Steve Barton
Encyclopedia
Steve Barton was an American actor
, singer, dancer, choreographer, stage director and teacher
.
, Arkansas
, United States, the youngest of three children of Tom and Mary Barton. He grew up in Nederland, Texas
.
He won a scholarship to the University of Texas at Austin
, where he majored in theater, dance and singing, appearing in over 30 productions with the University of Texas and with the Ballet of Austin. Barton graduated from the University of Texas at Austin, where he now has an endowed Presidential Scholarship named after him, and went to Europe
, getting his first job at St. Gallen
, Switzerland
, and then playing in major Swiss, German and Austrian theater companies.
He played leading roles in West Side Story, Godspell
, Romeo and Juliet
, The Fantasticks
, The Threepenny Opera
, Oklahoma!
, Jesus Christ Superstar
, Evita, Guys and Dolls
, and Camelot
, before playing the role of Munkustrap in the original Vienna cast of Cats
, at the Theater an der Wien
. At the Theater des Westens in Berlin
, he played roles in Guys and Dolls, Jesus Christ Superstar (as Jesus), La Cage aux Folles (as both Jean Michel and Albin/Zaza) and was playing Robert in Company
when he had an audition for Andrew Lloyd Webber
's The Phantom of the Opera
in London
, where he originated the role of Raoul.
Barton was married to, but later separated from, swing dancer and choreographer Denny Berry, (Dance Supervisor for the North American productions of The Phantom of the Opera), whom he met at college. A son, Edward, was born in Vienna
in 1984. Barton had a Presidential Scholarship at the University of Texas named for him. He has also been named an Honorary Chairperson of the Steadman/Hawkins Sports Medicine Foundation and was an honorary member of the Board of Education at the University of Texas in Austin.
In 1996, Barton returned to Vienna, where he took over the part of the Beast in Disney's
Beauty and the Beast
. He originated Graf von Krolock in Roman Polanski
's Tanz der Vampire
, (Music: Jim Steinman
, Lyrics: Michael Kunze
), a role which brought him in 1998 an IMAGE (International Music Award Germany). He played Graf von Krolock until January 17, 1999, in Vienna
. In 1997, Barton celebrated his 30-year onstage anniversary during his run as von Krolock. Tanz der Vampire was also the last musical in which Barton appeared on a stage.
The Broadway magazine/website Playbill reported "(t)he July 21 death of actor Steve Barton is being attributed to heart failure, according to obituary information released by the press office for the New York production of The Phantom of the Opera".
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, singer, dancer, choreographer, stage director and teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
.
Biography
Steven Neal Barton was born on June 26, 1954, in Hot SpringsHot Springs, Arkansas
Hot Springs is the 10th most populous city in the U.S. state of Arkansas, the county seat of Garland County, and the principal city of the Hot Springs Metropolitan Statistical Area encompassing all of Garland County...
, Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
, United States, the youngest of three children of Tom and Mary Barton. He grew up in Nederland, Texas
Nederland, Texas
Nederland is a city in Jefferson County, Texas, United States. The population was 17,547 at the 2010 census.The city is adjacent to the Southeast Texas Regional Airport in Port Arthur, which serves the nearby cities of Beaumont and Port Arthur. It is part of the Beaumont–Port Arthur...
.
He won a scholarship to the University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
, where he majored in theater, dance and singing, appearing in over 30 productions with the University of Texas and with the Ballet of Austin. Barton graduated from the University of Texas at Austin, where he now has an endowed Presidential Scholarship named after him, and went to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, getting his first job at St. Gallen
St. Gallen
St. Gallen is the capital of the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland. It evolved from the hermitage of Saint Gall, founded in the 7th century. Today, it is a large urban agglomeration and represents the center of eastern Switzerland. The town mainly relies on the service sector for its economic...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, and then playing in major Swiss, German and Austrian theater companies.
He played leading roles in West Side Story, Godspell
Godspell
Godspell is a musical by Stephen Schwartz and John-Michael Tebelak. It opened off Broadway on May 17, 1971, and has played in various touring companies and revivals many times since, including a 2011 revival now playing on Broadway...
, Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the career of playwright William Shakespeare about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately unite their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular archetypal stories of young, teenage lovers.Romeo and Juliet belongs to a...
