The REAL Reason Barbour Left ROCKY HORROR

[macbeth]

Posted: 8/18/11 at 8:10pm

http://www.nctimes.com/entertainment/arts-and-theatre/theatre/article_93fc4289-0a98-5704-afb4-57cdce7dae85.html

[ljay889]

Posted: 8/18/11 at 8:19pm

Wow.

[philly03]

Posted: 8/18/11 at 8:24pm

It was posted on the other thread as well.

James is SO talented and his performance in Tale of Two Cities will stay with me forever. I feel bad for the guy. What he did was wrong but he did his time, and on top of that has a family now.

[lightguy06222]

Posted: 8/18/11 at 8:57pm

"he did was wrong but he did his time, and on top of that has a family now."

So now that he's a family man, it means he doesn't get the urge to fondle little girls?

I saw him in NIGHTMARE ALLEY at the Geffen in the last few years, and he was dreadful. It didn't help that the show was atrocious, but still...

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 8/18/11 at 9:06pm

I don't defend what he did, but they're citing family values as a reason for not wanting someone to be in Rocky Horror?

Updated On: 8/18/11 at 09:06 PM

[philly03]

Posted: 8/18/11 at 9:07pm

The girl was 15... The age of consent is 16 or 17... I'd hardly call that "fondling little girls." (Not that the age changes the crime)

It happened 10 years ago. The girl waited years. Then he went to jail for his crime. Did his time. Publicly apologized.

He's a talented performer, obviously you have pre-conceived notions of him because of his crime. His concert tour and CDs are popular from what I know.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 8/18/11 at 9:18pm

"Obviously you have pre-oncieved notions of him because of his crime"
Uh yeah.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 8/18/11 at 9:27pm

So now The Old Globe is letting conservative radio hosts make casting decisions for them? Awesome.

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 8/18/11 at 9:33pm

Seriously, Spork!

[SondheimFan5]

Posted: 8/18/11 at 9:46pm

soo..I'm a little confused --- was Barbour on the verge of being fired from the show, or did he leave due to the public harassment from the conservative media? (or is it actually because of his wife's pregnancy?)

all that said, I think he is a brilliant performer with an incredible voice. Very few voices like his nowadays.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 8/18/11 at 10:37pm

The Globe presents several different shows every year geared towards a variety of different audiences. Some are for adults and some are for family audiences. Their annual production of the Grinch has nothing to do with the kind of material they produce for the rest of the season. The shows, and the actors who are cast in them, are not responsible for the family audiences coming to see The Grinch and is a pretty lame argument on the part of Rick Roberts. Just because that show is geared towards children doesn't mean the rest of the season is and anyone coming to see the Grinch knows that very well.

James did a bad thing, but he served his time and has moved on and the public should too. This shouldn't continue to be an issue every time he's cast in a new show. The man has to work. If his crime is still an issue for some then they shouldn't pay to see him in a show. It's that simple.

[philly03]

Posted: 8/18/11 at 10:52pm

Barbour's wife is legitimately pregnant, and I doubt he would lie about her problems.

The media-storm probably has something to do with it, I'm sure it affected the decision more-so to drop out. Barbour wasn't fired, he left.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 8/18/11 at 11:11pm

"I doubt he would lie about her problems"
Cause he never lied before?

[RippedMan]

Posted: 8/18/11 at 11:19pm

Say what you want, but Barbour is a brilliant performer and an amazingly beautiful singer! I know what he did was wrong, but like someone posted earlier, the age of consent is 16 and she was 15, and maybe she lied and said she was older, I don't know. I can understand the other side of the situation, but the fact that the Old Globe didn't stick up for Barbour is a little sad.

[philly03]

Posted: 8/18/11 at 11:24pm

Some people are impossible to please. To think that people are saying he is lying about what's going on with his personal life... He left for family reasons, let it be. If your wife/husband was having health issues, you would really do a regional production of Rocky Horror (or any show for that matter) rather than tend to them?

All those Broadway plays and musicals about the power of redemption and fans still want to bash him years later. I think he has suffered enough, I really feel bad for him now after he has served his time and all.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 8/18/11 at 11:39pm

That was an excellent statement he made.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 8/18/11 at 11:52pm

"he left for family reasons, let it be"
Do you actually believe that?
She was pregnant when he took the job and knew when the due date was. The local press and DJs get on his case and he quits/is removed. You don't see any connection?
Any theatre or company that hires this guy has to imagine the scenario, what if this happens here? The lawsuit would be devastating. You go with that or not. Barbour has to know this, your past will catch up with you. I imagine this job was kind of important to his reputation, and the wallet of a Dad of two to be. He has everyright to work legally, morally, his crime is always gonna follow him.

