Ken Ard

After a 25-year absence from the Broadway stage, Ard returns with a legacy shaped by some of musical theater’s most iconic productions. He originated the role of Macavity on Broadway in CATS (1982), as well as the roles of Plato and the Rumpus Cat, and was the original Electra in Starlight Express and the original Ken in Smokey Joe’s Café. Other notable Broadway credits include Song and Dance, Dangerous Games, and Jelly’s Last Jam. This production marks Ken’s fourth venture with Andrew Lloyd Webber. Beyond Broadway, Ken covered André De Shields in Half Time (Paper Mill Playhouse), led Sophisticated Ladies directed by De Shields at NJPAC, played the Arbiter in Chess (national tour), triumphed in Taylor Mac’s Off-Broadway opera The Hang, and appeared as Wilbur in the Oscar-winning film Chicago. A visual artist, award-winning chef, and accomplished jazz singer, Ken is happily married to puppeteer Basil Twist.