Stage Directors

Before joining the Lambertville Music Circus, director, Bobby Jarvis staged operettas in Houston, Pittsburgh, Toledo, Atlantic City, the Mosque Theatre in Newark, St. Louis and the winter of 1949-50 at the Music Circus in Miami, FL. He made his debut in show business as a child. He played many of the child parts in dramatic plays. His parents were dramatic actors with a touring repertory company, and he was born "on the road."

His Broadway debut was in a vaudeville act on the Keith Circuit. His first major theatrical role was in the traveling company of "The Gingham Girl," a musical produced by Lawrence Schwab. Other shows he starred in while on tour and in England and Australia were "Sweet Little Devil," "The Desert Song," "Good News," Take the Air," "Follow Thru," "The Cat and the Fiddle," "The Matinee Girl," "Roberta," and "America's Sweetheart."

Hollywood was his home for several years in the 30's and he was in the "Torchy Blaine" series which starred Glenda Farrell, "The Gold Diggers of 1937," and many other films. In 1939 he came East and helped Olsen and Johnson prepare "Hellzapoppin." He later re-staged part of the show when it went out on the road.

He died November 14, 1971 in the Teaneck Nursing Home in New Jersey. He was 79 years old.

When Bertram Yarborough joined the Music Circus he was not new to arena theatre and "big top" staging. It was as early as 1941 that he demonstrated the effectiveness of arena style staging in a special production of a Noel Coward comedy.

From 1950 to 1951 he was director at the Melody Fair music theater in Toronto, and previously he had operated and directed his own summer theaters in Richmond, Va., New England, and the Mid-West. He has also acted on the stage as well as on radio and television.

Mr. Barrere, a graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Art, made his professional debut as understudy to the lead and was the assistant stage manager of "Brother Rat" on Broadway. After that he worked little as an actor and mostly as production stage manager for such Broadway shows as "Life With Father," "Medea," "South Pacific," "The Pajama Game," "Sunrise at Campobello," "The Unsinkable Molly Brown," "A Majority of One," and "Fanny."

During the summer of 1954 he went to Paris to assist in staging ANTA Production of "The Skin Of Our Teeth" with Helen Hayes, Mary Martin and George Abbott as its stars. During 1971 and 1972 he was in charge of the stage and of all productions for the Central City (Colorado) Opera House Association.

In 1977 he died at his apartment in Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y. He was 59 years old.

George Lipton was involved with musical arena theaters as an actor and singer since the early days of the industry. His directing talents were utilized by impresario St. John Terrell at his Lambertville and Neptune Music Circuses and Music Circus in Miami, Fla, as well as by other major tents across the country such as the Sacramento Music Circus, and The Allentown Melody Circle.

A versatile theatre man, Mr. Lipton's motley career has also comprised spells as a concert violinist, an operatic basso, a character actor, and a musical comedy singer. Among the Broadway appearances to his credit in the latter role are "Annie Get Your Gun," "Regina," "The Gypsy Baron," and "Robin Hood." His staging assignments also included successful touring companies of "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes," "Twin Beds," and "Guys and Dolls."

Donald Burr was born on July 31, 1907 in Cincinnati, OH as Edgar Burr Lush and attended the University of Cincinnati for three years, and studied voice at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, from which he graduated.

He was an actor, known for "Man Against Crime" (1949), "For the People" (1965) and "Annie Get Your Gun" (1957). He was married to Billie Worth and directed her in the 1959 production of "Bells Are Ringing" at the Music Circus.

Before his last appearance on Broadway in 1967, in "Sherry," a musical version of George S. Kaufman's and Moss Hart's "The Man Who Came to Dinner," starring Dolores Gray, Mr. Burr had played in 25 shows in New York and abroad. One of his earliest was the revue "Walk a Little Faster," which starred Beatrice Lillie and Clark and McCullough in 1932.

One of his best roles was that of Feste the clown in the Theater Guild's 1940 production of "Twelfth Night" starring Helen Hayes and Maurice Evans at the St. James Theater. He also appeared in a guild production of "The Rivals," starring Mary Boland and Walter Hampden in 1942 and a musical version of Moteres "The Would Be Gentleman" for Mike Todd that starred Bobby Clark in 1946 . He also played Charley Davenport in the national company of "Annie Get Your Gun," in 1957, and in its NBC-TV production with Mary Martin. He also acted with Julie Harris in the musical "Skyscraper," in 1965.

Mr. Burr was prominent in a number of London productions of American shows; the last was "Call Me Madam," in which he co-starred with his wife, Billie Worth. He also took part in a number of musicals in Australia, and directed more than 100 productions for major stock and lightopera companies

He died on February 27, 1979 in Lyons, New Jersey, USA.

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Louis MacMillan participated in every phase of the theater—as technichian, designer, stage manager, producer, actor and finally director. For ten years he co-produced at the Sea Cliff Summer Theater on Long Island.

In New York, his first directorial effort was "Man With the Golden Arm" which he repeated for Hollywood. Among his other off-Broadway credits are "Obligato," "Guitar," and "She Shall Have Music." He has also directed at the Fred Miller Theater in Milwaukee and at the Hedgerow Theater in Moylan, PA. In 1961, Mr. MacMillan directed "Mandango" for Broadway.

Robert Turoff had an impressive record of theatrical experience, including the direction of twenty-two musicals from 1959 to 1963, including the revival of the Off-Broadway hit, "Golden Apple" and the Tad Mosel-Jerry Herman production of "Madame Aphrodite." In addition to his direction of the Off-Broadway review, "Montage," Mr. Turoff has served as the assistant director of the Starlight Theater in Kansas City, MO.

Mr. Turoff was the owner and director, along with his wife, Roberta MacDonald of the Golden Apple Dinner Theater in Sarasota, FL for 42 years. The theater closed in 2013.