A public memorial will be held for beloved baritone Ken Page in his hometown of St. Louis April 11. Mr. Page passed away September 30, 2024. Read his full obituary here.
The Community Celebration and Memorial for Ken Page will begin at 7:30 PM CT April 11 at the Sheldon Concert Hall in Grand Center. The Muny will livestream the celebration at . The evening of music and memories will include Mr. Page鈥檚 friends and colleagues from St. Louis and Broadway as they pay tribute to Mr. Page's memory.
Mr. Page possessed one of the most recognizable voices on Broadway, with a booming resonance that demanded respect from the first note. Born and raised in St. Louis, Mr. Page began his career in the chorus of The Muny before coming to New York, where he quickly became the toast of the town as the Lion during the original Broadway run of The Wiz.
From there, his Broadway career was varied, winning a Drama Desk award for his performance as Nicely-Nicely Johnson in Guys and Dolls, performing in the original company of Ain't Misbehavin', introducing American audiences to the wise Old Deuteronomy in Cats, and performing in the revue It Ain't Nothin' But the Blues.
Broadway's Shubert Theatre will also mark Mr. Page, dimming its lights and showing an in memoriam message from 6:30 to 6:47 PM ET April 11.
In the recording booth, Mr. Page made an everlasting impact as the voice of Oogie Boogie in Tim Burton's classic stop motion film The Nightmare Before Christmas. Indelibly linked to the month of October ever since the film's 1993 premiere, Mr. Page frequently reprised his role for Disney, providing fresh vocal lines for Halloween celebrations and video games as the spectral voice of spooky season.
In his later years, Mr. Page developed a cabaret show, titled Page by Page, which he toured across the country. Mr. Page returned frequently to the Muny, performing in more than 35 different productions (including several star returns to Cats), and had pursued a career in directing on the regional circuit.
A limited number of free seats for the St. Louis Community Celebration and Memorial remain at . Any remaining tickets will be available April 11, starting at 7:30 PM at the Sheldon, on a first-come, first-served basis.
