Broadway Boys: Mr. October 2011: Jeremy Jordan

Mr. Broadway October 2011

Jeremy Jordan

WHY HE'S MR. BROADWAY: Maybe it is the fact that he's been a Broadway star on the rise since he took over the role of Tony in West Side Story.  Maybe it is the fact that he is the lead in the Paper Mill Playhouse production of the world premiere of Disney's Newsies.  Or maybe it is the fact that the entire annual article about fall musicals on Broadway in the Arts Fall Preview of The New York Times was about him, the star of two, big musicals: the aforementioned and possibly Broadway-bound Paper Mill show and the definite Broadway show, Bonnie and Clyde.  And it very well could be the fact that he is one half of one of Broadway's "it" couples - his fiancee is Priscilla's Ashley Spencer.  No matter what it is, Jeremy Jordan is the real thing - talented, easy on the eyes, and an honest-to-goodness Broadway baby!

OTHER INFORMATION:
Age: 26
Education: Ithaca College, Class of 2007
Personal: Engaged to Ashley Spencer who is in Priscilla Queen of the Desert
Where you might have seen him: Broadway: Rock of Ages (swing), West Side Story (Tony); Regional: Big River (Goodspeed Opera House), Bonnie and Clyde (Asolo Playhouse); TV: Law and Order: SVU; Film: The Banker and the Baseball, Joyful Noise 
Where you can find him on the Internet: http://www.jeremy-jordan.com/ or http://www.bonnieandclydebroadway.com/.  Be extra careful if you Google him, though.  A certain "adult entertainment" actor has the same name...

IN PHOTOS:

Headshots

Indie Film: The Banker and the Baseball (2007)

Broadway in  Bryant Park

On the set of Rock of Ages
(far right)

From The Men of Rock of Ages calendar

Rock of Ages

Backstage at West Side Story
with Tony-winner Karen Olivo

Two Tonys: Jeremy Jordan and Matthew Hydzick

 West Side Story

Hartford Stage's

The Little Dog Laughed

with Chad Allen

Bonnie and Clyde: Jeremy Jordan
and co-star (and former Ms. Broadway) Laura Osnes

Promo art for Bonnie and Clyde

Regional Theatre: Asolo's

Bonnie and Clyde

With War Horse co-star Matt Doyle (left)

At Broadway charity events

The New York Times feature boy!

With Andrew Keenan-Bolger in rehearsal

As Crutchie and Jack
in Disney's Newsies

Another rehearsal...

Disney's Newsies

at Paper Mill Playhouse



Promo Art for Broadway's "Most Wanted Musical"

Bonnie and Clyde

Film: Joyful Noise with Dolly Parton

Jeremy with Josefina, Kara and Laura

Notice a trend with Jeremy and his leading ladies?

But Ashley is probably the most important

leading lady in his life!

IN VIDEO:

Promo for Disney's Newsies at Paper Mill Playhouse



Singing the National Anthem at the World Tennis Team tournament



The trailer for Jeremy's upcoming film, Joyful Noise




(Photos and videos from: Playbill Online, Broadway.com, jeremy-jordan.com, YouTube, Getty Images and bonnieandclydebroadway.com)

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Jeff

BLOG JACK: Marketing Broadway

Can you identify any of these four people?  You should be able to!

(See the answers below.)

Recently, one of my favorite bloggers, Ken Davenport posted a piece lamenting the fact that Broadway is not marketed like other forms of entertainment.   He remembers collecting baseball cards of his favorite athletes and movie and sports posters adorning his childhood bedroom walls.  And wonders why people today aren't more familiar with the Broadway actors, dancers, etc. like they are with athletes and movie stars.  Why, he asks, doesn't the public know Broadway people enough to follow them from show to show, like we follow baseball players from team to team or actors from film to film.
I agree with him that Broadway as a genre is as well-marketed as it can be, and certain shows have been marketed to the point where they are a brand unto themselves.  And certainly, as a trip to the merch kiosks of shows like Wicked will show you some shows have really taken the lead in marketing beyond Broadway.  I know at least three young ladies (daughters of co-workers) who regard their Wicked t-shirts as status symbols.  Clearly, something is working.

