Bruce Hubbard

Bruce Hubbard (1952 − 1991) was an African-American operatic baritone, most famous for appearing in several productions of Show Boat (as Joe) and Porgy and Bess (most famously as Jake, but he also sang the role of Porgy), both in regional productions and on Broadway. He attended Indiana University. He was a music major and helped coach actors that appeared in musicals.

Early life

Hubbard was born in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1951, and graduated from Arlington High School in 1971. In 1973, while still a student at Indiana University, he returned to Arlington and recorded two songs on a vinyl LP, "Antiphon" from "Five Mystical Songs" by Ralph Williams, and "Without a Song," by Vincent Youmans, with the high school concert choir. This custom album may have been his first formally recorded release.

Career

From 1978 to 1980, after Porgy and Bess, Hubbard was also seen on Broadway and subsequently in two Broadway National tours of Timbuktu!, starring the legendary Eartha Kitt, Melba Moore, Gilbert Price, and Ira Hawkins and directed by the Tony Award winning director and choreographer Geoffrey Holder. Hubbard first understudied then eventually succeeded Price in the leading role of the Mansa of Mali.

He also appeared in the original company of Alan Jay Lerner and Leonard Bernstein's notorious musical flop 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in the role of Rev. Bushrod, and performed in the first Broadway production of Scott Joplin's Treemonisha.

Hubbard began appearing in productions of Show Boat as far back as 1976, including a touring production featuring Van Johnson as Cap'n Andy, and the acclaimed Houston Grand Opera's Broadway production in 1983 with Donald O'Connor in the role. However, perhaps the most notable production of the musical in which he appeared was not a live staged performance but the 1988 EMI 3-CD set conducted by John McGlinn, which featured the entire musical score (though not all the dialogue) for the very first time on recordings, in the original 1927 vocal arrangements and orchestrations. The album was highly acclaimed and became a best seller, still in print today, and chosen as one of EMI's Great Recordings of the Century. On the album, which tried to be "authentic" in nearly every way possible, Hubbard was the first singer in modern times to sing Ol' Man River with its controversial original lyrics (which used the word "niggers" rather than "colored folks").

He also appeared in the highly acclaimed 1986 Glyndebourne Festival stage revival of George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess, as well as in the Metropolitan Opera production. The recording of the Glyndebourne production was also chosen an EMI Great Recording of the Century. Hubbard sang the role of Jake, the fisherman, but had died before the Glyndebourne production was brought to television in 1993. However, because the soundtrack of the recording was used in the Emmy-nominated television version, Hubbard can still be heard as Jake, while baritone Gordon Hawkins plays the role onscreen. However, Hubbard was actually seen in a 1987 televised Metropolitan Opera production of Bizet's Carmen, as the smuggler Le Dancaïre.

After the success of the EMI Show Boat, Hubbard made his recital debut album, entitled For You, For Me on EMI Records label, produced by Patti Laursen. It was conducted by Dennis Russell Davies and released in time for Christmas in 1990. It would be Hubbard's only solo album. It featured Aaron Copland's Old American Songs, Irving Berlin's song Always, and selections from Porgy and Bess, Girl Crazy, Centennial Summer and 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Soprano Marvis Martin joined Hubbard in duetting Bess, You Is My Woman Now. The album is currently out-of-print, but can be bought as an mp3.

Hubbard also appeared in one film - Francis Ford Coppola's The Cotton Club, in 1984. He played one of Bumpy Rhodes's (Laurence Fishburne) henchmen.

In 1991, he was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor, for reprising his performance as Joe in a London production of Show Boat. He lost, however, to Philip Quast, who won for his performance as Georges Seurat in Sunday in the Park with George.

Death

In 1991, Hubbard died from pneumonia.