James Barbour will assume the role of President William McKinley assassin Leon Czolgosz in the upcoming Broadway staging of the Stephen Sondheim-John Weidman musical Assassins. The actor will take over the role of Czolgosz that was to be played by John Dossett (Gypsy) when the production was set to open on Broadway in 2001, before being canceled in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Beginning previews March 19, 2004, the long-awaited staging will open at Roundabout's new musical home Studio 54, April 22, 2004. This production will mark the musical's Broadway premiere. Neil Patrick Harris will lead the cast as John F. Kennedy assassin Lee Harvey Oswald and Balladeer. Playbill On-Line previously reported actor-comedian Mario Cantone (The Violet Hour) is set to star as Samuel Byck and Alexander Gemignani as John Hinckley. Michael Cerveris (Tommy) told PBOL he is slated to play John Wilkes Booth — a role set to be played (in 2001) by Douglas Sills (Little Shop of Horrors). To the Head of the Line: James Barbour Plays Big Bill Killer in Assassins on Broadway By Ernio Hernandez Dec 10, 2003
Playbill full article - Broadway Scene Stealers: The Men
Playbill.com correspondent Ben Rimalower offers a round-up of some of the best scene-stealing performances by male actors.
I have to serve up this list of male scene stealers with a big fat disclaimer that it is grossly limited by what I have seen, or rather, more to the point, what I haven't seen! If you feel there are glaring omissions, maybe you should invite me to a show some time!
8. James Barbour, Assassins
There was a lot of great acting on stage in the Roundabout Theatre Company's Broadway production of Assassins in 2004 (the show's main stem premiere), and several of the performances were honored with Tony nominations and other laurels — Michael Cerveris even won the Best Featured Actor in a Musical Tony for his role as John Wilkes Booth. When I saw this production of Assassins, I had already seen several incarnations of the piece over the years and brought a certain amount of expectation to my experiences of the performances.
The actor who most confounded those preconceptions and whose chilling performance has most stayed with me was James Barbour as Leon Czolgosz. He exhibited such vulnerability and tenderness, like a wounded puppy and then, in the style of that production with the entire ensemble almost always onstage, he maintained a lurking presence as we watched his broken heart give way to rage and, of course, the killing of President McKinley. For me, he was the heart of the show. Even as Neil Patrick Harris (as the Balladeer) sang one of the show's peppiest and most melodic songs ("The Ballad of Czolgosz"), I couldn't take my eyes off Barbour, who was standing silently.