But I also understand what Davenport is saying.  Why aren't Broadway people household names?  He says he's not talking about "the Patti LuPones and Nathan Lanes."  But let's start there.  People in the general population know Ms. LuPone from her TV series, Life Goes On, and people know Nathan Lane as the voice of Timon the meerkat in The Lion King film.  Do they know they are both critically acclaimed, Tony Award-winning actors?  How about Angela Lansbury, arguably one of the greatest Broadway stars to have ever graced the stage, who will forever be "the Murder, She Wrote lady."

As I sit here typing and watching Dancing with the Stars, everyone on it has a label - fashionista Carson Kressley, activist Chaz Bono, actor David Arquette.  As I recall past seasons, I can think of exactly ONE "star who danced" with the label "Broadway star," and that was Marissa Jaret Winokur.  Now, I realize that the "stars" are labeled according to what they are best known for, but Florence Henderson, Cloris Leechman and other contestants on that show have had Broadway experience, but you'd never know it.

By virtue of the fact that you are reading this, you are probably not the one who needs to read this and blogs like it.  You and I know things like RENT star Annaleigh Ashford has been in Legally Blonde and Wicked.  We know that John Selya and Cody Green are Twyla Tharp dancers, and that Joe Mantello not only directed Wicked, but also Take Me Out and Assassins and won Tonys for both.  We also know that he is an accomplished actor from Angels in America and The Normal Heart.  Granted, only those of us truly obsessed may know Danny Berstein's resume and are proud to have seen not only Gavin Creel, but Jay Armstrong Johnson as Claude in Hair.

From Glinda to Maureen: Annaleigh Ashford

But there is no reason in the world that TV viewers shouldn't know that Katie Finneran star of a new TV show is a Broadway star first.  Or that Glee employs A LOT of Broadway actors.  Couldn't it be "This week on Glee, Jane Lynch goes head to head with Broadway stars Idina Menzel and Cheyenne Jackson"? Just making that label more common, more regular, would go along way.  Why can't characters on TV shows go to the theatre sometimes?  You'd think Modern Family might have Julie Bowen and Ty Burrell take the kids to a show.  God knows they leapt on the let's make fun of Spider-Man bandwagon fast enough.  If Lucy and Ricky could take in a performance of The Most Happy Fella,  why didn't Ross and Rachel go see Miss Saigon? 

Of course, there is a logical reason that Broadway may not reach the masses across the country.  Music, movies and TV, and sports are "transportable entertainment."  There can be 2,000 performances of Star Wars at a time, and millions of homes can see one TV show at a time.  Yes, there are National Tours, but what does that mean?  Four performances of Jersey Boys at a time? 

But Broadway CAN be a national presence.  It used to be.  Late night talk shows, appearances on The View are great and a step in the right direction, and part of a long tradition of such appearances dating back to The Ed Sullivan Show.

A couple weeks ago, my friend Mike commented on my blog about how The Book of Mormon might just be the first American theatre phenomenon in years.  He said, and he's right, that shows might be struggling to be heard over the massive din created by social media, the Internet and the like.

I say, then, that Broadway needs to start being a lot louder.  And let the noise begin TONIGHT on the Dancing with the Stars Results at 9PM, when Harry Connick, Jr. offers up the title song from his new Broadway show, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever.


Above: Jeremy Jordan of West Side Story, Rock of Ages, Newsies and Bonnie and Clyde; Nikki M. James of  The Book of Mormon (she won a Tony for it, too!); Karen Olivo of In the Heights and West Side Story (she won a Tony for it, too!); Curtis Holbrook of Xanadu, West Side Story and All Shook Up

Rate this blog below and leave your comments here, by email at jkstheatrescene@yahoo.com, or Tweet me!
Jeff
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Back to School: The 2011 - 2012 Broadway Curriculum

UPDATED!  See below in RED!

Just a year ago, as I was driving behind a yellow school bus, I thought to myself, "remember to leave earlier for work in order to not get stuck behind this bus next year."  Fast forward to this morning.  The bus was bright yellow and it stopped seven times on the main road near my house as the kiddies piled on headed for the local elementary school. 

Oh, I chastised myself for not remembering to start leaving earlier after Labor Day.  Then I tried to make the most of it - watching the "seasoned veterans" (3rd - 5th graders) push each other onto the bus and run to the back seats.  Some of them waved to me, others stuck out their tongues.  And I even teared up a bit as I watched a mom and dad bravely shepard their kindergartner onto the bus, all smiles and reassurances.  And as the bus pulled away slowly, my car following just as slowly, noting that same mom and dad holding each other sobbing.  Ah, parenthood.

