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The beast has gone awry. James Barbour a seasoned musical theatre vet has fallen onto some hard times. Known for his role as "The Beast" in Disney's Beauty and the Beast, Barbour has been placed under arrest for charges of sex abuse and sodomy. Typically I keep away from posting anything overly gossipy about the Broadway world on my blog, but this one is weird and shocked even me. Even more bizarre, read the thread about this on BroadwayWorld.com -- it gets even crazier and out of control (with particular mention about Scientology). I know, I know, I'm feeding into this gossip frenzy but calling attention to it...-----
Actor In Sex Arrest
April 6, 2006 -- A 19-year-old aspiring actress has accused a veteran Broadway actor of luring her into performing sex acts offstage when she was just a star-struck kid visiting the Great White Way.
The 40-year-old actor, James Barbour, who appeared in the Broadway musical "Assassins" three years ago, was arrested yesterday by Los Angeles police on a New York warrant charging sex abuse and sodomy, sources here said.
The unidentified woman came forward in February and told NYPD cops she first met Barbour through her high-school drama coach in 2001 when she was 15.
She met the handsome hoofer again that year on a trip with her parents.
Barbour, who was appearing in the Tony-Award winning "Jane Eyre" at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre, promised the star-struck out-of-towner a personal backstage tour.
Instead, she claims, Barbour took her to his dressing room where they had a sexual encounter.
A few weeks later, on July 21, the awe-struck teenager returned, this time without her parents, and met Barbour again.
Later, the woman said she went to his Upper West Side apartment where they had a sexual encounter. It was not clear why the woman, now an aspiring actress, waited so long to come forward.
An L.A. judge ordered Barbour to surrender in New York on April 17.
3 comments:
I'm still more apt to believe that he's innocent until proven guilty. Granted, I didn't read all 200+ posts on Broadway World...but the first 25 or so entries I did read proved to be more catty than informational. If he is proven guilty, we can then talk about what a swan dive his life has taken.
Oh...and I still think Terrence Mann is the definitive Beast. Although I've seen Barbour both as the Beast and as Czolgosz in Assassins, I will remember first loving his voice when I heard him sing Soliloquy from Carousel.
I agree...innocent until proven guilty. And just for the record, I certainly didn't read all 200+ posts either. I just think this whole situation is weird. On a personal note, I have to admit, the few times I met him, he always struck me as being a little slimey, but that's just my opinion and really has nothing to do with his current "situation."
I'm sad to say Mr. Barbours 'alleged' behavior is not so rare in the B'way community. Take into consideration access: most of his fan base are cooing and swooning teenage girls.
Whatever the outcome in this particular scenario, I hope it will make other offenders question their 'above the laws' behavior just because they've acheived some high-profile status to hide behind.
some links (the first is amusing):
http://rickyinnyc.blogspot.com/2006/04/trying-for-rent-10-bcefa-easter-bonnet.html
http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/nypost/access/1016611591.html?dids=1016611591:1016611591&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Apr+6%2C+2006&author=MURRAY+WEISS&pub=New+York+Post&edition=&startpage=009&desc=ACTOR+IN+SEX+ARREST
http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/nypost/access/1022739241.html?dids=1022739241:1022739241&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Apr+16%2C+2006&author=Philip+Recchia+and+Brad+Hamilton&pub=New+York+Post&edition=&startpage=019&desc=SEX-RAP+%27SEX%27+ACTOR+GIVES+UP
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