The Tony-award winner Jim Dale is one of the most physically gifted comics of his generation, yet most people only know him as the voice behind the wonderful Harry Potter audio books.  In the popular J.K. Rowling series, he plays 147 distinct characters which is a Guinness Book world record.  In this episode, we learn how Jim came up with the voices behind those quirky characters, some of whom he met on the street, and others he borrowed from his eccentric family.

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Jim shares stories from his early days doing physical comedy in the English music halls across the U.K.  He also talks about getting signed by the famous Beatles producer, George Martin and his short but productive stint as a pop star.  We also hear about his rise in the theatre, first working with Laurence Olivier's company and then crossing the pond where he won a Tony for his turn as the title character in the musical, "Barnum."

The former NY Times theatre critic Charles Isherwood hosts this entertaining episode, which is part of our Broadway series.  The series producer Brad Newman adds insight.

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