Davis Gaines

DAVIS GAINES performed the title role in Andrew Lloyd Webber's "The Phantom of the Opera" over 2,000 times, during his run on Broadway, in Los Angeles, (where he remains LA's longest-running Phantom), and in San Francisco, (where he received the Bay Area Critics' Award for Best Actor). Subsequently, he was chosen by Hal Prince and Lloyd Webber to play the leading role in the World Premiere of "Whistle Down the Wind". Other Broadway and National Tour credits include Raoul in "The Phantom of the Opera", Cornelius Hackl in "Hello, Dolly!" (with Carol Channing), "Camelot" (with Richard Burton) and "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" (with Alexis Smith). Gaines' Off-Broadway appearances include Des McAnuff's "The Death of Von Richthofen as Witnessed from Earth", the Maury Yeston/Larry Gelbart musical "One Two Three Four Five", Stephen Sondheim's "Assassins", "She Loves Me" and "Forbidden Broadway". He made his New York City Opera debut in "The New Moon" and appeared in the concert versions of "Parade", "Sitting Pretty", "The Cat and the Fiddle", "Pippin" and the Encores production of "The Boys from Syracuse". In Southern California, he has appeared at Musical Theatre West as Don Quixote in "Man of La Mancha" (Ovation Award and BroadwayWorld Award, Best Lead Actor in a Musical), King Arthur in "Spamalot", Javert in "Les Miserables", Harold Hill in "The Music Man", Richard Henry Lee in "1776" and Mack Sennett in "Mack and Mabel". He also portrayed Hannibal Lecter in "SILENCE! The Musical" (LA Weekly Award, Best Male Musical Performance), appeared as Fred/Petruchio in "Kiss Me, Kate" (Cabrillo Music Theatre/Ovation Nomination, Best Lead Actor in a Musical), in "I Do! I Do!" (with Vicki Lewis/Laguna Playhouse), "Parade" (with T.R. Knight/Mark Taper Forum), "Side by Side by Sondheim" (Rubicon Theatre/Pasadena Playhouse) and made his Los Angeles-area directing debut at Musical Theatre West with "Oklahoma!" Regionally, he was Javert in "Les Miserables" and King Arthur in "Spamalot" (Orlando Shakespeare Theater), King Arthur in "Camelot" (Sacramento Music Circus), Joe Hardy in "Damn Yankees" (George Abbott, director), Mortimer Brewster in "Arsenic and Old Lace" (with Kate Reid), "Night of the Hunter" (Lyric Stage) "The Rink" (with Lainie Kazan) and "Two Into One" (with Tony Randall). Gaines played Anthony Hope, in the 20th anniversary concert productions of Sondheim's "Sweeney Todd" in Los Angeles (with Kelsey Grammer and Christine Baranski), in London (with Len Cariou and Judy Kaye) and in New York, San Francisco and Ravinia Festival (with George Hearn and Patti LuPone). He played Sweeney Todd in "Sweeney Todd" (with Faith Prince), and Sky Masterson in "Guys and Dolls", both with the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra. He also toured the country with Olympic Champions Dorothy Hamill, Ekaterina Gordeeva, Meryl Davis and Charlie White in "Broadway on Ice". Film work includes a featured role in "Warlock: The Armageddon" (with Julian Sands) and television credits include "Desperate Housewives", "Charmed", "Chicago Hope", "Veronica's Closet", "Bodies of Evidence" and "Murder, She Wrote". He appeared in three PBS Great Performances broadcasts (Emmy Award-winning "Sweeney Todd" with the San Francisco Symphony, "Broadway Originals" with the Boston Pops and Jerry Herman's "Broadway at the Bowl"), as well as the televised specials of the 1994 "Kennedy Center Honors" and the "Opening Ceremony of the 1998 Goodwill Games". Additionally, Gaines has sung for five U.S. Presidents and with every major symphony orchestra in North America, including the New York Pops at Carnegie Hall and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra at the Hollywood Bowl. He has performed in cabaret in New York at 'Feinstein's at Loews Regency' and 'Rainbow and Stars', Hollywood's 'Cinegrill' and San Francisco's 'Plush Room'. His voice can be heard over 30 cast recordings and compilation albums, as well as two solo CDs, "Against the Tide" and "All My Tomorrows: Songs of Sammy Cahn". Gaines is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the Florida State University with a BA in Theatre, where he established the Davis Gaines Endowed Scholarship in Music Theatre, was selected as a 1990 Grad Made Good and inducted into of the FSU Circle of Gold. He also holds an honorary Doctorate of Music from Seton Hall University. In his hometown of Orlando, Florida he received the 1996 John Young Award presented by the Greater Orlando Chamber of Commerce and was inducted into the Edgewater High School Hall of Fame. Gaines resides in Los Angeles and is a frequent singer of our National Anthem for the Los Angeles Lakers, Clippers, Kings and Dodgers.