15-year-old on more than one occasion.[3]

Early life and education

Barbour was born April 25, 1966, in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.[1] He graduated from Hofstra University,[4] where he majored in English and Theatre with a minor in Philosophy and Physics.[5]

Career

Barbour made his Broadway debut in 1993, in the production of Cyrano: The Musical.[6] He also played Billy Bigelow in Carousel in 1994[7] and the Beast in Beauty and the Beast in 1998.[8] He was nominated for a Drama League Award in the Outstanding Actor In A Musical category for his role as Edward Rochester in Jane Eyre. He played Leon Czolgosz in Assassins. He also appeared in the Broadway production of Urinetown, and in the national tours of The Secret Garden and Camelot.[1] He also co-founded Laughing Dog Entertainment with the theatre director Steve Binder.[9]

He played Lancelot in the 2005 Hollywood Bowl production of Camelot.[10] In late 2007, he performed the role of Sydney Carton in a pre-Broadway musical adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities at the Asolo Repertory Theatre in Sarasota, Florida.[11] In 2008, Barbour reprised his role in the Broadway production of A Tale of Two Cities, which closed after 60 performances.[12] In the New York Times, critic Ben Brantley wrote that he disliked both the production and Barbour's performance in it.[13] Barbour was nominated for the Drama League, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Awards in the Best Actor in a Musical category for his role in A Tale of Two Cities.[14]

In 2011, it was announced that he would play the supporting role of Jack Favel in the Broadway musical adaptation of Rebecca. The production was plagued with legal and financial problems, and the production has been indefinitely postponed after multiple delays.[15][16] Barbour then played the title role in the Broadway production of The Phantom of the Opera for nearly three years, from February 2015 until December 2017.[17]

He launched a holiday concert series at New York's Sardi's Restaurant in 2008.[18] Each performance featured a guest performer, including Brandi Burkhardt, Natalie Toro, Deborah Gibson, Marla Schaffel, Marc Kudisch, and Kevin Earley.[19] He repeated the holidays concerts in 2009 in both New York and Los Angeles.[20] In 2010, he expanded these concerts to six cities.[21] He followed this with a second Sardi's concert series, "Love Songs", featuring numerous Broadway classics.[22] The annual holiday concert series has since moved to Birdland, a Manhattan jazz club.[23]

In March 2017, Barbour's likeness was immortalized in a caricature portrait on the wall at Sardi's.[24][25] The same year, he finished writing The Ghosts of the Majestic, a solo show about John Raitt, Robert Goulet, and Ezio Pinza, three notable actors that performed at the Majestic Theatre.[14]

Personal life

Barbour is married to fellow performer Dana Stackpole, with whom he has two daughters.[1][25]

He has been an Artist Committee Board member of The Actors Fund of America for since 2000[26] during which time he has performed many charitable fundraisers in support of the Fund and Broadway Cares/ Equity Fights AIDS.[27] In 2014, he gave a fundraising performance for Scientology.[28] He has given benefit concerts for his alma mater, Hofstra University.[29]

Arrest

In April 2006, Barbour was arrested and charged with five counts of sexual abuse and sodomy, after a woman accused him of committing statutory rape against her in 2001, when she was 15 years old.[30][31][32] In December 2006 he was indicted by a grand jury in New York for said crime.[33][34][35][36][37]

In January 2008, Barbour pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of endangering the welfare of a minor in exchange for a lesser sentence in jail and three years' probation. Also, in accordance with his plea bargain, Barbour made a public allocution to these misdemeanors.[3][38] He served his sentence at Rikers Island, which lasted for 36 days beginning on February 29, 2008.[39][40]

Broadway appearances

Filmography

Discography

Awards
  • 2001 Drama League Award – Edward Rochester, Jane Eyre ~ The Musical (WIN)
  • 2006/7 LA Weekly Garland Award – Back From Broadway (WIN)
  • 2007 Sarasota Magazine Award for Best Actor in a Musical – Sydney Carton, A Tale of Two Cities (WIN – Tie)
  • 2008-2009 BroadwayWorld Fan Choice Award for Best Actor in a Musical – Sydney Carton, A Tale of Two Cities (Finalist /Runner-Up )
  • 2009 Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Actor in a Musical – Sydney Carton, A Tale of Two Cities (Nomination)
  • 2009 Drama Desk Award for Best Actor in a Musical – Sydney Carton, A Tale of Two Cities (Nomination)

