Richard H. Blake (born May 17, 1975 as ''Richard Harrison Thomas''''Show People with Paul Wontorek'' (2016-11-30)
"A Bronx Tale Star Richard H. Blake on Migrating from Jersey to the Bronx, Being Italian by Marriage & 'Ruining' Sutton Foster's Career"
broadway.com.) is an American actor and singer best known for his work in musical theatre. Blake made his

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

debut in ''

Teddy & Alice ''Teddy & Alice'' is a musical with a book by Jerome Alden, lyrics by Hal Hackady, and music adapted from the work of John Philip Sousa, with some new songs by Richard Kapp. In its very early stages, Alan Jay Lerner contributed material before ...

'', starring

Len Cariou Leonard Joseph Cariou (; born September 30, 1939) is a Canadian actor and stage director, best known for his portrayal of Sweeney Todd in the original cast of '' Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street'', for which he won the Tony Award ...

at the

Minskoff Theatre The Minskoff Theatre is a Broadway theater on the third floor of the One Astor Plaza office building in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1973, it is operated by the Nederlander Organization and is named aft ...

in 1987. The following year he appeared as Boy McDuff in ''

Macbeth ''Macbeth'' (, full title ''The Tragedie of Macbeth'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It is thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those w ...

'', starring

Christopher Plummer Arthur Christopher Orme Plummer (December 13, 1929 – February 5, 2021) was a Canadian actor. His career spanned seven decades, gaining him recognition for his performances in film, stage, and television. He received multiple accolades, inc ...

and

Glenda Jackson Glenda May Jackson (born 9 May 1936) is an English actress and former Member of Parliament (MP). She has won the Academy Award for Best Actress twice: for her role as Gudrun Brangwen in the romantic drama '' Women in Love'' (1970); and again fo ...

, on Broadway at the

Mark Hellinger Theatre The Mark Hellinger Theatre (formerly the 51st Street Theatre and the Hollywood Theatre) is a church building at 237 West 51st Street in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, which formerly served as a cinema and a Broadway theat ...

. Blake then starred as the title character in the 1989 Broadway musical ''

Prince of Central Park ''Prince of Central Park'' is a 2000 family movie. The cast included Kathleen Turner, Danny Aiello, Harvey Keitel, and Cathy Moriarty. It was written and directed by John Leekley, and produced by Julius R. Nasso, Steven Seagal, and John P. Guli ...

'', becoming (at 14) the youngest Broadway performer to have his name above the title of the show.Nondorf, Tom (2007-03-06)
"The Leading Men: Blake, Borle and Turner"
playbill.com However, the show closed after only 4 performances. In 1990, he appeared on ''

Star Search ''Star Search'' was an American television show that was produced by T.P.E./Rysher Entertainment from 1983 to 1995, hosted by Ed McMahon, and created by Al Masini. A relaunch was produced by 2929 Productions from 2003 to 2004. On both version ...

'', beating future Tony-winner

Sutton Foster Sutton Lenore Foster (born March 18, 1975) is an American actress, singer and dancer. She is known for her work on the Broadway stage, for which she has won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical twice, in 2002 for her role as Millie Di ...

. Back on Broadway, he took over the role of Roger Davis in ''

Rent Rent may refer to: Economics *Renting, an agreement where a payment is made for the temporary use of a good, service or property *Economic rent, any payment in excess of the cost of production *Rent-seeking, attempting to increase one's share of e ...

'' and originated the role of Gus in the 1999 musical ''

Saturday Night Fever ''Saturday Night Fever'' is a 1977 American Dance in film, dance Drama (film and television), drama film directed by John Badham and produced by Robert Stigwood. It stars John Travolta as Tony Manero, a young Italian-American man from the Brookl ...

''; he also joined the national tour as Tony Manero. He also took over the role Link Larkin in the Broadway production of ''

Hairspray Hairspray may refer to: * Hair spray, a personal grooming product that keeps hair protected from humidity and wind * ''Hairspray'' (1988 film), a film by John Waters ** ''Hairspray'' (1988 soundtrack), the film's soundtrack album ** ''Hairspray ...

''. Blake originated the role of Glen Guglia in the 2006 Broadway version of ''

The Wedding Singer ''The Wedding Singer'' is a 1998 American romantic comedy film directed by Frank Coraci, written by Tim Herlihy, and produced by Robert Simonds and Jack Giarraputo. The film stars Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore, and Christine Taylor, and tell ...

'' at the

Al Hirschfeld Theatre The Al Hirschfeld Theatre, originally the Martin Beck Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 302 West 45th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1924, it was designed by G. Albert Lansburgh in a Moorish a ...