, The Fantasticks
The Fantasticks
The Fantasticks is a 1960 musical with music by Harvey Schmidt and lyrics by Tom Jones. It was produced by Lore Noto. It tells an allegorical story, loosely based on the play "The Romancers" by Edmond Rostand, concerning two neighboring fathers who trick their children, Luisa and Matt, into...
, The Threepenny Opera
The Threepenny Opera
The Threepenny Opera is a musical by German dramatist Bertolt Brecht and composer Kurt Weill, in collaboration with translator Elisabeth Hauptmann and set designer Caspar Neher. It was adapted from an 18th-century English ballad opera, John Gay's The Beggar's Opera, and offers a Marxist critique...
, Oklahoma!
Oklahoma!
Oklahoma! is the first musical written by composer Richard Rodgers and librettist Oscar Hammerstein II. The musical is based on Lynn Riggs' 1931 play, Green Grow the Lilacs. Set in Oklahoma Territory outside the town of Claremore in 1906, it tells the story of cowboy Curly McLain and his romance...
, Jesus Christ Superstar
Jesus Christ Superstar
Jesus Christ Superstar is a rock opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber, with lyrics by Tim Rice. The musical started off as a rock opera concept recording before its first staging on Broadway in 1971...
, Evita, Guys and Dolls
Guys and Dolls
Guys and Dolls is a musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It is based on "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" and "Blood Pressure", two short stories by Damon Runyon, and also borrows characters and plot elements from other Runyon stories, most notably...
, and Camelot
Camelot (musical)
Camelot is a musical by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe . It is based on the King Arthur legend as adapted from the T. H. White tetralogy novel The Once and Future King....
, before playing the role of Munkustrap in the original Vienna cast of Cats
Cats (musical)
Cats is a musical composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot...
, at the Theater an der Wien
Theater an der Wien
The Theater an der Wien is a historic theatre on the Left Wienzeile in the Mariahilf district of Vienna. Completed in 1801, it has seen the premieres of many celebrated works of theatre, opera, and symphonic music...
. At the Theater des Westens in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, he played roles in Guys and Dolls, Jesus Christ Superstar (as Jesus), La Cage aux Folles (as both Jean Michel and Albin/Zaza) and was playing Robert in Company
Company (musical)
Company is a musical with a book by George Furth and music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. The original production was nominated for a record-setting fourteen Tony Awards and won six....
when he had an audition for Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber is an English composer of musical theatre.Lloyd Webber has achieved great popular success in musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 13 musicals, a song cycle, a set of...
's The Phantom of the Opera
The Phantom of the Opera (1986 musical)
The Phantom of the Opera is a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the French novel Le Fantôme de l'Opéra by Gaston Leroux.The music was composed by Lloyd Webber, and most lyrics were written by Charles Hart, with additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe. Alan Jay Lerner was an early collaborator,...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, where he originated the role of Raoul.
Barton was married to, but later separated from, swing dancer and choreographer Denny Berry, (Dance Supervisor for the North American productions of The Phantom of the Opera), whom he met at college. A son, Edward, was born in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
in 1984. Barton had a Presidential Scholarship at the University of Texas named for him. He has also been named an Honorary Chairperson of the Steadman/Hawkins Sports Medicine Foundation and was an honorary member of the Board of Education at the University of Texas in Austin.
In 1996, Barton returned to Vienna, where he took over the part of the Beast in Disney's
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
Beauty and the Beast
Beauty and the Beast (1991 film)
Beauty and the Beast is a 1991 American animated fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. The thirtieth film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series and the third film of the Disney Renaissance period...
. He originated Graf von Krolock in Roman Polanski
Roman Polanski
Roman Polanski is a French-Polish film director, producer, writer and actor. Having made films in Poland, Britain, France and the USA, he is considered one of the few "truly international filmmakers."...
's Tanz der Vampire
Dance of the Vampires
Dance of the Vampires is a musical remake of a 1967 Roman Polanski film of the same name . Polanski also directed the original German production of this musical...