References
  1. "James Barbour – Broadway Cast & Staff". Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  2. Hartocollis, Anemona (January 4, 2008). "Broadway Actor Pleads Guilty to Backstage Sex Act With Girl, 15, in 2001". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  3. Italiano, Laura (January 4, 2008). "Beast: I Pawed Gal, 15". New York Post. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  4. "James Barbour to Star in Hofstra Benefit Concert June 27 – TheaterMania". www.theatermania.com. May 22, 2009.
  5. Lefkowitz, David (January 2, 2001). "PLAYBILL ON-LINE'S BRIEF ENCOUNTER with James Barbour". Playbill.
  6. Blank, Matthew (April 30, 2015). "Photo Call: First Look! James Barbour Delivers the Music of the Night in Broadway's Phantom of the Opera". Playbill. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  7. McNeil, Donald G., Jr (December 26, 1994). "Egos and Charity Both Get a Lift In Role Auctions (Published 1994)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 7, 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. Beckerman, Jim (September 20, 1998). "Braxton is singing a different tune". Tallahassee Democrat. p. 10D. Retrieved December 7, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. "Steve Binder Bio". The Caucus. 2014. Archived from the original on August 12, 2019. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  10. Casting Complete for Hollywood Bowl Camelot; Creative Team Announced
  11. Handelman, Jay (October 29, 2007). "A Tale of Two Cities". Variety. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  12. "A Tale of Two Cities". Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  13. Brantley, Ben (November 14, 2008). "Revolution (and Love) on Their Minds". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  14. Viagas, Robert (March 6, 2017). "James Barbour Penning a Solo Show About 3 Great Broadway Stars". Playbill. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  15. "James Barbour Joins Broadway's Rebecca & Announces Holiday Concerts". Broadway.com. November 15, 2011. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
  16. Boroff, Philip (May 30, 2019). "Escape from Manderley: 'Rebecca' Producer Settles with Press Agent". Broadway Journal. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  17. "He's Here! James Barbour Will Replace Norm Lewis in The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway". Broadway.com.
  18. BWW News Desk. "James Barbour's Sardi's Holiday Concert Series Begins Festive Run 12/20". BroadwayWorld.com.
  19. "James Barbour". jamesbarbour.blogspot.com.
  20. BWW News Desk. "JAMES BARBOUR'S HOLIDAY CONCERT 2009 Comes To NYC And LA". BroadwayWorld.com.
  21. BWW News Desk. "James Barbour Launches Six-City Holiday Concert Tour". BroadwayWorld.com.
  22. "James Barbour". jamesbarbour.blogspot.com.
  23. Keddy, Genevieve Rafter (December 11, 2017). "Photo Coverage: James Barbour Brings 9th Annual Holiday Concert to Birdland". Broadway World. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  24. McBride, Walter (March 11, 2017). "Photo Coverage: James Barbour Celebrates Sardi's Portrait Unveiling". Broadway World. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  25. Gordon, David (March 13, 2017). "Phantom of the Opera's James Barbour Gets a Sardi's Caricature". TheaterMania. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  26. "The Artists' Committee". The Actor's Fund. Archived from the original on December 5, 2010.
  27. "The Actor's Fund Performance". Feinstein's at Loews Regency.
  28. "Ideal Org Event Recap". Scientology Flyer on Tony Ortega's Blog.
  29. "Hofstra Entertainment Presents James Barbour: Broadway in Concert". Hofstra University. Archived from the original on December 3, 2010.
  30. Murray Weiss (April 6, 2006). "Actor in Sex Arrest" (archive). New York Post.
  31. Nicole Kristal (April 6, 2006). "Broadway Actor Arrested for Abuse". Backstage.com.
  32. Remain Silent? Some in Custody Spell It All Out, The New York Times, January 5, 2007
  33. Laura Italiano (December 6, 2006). "Sexy 'beast' busted as perv". New York Post. Archived from the original on December 8, 2006.
  34. Laura Italiano (December 7, 2006). "'Beast' had even younger prey". New York Post. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007.
  35. "'Beauty and the Beast' Actor Pleads Not Guilty to Charges of Sexual Abuse of a 15-Year-Old Girl". Fox News. Associated Press. December 6, 2006. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  36. Gross Idea in Broadway Actor's Sex Abuse Case Archived January 25, 2013, at archive.today
  37. Maull, Samuel (July 20, 2007). "Court Gags Broadway Beast Actor's Lawyer". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  38. Type casting: Broadway 'Beast' pleads guilty to molestation, The New York Daily News, January 3, 2008
  39. Laura Italiano (March 1, 2008). "BROADWAY BEAST CAGED". New York Post.
  40. Kragen, Pam (October 6, 2011). "Felder, Barbour collaborate on soul-baring musical". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
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