James Naughton

From Broadway and regional theater to television and films, James Naughton has won critical acclaim in dramas, comedies and musicals. He is the winner of two Tony Awards as Best Actor in a Musical, for his portrayal of media-savvy lawyer Billy Flynn in the Broadway hit “Chicago” (1997) and for his role as a film-noir era detective in “City of Angels” (1990), which also earned him a Drama Desk Award. He won the 1999 MAC Award as best male vocalist for his one-man concert show, “Street of Dreams,” presented by Mike Nichols, and recorded his CD, “It’s About Time,” for DRG records. A graduate of Brown University and the Yale School of Drama, Naughton made his New York debut in Eugene O’Neill’s masterpiece, Long Day’s Journey Into Night, with Robert Ryan and Geraldine Fitzgerald, winning immediate recognition with Theatre World, New York Drama Critics and Vernon Rice Awards. His other Broadway credits include Democracy, Whose Life Is It Anyway, and I Love My Wife. He directed two critically acclaimed Broadway productions: Arthur Miller’s The Price which was nominated for a Tony, and Thornton Wilder’s Our Town starring Paul Newman, which he also shot for Showtime. He has directed extensively in the Berkshires and in Westport, and played off Broadway and in regional theatres for decades. Naughton’s film credits include The Devil Wears Prada, First Wives Club, Factory Girl, The Glass Menagerie, with Joanne Woodward, The Good Mother, The Paper Chase, and Cat’s Eye. On TV, he starred in Planet of the Apes, Who’s The Boss?, Brooklyn Bridge, Making the Grade, Ally McBeal, The Cosby Mysteries, Damages, and Gossip Girl. Currently Naughton can be seen on CBS’s television show, Hostages. Continuing in the world of cabaret, James Naughton comes back to the Fairfield Theatre Company’s intimate StageOne venue for a special evening entitled American Songbook. The seasoned entertainer’s "bass baritone voice is a phenomenon, both in its caressing resonance and in the ease with which he slides from traditional crooning to jazz-inflected swing" (The New York Times). The evening will see the two time Tony Award winner joined by a small sophisticated band of musician performing songs from the multiple Oscar, Emmy and Grammy Award winning performer Randy Newman who’s musical compositions have been the soundtrack to such Major Motion Pictures as Awakenings, James and The Giant Peach, Maverick, SeaBiscuit, and of course countless Disney films including A Bugs Life, Toy Story, and Monster Inc.

Join FTC as they bring this must-see performance to StageOne before it heads to Lincoln Center as part of the American Songbook series. The evening promises to be a night of song that will surely mesmerize audiences and is a can’t miss for theatre and music lovers alike.