Oh Boy!

Well, the theatre is an unpredictable animal and sometimes things change on a dime!  Just as I was announcing my participation in "Bless You All!" with Unsung Musicals Co., I received an offer to come in as a last minute replacement in the role of 'Hi-Pockets' Duncan in "Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story."  This will be a joint production between Gateway Playhouse in Bellport, NY and Ogunquit Playhouse in Maine, and will be directed by DJ Salisbury.

'Hi-Pockets' was Buddy Holly's first manager, a Texas D.J. who discovered Buddy and helped him find his first record deal with Decca.  "Buddy" is one of the most successful shows in West End theatre history and has proven enormously popular in the U.S.  It was so successful at Ogunquit the last time it was presented there, this will be an encore engagement.  I am delighted to return to Ogunquit, having starred in the exceptionally wonderful "La Cage Aux Folles" there in 2007 for the theatre's Diamond Jubilee.

I will post news and reviews from "Buddy"over the next couple months!  As of this writing, I have three days to pack up my luggage, tra la la, and get ready to dive into a new part.  That's show biz.

Bootleg Shakespeare a Triumph! Next up: an Unsung Musical!

On August 5th, an SRO audience crowded into the Folger Theatre to experience the electricity and power of this year's Bootleg Shakespeare presented by Taffety Punk Theatre Company.  "Love's Labours Lost" began rehearsal that morning at 10AM.  The dedicated and impeccably prepared actors came together in a spirit of creativity (and alacrity) and by 7PM the show was sketched in just enough for the off the cuff performance to take wing.  And take wing, it did, bursting with life and joy and eliciting laughter and excitement in the audience.

I played the French Princess's right hand man, Boyet, as a rumpled, wise and dapper gent who still has a yen for the ladies.  It was bliss working with these great talents again, and I am proud to say this was my fifth in the Bootleg Series.  For more on Taffety Punk and the amazing work they are doing in DC,  click here.

I was delighted to have been asked to join the company of a revival of a forgotten musical revue from 1950 called "Bless You All!".  Ben West, the producer and director of Unsung Musicals Co., has resurrected this lost gem, penned by Harold Rome and Arnold Auerbach.  I will be playing one of the two 'Top Bananas,' sketch comedians in the tradition of Phil Silvers and Sid Caesar.  The production will play the Connelly Theatre in NYC September 19 through October 5.  For more on Unsung Musicals and to purchase tickets for "Bless You All!" click here.

In Recent News...

The cabaret act I directed, "Everything Old is New Again," starring the vivacious singer Lianne Marie Dobbs, was asked back to the Metropolitan Room for an encore performance in July.  The show has garnered fantastic reviews and Lianne is now at work on a CD of songs from the act.  Please visit Lianne's website for future dates, reviews, video and to find out how to purchase her CD!


One last bit of news to share: I am building my work as a teacher and acting coach here in the city, and I am pleased to say that I will be working with a new website called CoachMeNYC, which will be a clearing house for performing arts coaches of all kinds.  I am looking forward to the site going public shortly, and to working with talented actors and singers on everything from college auditions to solo performance.  Keep an eye on this space for more on this new venture, and follow me on Facebook and Twitter.

Success with "The Sound of Music" and Shakespeare in a Day

"James Beaman plays family friend Max Detweiler with a sophisticated touch."
-- Wicked Local

"James Beaman raises the bar with his outstanding dramatic performance as exploitive Nazi sympathizer and Von Trapp's erstwhile friend-festival planner Max Detweiler, especially in the song "No Way To Stop It.'" --Chelsea Record

"Beverly's native James Beaman's impeccable timing & tone offered comic relief at just the right moments, playing the Captain's good friend Max Detweiler."--NoBo Magazine

Pictured here with Jacquelynne Fontaine as Elsa.

There's nothing I can say about "The Sound of Music" at North Shore Music Theatre but sublime. Wonderful, convivial cast, sensitive gentleman of a director, amazing orchestra, and sold out houses.  Performances had to be added to the run.  It was an unqualified success and I loved playing Max.  For a look at the B-roll video footage of the show, click here.

BOOTLEG SHAKESPEARE 2013

It's that time again!  The annual marathon that is Taffety Punk Theatre Company's Bootleg Shakespeare at the Folger Theatre in Washington, D.C.  This will be my fifth Bootleg experience; in previous years I played Posthumus in "Cymbeline", Theseus in "The Two Noble Kinsmen," Hubert in "King John," and last year I was The Ghost/First Player in "Hamlet: The Bad-Ass Quarto."

This year it's "Love's Labour's Lost," that delightful war of words, that battle of the sexes, full of wonderful Elizabethan wordplay and poetry.  I played Don Armado in my graduate thesis production at The Academy for Classical Acting, but this time I get to do Boyet, the right hand man to the Princess of France.  Boyet is wry, funny, and wise, and I have some of the best comedic Shakespeare set speeches in the canon.  I am working on learning the 180 lines of the role, and will head down to D.C. on Monday, August 5, where in one afternoon we will sketchily rehearse the play, working out entrances and exits, learning whatever choreography needs to be learned, and we are just wrapping up our work when the SRO audience is stretching around the Folger Library and then: it's off we go.  An almost entirely improvised production of Shakespeare, one performance only.  It's a terrifying and incredibly thrilling experience.  For more info, visit Taffety Punk here.

