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Richard H. Blake

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Richard H. Blake (born May 17, 1975 as Richard Harrison Thomas[1]) is an American musical actor.

Blake made his Broadway debut in Teddy & Alice, starring Len Cariou at the Minskoff Theater in 1987. Following that he appeared as Boy McDuff in Macbeth, starring Christopher Plummer & Glenda Jacskson, in 1988.

Blake then starred as the title character in the 1989 musical Prince of Central Park. At 14, he became the youngest Broadway performer to have his name above the title of the show.[2] However, the show closed after only 4 performances.

One of his earliest stints on Broadway was taking over the role of Roger Davis in Rent. In 2001, Richard Blake took over the role of Tony Manero in Saturday Night Fever, a musical adaptation of the film of the same name, having previously starred in Footloose.[3] He also took over the role of Link Larkin in the Broadway production of Hairspray.

He was seen on Broadway in The Wedding Singer in 2006, originating the role of Glen Guglia at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre in New York. He then went on to star in the musical version of Legally Blonde at the Palace Theatre, originating the role of Warner Huntington III alongside such stars as Laura Bell Bundy and Christian Borle. He can be heard on both The Wedding Singer and Legally Blonde cast recordings.

He recently finished a lengthy run as Fiyero on the First National Tour of Wicked. He replaced Cliffton Hall on November 18, 2008. He toured across North America for over two years, playing his final performance on February 13, 2011. Blake then replaced Kyle Dean Massey as Fiyero in the Broadway production of Wicked beginning March 29, 2011.[4] He exited the Broadway company on July 29, 2012, and was replaced by Massey.[5] Blake subsequently joined his third production of Wicked, this time, the tour across Asia. He replaced David Harris as Fiyero beginning August 7 in Seoul, South Korea.

After leaving Wicked, Blake joined the Broadway cast of Matilda the Musical where he played the roles of the Escapologist, Sergei, and the Party Entertainer.[6] He then took over the role of Tommy DeVito in the Broadway production of Jersey Boys beginning January 9, 2014.[7]

He stars as Lorenzo in the musical adaptation of A Bronx Tale on Broadway at the Longacre Theatre. The musical opened in previews on November 3, 2016 and officially on December 1, 2016.[8]

References

  1. ^ "A Bronx Tale Star Richard H. Blake on Migrating from Jersey to the Bronx, Being Italian by Marriage & 'Ruining' Sutton Foster's Career"
  2. ^ "The Leading Men: Blake, Borle and Turner"
  3. ^ McMurtrie, John (2001-04-08). "Stayin' Alive After All These Years". San Francisco Chronicle. Hearst Communications. Retrieved 2008-06-11.
  4. ^ Richard H. Blake to Join Cast of Broadway's Wicked
  5. ^ Kyle Dean Massey to Return to WICKED as 'Fiyero' July 31; Richard Blake to Depart July 29
  6. ^ Richard H. Blake @ Playbill Vault
  7. ^ Gans, Andrew. "Richard H. Blake Will Succeed Andy Karl in Broadway's 'Jersey Boys'" Playbill, November 26, 2013, accessed December 1, 2016
  8. ^ Viagas, Robert. "These Streets: Broadway’s 'A Bronx Tale' Musical Opens Tonight" Playbill, December 1, 2016
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