William Tabbert

[Dollypop]

Posted: 1/30/10 at 7:27pm

While conducting the past two interviews I've done for BWW, the name of William Tabbert came up in the conversations. My memory may be foggy, but I thought that I read somewhere (perhaps in Josh Logan's autobiography) that Tabbert was a tormented man who ultimately committed suicide. Does anyone know for sure?

[Ed_Mottershead]

Posted: 1/30/10 at 10:07pm

Per Theatre World, Volumn 31, "William Tabbert, 53, actor and lyric tenor, died of a heart attack October 1974 while rehearsing for a nightclub act in NYC." I read Logan's book zillions of years ago, but don't recall his saying that. I may be wrong.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 1/30/10 at 10:21pm

Bill Tabbert was Lt. Cable in the original South Pacific and the male star of Fanny. He had a great voice and chiseled American looks.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 1/31/10 at 9:27pm

Thanks for the info. As I said, I'm at the point in life where I can no longer trust my memory.

[Jon]

Posted: 2/1/10 at 1:32pm

...and Josh Logan loved to have him remove his shirt.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 2/1/10 at 3:53pm

Ken Mandelbaum has a lot of fun pointing out the beefcake that always turned up in a Logan production. And watch Logan's film of SOUTH PACIFIC. He found a Chippendale-like assemblage for the beach scenes. I guess he thought male pulchritude was box office, and of course, one imagines that he just liked the flesh paraded on set or on stage.

[Ed_Mottershead]

Posted: 2/1/10 at 3:55pm

Josh Logan was notorious for coming up with some excuse to have guys take their shirts off -- think Mr. Roberts, South Pacific, Picnic, All American, and several others. I imagine that they'd be taking more than their shirts off if Logan was around today.

[WOSQ]

Posted: 2/1/10 at 4:07pm

Would Logan have been referring to Thomas Heggen who wrote first the novel Mister Roberts, and then adapted it into a play?

Heggen died young, in his 30s, a suicide, and he never wrote anything but this one classic.

The shack in which he wrote much of the play still stands, but it is unable to be seen from public walkways in the Pines. It is in the western part of the Pines near Geffen's house. There were a few houses and shacks already built when the Pines was planned and this was one of them.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 2/1/10 at 4:22pm

I think WOSQ hit the nail on the head! That's the story I'm confusing Tabbert with!