Fred Barton

Fred Barton (born October 20, 1958) is an American composer, lyricist, director, actor, singer, arranger, conductor, and pianist. He made his New York debut in 1982 as co-creator-arranger-performer-pianist in the original company of the long-running revue Forbidden Broadway, appearing in the New York, Los Angeles and Boston productions for 2,000 performances, and on the cast album for DRG Records. In 1985 the show won a Drama Desk Award. Forbidden Broadway ran for 27 years off-Broadway, and won a special Tony Award in 2006. Early life Barton grew up in Lexington, Massachusetts, the son of prominent radar scientist David K. Barton and Ruth Barton. His mother's family included generations of musicians, including her first cousin Paul Desmond, the jazz saxophonist. He has a B.A. in Music from Harvard University, where he wrote numerous musical comedies and revues with collaborator Andy Borowitz, including the Hasty Pudding Theatricals's 130th annual production, "A Thousand Clones." Barton has a Master's degree in Film and Television Music from the University of Southern California, where he won the annual Harry Warren Award in that field. Career On Broadway, Fred Barton was Associate Conductor of the 1987 revival of Cabaret, directed by Hal Prince and starring Joel Grey, Alyson Reed, Regina Resnik, and Werner Klemperer. He also served as Associate Conductor of "Zorba", starring Anthony Quinn, as well as the national touring production of Camelot, starring Robert Goulet, and the Los Angeles and national touring productions of "City of Angels."