Peter Johl

Peter Johl
Born	Peter Randolph Johl (1926-08-16)August 16, 1926 Scarsdale, New York, U.S.
Died	November 3, 2005(2005-11-03) (aged 79) New York City, U.S.
Occupations	Stage performer actor singer
Years active	1950s–2000s
Style	Theatre musical theatre

Peter Randolph Johl (August 16, 1927 – November 3, 2005) was an American actor and singer who enjoyed a long career on Broadway, in touring companies, and off-Broadway. His wide voice range enabled him to sing a broad variety of roles in opera, sacred music, as well as musicals. As an actor, he was equally comfortable performing in Shakespearian or modern roles.

Early life

Johl was born in Scarsdale, New York, on August 16, 1927. His father, Max Gustav Johl, owned a small factory and a very large piece of land at Trails Corner, on the outskirts of Groton, Connecticut, where the family had relocated when Peter was very young. His mother, Janet (née Janet Lambert Pagter), was a housewife and collector of dolls. The couple had three children: Peter, John (b. 1930) and little Janet (b. 1940). Although Max Johl was of Jewish descent, the connection had become tenuous and the Johl family observed Christian rituals, while Janet Johl was a practising Christian Scientist. In the winter of 1940, Peter Johl played the lead role of Scrooge in his school's production of A Christmas Carol. In 1952, he was a pupil of Grace Leslie's studio in New York and performed at a concert given by her students in Amesbury, Massachusetts, during which he sang three pieces as a tenor: Henry Purcell's "The Cares of Lovers", Robert Jones' "Farewell Dear Love" and Leonard Gybson's "Light O' Love".

Career

In 1961, he was a junior at East Carolina College, by which time he had accumulated extensive experience in summer stock and toured with the Grass Roots Opera Company of North Carolina. He was tenor soloist for the presentation of The Messiah on many occasions in New Jersey, New York and North Carolina.

As a stage actor, Johl defined himself as a character actor, and his most famous role was in Jekyll & Hyde (1997–2001) as Poole, Jekyll's manservant, and he played two other minor roles in the production. He appeared in many plays and musicals, including: Baker Street: A Musical Adventure of Sherlock Holmes (1965), Pousse-Café (1966), and She Loves Me (1993–1994).

He was elected to The Lambs in 1991.

Death

Johl died in New York City on November 3, 2005. His tombstone indicates that he served in the US Marines during World War II and the Korean War.

Selected works

Stage

• A Christmas Carol (1940), as Scrooge
• The Hired Hand (1959), as the farmer
• Carmen (1960)
• Kismet (1960), as the bandit Jawan
• The seven words of Jesus Christ on the Cross (1961), as guest soloist
• My Fair Lady (1964), as Alfred P. Doolittle
• Baker Street: A Musical Adventure of Sherlock Holmes (1965), as a singer
• Pousse-Café (1966), as Professor George Ritter (standby)
• Fiddler on the Roof (1969), as Tevye (replacement)
• Rainbow Jones (1974), as Uncle Ithaca
• The Daydreams of a Young Lady (1978)
• Sly Fox (1979), as Captain Jethro Crouch
• Men in White (1979), as Dr Hochberg
• City Sugar (1979), as newscaster
• Frankovich (1982)
• Henry IV, Part 1 (1982), as Ralph Neville, Earl of Westmorland
• The Price (1985), as Gregory Solomon
• The Sweetshoppe Myriam (1986)
• The Comedy of Errors (1988), as Egeon
• She Loves Me (1993–1994), as Mr. Maraczek (replacement)
• The Last Leaf (1994), as Behrman
• Jekyll & Hyde (1997–2001), as Poole/Doctor/Lord G & u/s Sir Danvers (replacement)

