Jeff Keller is an American musical theatre actor. He is best known for being in the original Broadway cast of '' The Phantom of the Opera'' and later taking over the roles of Monsieur André and Firmin, as well as the title role. Some of his other Broadway credits include roles in ''

Dance a Little Closer ''Dance a Little Closer'' is a musical with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Charles Strouse. The story is an updated version of Robert E. Sherwood's 1936 antiwar comedy '' Idiot's Delight''. Plot overview The musical is set on ...

'', ''

Fiddler on the Roof ''Fiddler on the Roof'' is a musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein, set in the Pale of Settlement of Imperial Russia in or around 1905. It is based on ''Tevye and his Daughters'' (or ''Tevye the ...

'', and ''

Sunday in the Park with George ''Sunday in the Park with George'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. It was inspired by the French pointillist painter Georges Seurat's painting ''A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatt ...

'', as well as several others.AboutTheArtists
/ref>Playbill
/ref>IBDB
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Career

Keller made his Broadway debut in the cast of ''Candide'' in 1974. In 1976, Keller played the role of Perchik in the touring cast of ''

''. Later that year, he played the role in the Broadway revival. He was a replacement actor in the 1978 production of '' On the Twentieth Century''. He originated roles in ''

The 1940's Radio Hour ''The Radio Hour'' is a musical by Walton Jones. Using popular songs from the 1940s, it portrays the final holiday broadcast of the Mutual Manhattan Variety Cavalcade on the New York radio station WOV in December 1942. Plot A little New York City ...

'', ''The Roast'', and ''

''. In 1984, Keller joined the original Broadway cast of ''

'' understudying the title role. He would later take over several supporting roles while still understudying the title role. He played the roles of Billy and Louis ten years later in the Broadway Anniversary Concert. In 1986, Keller started a 19-year stint in the Broadway company of '' The Phantom of the Opera''. In the original cast, he was an ensemble member and understudied the Phantom. In 1989, he took over the role of Monsieur André when Cris Groenendaal was promoted to Phantom. In November 1990, Keller stepped into the title role for a month in between the stints of Steve Barton and Kevin Gray.See 20 Masked Men of Broadway’s Phantom of the Opera
/ref> In 1994, Keller again substituted in the title role for 3 months in between

Marcus Lovett Marcus Lovett is an American singer and actor who was born in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. He is known for his roles in musical theatre. His credits include leading roles in ''The Phantom of the Opera'', ''Aspects of Love'', ''Carousel'' and ''King D ...

and

Davis Gaines Davis Gaines (born January 21, 1954, Orlando, Florida) is an American stage actor. He has performed as the Phantom in the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical ''The Phantom of the Opera'' over 2,000 times, on Broadway, on tour, in Los Angeles, and in San ...

. He also played the role of

Jacob Marley Jacob Marley is a fictional character in Charles Dickens's 1843 novella ''A Christmas Carol'', a former business partner of the miser Ebenezer Scrooge, who has been dead for seven years.Hawes, Donal''Who's Who in Dickens'' Routledge (1998), Goog ...

in the annual production of ''A Christmas Carol'' at

The Theater at Madison Square Garden The Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden is a theater located in New York City's Madison Square Garden. It seats between 2,000 and 5,600, and is used for concerts, shows, sports, meetings, and other events. It is located beneath the main Madison ...

. In 2001, Keller switched roles with

George Lee Andrews George Lee Andrews (born October 13, 1942, Milwaukee, Wisconsin) is an American actor and singer. He holds the Guinness World Record for the most performances in the same Broadway show, having appeared in the musical ''The Phantom of the Opera'' on ...

, "to keep things fresh", portraying Monsieur Firmin in ''Phantom''.Old and Ghostly but Still a Hoot
''The New York Times'', July 1, 2005

Stage credits

Source:

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Keller, Jeff Living people 1961 births American male musical theatre actors 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors