One of my favorite things to do as an actor is to work on new musicals. I love creating roles and getting to develop characters that haven’t been explored before. It’s absolutely exciting to me, and I honestly can’t think of anything that I would consider more creatively fulfilling. There’s nothing like the freedom of a role that hasn’t been done a thousand times before. Since I graduated from Columbia College Chicago in 2006 I have truly been fortunate enough to work on a number of new projects. My first show out of college was the Chicago premiere of Thrill Me: The Leopold and Loeb Story. That was an amazing experience. I got an unbelievable amount of press and was basically showcased in a 1-1/2 hour 2 man musical where I got to explore the mentality of a murderer manipulating his best friend, who is in love with him. Oh yeah, and he was a pyro too. It was so much fun! So terribly deliciously evil!
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“There’s Nothing Like A Fire” from Thrill Me: The Leopold and Loeb Story
(NOTE: I am not responsible for the book.)
After Thrill Me, I was offered a part in another new musical: Toy Soldiers. This was a new self-proclaimed RENT-style musical that dealt with the consequences of the war in Iraq. At that time my brother had already been deployed to Iraq in the Army, and so this was a subject that was close to my heart and it was a story I was interested in telling. It was for a start-up theater company, so the experience wasn’t the most professional I’ve had, but I was able to find enough meat to sink my teeth into. I played the angry, revolutionary anti-war protester (in true Forrest Gump style) and spoke out against the war through his portrayal. After Toy Soldiers I was asked to be in the chorus of the American Premiere of Jerry Springer: The Opera. Oh, come on. This was an absolute blast, and while not very artistically hearty for me it was a hell of a lot of fun and just such an interesting project to be a part of.
I continued on to do Reefer Madness and Weird Romance, neither of which are new musicals but both are fun as hell and not done very often. After that I was glad to be a part of a very edgy production of Cabaret, in which I played Clifford Bradshaw, the unfortunate writer. Great role, often overlooked. I think that many directors fail to realize that while Sally is the leading lady of Cabaret, the story is Clifford’s and it is told through his voice. I rarely see that point of view being taken with productions, and I think that’s unfortunate. After Cabaret I was fortunate enough to land one of the four parts in a brand new musical, Jacques Brel’s Lonesome Losers of the Night. This was a collection of all new English translations of the famous (and not-so-famous) Jacques Brel songs, some of which had never been heard in English before. The translations were done by the brilliant Arnold Johnston, who is the only man authorized by the Brel estate to perform English translations of his work, and it was an absolute honor to be trusted with this work.
The lyrics were ingenious, deep, and more meaningful than most any other lyric set I’ve ever heard in my life. The press we received was astounding; the leading theater critic of The New York Times came to see it. People from all over the world flew into Chicago to hear these specific English translations. Now, Jacques Brel is considered one of the greatest poets/songwriters of all time in France. His body of work is considered a masterpiece and is known for only being able to be performed accurately by Jacques Brel himself. I had a 60-year-old Frenchman who had seen Jacques Brel perform many times come up to me after the show and tell me that I did very nice work and that I “came close. Not quite, but close.” That was the most flattering and humbling compliment I have ever received from that show. I’ll never forget it. The experience was one in a lifetime, and truly proved to me once again why I love to be a part of new works of art.
“My Childhood (Mon Enfance)” from Jacques Brel’s Lonesome Losers of the Night
(NOTE: This is the first recorded film of the English translation of this song. Cool, huh?)
I just auditioned for another new musical, Cousins Grimm, and I haven’t heard back from that yet. I would love to work on this project… I believe the characters are written to be a bit older than I am, but my goal at the callback was to change the director’s mind about that. I really want to sink my teeth into the lead character of this musical. Of course, all the characters in the show are fun and interesting and would be great to play. But we’ll see what happens! If not this time, the wonderful thing about new works is that they never stop coming! Especially in Chicago – The Greatest Theater City In America. Enjoy one of the great songs of Cousins Grimm and (whether I’m in it or not) be sure to check it out this summer with Bailiwick Repertory here in Chitown!
“The Kiss” from Cousins Grimm (Demo Recording)
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