Ricardo Tobia, original 'Pacific Overtures' actor, found slain at 71

[Wayman_Wong]

Posted: 7/13/18 at 11:57am

Ricardo Tobia, a member of the original 1976 Broadway cast of ''Pacific Overtures,'' was found killed on July 10 in Pittsburgh. Tobia, 71, and his beagle, Sparky, were brutally slain with a sword. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that the police arrested his longtime roommate, 35, who has a history of mental illness and reportedly claims ''demons took over'' at the time of the attack.

In ''Pacific Overtures,'' Tobia and Alvin Ing sang Tamate's thoughts in the lilting Sondheim duet ''There Is No Other Way.''

He also did the West Coast tour of ''Pacific Overtures,'' and that show would be his sole Broadway credit. (I tried to find Tobia's bio in my 1976 Playbill, but there wasn't one. Only 9 of the over 30 actors in the show had a bio included. Nowadays, every cast member gets a bio in a Playbill, but I guess not then.)

Tobia went on to become a beloved, private voice instructor for 35 years at Point Park University. And among his many students was future Tony nominee Tony Yazbeck (''On the Town'' ).

John Pearson, senior vice president of Point Park, said: ''Ricardo Tobia was well-loved by generations of our students. My condolences go out to his family, students and colleagues.''

Ian Brown-Gorrell of Washington, D.C., who studied with him, said Tobia went above and beyond for his students. In 2008, Brown-Gorrell's tonsil burst, and he says Tobia took him in and helped him recover. Brown-Gorrell added: ''When I got back to school, I couldn’t eat a lot of the stuff in the cafeteria, so he brought me a meatloaf sandwich every day for a month so I could have something soft enough to eat.''

(For details of Tobia's attack, they can be found by Googling stories at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. I chose not to mention the suspect's name, and instead pay tribute to the talented artist and compassionate teacher that Tobia was.)

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Original-PACIFIC-OVERTURES-Actor-Ricardo-Tobia-Found-Dead-20180713

 

Updated On: 7/13/18 at 11:57 AM

[Mel Holley]

Posted: 7/13/18 at 12:35pm

As a student of Ricardo’s, I think I speak for all of us when I say I greatly appreciate your decision to tribute and honor him with his wonderful history rather than dwell on the details of his death.

[EthelMae]

Posted: 7/13/18 at 11:17pm

I was lucky to see Mr. Ricardo Tobia 17 times in Pacific Overtures back in 1976. I listened to him again today on the cast album. Wonderful to read how admired he was by his students. May he rest now.