Photo Coverage: A Celebration of the Life of Kevin Gray
By: Genevieve Rafter Keddy May. 14, 2013
The Broadway community gathered celebrate the life and show business legacy of beloved Broadway performer Kevin Gray yesterday, May 13 at 2PM at The Majestic Theatre (247 West 44th Street). The Majestic Theatre held a special place for Mr. Gray, having starred there in The Phantom of the Opera, first as Raoul and later as The Phantom. BroadwayWorld was there and brings you photos from the celebration below.
Participants included Phantom director Harold Prince; many of Mr. Gray's former Phantom co-stars including Rebecca Luker, Hugh Panaro, Cris Groenendaal, Karen Culliver, Sarah Pfisterer, Lisa Vroman and Dodie Pettit (Mr. Gray's wife); Judy Blazer; Carolee Carmello; Robert Cuccioli; Elizabeth Renihan and Craig Schulman; as well as presentations by members of the casts of the Broadway and national touring companies of The Lion King, Miss Saigon, Titanic and The King & I. Director Charles Randolph Wright served as the celebration's director.
Mr. Gray passed away in February 2013 in Westport, CT. He'd most recently starred as Scar in the National Tour of The Lion King. Before that, he toured the UK as The King in The King & I, reprising his role from the Broadway revival, in which he became only the third actor in history to play the role on Broadway. Gray played Pontius Pilate in the Broadway revival of Jesus Christ Superstar and starred in Harold Prince's production of Show Boat, as Gaylord Ravenal. He toured in Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Music of the Night, and appeared as The Engineer in the Los Angeles and Toronto productions of Miss Saigon, receiving Drama-Logue and Dora Mavor Moore awards. He appears on The Complete Symphonic Recording of Miss Saigon. He was the youngest actor to play the title role in The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway and on the National Tour, receiving The Carbonell Award for his performance. Before that, he created the role of Valentin in the world premiere of the musical Kiss of the Spider Woman. Kevin first came to the attention of New York audiences with his portrayal of Kayama in the 1985 revival of Pacific Overtures, and subsequently was seen on Broadway as The Prince in Chu Chem and Off-Broadway in The Knife and The Death of Garcia Lorca, both at The Public.
Mr. Gray served as Associate Professor of Theatre at The Hartt School at The University of Hartford. The Kevin Gray Musical Theater Award Endowment Fund at Duke University and The Kevin Gray Memorial Scholarship Award at the Hartt School at the University of Hartford have been created to provide financial support to promising students as they pursue training in musical theater.
Mr. Gray is survived by his wife, Dodie Pettit.
Photo Credit: Genevieve Rafter Keddy
A Celebration Of The Life of Kevin Gray at The Majestic Theatre
Welcome to A Celebration Of The Life of Kevin Gray at The Majestic Theatre
Graybill
All I Ask of You-sung by former Christine's
Charles Randolph Wright and Jack Coleman
Teri Hansen and Hugh Panaro -Tribute to Kevin in Showboat
Tribute to Kevin in Titanic with former cast members
Robert Cuccioli talking about directing Kevin in Jekyll and Hyde
Dodie Pettit being brought on stage by Kevin's former leading ladies after they had performed Hello Young Lover's From The King and I
Carolee Carmello and Dodie Pettit
Carolee Carmello and Dodie Pettit
Craig Schulman
Craig Schulman
The Three Phantom's-Cris Groenendaal, Kevin Gray and Craig Schulman
Ann Harada and cast members from The King and I perform Something Wonderful
Wallace Smith and L. Steven Taylor perform He Lives in You from The Lion King
Kevin Gray as Scar with Wallace Smith and L. Steven Taylor
A finale tribute to Kevin Gray
Videos