A Tale Of One Opening Night
A Tale Of One Opening NightThis evening, the very first Broadway musical version ever of
Charles Dickens' classic 1859 historical novel opens. Helmed by
Warren Carlyle,
A Tale Of Two Cities comes to life as a tuner with a book and score by
Jill Santoriello.
The cast includes
James Barbour as Sydney Carton and
Aaron Lazar as Charles Darnay, along with
Broadway stalwart
Gregg Edelman as Dr. Alexandre Manette and one of my favorite touring musical actresses,
Natalie Toro as Madame Therese Defarge.
Will critics find the best in this show? Find out tomorrow as I provide my critics' capsule of the reviews for
A Tale of Two Cities.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: A Tale Of Two Cities, Aaron Lazar, Book, Broadway, Charles Dickens, Gregg Edelman, James Barbour, Jill Santoriello, Musical, Natalie Toro
Demon Barbour?Broadway actor
James Barbour, who has been convicted of a mis-demeanor for "endan-gering the welfare of a minor,"
was sentenced yesterday to 60 days in jail and three years on probation.
Barbour, of course, once played the Beast in the Disney smash
Beauty And The Beast. But I've seen him perform in both Broadway's 2004 "revival" of
Assassins and in the touring production of
Camelot.
After initially denying the charges that he sexually molested a 15 year old girl back in 2001, the actor eventually pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of fondling her after
allegations of impropriety with an even younger girl were leveled against him.
If you're going to do the crime, you've got to do the time. There is some justice here.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories:Barbour Affair: A Minor Trifle?(January 9, 2008)
Camelot (The SOB Review) (March 15, 2007)
Labels: Assassins, Beauty And The Beast, Broadway, Camelot, Crime, James Barbour
Barbour Affair: A Minor Trifle?I remember sitting in the audience for the recent touring production of
Camelot, thumbing through my Playbill and realizing that
James Barbour would be in the production.
It wasn't his terrific portrayal from
Assassins as President
William McKinley's killer
Leon Czolgosz that sparked my recognition. No, it was something even more sinister.
Although I'm a big believer in innocent until proven guilty, I couldn't help but think of the
indictment against him throughout the course of the performance and how bizarre it seemed that someone with those charges against him would be free to traverse the country.
Now, he's pleaded guilty to
two lesser misdemeanor charges of sexually fondling a then-15 year old girl. But according to
New York Post's
Michael Riedel, that includes engaging her
a la Bill Clinton. As part of the plea bargain, he won't be subject to sex offender laws, which means he can travel the country without any type of notification
and he can work with minors.
Riedel points out that Barbour will still be moving forward with his lead role in the upcoming Broadway-bound
Tale Of Two Cities musical:
On Feb. 29, Barbour, who was also in Beauty And the Beast" and Assassins, will be sentenced to two months in jail and three years' probation for endangering the welfare of a minor.
His stint in the clinker (with good behavior, he'll be out in 38 days) shouldn't interfere with the production schedule of A Tale Of Two Cities.
Mothers, no doubt, might have a dickens of a time allowing their young daughters to see this show unescorted.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).Labels: A Tale Of Two Cities, Assassins, Broadway, Camelot, James Barbour, Michael Riedel, Musical
