Kenneth Jennings (born October 10, 1947) is an American stage actor, most famous for his role as
Tobias Ragg
Tobias is the transliteration of the Greek which is a translation of the Hebrew biblical name he, טוֹבִיה, Toviyah, JahGod is good, label=none. With the biblical Book of Tobias being present in the Deuterocanon/Apocrypha of the Bible, To ...
in the 1979
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 ...
premiere of
Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Joshua Sondheim (; March 22, 1930November 26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. One of the most important figures in twentieth-century musical theater, Sondheim is credited for having "reinvented the American musical" with sho ...
's ''
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street''. Jennings received the 1979
Drama Desk Award
The Drama Desk Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. Fo ...
for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical for this role. He has also performed in several other shows, including ''
Urinetown
''Urinetown: The Musical'' is a satirical comedy musical that premiered in 2001, with music by Mark Hollmann, lyrics by Hollmann and Greg Kotis, and book by Kotis. It satirizes the legal system, capitalism, social irresponsibility, populism, burea ...
'' in 2001.
Jennings was born in
Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.[St. Peter's Preparatory School
Saint Peter's Preparatory School ("Saint Peter's Prep" or "Prep") is a private, all-male, Jesuit, college-preparatory school located in Jersey City, in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States, within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark. T ...]
and
St. Peter's College, both Catholic schools located in his hometown of Jersey City.
He performed the voice of Dinty Doyle in the 1981
Rankin/Bass
Rankin/Bass Animated Entertainment (founded and formerly known as Videocraft International, Ltd. and Rankin/Bass Productions, Inc.) was an American production company located in New York City, and known for its seasonal television specials, usual ...
stop motion animated Christmas special ''The Leprechauns' Christmas Gold'', as well as Hunter #2 in the 1982 animated film ''
The Last Unicorn
''The Last Unicorn'' is a fantasy novel by American author Peter S. Beagle and published in 1968, by Viking Press in the U.S. and The Bodley Head in the U.K. It follows the tale of a unicorn, who believes she is the last of her kind in the wor ...
''.
NYC theatre credits
* 1975: ''
All God's Chillun Got Wings'' – Shorty
* 1979: ''
Sweeney Todd
Sweeney Todd is a fictional character who first appeared as the villain of the penny dreadful serial ''The String of Pearls'' (1846–47). The original tale became a feature of 19th-century melodrama and London urban legend, legend. A barber fr ...
'' – Tobias Ragg
* 1985: ''
Mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...
'' – Ensemble
* 1989: ''
Grand Hotel A grand hotel is a large and luxurious hotel, especially one housed in a building with traditional architectural style. It began to flourish in the 1800s in Europe and North America.
Grand Hotel may refer to:
Hotels Africa
* Grande Hotel Beir ...
'' – Georg Strunk
* 1994: ''
A Christmas Carol
''A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas'', commonly known as ''A Christmas Carol'', is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall in 1843 and illustrated by John Leech. ''A Christmas C ...
'' – Lamplighter/Ghost of Christmas Past
* 1997: ''
London Assurance
''London Assurance'' (originally titled ''Out of Town'') is a five-act comedy by Dion Boucicault. It was the second play that he wrote but his first to be produced. Its first production was by Charles Matthews and Madame Vestris's company and ...
'' – Mr. Adolphus Spanker
* 1997: ''
Side Show
In North America, a sideshow is an extra, secondary production associated with a circus, traveling carnival, carnival, fair, or other such attraction.
Types
There are four main types of classic sideshow attractions:
*The Ten-in-One offers ...
'' – The Boss
* 2001: ''
Urinetown
''Urinetown: The Musical'' is a satirical comedy musical that premiered in 2001, with music by Mark Hollmann, lyrics by Hollmann and Greg Kotis, and book by Kotis. It satirizes the legal system, capitalism, social irresponsibility, populism, burea ...
'' – Old Man Strong/Hot Blades Harry
* 2006: ''
Mimi le Duck
''Mimi le Duck'' is a Musical theatre, musical with book and lyrics by Diana Hansen-Young and music by Brian Feinstein. ''Mimi Le Duck'' premiered at the Adirondack Theater Festival in 2004, followed by a run at the Fringe Festival that same year. ...
'' – The Gypsy
Other performances
* ''
Astuter Computer Revue
CommuniCore was a pavilion dedicated to technological advance located at EPCOT Center in Walt Disney World, Florida. It occupied two semi-circular buildings behind Spaceship Earth at the center of Future World (today World Celebration). The two ...
'' at
Epcot
Epcot, stylized in all uppercase as EPCOT, is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks, Experiences and Products division. Inspired by an unreal ...
from October 1, 1982, to January 2, 1984
References
External links
*
*
Sondheim.com: Side by Side with Ken Jennings*
*
1947 births
Living people
American male musical theatre actors
American male stage actors
Male actors from Jersey City, New Jersey
Saint Peter's University alumni
St. Peter's Preparatory School alumni
Drama Desk Award winners
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