HEADS HOT BIOGRAPHY
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 New York in concert versions of Sitting Pretty, The Cat and the Fiddle, Pippin and the Encores production of The Boys from Syracuse. In Southern California, he portrayed Hannibal Lecter (LA Weekly Award, Best Male Musical
Performance) in SILENCE! The Musical, appeared at Musical Theater West in Spamalot, Man of
La Mancha (Ovation Award and BroadwayWorld Award, Best Lead Actor in a Musical), 1776, Parade (with T.R. Knight/Mark Taper Forum) and Side by Side by Sondheim (Rubicon Theatre/Pasadena Playhouse). Regionally, he appeared as King Arthur in Camelot (Sacramento Music Circus), Joe Hardy in Damn Yankees (directed by the legendary George Abbott), 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 opposite Faith Prince, and Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls, both with the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra. He also toured the country with Olympic Champion Dorothy Hamill 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 also 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 resides in Los Angeles and is a frequent singer of our National Anthem for the Los Angeles Lakers, Clippers, Kings and Dodgers. Most recently, made his Los Angeles area directing debut at Musical Theatre West with Oklahoma! and appeared opposite Vicki Lewis in I Do!, I, Do! at the
Laguna Playhouse. RESUME
SAG | AFTRA | AEA
HEIGHT: 6′ 0″ WEIGHT: 175 LBS. EYES/HAIR: Brown
TELEVISION/FILM: DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES — Guest Star (ABC) CHARMED — Guest Star (WB) WARLOCK: THE ARMAGEDDON (w/ Julian Sands) — Lead (Tapestry/Trimark Pictures) CAB TO CANADA (w/Maureen O’Hara) — Guest Star (CBS) CHICAGO HOPE (w/Christine Lahti) — Guest Star (CBS) VERONICA’S CLOSET (w/Kirstie Alley) — Guest Star (NBC) MURDER, SHE WROTE (w/Angela Lansbury) — Guest Star (CBS) BODIES OF EVIDENCE (w/George Clooney) — Guest Star (Lorimar/CBS)
THEATRE: I DO! I DO! (w/Vicki Lewis) – Michael (The Laguna Playhouse) MACK & MABEL IN CONCERT – Mack Sennett (Musical Theatre West) OKLAHOMA! – Director (Musical Theatre West) SILENCE! The Musical – Hannibal Lecter (Hayworth Theatre) LA Weekly Award, Best Actor SPAMALOT — King Arthur (Musical Theatre West) MAN OF LA MANCHA — Don Quixote (Musical Theatre West) Ovation Award and BroadwayWorld Award, Best Lead Actor CAMELOT — King Arthur (Sacramento Music Circus) 1776 — Richard Henry Lee (Musical Theatre West) PARADE (w/T.R. Knight) — Old Soldier/Judge Roan (Mark Taper Forum) SWEENEY TODD (w/Faith Prince) — Sweeney Todd (Orlando Philharmonic) STORMY WEATHER (w/Leslie Uggams; Michael Bush, Dir.) — Lennie Hayton (Prince Music Theater) SWEENEY TODD (w/Patti LuPone; Lonnie Price, Dir.) — Anthony Hope (NY, LA, London, SF) SIDE BY SIDE BY SONDHEIM — Male Lead (Pasadena Playhouse) THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (over 2,000 performances)— The Phantom (Broadway, LA, SF) THE BOYS FROM SYRACUSE — Antipholus of Syracuse (Encores! NYC) WHISTLE DOWN THE WIND — The Man (National Theatre, DC) THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA — Raoul (Majestic Theater, NYC) ARSENIC AND OLD LACE (w/Kate Reid; Henry Kaplan, Dir.) — Mortimer (Hart House, Toronto) TWO INTO ONE (w/Tony Randall; Ray Cooney, Dir.) — Edward Barstow (Paper Mill Playhouse) THE NEW MOON — Robert Mission (New York City Opera) ONE TWO THREE FOUR FIVE — Avi (Manhattan Theatre Club) THE DEATH OF VON RICHTHOFEN (Des McAnuff, Dir.) — Maj. Barker (The Public Theater, NYSF) SITTING PRETTY (John McGlinn, cond.) — Bill (Carnegie Hall) SHE LOVES ME (Jonathan Tunick, cond.) — Kodaly (Opera Ensemble of New York) GUYS AND DOLLS (w/Faith Prince) — Sky Masterson (Seattle Repertory Theatre) COMPANY (Larry Carpenter, Dir.) — Bobby (The Huntington, Boston) DAMN YANKEES (George Abbot, Dir.) — Joe Hardy (Paper Mill Playhouse) THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD (Rob Marshall, Dir.) — John Jasper (Pittsburgh Playhouse) CAROUSEL (Jack Allison, Dir.) — Billy Bigelow (North Shore Musical Theater) SHOW BOAT (Dale Johnson/John DeMain, cond.) — Ravenal (Minnesota Opera) THE RINK (w/Lainie Kazan) — Dino Antonelli (Coconut Grove Playhouse) HELLO, DOLLY! (w/Carol Channing) — ornelius Hackl (National Company) BEST LITTLE WHOREHOUSE(w/Alexis Smith) — Aggie (First National Tour) CAMELOT (w/Richard Burton) — Squire of Sagramore (New York State Theatre)
TRAINING: The Florida State University (BA/Theatre/Phi Beta Kappa) Acting: Rod Menzies, Los Angeles | Larry Moss, Los Angeles | Carol Rosenfeld, New York Voice: Tony McDowell, New York RECORDINGS
SOLO ALBUMS:
Against the Tide All My Tomorrows November 19, 1996 January 1, 1999
COMPILATIONS: CAST RECORDINGS:
Unsung Musicals II The Swan Princess March 14, 1995 November 8, 1994
Unsung Irving Berlin Fashion September 26, 1995 September 1, 1994
Toonful Sitting Pretty October 26, 1993 September 8, 1989
Unsung Sondheim Kiss Me, Kate September 28, 1993 October 15, 1990
Cole Porter: A Musical Toast Sadie Thompson July 1, 1997 April 12, 2005
Broadway Showstoppers The Broadway Musicals of 1951 January 19, 1993 May 13, 2002
The Words & Music of Jerry Herman STEPHEN SONDHEIM The Frogs / Evening Primrose January 7, 2003 October 16, 2001
Cabaret Noel: A Broadway Cares Christmas New York Philharmonic SWEENEY TODD December 1, 1993 October 18, 2000
Lerner, Loewe, Lane & Friends Lunch March 24, 1998 November 23, 1994
Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles LIVE! Masada: The Musical Saga September 1, 1998 October 1, 1999
Hug Me With A Lullaby The Boys From Syracuse March 1, 1997 June 17, 1997
George & Ira Gershwin: A Musical Celebration June 21, 1994
The Andrew LLoyd Webber Album April 25, 1995 REVIEW QUOTES
Carnegie Hall Debut
“Gaines is a breathtaking concert artist, strong yet nuanced. The way he can express great tenderness one moment, great power the next, seems little short of miraculous.”
— The New York Post
Fort Worth Symphony
“You don’t need Three Tenors when you have one Davis Gaines…a rhapsodic interpreter of musical theater…[with] a range embracing pop, country, folk and very probably genres not yet named.”
— Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Pacific Symphony
“Gaines’ vocal approach was often masterful, applying a sensitivity that helped connect the tunes to the listener….his sustained crescendos surely must be the best of any male singer…the concert edition of Gaines also benefited from his air of humility and a quietly charming sense of humor.”
— The Orange County Register
Reno Philharmonic
“This young man has it all: charm, presence, good looks, a fabulous voice, stellar musicianship, and – he can act. Gaines simply could not have been better, the chameleon aspects of his voice and demeanor are uncanny. He becomes what he is singing, both physically and vocally, with neither being overdone…and not describable by the written word. Mr. Gaines’ talent for captivating singing is something to behold.”
— Nevada-Events.net
The Hollywood Bowl
“The star of the evening had to be Gaines. Whether singing out room assignments aboard the Titanic, performing William Brohn’s new arrangement of “Ol’ Man River,” or caressing Andrew Lloyd Webber’s very familiar “The Music of the Night,” Los Angeles’ longest-running Phantom essentially stole the show from [Rebecca] Luker, possessor of one of the purest, sweetest voices around, and sassy diva [Patti] LuPone.”
