Most people know Scott Bakula as the bold new captain on "Enterprise," the most recent Star Trek series, airing on Channel 11 since last September.
Before this latest Star Trek revival, he starred in another sci-fi hit, "Quantum Leap," which ran in the early 1990s and stays popular through syndication. Along with television, he's made a mark in Broadway theatre and on film.
But to family and friends in Kirkwood, Bakula's still a hometown boy, who can sing and perform in a variety of settings. Starting out in musicals at Kirkwood High School and singing at First Presbyterian Church in Kirkwood, he's crooned at Carnegie Hall and at the Hollywood Bowl as Carol Burnett's special guest.
Bakula returns to his native St. Louis this weekend to give two benefit performances of "I Do! I Do!" at 7 p.m. on Sunday, June 23, and Monday, June 24, at the Terri M. Fischer Theater on the St. Louis Community College campus at Florissant Valley. Monday night's performance is sold out. As of press time, Sunday's performance was nearly sold out as well. Bakula said he may offer reduced priced tickets to a dress rehearsal on Sunday afternoon.
Tickets are $25 a person. Call 866-443-6436 for ticket information.
Bakula teams up with Actress Chelsea Field for this nostalgic look at a couple's 50 years of marriage. The musical highlights memories of their wedding night, early years starting a family, later mid-life crises and multiple quarrels, eventual separation and later reconciliation. Known for its charming score (with music by Harvey Schmidt and lyrics by Tom Jones), the production gives Bakula and his domestic partner, Field, ample singing opportunities.
"Our voice teacher kept pressing us to do this musical," said Bakula, who heads his own film, television and theatre company called Bakula Production, Incorporated (BPI). "We thought about all sorts of locations for the production and then settled on St. Louis, since we planned to vacation at the Lake of the Ozarks around the same time," he said.
All proceeds from the event benefit "Our Little Haven," a city-based therapeutic residential treatment facility for drug-affected, abused or neglected babies or young children, many HIV-impacted.
"I've done a lot of charity performances in Los Angeles where I live," said Bakula. "It feels good to help out an agency in St. Louis."
His parents, Sally and Stewart Bakula of Kirkwood, and other family members turned him on to the idea of "Our Little Haven."
Though he lives in the limelight in Los Angeles, Bakula never forgets his Midwestern roots, particularly the hometown Kirkwood influences, he said.
"I have such great memories of Kirkwood: walking or riding bikes everywhere, building treehouses in the woods, playing sports and eventually performing in musicals at school and church. It was a great place to grow up," he recalled.
After branching out to perform in productions at Jefferson College (in Jefferson County), the Jewish Community Center and Union Station, he headed to college at the University of Kansas. In senior year, Bakula switched from business to drama. Soon after, he sought training in New York. From then on, the opportunities and accolades rolled in.
Bakula's performance in "Quantum Leap" earned him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series, four Emmy Award nominations, three more Golden Globe Award nominations and honors by the Viewers for Quality Television.
Recently, he appeared in New Line Cinema's "Life as a House," directed and co-produced by Academy Award-winner Irwin Winkler. In 1999, he appeared in the Oscar-winning Best Picture "American Beauty." He starred in United Artist's "Lord of Illusions," Warner Brothers' "Major League: Back to the Minors," Hollywood Pictures' "Color of Night," opposite Bruce Willis and Paramount's football comedy, "Necessary Roughness." Bakula made his film debut in 1990 starring opposite Kirstie Alley in Castle Rock's comedy, "Sibling Rivalry," directed by Carl Reiner.
On the television scene, Bakula appeared in CBS's "Designing Women" and "Murphy Brown," Showtime's "It's A Girl Thing," Fox's "The Invaders" and ABC's "Tom Clancy's Netforce." He appeared in CBS's "Bachelor's Baby," which he produced through his company, BPI. He also starred in and produced the Showtime original picture, "What Girls Learn."
On Broadway, he earned a Tony nomination for his starring role in the Broadway musical, "Romance/Romance."
He's excited about his role as Capt. Archer in "Enterprise." He laughs that following in Capt. Kirk's or Capt. Picard's footsteps isn't hard, because this time around, they're following after him.
The fifth Star Trek Series, "Enterprise," is set in the mid-22nd century, some 150 years from now and 100 years or so before James T. Kirk commands the starship. Captain Archer (i.e. Bakula) and the rest of the crew hold a sense of awe and trepidation about the strange beings and situations they know they'll encounter in deep space. After all, they're pioneering in a turbulent time, before formation of the Federation, Bakula said.
"It's really exciting--kind of like the Wild, Wild West," said Bakula.
But for now, deep space takes a back seat to center stage, as Bakula prepares for "I Do! I Do!" He'll land (via regular aircraft) in St. Louis Saturday after attending a daughter's graduation. Then, Tuesday, he's off to the Ozarks.
No time for St. Louis favorites--the Muny, the Cardinals, the Riverfront. Maybe next time, he said.