, (Music: Jim Steinman
Jim Steinman
James Richard "Jim" Steinman is an American composer, lyricist, and Grammy Award-winning record producer responsible for several hit songs. He has also worked as an arranger, pianist, and singer...
, Lyrics: Michael Kunze
Michael Kunze (writer)
Michael Kunze is a German musical theater lyricist and librettist.He is best known for the hit musicals Elisabeth , Dance of the Vampires , Mozart! , and Rebecca ....
), a role which brought him in 1998 an IMAGE (International Music Award Germany). He played Graf von Krolock until January 17, 1999, in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
. In 1997, Barton celebrated his 30-year onstage anniversary during his run as von Krolock. Tanz der Vampire was also the last musical in which Barton appeared on a stage.
Death
Barton died of heart failure on July 21, 2001 in Bremen, Germany at the age of 47. According to original statements by those who found Barton’s body, he was lying in bed with empty bottles of blood-pressure medication on his bedside table. This, along with the fact that he was believed to have suffered from bipolar disorder, led to his death being ruled a suicide. However, Barton’s autopsy report revealed no substances in his bloodstream other than a minimal maintenance dosage of anti-depressants and a normal daily dosage of high-blood pressure medication; furthermore, the autopsy report makes no mention of the empty bottles supposedly found by Barton’s body, making his death unlikely to have been a suicide. His ashes were buried in the countryside in Texas in August 2001.The Broadway magazine/website Playbill reported "(t)he July 21 death of actor Steve Barton is being attributed to heart failure, according to obituary information released by the press office for the New York production of The Phantom of the Opera".
Stage roles
- BroadwayBroadway theatreBroadway 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...
- The Phantom of the OperaThe Phantom of the Opera (1986 musical)The Phantom of the Opera is a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the French novel Le Fantôme de l'Opéra by Gaston Leroux.The music was composed by Lloyd Webber, and most lyrics were written by Charles Hart, with additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe. Alan Jay Lerner was an early collaborator,...
, Original Cast, (1986 in London; 1988 in New York), as Raoul and as Phantom ( from March to October 1990) - The Red ShoesThe Red Shoes (musical)The Red Shoes is a musical with a book by Marsha Norman, lyrics by Norman and Bob Merrill and music by Jule Styne...
, as Boris Lermontov, (1993)
- The Phantom of the Opera
- International
- CatsCats (musical)Cats is a musical composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot...
, 1983 and 1984, in Vienna, Austria, (as Munkustrap/Dance Capitan) - Phantom of the Opera, 1986, in London, UK, (as Raoul)
- Anastasia - The Musical, 1991 and 1992, (as Prince Paul)
- Six Wives, 1993, (as Henry VIII)
- The Hunchback of Notre DameThe Hunchback of Notre DameThe Hunchback of Notre-Dame is a novel by Victor Hugo published in 1831. The French title refers to the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, on which the story is centered.-Background:...
, 1993, (as Quasimodo) - Die Schöne und das BiestBeauty and the Beast (musical)Beauty and the Beast is a musical with music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice and a book by Linda Woolverton, based on the 1991 Disney film of the same name. Seven new songs were written for the stage musical...
, 1996/97 in Vienna, Austria, (as Biest) - Tanz der Vampire, 1997 - 1999 in Vienna, Austria, (as Graf von Krolock)
- Cats
- Regional
- Phantom of the Opera, 1990 and 1991, Los Angeles, (as Raoul)
- Kiss Me, KateKiss Me, KateKiss Me, Kate is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. It is structured as a play within a play, where the interior play is a musical version of William Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. The original production starred Alfred Drake, Patricia Morison, Lisa Kirk and Harold Lang.Kiss...
, 1994, (as Fred Graham and Petruchio), Goodspeed Opera House, CT - Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney ToddSweeney Todd (musical)Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street is a 1979 musical thriller with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and libretto by Hugh Wheeler. The musical is based on the 1973 play Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street by Christopher Bond....
, (as Sweeney Todd), Jan. and Feb. 1996, in Pittsburgh - Let's do itLet's Do ItLet's Do It may refer to:* Let's Do It , a 1974 Canadian sports instruction series* Let's Do It 2008, an environmental cleanup campaign in Estonia* "Let's Do It, Let's Fall in Love" or simply "Let's Do It", a popular song by Cole Porter...
