James Stovall
Encyclopedia
James Stovall was an American actor best known for his work in Broadway
and regional theater, appearing in productions of Once on This Island
, The Life
and Ragtime
, and The Rocky Horror Show
, having made his Broadway debut in the short-lived production of Bob Fosse
's musical Big Deal
. He also created and directed Nativity: A Life Story, an African American-themed musical intended to become an annual Christmas season performance.
, Maryland
. His sister Donna Stovall Jefferss recalled that Stovall was "singing and singing loudly, for the purpose of making my mother laugh and smile" as a four-year old and by the next year "was playing the keys on the piano", calling his future success "prophetic". He attended the Gilman School
and continued his formal education in piano and voice at the Peabody Conservatory
. When he was 13 years old he started training at the Urban Musical Theater at Morgan State University
, where Debbie Allen
, then a student at Howard University
, was one of his dance instructors. He earned his undergraduate degree at Morehouse College
, where Spike Lee
and Samuel L. Jackson
were some of the members of his class. He joined the Actor's Equity Association when he performed with Atlanta's Alliance Theatre while he was still a sophomore at Morehouse.
He first appeared on Broadway in Big Deal, a brief 1986 production by Bob Fosse in which Stovall was an understudy performer for three different roles in the play. He also appeared on Broadway in Once on This Island, The Life, The Rocky Horror Show and the revival of Finian's Rainbow
, as well as appearing in Fosse's Sweet Charity
, ultimately performing in the role of Big Daddy, and in Ragtime, where he performed in the lead role of Coalhouse Walker, Jr., after appearing in the role in productions of the musical in Chicago
and Los Angeles
. He appeared in Off Broadway plays such as Dessa Rose
, Romance in Hard Times, Stars in Your Eyes and appeared in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
in a touring production that featured Donny Osmond
. Warren Carlyle
, who directed and choreographed him in Finian's Rainbow, told Playbill
how Stovall "sang the preacher's solo at the climax of Act One and blew the roof off every night, not only inspiring audiences to cheer and applaud but also his fellow cast members to sing and dance that little bit harder."
Stovall was one of the creators of Nativity: A Life Story
, an African American
oriented musical work that was intended to become a holiday tradition, based on the Black Nativity
written by Langston Hughes
and first performed in 1961. He was executive director of the Ministry of the Arts & Culture at Reverend Ike
's United Palace Theater
in Washington Heights, Manhattan
, which had become the home for Nativity.
due to heart failure. He had been undergoing treatment for a heart condition. Stovall was survived by his father, Rev. James Stovall, Sr.
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
and regional theater, appearing in productions of Once on This Island
Once On This Island
Once on This Island is a one-act musical with a book and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens and music by Stephen Flaherty. Based on the novel My Love, My Love by Rosa Guy, set in the French Antilles in the Caribbean Sea...
, The Life
The Life (musical)
The Life is a musical with a book by David Newman, Ira Gasman and Cy Coleman, music by Coleman, and lyrics by Gasman.Based on an original idea by Gasman, the show explores the underbelly of Times Square's 42nd Street, inhabited by pimps and prostitutes, druggies and dealers, and runaways and street...
and Ragtime
Ragtime (musical)
Ragtime is a musical with a book by Terrence McNally, lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, and music by Stephen Flaherty.Based on the 1975 novel by E. L. Doctorow, Ragtime tells the story of three groups in America, represented by Coalhouse Walker Jr., a Harlem musician; Mother, the matriarch of a WASP family in...
, and The Rocky Horror Show
The Rocky Horror Show
The Rocky Horror Show is a long-running British horror comedy stage musical, which opened in London on 19 June 1973. It was written by Richard O'Brien, produced and directed by Jim Sharman. It came eighth in a BBC Radio 2 listener poll of the "Nation's Number One Essential Musicals"...
, having made his Broadway debut in the short-lived production of Bob Fosse
Bob Fosse
Robert Louis “Bob” Fosse was an American actor, dancer, musical theater choreographer, director, screenwriter, film editor and film director. He won an unprecedented eight Tony Awards for choreography, as well as one for direction...
's musical Big Deal
Big Deal (musical)
Big Deal is a musical with a book by Bob Fosse using songs from various composers such as Ray Henderson, Eubie Blake, and Jerome Kern. It was based on the film "Big Deal on Madonna Street" by Mario Monicelli...
. He also created and directed Nativity: A Life Story, an African American-themed musical intended to become an annual Christmas season performance.
Life and career
Stovall was born on May 16, 1958, in BaltimoreBaltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. His sister Donna Stovall Jefferss recalled that Stovall was "singing and singing loudly, for the purpose of making my mother laugh and smile" as a four-year old and by the next year "was playing the keys on the piano", calling his future success "prophetic". He attended the Gilman School
Gilman School
Gilman School is a private preparatory school for boys located in the Roland Park neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1897 as the Country School for Boys, it was the first country day school in the United States. Gilman enrolls approximately 978 students, ranging from kindergarten to...
and continued his formal education in piano and voice at the Peabody Conservatory
Peabody Institute
The Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University is a renowned conservatory and preparatory school located in the Mount Vernon neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland at the corner of Charles and Monument Streets at Mount Vernon Place.-History:...
. When he was 13 years old he started training at the Urban Musical Theater at Morgan State University
Morgan State University
Morgan State University, formerly Centenary Biblical Institute , Morgan College and Morgan State College , is a historically black college in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Morgan is Maryland's designated public urban university and the largest HBCU in the state of Maryland...
, where Debbie Allen
Debbie Allen
Deborrah Kaye “Debbie” Allen is an American actress, dancer, choreographer, television director, television producer, and a member of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities...
, then a student at Howard University
Howard University
Howard University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States...