— The Los Angeles Times
Solo Concert/Orlando Civic Theatre
“His lovely, high baritone has a wide but beautifully controlled vibrato and amazing power. His pitch is exquisite and his high notes seem effortless. The music alone would qualify the concert as a triumph for the Orlando native. But Gaines was also most engaging between songs…a concert that was intimate and funny as well as grand and dramatic.”
— The Orlando Sentinel
Solo Concert/Casa Manana Theatre, Fort Worth
“Gaines’ voice leaves nothing to wish for. The Voice is a marvel, slipping from breathy keening to full-tilt belting and operatic climaxes. As a singer, Mr. Gaines has a secret weapon: acting. Gaines is a major star waiting to ignite.”
— The Dallas Morning News Cabaret/Rainbow & Stars, New York
“The best pipes on Broadway. And beyond the pipes are the exquisite phrasing, the tremendous feeling, and all the expressive twists and turns that transform every song into a story and every story into an epic…an extraordinarily gifted singer, with a rich baritone that could wreck Madison Square Garden.”
— The Record
“This is the most important debut engagement at that room in recent years…Gaines should not be missed. He possesses a baritone of striking attractiveness and power, and brings to his best songs a spellbinding concentration.”
— New York Post
“Davis Gaines may be the closest thing on Broadway nowadays to a vocal Superman. With an instrument that soars through the normal baritone and tenor ranges, with pitch-perfect control and an acute, mechanized vibrato, he appears to have a voice of steel.”
— The New York Times
“Gaines has the ability to seem both effortlessly relaxed and suddenly powerful, and his perfect phrasing brings every emotion and nuance out of the material.”
— The Hollywood Reporter
“A cabaret act that is as comfortable and ingratiating as it is musical. Already regarded as one of the theater’s most compelling baritones, Mr. Gaines is proving he has a face, too. In the good old days, Davis Gaines would have landed at MGM in a New York minute!”
— The New York Observer
“A singer with a voice of astonishing versatility and beauty…like a prism, it can project every bit of color in a song. Gaines sings with extraordinary feeling and attention to lyrics. This isn’t just a man with a voice, this is a man with interpretive skills. You should arrange to see Davis Gaines in cabaret for a show you will never forget. To witness this show is to become a Davis Gaines fan for life.”
— Drama-Logue
Cabaret/Carpenter Center for the Performing Arts/Long Beach, CA
“A dramatic voice bounces off the walls and projects its passion upon the audience. The cabaret area intimately fits 250 sold-out seats, filled with audience members with tears in their eyes and their significant other in their arms…Once on stage, the number one returning artist wasted no time. The versatility of Gaines’ singing brought the audience from swing and jazz, to operatic renditions of familiar tunes…”Music of the Night” from “The Phantom of the Opera” was his concluding and most breathtaking song. It caught patrons on the edge of their seats and caused them to hold their breath when his notes were held extensively.”
Cabaret/Cinegrill, Los Angeles
“Gaines has all the correct leading man attributes, and then some…blessed with a rich baritone voice and an innate musicality, tall with boyish good looks and a charmingly diffident manner that doesn’t disguise his sharply focused dramatic intelligence.”
— The Los Angeles Times
Cabaret/Founder’s Hall, Orange County Performing Arts Center
“There’s never much doubt about what to expect at a Davis Gaines concert: the juxtaposition of a boyish charm with a big, theater-filling voice, a dramatic way with a song and an always-intriguing musical program. Not only did he sing with a great range of color and timbre, but he did so with precise pitch and consistent musical intelligence. In fact, the most impressive aspect of the evening was probably the revelation that Gaines has moved well beyond an association with a specific show and now can do, and be, anything he wants, in virtually any kind of performance setting.”
— The Los Angeles Times “…One of the most mellifluous voices you’re likely to hear, rendered by one of the most personable entertainers.”
