Is James Barbour really that good in PHANTOM? — Page 2

I do believe people should be able to move on from their crimes when they've served their time. I do know that right or wrong, past crimes tend to follow people, sex crimes most of all. Barbour had to have realized this when he chose to continue his career in show business after serving his time, so it's hard to feel too sorry for him, unless he truly believed she was of legal age when they had non-penetrative sexual relations.

I wish I could say I can't believe it, but it's too easy to believe that whenever this comes up, there's inevitably someone who will always lay the blame on the teenager, whether because of her Machiavellian grandmother, or because she didn't report it for several years or because she threw herself at him or whatever. Even if all of those things are true, he still stuck it somewhere in someone he was legally prohibited from sticking it in. Even if she was straight out of Nabokov,as goldenboy would like us to believe, that still didn't leave Barbour powerless to her advances. Consent laws may arbitrary and in some cases unfair, but he was what, 35 at the time? He should have known better. If he had, he wouldn't have been exhibit A for why consent laws are needed.

Updated On: 1/2/16 at 05:17 PM

aaaaaa15, the reason I keep debating this is that many people believe that once a sex criminal, always a sex criminal, therefore recidivism is inevitable. Because of the individual I know, I am aware that this is not the case. When someone gets their act together and goes on to have children later, it is primarily the offender's children who suffer from society's refusal to believe that their mother or father may have changed.

No other crime -- even murder -- carries a presumption of recidivism. There are no offender registries except for sex crimes, even though, in some states, almost anything can result in conviction of a sex crime. Has anyone read of the recent conviction of a couple for having consensual sex on a beach under a blanket? The 22-year-old woman, who had no prior record, is now required to register, just like her much older boyfriend, who had run afoul of the law before. The seventeen-year-old who has sex with his fifteen-year-old girlfriend, whom he met at school, would be considered a sex criminal in some states.

Society went too much the other way in the past, refusing to prosecute men who fondled young girls. The pendulum has swung too far, in my view, and it is hitting innocent people along with the guilty as it swings. I write passionately in defense of James Barbour because I place myself in the shoes of his innocent family members.

I won't post anything more on this thread about this issue. Instead, I'll close by saying that Phantom phans have been lucky to have had two amazing Broadway phantoms in a row -- Mr. Barbour and Norm Lewis, both baritones.

Audrey

"Ages of sexual consent will lower over time."

No, they will not. They will continue to increase, thanks to the infantilization of adolescents and young adults by helicopter parents.

Before Barbour went to Rikers, most of his charity work was for Scientology front groups. Is it again or is he still out ethics? Has he been declared? Did he complete the purif? Has he cogitated on his crimes? Is his life an enturbulated mess?

Ive seen James Barbour 4 times as the Phantom already, I think his voice is tremendous in this role. My only problem is I think his Final Lair was very weak and quite stiff, he just doesn't seem to be as energetic as other Phantoms ive seen in recent years, and yes ive seen over 12 actors play the Phantom so I got a lot to compare him to.

To answer the goddamn question: yes.

I saw him and thought he was just ok. Not particularly great but not terrible either. Norm was much, much better.

windbelle said: "I'm a big fan of Barbour's voice, but I think his acting in Phantom was quite bland. I saw him early last year so I don't know how he is doing now."

I caught the show for the first time in a while recently, and it was my second time seeing him since last spring. His voice is still great for it, but I much preferred him the first time. He was bland then, but he barely had any stage presence this time around, and had no emotion in his voice at all. Hopefully we managed to catch him on three off days, but from what I hear, it's pretty standard for him.