"I'm just so proud to be part of the ensemble of a Broadway show. I love being the in ensemble. I love sharing a dressing room with all the guys. Sometimes when you're playing a principal role it’s a little lonely. To be in an ensemble, there's something joyful about it.
"I was just so thrilled that my best friend gave me the Robe. It was a surprise and it just meant a lot to me to receive it from Jennifer Smith, a four-time Robe recipient who's been my friend since 1981.
"I'm very proud of our show. We started with a Zoom reading during the first year of the pandemic-- not easy, to say the least. Then a year ago we did a full workshop and several readings along the way and it's been really a joy to get to see the growth of the show and to participate in that growth.”
Photo by Jeffrey Bateman.
Name: Kevin Ligon
Show: New York, New York
Opening Night: April 26, 2023
Hometown: Dallas, TX
Broadway Debut: The Secret Garden in 1991, at the St. James Theatre -- which is where New York, New York is running!
Professional Training: I started at North Texas State University as a voice student, then transferred to Southern Methodist University in Dallas, more of a conservatory-style program, to get more of a focus on acting.
Year Joined Equity: 1981
How I Got My Equity Card: I was hired at age 19, and then turned 20 before starting at Dallas Summer Musicals, a summer of doing two shows, My Fair Lady and George M!, where I met my friend Jennifer Smith, who presented me with the Robe for New York, New York!
Broadway Chorus Credits: This is my tenth Broadway chorus contract. The others are The Secret Garden, Kiss Me, Kate (1999 revival), The Producers, Young Frankesntein, Finian's Rainbow (2009 revival), Sister Act (Robe recipient), Bullets Over Broadway (Robe recipient), On the Twentieth Century (2015 revival), Hello, Dolly! (2017 revival).
Fun Fact: I toured with Carol Channing in Hello, Dolly! in 1982, and then I did the revival on Broadway with Bette Midler. I am the only person on the face of the earth who has stood at the foot of the stairs and seen both Tony-winning Dollies. I feel I have a place in theatre history because of that! I treasure that till the day I die.
Jennifer Smith embraces Ligon as she presents him with the Robe. Photo by David Thorn.
Kevin Ligon with Lin-Manuel Miranda, Susan Stroman, John Kander and the Broadway debuts of New York, New York. Photo by Jeffrey Bateman.
Watch the video of the ceremony