James Herbert Stovall, Jr. (May 16, 1958 – September 25, 2010) was an American actor best known for his work in Broadway and regional theater, appearing in productions of Once on This Island, The Life and Ragtime, and The Rocky Horror Show, having made his Broadway debut in the short-lived production of Bob Fosse's musical Big Deal.
He also created and directed Nativity: A Life Story, an African American-themed musical intended to become an annual Christmas season performance.
[3] He first appeared on Broadway in Big Deal, a brief 1986 production by Bob Fosse in which Stovall was an understudy performer for three different roles in the play.
[3] Warren Carlyle, who directed and choreographed him in Finian's Rainbow, told Playbill how Stovall "sang the preacher's solo at the climax of Act One and blew the roof off every night, not only inspiring audiences to cheer and applaud but also his fellow cast members to sing and dance that little bit harder.
[4] He was executive director of the Ministry of the Arts & Culture at Reverend Ike's United Palace Theater in Washington Heights, Manhattan, which had become the home for Nativity.