Best and/ or your favourite Beadle Bamford

[devonian.t]

Posted: 4/5/07 at 4:24pm

For me, Barry James.

Please don't feel obliged to produced other threads along almost identical lines. One should be fine.

[keen on kean]

Posted: 4/6/07 at 7:29pm

Alexander Geminangni (sp?) - nice comic timing and an impressive voice.

[Josh Freilich]

Posted: 4/6/07 at 8:31pm

Ditto to that.

[MrSweetNAwful]

Posted: 4/6/07 at 9:14pm

tie between Alexander and Calvin (dvd). I think Calvin's vocals were a bit better, but Alex found so much in that role that NO ONE ELSE saw!

[javertim]

Posted: 4/6/07 at 10:43pm

I personally do not see how anyone can compare to Jack Eric Williams (the original Beadle). He has one of the most beautiful/amazing male voices I have ever heard in all my life and he played the role with so much flourish and illustrious detail. I have never seen or heard anyone who can even come close to touching him.

It's quite sad that there's so little information about him out there. It seems that he was a very gifted composer, yes, but there is next to nothing about Mr. Williams as a vocalist. What gives?

[Josh Freilich]

Posted: 4/6/07 at 10:50pm

As William Finn once quoted how Jack Eric Williams said about himself, "He wasn't the fashion of the day."

[skingdom]

Posted: 4/6/07 at 10:53pm

i did NOT think Alexander Gemigniani was all that great as the Beadle. I would say fine would be beyond enough praise. Plus they cut the part way too much.


skingdom out.

[jv92]

Posted: 4/6/07 at 11:35pm

I enjoyed the original Beadle, though Alexander Gemigniani was quite superlative as well. I never really thought about this. I suppose Gemigniani was my favorite

[popular_elphie]

Posted: 4/6/07 at 11:38pm

Alexander. I saw a recent production of the show with a Beadle more animated, and I couldn't take it. I love his monotonous Beadle.

[gumbo2]

Posted: 4/7/07 at 2:32am

Weird that this thread appeared, because I am about to play the Beadle in a production of Sweeney Todd. There are so many ways to play him, it's really interesting.

I thought Alexander Gemignani was hilarious as the Beadle. The only other one I've seen is the guy on the DVD (is that Barry James?) and I thought he was pretty good, though I think I liked Gemignani's take better.

[Revolutionary]

Posted: 4/7/07 at 2:32am

Definitely Alex for me as well. His Beadle was the definition of a scene stealer. And I love love love his Parlour Songs.

He really made the most of his limited acting time. I was pretty amazed that even when he'd be playing the piano or just standing to the side with his trumpet, he'd still manage to make his presence known, with a little flourish here and a turn of the head or a raise of the eyebrows there. It was difficult for me not to watch him even when there was more important stuff going on. A couple times during a break in the score he'd completely turn around and just watch the action and immerse himself in the action for a few seconds and then resume playing. I don't know why but I thought that was really ingenious.

[redhotinnyc2]

Posted: 4/7/07 at 8:15am

Wayne Pretlow, who, by the way, does the Luthor Vandross version of Superstar better than Luthor ever could have. (no offense to luthor lovers - I loved him, too)

Updated On: 4/7/07 at 08:15 AM

[javertim]

Posted: 4/7/07 at 8:44am

"The only other one I've seen is the guy on the DVD (is that Barry James?) . . . "

No, that's Calvin Remsberg. I enjoy him in the role, too, but he still doesn't hold a candle to Williams.

[ashbash1990]

Posted: 4/7/07 at 10:11am

A.G.-Thats how he signs stuff anyway...

[D2]

Posted: 4/7/07 at 10:17am

Jack Eric Williams was great as the Beadle, although I seem to remember hearing stories of him missing many, many performances, something like 60 or 70 during course of the run. Which is supposedly why he wasn't asked to continue with the show on tour. But his voice is/was glorious, and his performance was still the best IMHO. Although Gemignani came in a very close 2nd for me. He also possesses a glorious instrument, and his deadpan take was funny and frightening at the same time.

[Josh Freilich]

Posted: 4/7/07 at 12:25pm

I saw Roland Rusinek at the NYCO and Alexander Gemignani on Broadway. I like them both. Rusinek brought to mind what the original Beadle Bamford brought to audiences in the 1970s, while Gemignani did a completely different take on it. Although I am sometimes a purist, I also like many different things applied to it as well.

[C is for Company]

Posted: 4/7/07 at 1:25pm

Calvin cracks me up as the Beadle, I think he totally made that role for me a long time ago and I've yet to find anyone break the impression he had on me thus far!

[WickedGeek28]

Posted: 4/7/07 at 1:31pm

Vocally, Alexander knocks anyone out of competition, but Calvin (is he the filmed one?) has such an interesting characterization that cannot be forgotten.