— Daily Pilot, Newport Beach and Costa Mesa, CA
“Broadway on Ice” with Dorothy Hamill
“This show belongs to Hamill and Gaines. Both are among the best in the world at what they do, and that sort of quality shines through in any context.”
— Ft. Worth Star-Telegram
“…One of the true highlights of the evening is the performance by Broadway actor Davis Gaines. Gaines has such a stunningly beautiful voice that words don’t do it justice. The audience agreed. They gave Gaines standing ovation after standing ovation.”
— Rapid City Journal
Debut Solo Album ”Against the Tide”
“Davis Gaines has the best male voice Broadway has heard in decades…it seems there’s nothing Gaines’ velvet baritone can’t do.”
— The Atlanta Journal and Constitution
“With an enviable ability to show off a baritone of operatic proportion and quality while remaining completely at home with pop styles, Gaines’ performances here are gripping and superb.”
— TheaterWeek
“Blessed with a voice so gorgeous, he could make the Yellow Pages sound lyrical.”
— Encore Magazine King Arthur | “Spamalot” Reviews
“Gaines, with his devil-may-care smile and hands on his hips, is a hale and hearty King Arthur, his deep, rich voice bolstering both songs and dialogue. He's heroic, of course – but only comically so. More importantly, Gaines is thoroughly relaxed, reveling in the pure silliness of his role.” - Orange County Register
“The always fabulous Davis Gaines stars as King Arthur. Whether Gaines is playing the lead in Man of La Mancha, or the Phantom, or the benevolent king of the round table, he brings a lovable kindness to each role that makes you sad to leave the theater when the performance ends. You just want to meet the man and get to know him. It certainly doesn’t hurt that he is blessed with both speaking and singing voices that easily match those of musical theater veteran Richard Kiley.” - Signal Tribune
“Theater veteran Davis Gaines wonderfully portrays the role of King Arthur…Gaines is able to transform himself into the more light-hearted role of King Arthur. His comedic timing is impeccable and he is a true master of his craft.” - Daily 49er
“…Gaines has a field day being silly as King Arthur, with a couple of added “ad libs” referencing the Broadway star’s recent MTW turn as Don Quijote in Man Of La Mancha and his signature role in Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom Of The Opera. Needless to say, Gaines’ vocal chops are as stellar as the comedic ones he displays here.” - Stage Scene LA
“Davis Gaines gives a pitch perfect performance as the put-upon King. His deadpan reactions and facial expressions alone are worth the price of admission. Throw in impeccable comedic timing and his rich vocal acumen and you have a performance that resonates on every level.” - Stage and Cinema
“Putting Broadway heavy hitter Davis Gaines in the lead role of a lightweight musical such as "Spamalot" might seem to be overkill, or a ridiculous underuse of talent, to theater fans…as Arthur, King of the Britons, the actor riffs on the likes of not just Robert Goulet but all baritone heroes of Broadway musicals—including, most important, himself. The self-mocking stance plays beautifully. Throughout, Gaines is smiling and wholly at ease, obviously having a blast.” - Backstage
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 New York in concert versions of Sitting Pretty, The Cat and the Fiddle, Pippin and the Encores production of The Boys from Syracuse. In Southern California, he portrayed Hannibal Lecter (LA Weekly Award, Best Male Musical Performance) in SILENCE! The Musical, appeared at Musical Theater West in Spamalot, Man of La Mancha (Ovation Award and BroadwayWorld Award, Best Lead Actor in a Musical), 1776, Parade (with T.R. Knight/Mark Taper Forum) and Side by Side by Sondheim (Rubicon Theatre/Pasadena Playhouse). Regionally, he appeared as King Arthur in Camelot (Sacramento Music Circus), Joe Hardy in Damn Yankees (directed by the legendary George Abbott), 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 opposite Faith Prince, and Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls, both with the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra. He also toured the country with Olympic Champion Dorothy Hamill 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 also 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 resides in Los Angeles and is a frequent singer of our National Anthem for the Los Angeles Lakers, Clippers, Kings and Dodgers. Most recently, made his Los Angeles area directing debut at Musical Theatre West with Oklahoma! and appeared opposite Vicki Lewis in I Do!, I, Do! at the Laguna Playhouse.