BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY Norm Lewis (born June 2, 1963) is a Tony Award nominated American actor and heldentenor singer. He has appeared in Europe, on Broadway, in film, television, recordings and regional theatre.[2]
Personal life
Lewis was born in Tallahassee, Florida and grew up in Eatonville, Florida. He graduated from Edge water High School in Orlando. He worked at the Orlando Sentinel prior to his acting career.[3]
Career
Lewis was featured as AGWE in the Gateway Playhouse (Bellport, New York) production of Once On This Island in 1992.[4]
Lewis made his Broadway debut in The Who's Tommy (1993) [5] He was a replacement in Miss Saigon as John. In 1997 he played Jake in Side Show. He also appeared in Michael John LaChiusa's Broadway musical, The Wild Party as Eddie. Lewis was in Michel Legrand's short-lived musical Amour in 2002, which also featured Melissa Errico, Malcolm Gets and Lewis Cleale. He played the racketeer Eddie Satin in the New York City CenterEncores! staged concert of Golden Boy in March 2002.[6] He played Billy Flynn in the Broadway revival of Chicago in February 2004 and March 2004.[7] He performed in several benefit concerts, including Dreamgirls (2001), Chess (2003), and Hair.[7]
In 2005, Lewis starred in the Public Theater's "Shakespeare in the Park" revival of Two Gentlemen of Verona.[8] He played the role of Nathan in the Lincoln Center 2005 production of Dessa Rose.[9]
He played Javert in the 2006 revival of Les Misérables on Broadway. He reprised the role of Javert in the West End production of Les Misérables, ending January 29. He also played the role in the 25th anniversary concert of the show at London's O2 arena. Lewis again reprised the role in the St. Louis Muny production of Les Miserables from July 15–21, 2013.[10] He originated the role of King Triton in the Broadway production of The Little Mermaid in 2007.[11] Lewis is also featured on the Original Broadway Cast Recording ofThe Little Mermaid as King Triton.
In regional theatre, he played the title role in Sweeney Todd, the musical by Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler, at the Casa Mañana Theatre, Fort Worth, Texas beginning November 10, 2009. He had previously played this role at the Signature Theatre in 1999.[12]
Lewis was featured in the musical revue Sondheim on Sondheim, which premiered in the Roundabout Theatre's Studio 54 in 2010. The production, conceived and directed byJames Lapine, also featured Barbara Cook and Vanessa L. Williams.[13] His rendition of "Being Alive" was one of the evening's outstanding highlights.[citation needed]
Lewis appears in a revised version of Porgy and Bess, as Porgy, first at the Loeb Drama Center (Cambridge, Massachusetts) in August through September 2011 and then on Broadway at the Richard Rodgers Theatre starting in previews on December 12, 2011. This American Repertory Theater production is being "re-imagined by Suzan-Lori Parksand Diedre Murray as a musical for contemporary audiences."[14] He was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical[15] and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical for his performance.[16]
Lewis released his first solo album, This Is The Life! in 2008 under the Seahorse Productions label.[17] His other notable recordings include the cast recording of Side Show and the 1998 cast recording of A New Brain as Roger Delli-Bovi, for Scott Alan's Keys and for the 2001 New York cast recording of Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens in aid of the Momentum Aids Project.
In 2012, Lewis joined the cast of the ABC political thriller television series, Scandal, in the role of Senator Edison Davis.[18][19]
In 2013, Lewis starred as Prospero in the Public Theater's PublicWorks Shakespeare in the Park production of The Tempest at the Delacorte Theater. He was one of five professional actors heading a cast of 200 community participants.[20]
He is an investor in the company, Lolly Clothing, started by his good friend and Broadway actor Chad Kimball.[21][22]
He appeared in the Stephen Sondheim - Wynton Marsalis staged concert for Encores! titled A Bed and a Chair: A New York Love Affair, at New York City Center, from November 13 to November 17, 2013. The concert was directed by John Doyle and also featured Bernadette Peters, Jeremy Jordan, and Cyrille Aimée.[23][24] On May 12, 2014 Lewis assumed the role of Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera in NY, making him the first African American to play the title role in the New York production and the third worldwide.[25]He succeeded Hugh Panaro and joined fellow returning cast member Sierra Boggess, who returned as Christine on the same date.
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical | Dessa Rose | Nominated |
| 2012 | Tony Award | Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical | Porgy and Bess | Nominated |
| Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Actor in a Musical | Nominated | ||
| Drama League Award | Distinguished Performance | Nominated | ||
| Outer Critics Circle Award | Outstanding Actor in a Musical | Nominated                                                                                |
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