Kenneth Page (January 20, 1954 – September 30, 2024) was an American actor and

cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...

singer who created the part of Ken in the original Broadway production of '' Ain't Misbehavin''' and played Old Deuteronomy in the original Broadway and filmed stage adaptation of ''

Cats The cat (''Felis catus''), also referred to as the domestic cat or house cat, is a small domesticated carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species of the family Felidae. Advances in archaeology and genetics have shown that the ...

''. He voiced Oogie Boogie in '' The Nightmare Before Christmas'' franchise and played in the original Broadway production of '' The Wiz'' as The Lion and the first Broadway revival of '' Guys and Dolls'' as Nicely-Nicely Johnson.

Early life

Kenneth Page was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri. He was raised

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

by his mother, Gloria, and his step-father, Garvin Gilstrap. He attended St. Bridget of Erin and St. Nicholas elementary schools. While attending St. Nicholas, he was inspired by a teacher and an older cousin to pursue theatre. He subsequently graduated from Bishop DuBourg High School in 1972. From there he attended Fontbonne College in Clayton, Missouri, on a full scholarship and majored in theatre.

Career

Page began his career in the chorus of the Muny outdoor theater in St. Louis. After making his Broadway debut in '' The Wiz'', he played Nicely-Nicely Johnson in the all-black revival of '' Guys and Dolls'' ( Theatre World Award). He was then featured in the original cast of the Fats Waller musical revue, '' Ain't Misbehavin''' (Drama Desk Award), a role he reprised in the 1982 television broadcast. He also returned to the show in its 1988 Broadway revival. In 1982, Page played Old Deuteronomy in ''

'', returning to the part in the 1998 video release. He also played

God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...

twice, in '' Randy Newman's Faust'' at La Jolla Playhouse and

Goodman Theatre Goodman Theatre is a professional theater company located in Chicago's Loop. A major part of the Chicago theatre scene, it is the city's oldest currently active nonprofit theater organization. Part of its present theater complex occupies the ...

and in Stephen Schwartz's '' Children of Eden'' ( West End). He frequently acted in shows at The Muny, with appearances including '' Jesus Christ Superstar'', '' Aida'', '' The Wizard of Oz'', '' Les Misérables'', ''My One and Only'', and ''Little Shop of Horrors''. Besides '' The Nightmare Before Christmas'', Page's major film credits included '' All Dogs Go to Heaven'' and '' Torch Song Trilogy'', as well as ''

Dreamgirls ''Dreamgirls'' is a Broadway musical, with music by Henry Krieger and lyrics and book by Tom Eyen. It is based on the show business aspirations and successes of R&B acts such as The Shirelles, James Brown, Jackie Wilson, and others, and p ...

''. His TV credits included guest roles on shows such as '' Charmed'' and '' Touched by an Angel'', as well as various films and specials. In later years, Page developed and performed his cabaret-singer show, ''Page by Page'', and directed various regional and touring productions. He was the voice of the notorious talking plant Audrey II in the Muny's production of ''Little Shop of Horrors''. He also reprised the role of Old Deuteronomy in the Lubbock Moonlight Musicals production of ''Cats'' in

Lubbock, Texas Lubbock ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Lubbock County. With a population of 272,086 in 2024, Lubbock is the 10th-most populous city in Texas and the 84th-most populous in the United States. The city is in the ...

. Page regularly reprised his role as Oogie Boogie in several other Disney productions such as the fireworks display '' HalloWishes'' at

Walt Disney World The Walt Disney World Resort is an destination resort, entertainment resort complex located about southwest of Orlando, Florida, United States. Opened on October 1, 1971, the resort is operated by Disney Experiences, a division of the Wa ...

Magic Kingdom Magic Kingdom Park is a Amusement park, theme park at the Walt Disney World, Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. It opened on October 1, 1971, and is owned and operated by the Walt Disney Company through its Disney Experiences, Expe ...

, its sister show, '' Halloween Screams'' at

Disneyland Disneyland is a amusement park, theme park at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. It was the first theme park opened by the Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney, ...

, the Haunted Mansion Holiday (also at Disneyland), the '' Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular'' (at Magic Kingdom) and subsequent video games including '' The Nightmare Before Christmas: The Pumpkin King'', '' The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge'' and the '' Kingdom Hearts'' series.

Personal life and death

Page once explained: "I'm not closeted, never have been to my knowledge. But 'gay' means so many different things to people." He advised others: "Be careful. I understand, believe me – because I fought for your label. But don't define yourself by the label you put on yourself." Page died in his sleep on September 30, 2024, at the age of 70, at his home in St. Louis.

Filmography

Source:

Film

Television

Video games

Theatre

Broadway

Off Broadway

Regional

The Muny-St. Louis

Hollywood Bowl

* 2009: '' Guys and Dolls in Concert'' as Nicely-Nicely Johnson * 2018: '' The Nightmare Before Christmas in Concert'' as Oogie Boogie * 2019: '' The Little Mermaid: An Immersive Live-to-Film Concert Experience'' as Sebastian

Other

* 1979: '' Ain't Misbehavin''' as Performer 4 (US Tour) * 1991: '' Children of Eden'' as Father/God ( West End) * 1995: '' Anyone Can Whistle'' as Police Chief Magruder (

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...

) * 1997: ''A Christmas Carol'' as Ghost of Christmas Present/Sandwichboard Man (

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...

) * 2021: '' The Nightmare Before Christmas in Concert'' as Oogie Boogie (

BMO Stadium BMO Stadium (formerly Banc of California Stadium) is a soccer-specific stadium in the Exposition Park, Los Angeles, Exposition Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States. It is the home of Major League Soccer's Los Angeles FC ...

) * 2022: '' The Nightmare Before Christmas in Concert'' as Oogie Boogie (

Wembley Arena Wembley Arena () (originally the Empire Pool, currently known as OVO Energy, OVO Arena Wembley for sponsorship reasons) is an indoor arena next to Wembley Stadium in Wembley, Greater London, England. The 12,500-seat facility is Greater Lond ...

)

Discography

Singles

* "Page by Page" (2008)

Soundtrack

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Page, Ken 1954 births 2024 deaths 20th-century African-American male singers 20th-century American LGBTQ people 20th-century American male singers 20th-century American singers 21st-century African-American male singers 21st-century American LGBTQ people 21st-century American male singers African-American Catholics African-American LGBTQ people African-American male actors American cabaret singers American gay actors American male film actors American male musical theatre actors American male stage actors American male video game actors American male voice actors Drama Desk Award winners Fontbonne University alumni LGBTQ people from Missouri LGBTQ Roman Catholics Male actors from St. Louis Singers from Missouri