, a new A. R. Gurney Show with Cole Porter music and lyrics which workshopped at the Long Wharf Theater, New Haven, CT, USA, April and May 1996, (as Nick Cameron, alias the Count of Luxemburg).
Television guest roles
- TatortTatortTatort is a long-running German/Austrian/Swiss , crime television series set in various parts of these countries. The show is broadcast on the channels of ARD in Germany, ORF 2 in Austria and SF1 in Switzerland...
, 1992, guest role as FBI Agent Mike Haller, ORF, Austria - The Young and the RestlessThe Young and the RestlessThe Young and the Restless is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in a fictional Wisconsin town called Genoa City, which is unlike and unrelated to the real life village of the same name, Genoa City, Wisconsin...
, 1994, guest role and Another WorldAnother World (TV series)Another World is an American television soap opera that ran on NBC from May 4, 1964 to June 25, 1999. It ran for a total of 35 years. It was created by Irna Phillips along with William J...
, 1994, guest role as Bailey Thompson
Musicals
- 1983: CatsCats (musical)Cats is a musical composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot...
, Original Vienna Cast Recording, as Munkustrap, in Germany - 1987: Highlights from The Phantom of the OperaThe Phantom of the Opera (1986 musical)The Phantom of the Opera is a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the French novel Le Fantôme de l'Opéra by Gaston Leroux.The music was composed by Lloyd Webber, and most lyrics were written by Charles Hart, with additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe. Alan Jay Lerner was an early collaborator,...
, Original London Cast, as Raoul - 1987: The Phantom of the Opera, Original London Cast Recording, as Raoul
- 1988: Show Boat, as Steve Baker
- 1998: Anastasia - The Musical, as Prince Paul
- 1998: Tanz der VampireDance of the VampiresDance of the Vampires is a musical remake of a 1967 Roman Polanski film of the same name . Polanski also directed the original German production of this musical...
– Die Höhepunkte der Welturaufführung, Original Vianna Cast, as Graf von Krolock, in Germany - 1998: Tanz der Vampire – Die Gesamtaufnahme, Original Vienna Cast Recording, as Graf von Krolock, in Germany
Guest appearances
- 1985: Angelika Milster - Meisterstücke, 2 duets
- 1998: Paul SchwartzPaul SchwartzPaul Schwartz is a music producer, composer, arranger, conductor and pianist. His music can be classified as a mixture of chill-out and neo-classical. Basic elements are vocals, piano, violins, and electronic samples...
's Aria, Vol. 2 - New Horizon, vocals on Leiermann - 2002: Sarah BrightmanSarah BrightmanSarah Brightman is an English classical crossover soprano, actress, songwriter and dancer. She is famous for possessing a vocal range of over 3 octaves and singing in the whistle register...
- Encore, duet on "Think of Me"
Other recordings
- 1991: Cole PorterCole PorterCole Albert Porter was an American composer and songwriter. Born to a wealthy family in Indiana, he defied the wishes of his domineering grandfather and took up music as a profession. Classically trained, he was drawn towards musical theatre...
Centennial Gala Concert - 1995: Living Water, duets with Mother TeresaMother TeresaMother Teresa , born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu , was a Roman Catholic nun of Albanian ethnicity and Indian citizenship, who founded the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, India, in 1950...
and Brian Sutherland - 1999: Danke - Songs und Lieder zum Kirchentag 1999, includes the song "Reach Out", a duet with Brian Sutherland
- 2002: Steve Barton – Memorial Concert, "Simply Flying" and "Somewhere Over The Rainbow"
- 2004: Broadway's Fabulous Phantoms, "I've Got You Under My Skin"
- 2009: Only for a While, compilation
- 2010: Encore: The Private Collection, compilation of outtakes, demos and rehearsals
External links
- In Memory of Steve Barton (in German and English)
- Steve Barton on broadwaystars.com
- Steve Barton on findagrave.com
- International Steve Barton Club As of January 1, 2005, the Steve Barton Society has ceased all activities.
- Steve Barton Tribute (Russian and English)
- Steve Barton A Life dedicated to the Stage
- The Steve Barton Musical Theatre Project