Book narrator

• Ambush at Soda Creek (1977), by Lewis B. Patten

References

Sources

Books

• Dietz, Dan (2014). The Complete Book of 1960s Broadway Musicals (hardcover) (1st ed.). Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1-4422-3071-2.
• Dietz, Dan (2015). The Complete Book of 1970s Broadway Musicals (hardcover) (1st ed.). Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1-4422-5165-6.
• Goldstein, Alice (2008). Ordinary People, Turbulent Times (softcover) (1st ed.). Bloomington, Indiana: AuthorHouse. ISBN 978-1-4343-8122-4. Retrieved December 22, 2021 – via Google Books.
• Griffel, Margaret Ross (2012). Operas in English: A Dictionary (hardcover) (Revised ed.). Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-8272-0. Retrieved December 22, 2021 – via Google Books.
• Guernsey, Otis L. Jr., ed. (1980). The Best Plays of 1978–1979 (hardcover) (1st ed.). New York: Dodd Mead. ISBN 978-0-396-07723-7. Retrieved December 23, 2021 – via Google Books.
• Guernsey, Otis L. Jr., ed. (1987). The Best Plays of 1985–1986 (hardcover) (1st ed.). New York: Dodd Mead. ISBN 978-0-396-08816-5. Retrieved December 23, 2021 – via Google Books.
• Guernsey, Otis L. Jr., ed. (1995). The Best Plays of 1994–1995 (hardcover) (1st ed.). Lanham, Maryland: Limelight Editions. ISBN 978-0-8791-0196-1.
• O'Connor, J.; Goodland, K. (2010). A Directory of Shakespeare in Performance 1970–1990: Volume 2, USA and Canada (hardcover) (1st ed.). London: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-230-54677-6. Retrieved December 22, 2021 – via Google Books.
• Willis, John A. (1979). Theatre World, 1977–1978 (hardcover) (1st ed.). New York: Crown Publishing. ISBN 978-0-517-53521-9. Retrieved December 23, 2021 – via Google Books.
• Willis, John A. (1986). Theatre World, 1984–1985 (hardcover) (1st ed.). New York: Crown Publishing. ISBN 978-0-517-56117-1. Retrieved December 23, 2021 – via Google Books.
• The New York Times Theater Reviews 1979–1980 (hardcover). New York: The New York Times Company & Arno Press. 1979. p. 372. Retrieved December 24, 2021 – via Google Books.
• Shakespeare Quarterly (softcover). Vol. 39 (Winter ed.). Washington, D.C.: Folger Shakespeare Library. 1988. Retrieved December 22, 2021 – via Google Books.

Newspapers

• "Leslie Group Gives Concert In Amesbury". Newburyport Daily News. Vol. 75, no. 174. Newburyport, Massachusetts. July 31, 1952. p. 5. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
• "'Carmen' Is Well Received At FMC". Lumberton Robesonian. Vol. XC, no. 250. Lumberton, North Carolina. February 3, 1960. p. 16. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
• Bowden, Ramona Baxter (July 26, 1960). "'Kismet' Audience Charmed By Music, Colourful Effects". Syracuse Post Standard. Vol. 131?, no. 214?. Syracuse, New York. p. 6. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
• "Peter Johl, String Ensemble Appear In Lenten Cantata". Rocky Mount Evening Telegram. Vol. L, no. 159. Rocky Mount, North Carolina. March 27, 1961. p. 9. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
• Gress, Ted (July 15, 1964). "Delightful Performances in 'My Fair Lady' Thrill Gretna Playhouse Crowds". Lebanon Daily News. Vol. 92nd year, no. 266. Lebanon, Pennsylvania. p. 21. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
• Allen, Ed (January 26, 1969). "'Fiddler' Draws Capacity Audience". Lima News. Vol. 85, no. 26. Lima, Ohio. p. 11. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
• "Ambush at Soda Creek". Talking Book Topics. Vol. 43, no. 4. New York: Library of Congress, National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. 1977. p. 13. Retrieved December 23, 2021.
• "Men in White". New York Theatre Review. Vol. 3, no. 7. New York. 1979. p. 48. Retrieved December 23, 2021.
• "Frankovich". New York. New York. May 24, 1982. p. 109; 1st column. Retrieved December 22, 2021.

Websites

• Peter Johl at the Internet Broadway Database
• Bentley, David Dow III (March 1, 2006). "Reflections on Peter Johl". The People's Critic. Retrieved April 30, 2015.
• Peterson, Kris (February 27, 2013). "Peter Randolph Johl". Find a Grave. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
• "The Lambs". the-lambs.org. The Lambs, Inc. November 6, 2015. (Member Roster, 'I'). Retrieved December 22, 2021.
• ​Baker Street​ (1965) at the Internet Broadway Database
• ​Pousse-Café​ (1966) at the Internet Broadway Database
• ​She Loves Me​ (1993–1994) at the Internet Broadway Database
• ​Jekyll & Hyde​ (1997–2001) at the Internet Broadway Database

External links

• Peter Johl at IMDb