. He then starred in the ''

Legally Blonde ''Legally Blonde'' is a 2001 American comedy film directed by Robert Luketic in his feature-length directorial debut, and scripted by Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith from Amanda Brown's 2001 novel of the same name. It stars Reese Wit ...

'' musical at the

Palace Theatre Palace Theatre, or Palace Theater, is the name of many theatres in different countries, including: Australia *Palace Theatre, Melbourne, Victoria * Palace Theatre, Sydney, New South Wales Canada *Palace Theatre, housed in the Robillard Block, Mo ...

, originating the role of Warner Huntington III alongside

Laura Bell Bundy Laura Ashley Bell Bundy (born April 10, 1981) is an American actress and singer. She is best known for originating the Broadway roles of Amber Von Tussle in the musical version of '' Hairspray and'' Elle Woods in the musical version of '' Lega ...

and

Christian Borle Christian Dominique Borle (born October 1, 1973) is an American actor and singer. He is a two-time Tony Award winner for his roles as Black Stache in '' Peter and the Starcatcher'' and as William Shakespeare in '' Something Rotten!''. Borle als ...

. He can be heard on both ''The Wedding Singer'' and ''Legally Blonde'' cast recordings. Blake had a lengthy run as

Fiyero ''Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West'' is an American novel published in 1995, written by Gregory Maguire with illustrations by Douglas Smith. It is the first in '' The Wicked Years'' series, and was followed by '' Son of ...

on the First National tour of ''

Wicked Wicked may refer to: Books * Wicked, a minor character in the ''X-Men'' universe * '' Wicked'', a 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire that inspired the musical of the same name * ''Wicked'', the fifth novel in Sara Shepard's ''Pretty Little Liars'' s ...

'' after replacing Cliffton Hall on November 18, 2008. He toured North America with the show until February 13, 2011. He then replaced

Kyle Dean Massey Kyle Dean Massey (born November 17, 1981) is an American actor and singer. He is best known for his leading roles in the Broadway musicals '' Wicked'' – for which he has played Fiyero on-and-off from 2007 to 2019 – ''Next to Normal,'' and ...

as Fiyero on Broadway beginning March 29, 2011. He exited the Broadway company on July 29, 2012, and was replaced by Massey. Blake subsequently joined his third production of ''Wicked'', this time in Asia, replacing

David Harris David Harris may refer to: Academics and literature * David Harris (protester) (born 1946), American author, journalist and anti-war activist * Dovid Harris (born 1940), American dean of the Rabbinical Seminary of America / Yeshiva Rabbi Israel ...

as Fiyero beginning August 7 in Seoul,

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

. After leaving ''Wicked'', Blake joined the Broadway cast of ''

Matilda the Musical ''Roald Dahl's Matilda'', simply known as ''Matilda'' or ''Matilda the Musical'', is a stage musical with music and lyrics by Tim Minchin and a book by Dennis Kelly, based on the 1988 novel '' Matilda'' by Roald Dahl. The musical's narrativ ...

'' in the roles of the Escapologist, Sergei, and the Party Entertainer. He then took over the role of Tommy DeVito in the Broadway production of ''

Jersey Boys ''Jersey Boys'' is a jukebox musical with music by Bob Gaudio, lyrics by Bob Crewe, and book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice. It is presented in a documentary-style format that dramatizes the formation, success and eventual break-up of th ...

'' beginning January 9, 2014. Blake starred as Lorenzo in the musical adaptation of ''

A Bronx Tale ''A Bronx Tale'' is a 1993 American coming-of-age crime film directed by and starring Robert De Niro in his directorial debut and produced by Jane Rosenthal, adapted from Chazz Palminteri's 1989 play of the same name. It tells the coming of a ...

'' on Broadway at the

Longacre Theatre The Longacre Theatre is a Broadway theater at 220 West 48th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States. Opened in 1913, it was designed by Henry B. Herts and was named for Longacre Square, now known a ...

. The musical opened officially on December 1, 2016 and closed on August 5, 2018.Viagas, Robert
"These Streets: Broadway’s 'A Bronx Tale' Musical Opens Tonight"
''Playbill'', December 1, 2016

References

External links

*
Richard H. Blake at Broadway.com

''BroadwayWorld.com'' interview with Richard H. Blake, August 28, 2007
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blake, Richard H. 1975 births Living people American male musical theatre actors Actors from Providence, Rhode Island Place of birth missing (living people) Male actors from Rhode Island