The Prodigal Son Returns!!

JAMES BEAMAN RETURNS TO NORTH SHORE MUSIC THEATRE
AS MAX IN "THE SOUND OF MUSIC" June 11-23!

For my next role, I get to play the deliciously charming Max Detweiler in the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic, "The Sound of Music."  And I get to return to North Shore Music Theatre and my hometown of Beverly, MA.  'Uncle Max' is one of the classic character roles in the musical theatre repertoire and one I always hoped to play.  So excited to have the opportunity now, and back home where my family can see me in it! Stay tuned for posts from this exciting production, along with photos and reviews as they appear.

In other news, I continue to build my teaching and coaching work, holding private coaching groups here in New York, and working individually with actors on everything from Shakespeare verse speaking to audition preparation.  If you or a performer friend need a stimulating, inspiring and supportive coach, contact me.  You can email me directly at james@jamesbeaman.com.  You may also connect with me at LinkedIn, and follow me on Twitter: @JamieBeaman.  I have also gotten in on the ground floor with a brand new web resource, CoachMeNyc.  The site is still in development, but it will soon be the go-to clearing house for coaches in all areas of the performing arts.

2013 Off To a Great Start!!

As King Frederic in "Frog Kiss" with Aisha De Haas

"King Frederic (James Beaman) and Queen Margot (Aisha dHaas) provide a sweet portrait of enduring love and mutual respect (and tolerant parenting) in a long lived marriage."  ~Veer Magazine

The new year started with the unexpected and thoroughly joyous opportunity to create a role in the World Premiere of the new musical, "Frog Kiss."  From beginning to end, this was a labor of love, and I worked with an extraordinary cast under the leadership of director Kenny Roberson, choreographer Lorna Ventura, and music supervisor Zane Mark; and all of us were guided by the expert hand of our amazing lead producer, Tamara Tunie.  Virginia Stage Company pulled out all the stops and produced a gorgeous show, which was rapturously received.  We are all hopeful that the Broadway dreams for this show come true for all.  Visit the website link above for more news, photos and reviews!

Auditions are heating up for summer work and I am right in there, duking it out with the rest of 'em!  I have had some great opportunities and am hopeful of some exciting roles ahead.  Meantime, I have been gaining momentum with my teaching and coaching work.  At the end of this month, I will have the pleasure of teaching a select group of promising young performers who will be making a special trip to New York from the Punahou School in Hawaii.  During the week, they will receive dance and voice classes, as well as my acting classes and coaching, and will attend Broadway shows and meet successful graduates who have gone on to successful show business careers.  I am very excited to work with these talented kids and establish a new teaching relationship with Punahou.

I also am planning to teach the Goodspeed Musicals Audition Intensive for the fourth year this summer.  Co-creating and leading this workshop, which prepares high schoolers to audition for college theatre programs has been a great joy for me and I am incredibly proud of our graduates who have gained admission to some of the finest training programs in the country and abroad.  This year we are moving the workshop from December to August, affording our students the chance to be even more ahead of the curve and prepared for the busy audition season in early 2014.  If you know a talented teen who is interested in pursuing a performing career, I encourage you to enroll them in this one of a kind intensive.  For more information, visit Goodspeed Musicals.

Stay tuned for more news as I start booking roles for the upcoming season!

New Year, New Show!

UP NEXT:
James Beaman plays King Frederick in the new musical Frog Kiss, having its first full production at Virginia Stage Company January 15 through February 3!



Well, show business may be a precarious life, but it is rarely dull!  Just before Christmas, I received an offer to join the cast of the new musical Frog Kiss.  I had auditioned for the production back in October during rehearsals for Guys and Dolls and for whatever reason, the actor they had cast as King Frederick in this hip, irreverent new take on the Princess and the Frog tale had to withdraw.  My offer came literally the night before rehearsals began!  No time to think about it-- so I jumped in.  Frog Kiss has been in development for several years, garnering rave reviews at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival as well as the New York Musical Theatre Festival.  The Virginia Stage production will be its first fully mounted production and I am thrilled to be a part of it.

The piece, by Charles Leipart and Eric Schorr, is a saucy take on a classic story, with a score that ranges from traditional musical theatre styles, to jazz, to hip hop.  The creative team, led by director Kenneth Roberson (Avenue Q), is made up of incredibly talented Broadway artists, and the design team is first rate.  I am playing the Princess' father, King Frederick, a befuddled but sweet hearted Dad who seeks the help of Taoist Masters to bring order and balance to his troubled kingdom.  It's a treat of a part and a delicious show, and there are few things more exciting than being part of the development of a new and promising piece.  We fly to Norfolk, VA to Virginia Stage Company on New Year's Day.  It's a wonderful thing to start the new year with a gig!  For more information on Frog Kiss, visit the show's website here.  Happy New Year all!

