One of Steve Barton's final performances...

[DickDeadeye]

Posted: 8/2/12 at 6:30pm

The following is a subtitled scene from Tanz Der Vampire, which features the late Steve Barton as Count Von Krolock.

I was crestfallen when I recently discovered what happened to him, after researching cast members from the original Phantom. It's clear at this point that Barton was really coming into his own as a performer.

I'm convinced that if he had lived to perform an American version of this, he would have easily won a Tony, become a Broadway superstar, and stepped out of the shadows of Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman.

It's a real shame. Just look at this.


Steve Barton as Count Von Krolock

[TSBMTP2]

Posted: 8/3/12 at 10:09am

Thanks for saying what many think but only a few dare to.
Steve´s incredible talent and charismatic stage presence would have made that show shine as he did in Vienna.
Steve Barton A Life dedicated to the Stage

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

Posted: 8/3/12 at 11:10am

What also would have helped was avoiding the desire to fix what did not need to be fixed. The thing ran almost three hours in Vienna, so make some cuts, but don't rewrite the whole thing.

Sorry, I'm rambling about it again, aren't I? *laughs nervously*

[TSBMTP2]

Posted: 8/3/12 at 12:47pm

The success of the original show still rests on the Steve´s shoulders ....Steinman should have never let investors think of any other name for Krolock, sure he will always regret….

Steve Barton A Life dedicated to the Stage

[Muhlethaler]

Posted: 8/3/12 at 1:00pm

Updated On: 11/24/16 at 01:00 PM

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

Posted: 8/3/12 at 1:40pm

^ Barton did appear in a reading of the show in April 2001 prior to his death.

And actually, there was a lot Steinman could do. As anyone who worked on the show will tell you, Jim had the final say on everything, and he signed off on everything he could just to get it open. A sad example of the detrimental effect business and politics have on art; when you compromise your principles to get the big bucks, it'll come back to bite you in the ass.

[TSBMTP2]

Posted: 8/3/12 at 3:09pm

...Sad indeed.
Steve Barton A Life dedicated to the Stage

[Muhlethaler]

Posted: 8/3/12 at 4:35pm

Updated On: 6/18/20 at 04:35 PM

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

Posted: 8/3/12 at 10:37pm

...you have heard of shows that take years in gestation, right?

[Muhlethaler]

Posted: 8/4/12 at 2:51am

Updated On: 6/18/20 at 02:51 AM

[TSBMTP2]

Posted: 8/4/12 at 4:06am

The show was to be opened by early 2002, Crawford managed to get the role in July 2001, a few days before Steve´s passing. Shortly after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the show postponed its opening until next season…you probably heard about..
Steve Barton A Life dedicated to the Stage

[Muhlethaler]

Posted: 8/4/12 at 12:41pm

Updated On: 6/18/20 at 12:41 PM

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

Posted: 8/4/12 at 9:58pm

What are we not getting? You raised two points.

Point 1: There was not much Steinman could do in terms of casting anyway. To which I responded: ...there was a lot Steinman could do. As anyone who worked on the show will tell you, Jim had the final say on everything, and he signed off on everything he could just to get it open. A sad example of the detrimental effect business and politics have on art; when you compromise your principles to get the big bucks, it'll come back to bite you in the ass.

Point 2: Regardless of the fact that a person is dead, one can still wish they were alive to play the role or that things had turned out better for the production, which engenders the emotion commonly called "regret." If you can't wrap your head around the idea of a "what-if," what do you do with your spare time?

Updated On: 8/4/12 at 09:58 PM