, was one of his dance instructors. He earned his undergraduate degree at Morehouse College
Morehouse College
Morehouse College is a private, all-male, liberal arts, historically black college located in Atlanta, Georgia. Along with Hampden-Sydney College and Wabash College, Morehouse is one of three remaining traditional men's colleges in the United States....
, where Spike Lee
Spike Lee
Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee is an American film director, producer, writer, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks, has produced over 35 films since 1983....
and Samuel L. Jackson
Samuel L. Jackson
Samuel Leroy Jackson is an American film and television actor and film producer. After becoming involved with the Civil Rights Movement, he moved on to acting in theater at Morehouse College, and then films. He had several small roles such as in the film Goodfellas before meeting his mentor,...
were some of the members of his class. He joined the Actor's Equity Association when he performed with Atlanta's Alliance Theatre while he was still a sophomore at Morehouse.
He first appeared on Broadway in Big Deal, a brief 1986 production by Bob Fosse in which Stovall was an understudy performer for three different roles in the play. He also appeared on Broadway in Once on This Island, The Life, The Rocky Horror Show and the revival of Finian's Rainbow
Finian's Rainbow
Finian's Rainbow is a musical with a book by E.Y. Harburg and Fred Saidy, lyrics by Harburg, and music by Burton Lane. The 1947 Broadway production ran for 725 performances. Several revivals and a 1968 film version followed. A Broadway revival ran from October 8, 2009 until January 17, 2010...
, as well as appearing in Fosse's Sweet Charity
Sweet Charity
Sweet Charity is a musical with music by Cy Coleman, lyrics by Dorothy Fields and book by Neil Simon. It was directed and choreographed for Broadway by Bob Fosse starring his wife and muse Gwen Verdon. It is based on Federico Fellini's screenplay for Nights of Cabiria...
, ultimately performing in the role of Big Daddy, and in Ragtime, where he performed in the lead role of Coalhouse Walker, Jr., after appearing in the role in productions of the musical in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. He appeared in Off Broadway plays such as Dessa Rose
Dessa Rose (musical)
Dessa Rose is a musical based on the book by Sherley Anne Williams with book and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens and music by Stephen Flaherty. It tells the story of a young black woman and a young white woman and their journey to acceptance in 1847 in the ante-bellum South, as they tell their story to their...
, Romance in Hard Times, Stars in Your Eyes and appeared in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical with lyrics by Tim Rice. The story is based on the "coat of many colors" story of Joseph from the Hebrew Bible's Book of Genesis. This was the first Lloyd Webber and Rice musical to be performed publicly...
in a touring production that featured Donny Osmond
Donny Osmond
Donald Clark "Donny" Osmond is an American singer, musician, actor, dancer, radio personality, and former teen idol. Osmond has also been a talk and game show host, record producer and author. In the mid 1960s, he and four of his elder brothers gained fame as the Osmond Brothers on the long...
. Warren Carlyle
Warren Carlyle
Warren Carlyle is a director and choreographer who was born in Norwich, Norfolk, England. He received Drama Desk Award nominations for Outstanding Choreography and Outstanding Director of a Musical for Finian's Rainbow.-Biography:...
, who directed and choreographed him in Finian's Rainbow, told Playbill
Playbill
Playbill is a monthly U.S. magazine for theatregoers. Although there is a subscription issue available for home delivery, most Playbills are printed for particular shows to be distributed at the door...
how Stovall "sang the preacher's solo at the climax of Act One and blew the roof off every night, not only inspiring audiences to cheer and applaud but also his fellow cast members to sing and dance that little bit harder."
Stovall was one of the creators of Nativity: A Life Story
Nativity: A Life Story
Nativity: A Life Story is an African American Christmas-themed musical based on the Black Nativity written by Langston Hughes, that was intended to become a holiday tradition, appearing annually in various venues in New York City since its inception in the mid-1990s. The performances have been...
, an African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
oriented musical work that was intended to become a holiday tradition, based on the Black Nativity
Black Nativity
Black Nativity is a retelling of the classic Nativity story with an entirely black cast. Traditional Christmas carols are sung in gospel style, with a few songs created specifically for the show. Originally written by Langston Hughes, the show was first performed on Broadway on December 11, 1961,...
written by Langston Hughes
Langston Hughes
James Mercer Langston Hughes was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist. He was one of the earliest innovators of the then-new literary art form jazz poetry. Hughes is best known for his work during the Harlem Renaissance...
and first performed in 1961. He was executive director of the Ministry of the Arts & Culture at Reverend Ike
Reverend Ike
Reverend Ike was an American minister and electronic evangelist based in New York City. He was best known for the slogan "You can't lose with the stuff I use!"-Background:...
's United Palace Theater
United Palace Theater
The United Palace Theater, originally known as Loew's 175th Street Theatre, is a church and live music venue located at 175th Street and Broadway in Washington Heights in New York City.-History:...
in Washington Heights, Manhattan
Washington Heights, Manhattan
Washington Heights is a New York City neighborhood in the northern reaches of the borough of Manhattan. It is named for Fort Washington, a fortification constructed at the highest point on Manhattan island by Continental Army troops during the American Revolutionary War, to defend the area from the...
, which had become the home for Nativity.
Death
Stovall died at age 52 on September 25, 2010, in New York City at NewYork-Presbyterian HospitalNewYork-Presbyterian Hospital
NewYork–Presbyterian Hospital is a prominent university hospital in New York City affiliated with two Ivy League medical schools: Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons and Cornell University's Weill Medical College. It is composed of two distinct medical centers, Columbia...
due to heart failure. He had been undergoing treatment for a heart condition. Stovall was survived by his father, Rev. James Stovall, Sr.