Well, by stop three, my mind wandered again to Broadway and school.  Last year, I suggested a general curriculum of plays and musicals to cover a variety of subjects.  This year, I thought, "how much academic ground would be covered by only the shows currently and scheduled to appear this season?"  As it turns out, quite a bit!

Physical Education:
Lysistrata Jones - a course that covers both the rules and regulations of basketball and the physical prowess needed for cheerleading.

World Literature:
The titles speak for themselves:
The Phantom of the Opera
Rebecca
Mary Poppins
The Lion King (Hamlet)

World History:
War Horse - World War I
Yank! - World War II

African-American Studies:
Stick Fly
The Mountaintop
The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess

Women's Studies:
Chicago
Evita
End of the Rainbow
Funny Girl
Mamma Mia!
Venus in Fur
Wicked
W;t

Sociology:
The Road to Mecca
Detroit
Fat Pig
Picnic
Private Lives
Other Desert Cities

Writing:
W;t
Seminar
The Columnist

Business:
Chinglish
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Man and Boy

Music:
Jersey Boys
Rock of Ages
Memphis
Nice Work If You Can Get It

Foreign Language:
Chinglish

Art:
The emphasis this semester will be on drawing comics-style:
Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark
The Addams Family

Psychology:
On a Clear Day You Can See Forever
W;t

American History:
The Mountaintop
Bonnie and Clyde
Memphis
Hair

Comparative Religions:
The Book of Mormon
Sister Act
Godspell
Jesus Christ Superstar (I'm thinking it'll come in this season...)

Gay Studies: (Hey, my school is liberal and progressive!)
Yank!
Priscilla Queen of the Desert

Survey of the Arts:
Dance - Billy Elliot
Musical Theatre - Follies
Drama - Death of a Salesman
Music - Anything Goes
Acting/Vocal Master Class - An Evening with Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin

I guess that goes to show that all theatre is a learning experience!

EXTRA CREDIT:  What "subject" would you use Ghost: The Musical to teach?  It is the only one I didn't use!

I ASKED, YOU ANSWERED!  If they recreate the pottery wheel scene onstage, you could probably claim "Art class". You might also make a case for criminal justice, since at the end of the movie, at least, the bad guy gets his reward. Maybe a stretch, but...
Keep up the excellent work, Jeff.
Chuck

Well, thank you, Chuck!  And it seems that they do the pottery wheel scene...!

Rate this blog here, and leave your comments here, by email at jkstheatrescene@yahoo.com or Tweet me.
Jeff
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Looking Forward to Fall

Every few months, I stop and take stock of what I've seen recently and what I am looking forward to in the coming months. Today I thought I'd look at what I really want to see that will be beginning previews during the months of September, October and November.  Before I do that, though, here was what I was looking forward to over the summer months.  I saw all  of the shows on my list, except for Follies, which I will be seeing shortly. 

Talk about an assortment of experiences!  From mega-spectacle to minimalist romance to campy excess on a budget, the summer of shows was completely fulfilling, despite a range of success.  I thought the best of the bunch was off-Broadway's Death Takes a Holiday (A+), and (relatively speaking) the worst of them was RENT (C), though I wouldn't mind seeing it again to see if I might like it better with a second viewing.  In between, I loved Lysistrata Jones (A-) and can't wait to see how it "grows up" in its move to Broadway.  And I was glad that the best parts of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark 1.0 were still in the final version, and disappointed with the score (B-).

This fall looks to have the same potential for variety.  You'll notice that I have included some off-Broadway shows, too, in an effort to expand my New York theatre going beyond Times Square.

PLAYS

The Submission - MCC Theater at the Lucille Lortel Theatre (Off-Broadway)

I have a subscription to the entire MCC season, which started simply because I wanted to get tickets to its winter offering, Carrie.  But when reading about the rest of their season, I had to see all three shows!  Of course, the director of this new play by Jeff Talbott, Walter Bobbie would be draw enough, but the subsequently announced cast Eddie Kaye Thomas, Will Rogers, Rutina Wesley and Jonathan Groff made this a must-see in my mind.  And the topic of this world premiere production - the creation of theatre under the guise of a phony artist in order to even be heard, among other things - intrigues me.  Art about making art is always, at the very least, interesting.  Here's hoping it poses more questions than answers to ponder over after the final curtain.

