Ken Page obit

Ken Page, Broadway Star of 'The Wiz,' 'Ain't Misbehavin'' & 'Cats,' Dies at 70

 

He was not on the list.

Ken Page, whose Broadway résumé included originating roles in some of the most important productions in musical-theater history, died Monday. He was 70.

Page's death was announced by friends, including Dorian Hannaway, who wrote on Facebook, "Ken Page has passed onto the next show. My heart is broken." She went on to report he "passed quietly and peacefully at his home."

Actress Shari Belafonte posted, "Ken Page One of the sweetest, most talented guys on the planet... I couldn't believe it... but it's true. It feels like it's coming just a bit too fast and a tad too furiously now... James Earl, Dame Maggie, Kris, Pete Rose, Dikembe, Officer Taggert/John Ashton, Drake H... and now Ken. RIP ALL of you. Heaven is packing it in right now with brilliant talent stepping off that First Class charter..."

Page's death is sure to rock the Broadway community, coming the same day as Tony winner Gavin Creel, whose death earlier in the day had led to an outpouring of grief.

Page, born January 20, 1954, in St. Louis, had one of the most auspicious Broadway debuts imaginable, originating the role of the Lion in the 1975 smash "The Wiz." He also played Nicely-Nicely Johnson in the 1976 revival of "Guys and Dolls," appeared in the sensational "Ain't Misbehavin'" (1978 & 1988), played Old Deuteronomy in "Cats" (1982), and returned in 1999 for "It Ain't Nothin' but the Blues."

He also had an extensive career in off-Broadway and regional theater, working extensively for the Muny-St. Louis. He was a highly regarded cabaret act whose show "Page by Page" was well-reviewed, and he branched out into directing later in his career.

Film credits included "Torch Song Trilogy" (1988) and "Dreamgirls" (2006), and providing memorable voices for King Gator in "All Dogs Go to Heaven" (1989) and Oogie Boogie in "The Nightmare Before Christmas" (1993).

On TV, he made his debut opposite his "Ain't Misbehavin'" co-star Nell Carter on "Gimme a Break!" (1984), was a regular on the short-lived series "Sable" (1987-1988), and was seen on the series "Family Matters" (1990), "South Central" (1994), and "Touched by an Angel" (1995). From 1993-1994, he was the Walrus on the live-action series "Adventures in Wonderland."

He is survived by many friends and admirers.

 

Film

Year     Title            Role            Notes

1988    Torch Song Trilogy            Murray

1989    All Dogs Go to Heaven King Gator   Voice

1993    The Nightmare Before Christmas            Oogie Boogie

1994    I'll Do Anything            Hair Person 

1998    Cats            Old Deuteronomy            Direct-to-video

2003            Shortcut to Happiness            Clerk   

2006            Dreamgirls        Max Washington     

Television

Year     Title            Role            Notes

1984    Gimme a Break!            Kenneth Wilson            Episode: "Class of '84"

1987–1988            Sable            Joe "Cheesecake" Tyson   6 episodes

1989    Polly            Mayor Warren            Television film

Teen Angel Returns Chubby           

1990    Family Matters            Darnell Watkins            Episode: "The Big Reunion"

Capital News               Episode: "Finished? Not Dunne"

Polly: Comin' Home!  Mayor Warren            Television film

1993–1994            Adventures in Wonderland            The Walrus 7 episodes

1994            Duckman            Additional Voices            Episode: "American Dicks"

South Central            Dr. Raymond McHenry            3 episodes

1995            Touched by an Angel            Ox            Episode: "There But for the Grace of God"

1998–2005            Great Performances            Old Deuteronomy            2 episodes

2000            Welcome to New York    Chef Andre            Episode: "Tickets"

2005    All Grown Up!            Narrator, Man  Voice, episode: "Blind Man's Bluff"

2007    State of Mind    Florian 

Video games

Year     Title            Role            Notes

2002            Kingdom Hearts            Oogie Boogie

2004    The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge          

2005    The Nightmare Before Christmas: The Pumpkin King  

2006            Kingdom Hearts II      

2007            Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix+       

2013            Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix            Archive footage