[philly03]

Posted: 8/18/11 at 11:57pm

I do believe his reasoning. You do not know Barbour so I'm not so sure how you can judge either.

Do I think this negative media-attention made him jump to a decision quicker? Yes, I'm sure it did.

He left, he could have stayed and took the brash of it (Like he did for Tale of Two Cities with NY media on his case - which he got near raves for his peformance) but he decided his family was more important. I didn't know that was a crime, again, to leave for family/personal reasons a regional production of Rocky Horror.

[massofmen]

Posted: 8/19/11 at 12:05am

i don't think him being a "good singer" "great performer" has anything at all to do with if people need to "let this go" or not. If he was a bad performer (he cannot act to save his life) in your eyes then would it be ok to ostracize him?

the man was a sexual predator and he admitted it. I don't blame the girls for coming out 10 years later and no one else should unless, sadly, you too have been sexually molested by a 40 yr old man when you were 15 then maybe you can say something.

Maybe the girlS (yes there was more than one. its not like he did it just one time) were traumatized and didn;t feel safe to come out until later. Maybe they were bored and had nothing to do so they decided "it's monday..what do you wanna do today? lets out James". either way don't judge the girls who outed a sexual predator just because you like the way he sings "the proposal" on the jane eyre recording.

[iflitifloat]

Posted: 8/19/11 at 12:14am

The bottom line is, fair or not, something like this is bound to follow him around and bite him in his professional ass from time to time. I've seen him a bunch of times, and agree that he is talented. But so are a lot of others. I learned a long time ago that EVERYONE is replaceable.

I wish him and his family well, but I can't really feel all that sorry for him. Sometimes we make mistakes that will change the course of our lives, no matter how sorry we are about what we did.

Not happy about the Right's involvement, but I'm pretty far to the Left, and quite honestly, I don't really care that he was dropped from the show, for whatever the reason. He might have a bigger problem with the "mother" crowd than he does with the Far Right.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 8/19/11 at 12:15am

dp Updated On: 8/19/11 at 12:15 AM

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 8/19/11 at 12:15am

His "crime" is much greater than leaving a very high profile regional production and a paycheck for a growing family. He still lies about it today and convinces people (obviously) that he was framed and he said he was guilty to take a lesser sentence. (which he got for such a crime).

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 8/19/11 at 12:15am

tp Updated On: 8/19/11 at 12:15 AM

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 8/19/11 at 12:29am

Honestly, I just can't help but feel all skeezed out when I think about him. And it's not because he committed a crime. Its because of the crime itself. It's just really gross. And just hard to empathetize with.

I don't know why I feel all prudish about this. Maybe it's because of the semester in college when I worked at the women's resource center. Consent laws are there for a reason, it's exploitative of the women involved at the very least, etc. Unless what he has already admitted to is not the actual truth, it's just a skeevy, icky situation. Like I said, it's just truly hard to empathize. It's certainly unfair to him and I can only imagine how much harder it is being someone who is in the public eye to some extent. This doesn't happen ALL the time, though, right?

Maybe there's a streak of Puritaism running through me (I really AM an American!), but I find it yicky when adults start messing around with teenagers, even teenagers who are freshly legal. No good can ever come of it*. And you should know better. Everyone should, including James Barbour.



*I cite Jerry Lee Lewis and that girl Winona Ryder played in the movie, and that Lost actor and his 16-year old bride to name only two other examples of other ways this squicky scenario can go. **

** See Also, Mary Kay Letourneau. You wanna go see HER in a play?

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 8/19/11 at 12:52am

Phyllis, why is it unfair to him?
Some crimes are more understandable than others, like stealing a loaf of bread if you are hungry. But anyone who posts on these boards loves Theatre and Broadway and what goes on between adults onstage, backstage or in a doorway on 47th Street is between them. Barbour used his position as a Broadway actor to entertain this child in his dressing room and then lure her to his Apt., twice.
Argue all you want that she knew what she was doing, she was 15.
You should be SKEEZED out.