Chinglish at the Longacre Theatre (Broadway)

Any new work by David Henry Hwang is worth considering - I've been a huge fan of his since the brilliant and beautiful M. Butterfly.  And the press it is getting from its Chicago premiere certainly ups the ante.  But the real draw here is for my theatre companion, Mike, who studies linguistics and the Chinese language.  I look forward to lengthy chats about those subjects.  It could be the best possible combination of entertainment and thought-provoking education.

Wild Animals You Should Know - MCC Theater at the Lucille Lortel Theatre (Off-Broadway)

Another world premiere, this time a play by Thomas Higgins, that sound both intriguing and thought-provoking.  The play, according to the MCC website is about a father chaperoning a wilderness camp out who gets drawn into his son and another scout's game of cat and mouse.  Creepy...

Other Desert Cities at the Booth Theatre

The playwright: Jon Robin Baitz.  The cast: Stockard Channing, Rachel Griffiths, Judith Light, Stacy Keach and Thomas Sadoski.  Why wouldn't this be on the list?



MUSICALS

The New York Musical Theatre Festival

At the suggestion of Mike, and his argument that my favorite show next to normal started out here, we are going to try it out this fall.

Ghostlight

A musical about a real life Ziegfeld girl with a checkered past, along with many other theatre legends (Florenz Ziegfeld, Billie Burke and Fanny Brice) certainly pleases the history fan in me, and the cast, which includes Daisy Egan (Tony winner The Secret Garden), Rachel York (Drama Desk nominee Victor/Victoria, City of Angels) and Michael Hayden (Tony nominee Carousel, Cabaret) is exciting.  I am really looking forward to this one!

Greenwood

The fan of the film Camp in me makes this show - about former theatre campers who come back together after years apart to celebrate an event at the camp -  is interested in this show.  It should be interesting no matter what, potentially sweet, funny and, forgive the pun, campy.  The cast assembled for this festival entry - Andrea McArdle (Tony nominee Annie, Starlight Express, State Fair), Cary Shields (RENT, Taboo) and Felicia Finley (The Wedding Singer) - will certainly show its greatest strengths, I'm sure.

Godspell at Circle in the Square (Broadway)

I am a huge fan of this vintage show - its cast recording was one of the first I ever bought (I still have it on vinyl).  An early work by Stephen Schwartz, the score is brimming with catchy songs ("Day By Day", "Prepare Ye") and beautiful ballads ("All Good Things" , "On the Willows").  I am looking forward to a fresh, creative take on this story of the last days of Jesus Christ.  I am excited to see Hunter Parrish, who I loved in Spring Awakening.

Bonnie and Clyde at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre (Broadway)

I love dark, potentially dangerous musicals,  What could be darker than real-life Depression-era killers on the run who are in love with each other.  If Laura Osnes and Jeremy Jordan can be this dark and sexy in just one picture, I'm sure they are terrific together.  And I'm hoping Frank Wildlhorn will finally have another decent hit show.

Lysistrata Jones at the Walter Kerr Theatre (Broadway)

I loved it in a tiny gym.  I can't wait to see how they get it to a Broadway-sized show while still keeping all the charm.  I trust Douglas Carter Beane.  I hope they keep the same cast, too!  We shall see...

On a Clear Day You Can See Forever at the St. James Theatre (Broadway)

I know nothing about the original show, but I hope the gender switch of a main character/gay theme works FOR the end result, not AGAINST it.  But if anyone can pull this edgy twist off, it is director Michael Mayer.  And I really want to finally see Harry Connick, Jr.

An Evening with Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre (Broadway)

Considering how many fall shows there are that I want to see, this one might not make it for me.  I love Ms. LuPone (as you all know) and she puts on a hell of a concert - I've seen her in that capacity twice.  But I really don't care for Mandy Patinkin - he was great in The Wild Party - but as himself, he annoys me to no end.  Self-indulgent, vocal histrionic, shrill... is there enough Patti to calm down that beast?

The last few don't open until early December, so I might have to put a few of these off, but I hope to see all of these.  The musicals are a given, and I hope to catch most if not all of these plays.

Which shows are you looking forward to?  Write in and let me know!


Rate this blog below, and leave your comments here, by email at jkstheatrescene@yahoo.com, or Tweet me!
Jeff
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