2014        Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix

 

Theatre

Broadway

1975: The Wiz as The Lion

1976: Guys and Dolls as Nicely-Nicely Johnson

1978: Ain't Misbehavin' as Ken

1982: Cats as Old Deuteronomy

1988: Ain't Misbehavin' as Ken

1999: It Ain't Nothin' But the Blues as Performer

Off Broadway

1981: Louis as Joe "King" Oliver

1995: Call Me Madam as Senator Gallagher

1995: Out of this World as Jupiter

1998: The Wizard of Oz as The Cowardly Lion

2002: The Pajama Game as Mr. Hassler

Regional

1981: Damn Yankees as Van Buren (with Dick Van Dyke and Don Most)

1995: Randy Newman's Faust as the Lord

1996: Randy Newman's Faust as the Lord

2003: Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical as Old Max

2004: Breakfast at Tiffany's as Joe Bell

2006: Aida as Amonasro

2011: Grumpy Old Men: The Musical as Chuck

2014: Cats as Old Deuteronomy

2019: Grumpy Old Men: The Musical as Chuck

The Muny-St. Louis

1973: South Pacific as Stewpot

1973: Fiddler on the Roof as Chaim / Fruma Sarah (legs)

1974: Bitter Sweet as Ensemble

1994: Ain't Misbehavin' as Ken

1995: Camelot as King Pellinore

1996: Sleeping Beauty as the voice of Wendell

1997: The Wizard of Oz as Zeke/The Cowardly Lion

1998: Radio City Rockettes MUNY Spectacular as Ensemble

1998: Damn Yankees as Mgr. Van Buren

1999: Grease as Teen Angel

2001: My Fair Lady as Colonel Pickering

2002: The Fantasticks as Bellomy

2004: Cats as Old Deuteronomy

2004: Breakfast at Tiffany's as Joe

2005: Jesus Christ Superstar as King Herod

2005: Beauty and the Beast as Maurice/Narrator

2006: The Wizard of Oz as Professor Marvel/The Wizard of Oz

2006: Oliver! as Mr. Bumble

2006: Aida as Amonasro

2007: Les Misérables as Monsieur Thénardier

2008: My One and Only as Rt. Rev. J.D. Montgomery

2008: 90 Years of Muny Magic as Principal

2010: Cats as Old Deuteronomy

2010: Beauty and the Beast as Maurice/Narrator

2011: The Little Mermaid as King Triton

2011: Little Shop of Horrors as the voice of Audrey II

2012: Dreamgirls as Marty

2012: Aladdin as Sultan

2013: West Side Story as Doc

2014: Tarzan as Porter

2015: Into the Woods as The Narrator

2016: Aida as Amonasro

2018: Meet Me in St. Louis as Grandpa Prophater

2019: Guys and Dolls as Arvide Abernathy

2023: West Side Story as Doc

2024: Les Misérables as The Bishop of Digne

2024: Waitress as Old Joe

Hollywood Bowl

2009: Guys and Dolls in Concert as Nicely-Nicely Johnson

2018: The Nightmare Before Christmas in Concert as Oogie Boogie

2019: The Little Mermaid: An Immersive Live-to-Film Concert Experience as Sebastian

Other

1979: Ain't Misbehavin' as Performer 4 (US Tour)

1991: Children of Eden as Father/God (West End)

1995: Anyone Can Whistle as Police Chief Magruder (Carnegie Hall)

1997: A Christmas Carol as Ghost of Christmas Present/Sandwichboard Man (Madison Square Garden)

2021: The Nightmare Before Christmas in Concert as Oogie Boogie (BMO Stadium)

2022: The Nightmare Before Christmas in Concert as Oogie Boogie (Wembley Arena)