Jim Walton (actor)

Last updated
Jim Walton
Born
Tachikawa, Japan [1]
Education University of Cincinnati – College-Conservatory of Music
OccupationActor

Jim Walton is an American actor, most notable for his leading performance in the original production of Stephen Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along as Franklin Shephard.

Contents

Early life

Walton was born in Tachikawa, Japan, and grew up in Marion, Indiana. [2]

Career

He graduated with a musical theatre degree from the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati [3] and moved to New York City in 1979, the year in which he was in Big Bad Burlesque and "Scrambled Feet". In November 1980, he made his Broadway debut in Perfectly Frank, a revue of Frank Loesser's songs. [4]

In December 1980, at auditions for Merrily, director Harold Prince asked him how old he was. At that time, he was 25, and he decided to tell the truth about his age. He was sure he would be cut because they were looking for people closer to 18. He was relieved when they announced to the room that this was the cast of Merrily, but would have to wait nine months because Sondheim had not finished the score at this time. [5] Jim Weissenbach was originally cast as Franklin Shepard, but was let go during previews and Walton was chosen as his replacement. [6] Merrily only lasted for 16 performances.

In the fall of 1982, he went on tour with 42nd Street , in which he later appeared on Broadway.

He was next in the 1987 musical revue Stardust, a musical of Mitchell Parish's songs. He next starred as Anthony Hope in the 1989 revival of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street , with Bob Gunton as the title character. [4] In 1990, he was in the musical revue Closer Than Ever . [7]

He was in the 1991 original Off-Broadway cast of And the World Goes 'Round . [7]

He starred in the 1998 American premiere of The Fix at the Signature Theatre as Reed Chandler. He was also in the 2000 revival of The Music Man . [4]

In 2003, he starred as Eliot Rosewater in a concert production of Howard Ashman's and Alan Menken's musical Kurt Vonnegut's God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater alongside Carolee Carmello and David Pittu. [8]

He was in the 2004 Off-Broadway musical Chef's Theater: A Musical Feast. [9] At North Shore Music Theatre in 2008, he played Frank in Show Boat . [10]

He returned to Broadway in 2009 as Harry the Horse and an understudy for Nicely-Nicely Johnson in Guys and Dolls and as Charles F. Maude in Bye Bye Birdie , as well as the 2011 production of Company . [11]

He was also in the 2011 limited engagement of the new musical by Maury Yeston, Death Takes a Holiday . [4]

He has been in three PBS performances. He performed in the 1985 Philharmonic concert of Sondheim's Follies as Young Buddy, with Mandy Patinkin portraying the older Buddy. The two-day concert was recorded and released on CD. He was also in Crazy for You and The All Night Strut. [1]

He played the role of Hog-eye in the 2017 Broadway revival of Sunset Boulevard , with Glenn Close starring as Norma Desmond.

He joined the Broadway company of Come from Away on November 13, 2018 in the role of Nick/Doug and others, [12] and stayed with the production until it closed in 2022, including performing in the 2021 film alongside his niece, Emily Walton.

Works

Walton and his brother Bob wrote My Brother's Keeper, Double Trouble, and Midlife! The Crisis Musical, the latter of which premiered at the Chanhassen Dinner Theaters and is licensed through R&H Theatricals.

Personal life

He is brother to actor Bob Walton and brother-in-law to actress Laurie Walton. [4] He is the father of Tyler (Walton) Zeller.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen Sondheim</span> American composer and lyricist (1930–2021)

Stephen Joshua Sondheim was an American composer and lyricist. Regarded as one of the most important figures in 20th-century musical theater, he is credited with reinventing the American musical. With his frequent collaborators Harold Prince and James Lapine, Sondheim's Broadway musicals tackled unexpected themes that ranged beyond the genre's traditional subjects, while addressing darker elements of the human experience. His music and lyrics were tinged with complexity, sophistication, and ambivalence about various aspects of life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alan Menken</span> American composer (born 1949)

Alan Irwin Menken is an American composer, best known for his scores and songs for films produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and Skydance Animation. Menken's music for The Little Mermaid (1989), Beauty and the Beast (1991), Aladdin (1992), and Pocahontas (1995) has each won him two Academy Awards. He also composed the scores and songs for Little Shop of Horrors (1986), Newsies (1992), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), Hercules (1997), Home on the Range (2004), Enchanted (2007), Tangled (2010), and Disenchanted (2022), among others. His accolades include winning eight Academy Awards — becoming the second most prolific Oscar winner in the music categories after Alfred Newman, a Tony Award, eleven Grammy Awards, seven Golden Globe Awards, and a Daytime Emmy Award. Menken is one of nineteen people to have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Lapine</span> American stage director and librettist

James Elliot Lapine is an American stage director, playwright, screenwriter, and librettist. He has won the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical three times, for Into the Woods, Falsettos, and Passion. He has frequently collaborated with Stephen Sondheim and William Finn.

