theatre
Sammy with Evie and Leslie Bricusse. Photo courtesy
of Leslie Bricusse.
To step into the shoes of someone else’s incred-
ible talent and persona is no easy task. For the
world premiere of Leslie Bricusse’s Sammy at The
Old Globe, Obba Babatundé is doing just that as he
portrays the legendary show biz star Sammy Davis Jr.
Babatundé is a star in his own right on Broadway. His
portrayal of C.C. White comes to mind in Dreamgirls
or his run as Billy Flynn in Chicago. Yet, Babatundé
has a very unique and special connection to this
new production simply called Sammy. The Rage
Monthly spoke with Obba Babatundé to learn more
about his respect, admiration and friendship with
the one-and-only Sammy Davis Jr. as he prepares
to portray the entertainment icon at The Old Globe
from September 19 to November 8.
Rage: Please tell me about your admiration for Sammy
Davis Jr.
Obba Babatundé: I was always an admirer of the
talents and capabilities of Mr. Davis. As a child, it
“Call me Sam, man.”
was Mr. Davis’ image that I identified with watching
television. It was one of the few images that was a
by bill biss
reflection of what my household looked like. It was
also one that was right there with those who were
Obba babatundÉ and Sammy Davis Jr.
touted as being the best in the business. There it
was… a reflection of a talent that was enormous,
that was really singing and really dancing and doing
the acting. It was all across the board. He was a show-
stopping entertainer and doing it with a standard of
excellence.
Rage: Did you ever imagine you would be right here and
now doing Sammy?
OB: I had the great pleasure in 1978 of meeting
Sammy in person. I was costarring in a world tour
with Liza Minnelli. We were about to begin our world
tour and were at Harrah’s in Tahoe. Sammy was about
to embark on his world tour, which meant we would
precede or follow Sammy into the different venues.
Obba Babatundé stars as Sammy Davis, Jr. in the
So, I got a chance to spend a lot of time with him from
world premiere of Sammy.
1978 until his passing. I was always in great awe and
Photography by Craig Schwartz.
10 RAGE monthly | september 2009
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