First and saddest was the passing of Kevin Gray, who reportedly died of a heart attack at age 54 on February 11th. He had starred as the Phantom in the original San Francisco production of Ken Hill's Phantom of the Opera (the first to be staged in the US), and went on to play Raoul and then the Phantom in the Broadway production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's version (where he met his wife, Dodie Pettit, who was in the chorus and went on to play Meg and then Christine). He also played the Phantom in the US Tour of the ALW show. From 2006 to 2010, he was involved with the "Three Phantoms" concerts, in which he toured the US with fellow POTO stars Craig Schulman, Cris Groenendaal, and other alumni to perform favorite songs from a variety of musicals including Phantom. He and his wife attended the 25th anniversary Broadway performance of POTO this January.
In addition to his work with POTO, Kevin was also known for originating the role of Valentin in Kiss of the Spider Woman, playing the King of Siam in the Broadway and UK touring productions of The King and I, and playing the Engineer in Miss Saigon to great acclaim in the Broadway, US Tour, Toronto, and Sacramento Music Circus productions, as well as many regional productions around the US. (You can hear him as the Engineer in the 1995 Complete Symphonic Recording of Miss Saigon.) He also played Kayama in the 1985 revival of Stephen Sondheim's Pacific Overtures, Pontius Pilate in the revival of Jesus Christ Superstar, Gaylord Ravenal in Harold Prince's production of Show Boat, Scar in the US Cheetah Tour of The Lion King, Ché in Evita, the title roles in Jekyll & Hyde, and many other roles in both musicals and straight plays. He was also on several television shows including Law & Order: SVU and Criminal Intent, Ryan's Hope, and Miami Vice, and also costarred in the film White Hot. He taught acting and theatre classes at Rollins College and the University of Hartford's Hartt School. In addition, he recorded audiobooks for numerous authors including Stephen King and Michael Crichton, and released a solo album entitled "It's My Time To Shine" in 2008. (Both those albums I've linked to on Amazon.com are also available through the iTunes Store, and they can be found in regular music shops that carry musical cast albums as well.)
I got to see Kevin perform when the "Three Phantoms" concert came to Hawaii in 2006, where he gave stunning performances of "Guido's Song" from Nine and "The American Dream" from Miss Saigon, among others. When the Cheetah Tour of The Lion King came to Hawaii the following year, I saw him as Scar and then had the opportunity to meet him at the stage door. He was really nice, down-to-earth, and funny, and he was even willing to let me conduct an online interview with him for The Phantom's Opera (where I'm a moderator). I got to meet him again the following year, when "The Three Phantoms" returned to Hawaii -- Kevin did an outstanding rendition of "Gethsemane" from Jesus Christ Superstar, and I wish he could have been recorded singing that song because he was simply astounding. I'll always remember his boundless energy and enthusiasm in everything he did, and how willing he was to chat with fans after shows -- the second time I met him after The Lion King, I could tell he was in a bit of a hurry to get home, but he still took the time to say hello to me and give me his contact info so I could set up that interview later on. I was touched to see the outpouring of support from Kevin's colleagues, students, fans, and friends after the news of his passing; it was clear that he made a difference in the lives of many, many people. BroadwayWorld did a really nice tribute to Kevin, featuring quotes from some of his fellow performers that I think underscore that fact. And after the news came out that he had passed away, the following night's performance of POTO on Broadway featured a cast tribute to Kevin after the show. I would have loved to see him play the Phantom once again, but it's clear to me that he'll be remembered by many Phans around the world as one of the very best.
In other, happier news, the new UK tour of POTO will soon be making its way across the pond to play in many American cities. There's no news on casting yet, and many are dreading the changes from the original Hal Prince/Maria Björnson productions (particularly with regard to costumes and stage direction). Still, I'm interested in seeing this new production; there will no doubt be some things I like and some things I'm not too keen on, but I'm eager to give it a try for myself, and so if I get an opportunity to see it, I'll definitely post a review here.
In the meantime, Phantom by Maury Yeston and Arthur Kopit is also getting some love. For what I believe is the first time ever, the show will be performed in the UK. And a Japanese (nonmusical) stage production of Susan Kay's Phantom has been released on DVD. The price is a little out of my range (nearly $150), but I'm eager to see any clips or reviews of it posted by other Phans.
That's about it for now, but I will update again soon in the near future -- hopefully it won't take quite as long. I leave you with a photo of me and Kevin Gray at the stage door of The Lion King back in 2007.
I remain your obedient servant,
I.A.E.