My Holiday Letter

As 2012 hastens to its close, it's time for my annual holiday post, reviewing the events of the year and looking ahead toward the new year to come.

This was a year of changes, reevaluations and the beginning of wonderful new experiences in my life.  2012 started with an intense period of auditions, mainly for the summer season; these resulted in an offer for my third production on the mainstage at Goodspeed Musicals: the role of M. Lindsay Woolsey in MAME.  Mid-March I headed out to East Haddam, CT to begin rehearsals and spent most of the spring and summer enjoying the upbeat energy of this Jerry Herman classic, which was led by the remarkable Louise Pitre as Auntie Mame, and Judy Blazer as Vera Charles.  Judy and I became fast friends during the run of the show and that was just one of the blessings of MAME.  While I was in Connecticut, I also had the opportunity to coach some talented young actors, teach Pilates to the cast of the show, and complete the first draft of my feature length screenplay.

Once the show had closed, it was time for a period of rest, reflection and reconnection with family and friends.  I spent a week in Massachusetts at home with my Mom and family, catching up with my brother and his brood who were making their annual pilgrimage 'back east'.   I was delighted to learn that my niece Isobel has caught the acting bug and is the star of her high school!  After the family vacation I enjoyed a week on Fire Island, soaking up sun and sea and meditating on the various paths I want to pursue as an artist: performing, directing, teaching, producing and writing.

In early August, I went down to Washington, D.C. to perform in my fourth Bootleg Shakespeare production with Taffety Punk Theatre Company at the Folger Theatre.  This year we did the so-called 'bad quarto' of HAMLET, and I had the pleasure of playing the Ghost and the First Player.  Bootleg is always a jolt of energy and a renewal of the creative spirit and the performance was rapturously received.  I love the DC theatre scene and collaborating with my gifted friends there.

I was very excited to find a new community for classical theatre right here in New York, The Shakespeare Forum.  Started by Tyler Moss and his talented wife, Sybille Bruun, this amazing company offers classes and productions of Shakespeare as well as the invigorating and always uplifting weekly Forum, where artists from all backgrounds come together to explore the plays and ideas of Shakespeare.  I love being a part of this community and look forward to working with them more.

The fall brought me back to the musical theatre with GUYS AND DOLLS at North Shore Music Theatre, in my hometown of Beverly, MA.  I had long wanted to perform in this theatre-in-the-round, where I often went as a kid on school field trips to see theatre.  Our production of this Frank Loesser classic was an unqualified hit, garnering rave reviews, and I was tickled to be featured in the local media as the hometown son who made good!  I was spared being in New York for Superstorm Sandy, but all of us who had come up from the city to do the show watched with white knuckles as our beloved city was assaulted by this natural disaster.  Click here for one of the pieces on me, this one in the Boston Globe.

My creative work continued to expand this fall, with my return to the cabaret scene as director of an act for the talented Lianne Marie Dobbs, an extraordinary singer and music theatre actress making her cabaret debut.  The show, "Everything Old Is New Again," debuted at the Metropolitan Room to a sold out and rapturous audience, and Lianne and I plan to bring the act back soon.  Click here for video of Lianne in action!  In early December I returned to Goodspeed to teach, for the third year in a row, the Musical Theatre Audition Intensive.  30 talented high school students joined us for a jam-packed weekend where we introduced them to the process of preparing and executing their auditions for college theatre programs.  This marathon workshop has yielded amazing results, helping our participants to gain entrance to some of the finest training programs in the country, and has received a 100% approval rating from the students and their parents.  I am honored to be a part of its creation and development, and feel very proud of my work as a theatre educator--work that I hope to do more of in the new year.

As of now, my last project of 2012 will be a staged reading of George Bernard Shaw's SAINT JOAN, presented by Project Shaw.  I am thrilled to be a part of this evening, which will be graced by an incredible cast, including Fritz Weaver, Simon Jones, Tony Sheldon and Tony winner Nikki M. James in the title role.  I will be playing Brother Martin Ladvenu, a sensitive and beautiful role.  For more information and tickets, visit Project Shaw.

2013 is a blank canvas as of this writing.  I don't as yet have any acting jobs lined up, and the directorial, teaching and writing projects I am developing have yet to bear fruit.  But I keep pressing onward!  I am slowly executing the rewrites on my screenplay, trying to initiate a revival of an obscure but completely delightful musical comedy, educating myself on how to expand my opportunities as a teacher and coach, and recommitting to my first love of classical theatre.  My new love, Robert, has been dealing with some health challenges; and when someone you cherish is facing such things it has a way of putting things in perspective... the career angst, the financial woes and the personal problems seem to become much lighter when someone you care about is in a health crisis.  Fortunately, Robert is doing better and we are just taking one day at a time and taking nothing for granted.

My wish for all is that we remember how fleeting life is, how fragile it all is, and that we take the time this holiday season to reflect on our many blessings with the same energy we put into setting our new year resolutions.  I encourage you to celebrate the good things in your life, to give yourself credit for your accomplishments; to hold your loved ones close to you and express your love to them; and to give a little back to those affected by disaster and misfortune this year.  Here's to a beautiful 2013, full of great adventures, love and fulfillment.