Annie Golden is an American actress and singer. She first came to prominence as the lead singer of the punk band the Shirts from 1975 to 1981 with whom she recorded three albums. She began her acting career as Mother in the 1977 Broadway revival of Hair; later taking on the role of Jeannie Ryan in the 1979 film version of the musical. Other notable film credits include Desperately Seeking Susan (1985), Baby Boom (1987), Longtime Companion (1989), Strictly Business (1991), Prelude to a Kiss (1992), 12 Monkeys (1995), The American Astronaut (2001), It Runs in the Family (2003), Adventures of Power (2008), and I Love You Phillip Morris (2009).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Judy Kuhn</span> American actress and singer (born 1958)

Judy Kuhn is an American actress, singer and activist, known for her work in musical theatre. A four-time Tony Award nominee, she has released four studio albums and sang the title role in the 1995 film Pocahontas, including her rendition of the song "Colors of the Wind", which won its composers the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carolee Carmello</span> American actress

Carolee Carmello is an American actress best known for her performances in Broadway musicals and for playing the role of Maple LaMarsh on the television series Remember WENN (1996–1998). She is a three-time Tony Award nominee and a five-time Drama Desk nominee, winning the 1999 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical for her role in Parade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donna Murphy</span> American actress (born 1959)

Donna Murphy is an American actress, best known for her work in musical theater. A five-time Tony Award nominee, she has twice won the Tony for Best Actress in a Musical: for her role as Fosca in Passion (1994–1995) and as Anna Leonowens in The King and I (1996–1997). She was also nominated for her roles as Ruth Sherwood in Wonderful Town (2003), Lotte Lenya in LoveMusik (2007), and Bubbie/Raisel in The People in the Picture (2011).

Walter Bobbie is an American theatre director, choreographer, and occasional actor and dancer. Bobbie has directed both musicals and plays on Broadway and Off-Broadway, and was the Artistic Director of the New York City Center Encores! concert series. He directed the long-running Broadway revival of the musical Chicago. His most well-known acting role was Nicely-Nicely Johnson in the 1992 Broadway revival of Guys and Dolls.

Jane Ann "Janie" Sell is an American stage actress. She has performed in plays and musicals both on and off-Broadway, as well as in some films and television episodes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexander Gemignani</span> American actor and musician (born 1979)

Alexander Cesare Gemignani is a Broadway actor, tenor, musician, and conductor. He was nominated for a Tony Award for his performance in Carousel and a Drama Desk Award for his performance in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marin Mazzie</span> American actress

Marin Joy Mazzie was an American actress and singer known for her work in musical theatre.

<i>Minnies Boys</i> Musical play

Minnie's Boys is a musical with a book by Arthur Marx and Robert Fisher, music by Larry Grossman, and lyrics by Hal Hackady.

<i>Merrily We Roll Along</i> (musical) 1981 musical by Stephen Sondheim and George Furth

Merrily We Roll Along is a 1981 American musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by George Furth. It is based on the 1934 play of the same name by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart.

Lonny Price is an American director, actor, and writer, primarily in theatre. He is best known for his New York directing work, including Sunset Boulevard, Sweeney Todd, Company, and Sondheim! The Birthday Concert. As an actor, he is perhaps best known for his creation of the role of Charley Kringas in the Broadway musical Merrily We Roll Along, Neil Kellerman in Dirty Dancing, and Ronnie Crawford in The Muppets Take Manhattan.

Jonathan Hadary is an American actor.

Debbie Shapiro Gravitte is an American actress and singer. She was born in Los Angeles, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norm Lewis</span> American actor, singer (born 1963)

Norm Lewis is an American actor and baritone singer. He has appeared on Broadway, in the West End, film, television, recordings and regional theatre. He’s also noted for his wide vocal range. Lewis was the second African-American actor after Robert Guillaume to perform in the title role in Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera and the first one to do so in the Broadway production. In 2023, he reprised the role in the show's sequel, Love Never Dies, in London's West End.

<i>Sondheim on Sondheim</i> 2010 musical revue of songs by Stephen Sondheim

Sondheim on Sondheim is a musical revue consisting of music and lyrics written by Stephen Sondheim for his many shows. It is conceived and directed by James Lapine. The revue had a limited run on Broadway in 2010.

David Loud is an American music supervisor, music director, conductor, vocal and dance arranger, pianist and actor. He is best known for his collaborations with and interpretations of the music of both Kander and Ebb and Stephen Sondheim.

<i>Kurt Vonneguts God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater</i> Musical

Kurt Vonnegut's God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater is a 1979 musical that marked the first collaboration of composer Alan Menken and writer Howard Ashman. Based on Kurt Vonnegut's 1965 novel of the same name, the musical tells the story of Eliot Rosewater, a millionaire who develops a social conscience and creates a foundation to improve the lives of the citizens of an impoverished Indiana town.

References

  1. 1 2 "Jim Walton". Rogers & Hammerstein.
  2. ↑ "Who's Who in The FIX at Signature Theatre". www.geocities.ws.
  3. ↑ Everett, Carole J. (2009). "University of Cincinnati College—Conservatory of Music". College Guide for Performing Arts Majors: The Real-World Admission Guide for Dance, Music, and Theater Majors. Peterson's. p. 325. ISBN   9780768926989. Faculty, Resident Artists, and Alumni ... Alumni continue to hold key positions in the performing and media arts. Numbered among them are ... musical theatre stars Faith Prince, Lee Roy Reams, Michele Pawk, Jason Graae, Jim Walton, Vicki Lewis, and Ashley Brown.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "Jim Walton – Broadway Cast & Staff". Internet Broadway Database.
  5. ↑ http://blog.staytimessquare.com/?m=201101%5B%5D
  6. ↑ "The Sondheim Review - Dedicated to the works of Stephen Sondheim". The Sondheim Review. Archived from the original on 2011-09-29.
  7. 1 2 "Jim Walton". Internet Off-Broadway Database.
  8. ↑ Jones, Kenneth (6 March 2003). "Menken & Ashman's God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater Gets NYC Concert March 7". Playbill.
  9. ↑ "Chef's Theater: A Musical Feast". Internet Off-Broadway Database.
  10. ↑ "Show Boat - Cast & Crew". North Shore Music Theatre. Archived from the original on 2011-01-05. Retrieved 2015-04-05.
  11. ↑ "Sondheim's 'Company' in New York". Seen and Heard International. 2011-04-29.
  12. ↑ "Jim Walton". Playbill. Retrieved 2019-08-03.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.