Jack Eric Williams

[bjivie2]

Posted: 9/23/05 at 9:02pm

Who was he? I've searched and haven't found any threads on him. (but then again, the search function has never seemed to work all that well for me) Does anyone know any info about him? I've been listening to Elegies for the last two days and I keep wondering who this guy is.

[MrBungee7]

Posted: 9/23/05 at 10:55pm

He was a composer. Also played Beadle in Sweeney Todd. Surpised you haven't found anything in your searches. He's not extremely unheard of.

[bjivie2]

Posted: 9/24/05 at 4:15am

Yeah, I've found lots of stuff about him and Sweeney, but there's not much about him as a composer, which is what I'm a little more interested in.

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 1/12/07 at 3:55am

IBDB doesn't give his dates..birth or death. Dos anyone know either or both?

[nobodyhome]

Posted: 1/12/07 at 8:54am

He wrote a musical about Frances Farmer, titled Mrs. Farmer's Daughter, seen at the American Music Theater Festival in Philly in 1984. A short song from it can be heard on Lisa Vroman's CD Broadway Classic.

[elmore3003]

Posted: 1/12/07 at 9:22am

Jack was from Odessa, Texas, as I recall. I met him while he was playing the Beadle, and he wanted me to work on MRS FARMER'S DAUGHTER, which had some beautiful music in it. He was quite a portly gentleman, and he was campaigning desperately before he died for the leading role in the proposed film of A CONFEDERACY OF DUNCES, which had recently won the Pulitzer Prize. He told me that Angela Lansbury had sent a letter to the film's production office, praising Jack and asking for him to be considered.

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 1/12/07 at 10:09am

I auditioned for him for Mrs. Farmer's Daughter...back when I was a lad. Nice guy...I didnt see the show, however, so dont know if it was any good.

[WriteInNYC]

Posted: 1/16/07 at 2:18pm

I found this information on Family Tree Maker's Genealogy Site:

JACK ERIC WILLIAMS - Composer/lyricist, singer, actor, director
Had principle role of Beadle Bramford in the original production of SWEENEY TODD.

Born March 28th 1944, Odessa, Texas
Died Jan28th 1994, New York City

Obituary:

Jack Eric Williams, a composer/lyricist, and a performer who originated the role of Beadle Bramford in Steven Sondheim and Hal Prince's SWEENEY TODD, died Friday Jan. 28th in New York City. He was 49.

A year ago he had entered into a coma for several months. The cause of death was cardiac arrest.

Mr. Williams was born in Odessa, Texas on March 28th, 1944. After living in Texas and, for a while, Nashville, he made his home in New York City, where he lived for the last 20 years.

Mr. Williams' work in music and music theater extended to composer/lyricist, orchestrator, conductor, director, as well as teacher and frequent guest artist/lecturer at various colleges and universities, and in the public schools.

His most famous role as a performer was the creation of the role of Beadle Bramford in the acclaimed Sondheim/Prince Broadway thriller, SWEENEY TODD. Mr. Sondheim wrote the extremely difficult vocal part with a high tessatura specifically for Mr. Williams. His Broadway debut in 1976 was in the now-famous Lincoln Center revival of THREEPENNY OPERA directed by Richard Foreman and produced by Joseph Papp. He also appeared in Foreman's controversial first film STRONG MEDICINE and sang a command performance for the King and Queen of Sweden.

In the cabaret venue, his Nightclub act, Songs and Other Devices: A Cabaret Recital, volumes 1-4 played such NYC watering holes as the Ballroom, Lone Star Cafe, Reno Sweeney, S.N.A.F.U., The Other End and The Westbank Cafe. (Concert evenings of Williams' writing have been heard at the Chelsea Theater Center Cabaret, Ted Hook's, Lucky Strike Club and elsewhere.)

Mr. Williams' later years were occupied with his work as a composer. His 1983 docu-opera, MRS. FARMER'S DAUGHTER, was directed for Pepsico Summerfare by Tom O'Horgan. It was followed by another production in 1984 at the American Music Festival in Philadelphia. Mr. Williams' Nashville Musical, SWAMP GAS AND SHALLOW FEELINGS, was given developmental readings in 1988 and 1990 at the National Music Theater Conference of the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center, and in 1991 by the National Music Theater Network as part of its Broadway Dozen Series. It was also the 1990 recipient of a Richard Rodgers Award from the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters.

He received commissions for works from the New York Shakespeare Festival, The American Dance Festival, Playwrights Horizons and The Arena Stage in Washington. Mr. Williams composed several songs for film, television, and video, did extensive recording and wrote lyrics for the ABC-TV miniseries, AMERIKA, starring Kris Kristofferson. He was also a participant in the Sundance Film Institute.

(As a Director, he created a critically praised production of MAN OF LA MANCHA for the Tennessee Repertory Theatre. As artist in residence at the Rhodes College in Memphis, he directed THREEPENNY OPERA.)

(While in New York City, he was well-known as a teacher of voice. For the last several years he maintained a full-time professional voice studio for private students.)

He was married to Martha Elizabeth Lyne of Kermit, Texas, deceased. He is survived by his son, Eden Payne Williams, and by his numerous friends and colleagues.

There will be a memorial service Feb. 2th at 7:00 p.m. at St. Paul's Church, 60th and Columbus Avenue in New York City.

[Swango]

Posted: 2/5/07 at 10:32pm

Does anyone know how to get a hold of a recording of "Mrs. Farmer's Daughter"? I saw this musical in 1983 (several times!) and loved it -- Anybody?