Hinton Battle

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 1/19/23 at 1:10pm

Not asking this to be invasive, but –– is Hinton Battle still performing? Based on a cursory Google/YouTube search, it appears the last major thing he did was a 54 Below show about 8 years ago. He is such a talent, and won an impressive THREE Tonys in the span of a decade (Miss Saigon, Tap Dance Kid, Sophisticated Ladies). He also originated the role of Scarecrow in THE WIZ, and played Coalhouse in the Chicago production of RAGTIME in 1998-99, among many other credits from the 70s-90s.

It seems that he would be prime for an Andre De Shields-style comeback, should he want to do so. (And he's only 66.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9T2UHUdhDM

Updated On: 1/19/23 at 01:10 PM

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 1/19/23 at 2:10pm

I don't have any information on Mr. Battle, but your question brings up something I've been thinking about in regards to stage actors: what do you do when you've achieved your Broadway dream? Or, I the case of someone like Hinton Battle, achieved success beyond what you ever thought possible? So many actors leave the business by the time they are in their thirties. Some of them never get very far and haven given up, and some have done well enough but don't want to spend the rest of their lives constantly trying to avoid poverty, but others have actually done really well for themselves and just don't want to do it anymore. I'm really fascinated by people who "made it big" early in their careers - Karen Olivo and Bobby Steggert for example - and by the time they were 40 or so they were just like, "I'm done."

Since we are on the subject, what other notable Broadway actors from the past decade or two have left the business relatively early? We can play "Whatever happened to..."

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 1/19/23 at 2:41pm

The Distinctive Baritone said: "Since we are on the subject, what other notable Broadway actors from the past decade or two have left the business relatively early? We can play "Whatever happened to...""

Matt Cavanaugh (became a lawyer), Jere Shea, and Michael Maguire all come to mind as principal actors who left the biz.

Far more common for ensemble types (ranging from Amanda Kloots to lower-profile folks), especially in the COVID world. And with dancers, there is an unfortunate shelf life for many bodies, unless you happen to be lucky like Charlotte D'Amboise and others to dance into your 50s and beyond. And not that you're saying this, but I wouldn't consider teaching theatre/dance to be leaving the biz.

One semi-unrelated item of note: Colm Wilkinson - age 78 - has retired, per his public Facebook page.

Updated On: 1/19/23 at 02:41 PM

[perfectliar]

Posted: 1/19/23 at 4:07pm

I don't think so. He has dance schools in DC and Tokyo; I believe he was living in Japan right before the pandemic hit.

[Bill Snibson]

Posted: 1/19/23 at 4:25pm

Broadway is a hustle and a grind and just because you had success with one for two shows doesn't mean you'll find longevity. It is indeed a numbers game. So many great talents who, unfortunately, make the call and decide to choose a different path. I hope they are all happy and practicing their craft in one way or another. 

[dwirth]

Posted: 1/19/23 at 7:49pm

I was lucky enough to see Mr Battle in Tap Dance Kid and Miss Saigon - and he is amazingly talented. But despite 3 Tonys seems to have been out of mainstream showbiz for years (he was a bit player in the movie Dreamgirls, I seem to recall...)

At some point in the last few years - I thought on Seth Rudetsky's Stars in the House Covid-era series of nightly shows -  an unfortunately more- frail looking Mr Battle, sadly on oxygen, was interviewed from a location in California, with a friend who seemed to have coaxed him to appear. 

I hope he can and will be back in the spotlight at a future point in time. A legend.

 

 

Updated On: 1/19/23 at 07:49 PM

[JanMaxwellsBag]

Posted: 1/19/23 at 8:27pm

dwirth said: "I was lucky enough to see Mr Battle in Tap Dance Kid and Miss Saigon - and he is amazingly talented. But despite 3 Tonys seems to have been out of mainstream showbiz for years (he was a bit player in the movie Dreamgirls, I seem to recall...)"

His last three IMDb credits are an episode of Smash in 2012, Dreamgirls, and an absolutely iconic guest starring role in the musical episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.