From KERA News:
Actor-singer Cedric Neal gained acclaim in North Texas musical productions — from Fort Worth’s Jubilee Theater to the Dallas Theater Center, where he made his debut in 2008 in the title role of The Who’s Tommy. Now he’s acclaimed in England as well.
He was nominated for an Olivier — London’s highest theater honor — for best supporting actor in a musical, alongside David Thaxton, Jack Wolfe and Jak Malone, who won the category.
Living in England since 2014, Neal has gone from “Who’s the American?” to attending the awards ceremony last Sunday at the Royal Albert Hall — where he joined fellow nominees Sarah Jessica Parker, Joseph Fiennes and David Tennant.
Last year, Neal was given a stellar showcase in the Bridge Theatre’s revival of the classic 1950 musical, Guys and Dolls. Neal played Nicely-Nicely Johnson, a quiet, nervous nebbish among all the cardsharps and hustlers in Frank Loesser’s affectionate portrait of seedy New York City nightlife.
Nicely-Nicely is quiet, that is, until he unleashes what’s known as an “11 o’clock number.” That’s the song that comes late in a show and is designed to wake up an audience. Loesser created what is arguably the greatest 11 o’clock number in “Sit Down You’re Rockin’ the Boat” – a rousing tour-de-force delivered in a storefront church, where the gamblers have hid out to continue their dice game.