Zangler's Follies

That's me, center, as Zangler with the company in the Act One Finale, "I Got Rhythm"

As of this writing, we are closing out the first week of our run of "Crazy For You" at Riverside Theatre in lovely Vero Beach, Florida.  I can't tell you what a tonic it has been to spend the first weeks of the new year in a warm and sunny place and in such a warm and sunny show! Click here for a look at a great montage of moments from this sparkling production!

I knew "Crazy For You" would be fun--it's a bubble of a show, a real love letter to the classic musicals of the 1930s;  but nothing prepared me for the rapturous response of the audience!  Our opening was as electric as any I have experienced.  Our production is based on the original as brought to life by Susan Stroman-- a tried and true formula made fresh and heartfelt by the expert work of our choreographer Deanna Dys and our director, the great Jimmy Brennan.  I saw Jimmy play Bobby Child on Broadway 20 years ago, and he and Deanna were both a part of that original Tony-winning production. Their history with the piece combined with their own creative gifts breathe beautiful new life into it.   We are blessed to have extraordinary dancers tapping up a storm, and Drew Nellessen and Abby Church, two triple threat performers, playing the lead roles of Bobby and Polly.  Reviews are ecstatic, audiences are on their feet every performance, and the show is rapidly selling out.

"Crazy For You" is also especially delightful for me because not only does it hearken back to the frothy fare of Depression-era Broadway, but it also evokes those amazing musical films of the 30s, art deco extravaganzas starring the likes of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.  Being a die-hard classic movie fan, I couldn't help looking for inspiration from those films as I created my characterization of Broadway impresario Bela Zangler, a sweet treat of a part.

Adolphe Menjou

Zangler is clearly based on Flo Ziegfeld, a great showman who perfected the follies revue, dripping with glamour and gorgeous showgirls.  He also has about him the qualities of those womanizing Broadway producers of early 1930's backstage musicals; mature roués cheating on their wives, plying pretty young ladies with champagne and promises of stardom.  In this respect, my Zangler owes a little to the suave Adolphe Menjou, who played a number of these roles, most notably in the classic "Stage Door." 

Erik Rhodes

Zangler also has the qualities of the 'continental' second man who figured so often in Astaire/Rogers vehicles-- a handsome, European type who we know will never get the leading lady.  Often these characters had exaggerated accents and were given fun comic business as the wool is pulled over their eyes by the leading man so he can covertly woo the starlet.  In the Astaire/Rogers films, often this second man was played by handsome and funny Erik Rhodes.  He played an Italian gigolo, Rodolfo Tonetti, in "The Gay Divorcee" and an Italian fashion designer, Alberto Beddini, in "Top Hat."  In crafting my flamboyant Hungarian Mr. Zangler, I found Rhodes's rolled 'r's and animated flourishes a great inspiration.

I'm just having a ball playing this guy, who disappears for most of Act One, but returns in Act Two to be given one of the best scenes and numbers in the show-- the drunken mirror act with Bobby, "What Causes That?".  It's a show stopper, and I am so happy to have a talent like Drew Nellessen as my partner in crime.  Shows like "Crazy For You" put us directly in touch with the spirit of those old films and fluffy Broadway shows where pretty girls, great Gershwin songs, and high energy tap dancing diverted audiences from the Great Depression and into a world of fantasy.  I can't deny that being in warm and easy Vero Beach while the Northeast is shivering through a polar vortex feels equally like a world of fantasy.  But I am not complaining!

My Holiday Letter 2014

2014:  A Rogue's Gallery!

What a year it has been.  I think every actor of ambition dreams of success--success on the scale of a Broadway show, or a feature film, or a starring role in a series.  It is these dreams of fame and fortune that sometimes propel us into the business in the first place.  As we live and learn within the business, many of us realize that what we really want is to WORK.  To do the thing we love with great people and have the chance to explore roles that excite, challenge and transform us.  2014 has been, for me, an embarrassment of riches.  Two plays.  Two musicals.  Two ultimate dream roles.  Reunions with favorite directors and musical directors, and thrilling new collaborations.


My year started with one of the busiest and most adrenaline-driven audition seasons I have ever known.  Between January and the end of February I did over 30 auditions, showing up in line for open calls and chorus calls, attending appointments and callbacks.  My first offer was from Flat Rock Playhouse, where I had the delight of playing Milt Fields, a Jewish comedy writer bringing the one-liners in Neil Simon's "Laughter on the 23rd Floor."  Not only was this one of the most loving and delightful casts I have ever worked with, but I had the gift of forging a friendship and brilliant working relationship with director Michael Kostroff.  He has become one of my favorite people.

Summer brought the chance to play the role at the top of my musical theatre dream role list, John Adams in "1776."  Having chased the part for several years through audition after audition, the perfect opportunity arrived to play the role at Cape Playhouse, under the direction of the wondrous Jimmy Brennan.  If you've watched my video blog "Becoming John Adams" or follow me on Facebook, you know just how over the moon I was to play this iconic leading part.  I will never forget it as long as I live.

Wonder of wonders, hot on the heels of this dream come true, another came along.  The ultimate comic villain, Thénardier, in the blockbuster musical "Les Misérables," at Orlando Shakespeare Theater.  Again I was in the loving and trusted hands of director DJ Salisbury and musical director Ken Clifton, two of my favorite collaborators.  The production broke box office records at the theatre; the flash mob our cast performed of "One Day More" in an Orlando mall went viral; and as of this writing I have been nominated for a BroadwayWorld Orlando Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical.

As I write this, I am in production week for my latest endeavor, "Peter and the Starcatcher," a sublime mix of theatrical magic and pure storytelling, at Pioneer Theatre Company in Salt Lake City, Utah.  I am tickled to be playing the ever-industrious, if somewhat dim, pirate sidekick Smee, in a fabulous collaboration with Leo Ash Evens as the vainglorious Black Stache.  It is such a thrill to work on a show that is so fresh and innovative, with a director and choreographer who have brought incredible heart and imagination to the production.  Jenn Thompson and Patti Wilcox have collaborated brilliantly, and have called upon all the talents of our 12 actor ensemble to bring this show to life.  It will be the perfect holiday confection for Salt Lake audiences.

Four amazing roles.  Four regional theatre debuts.  And the fifth will begin just as 2014 comes to a close!  When "Peter and the Starcatcher" ends here in Utah, I will have a brief two days in Massachusetts to celebrate the holidays with my family before flying off to sunny Florida the day after Christmas to begin rehearsals at Riverside Theatre.  The show is the glittering Gershwin musical, "Crazy For You," and my role--Hungarian theatrical impresario Bela Zangler.  Zangler is a jewel of a character part which earned for its originator, Bruce Adler, a Tony Award nomination.  "Crazy For You" brings me back together with director Jimmy Brennan and musical director Ken Clifton--truly, the best gift Santa could have possibly given me!

Show business is a feast or famine deal, so I am giving daily thanks to the theatrical gods for this run of good fortune, and enjoying every moment of being a working actor.  Many blessings abound.  Being on the road so much makes a personal life a challenge, but I am buoyed by good friends and family.  Tragedy struck our family this year with the death of my father, but the loss brought me closer to my extended Beaman family and helped me to realize the true gift they are.  Losing my Dad has also given me a chance to reflect on the lifetime of artistry and excellence he lived and how profoundly it has influenced me.  Grieving is a long process, I find.  Dad passed only a brief three months ago and every day I have feelings and thoughts that I need to process and cope with.

My New Year's wish for all of you is that you pursue your passion and find ways of living your dreams.  Gather those you love close to you and whenever you have even the smallest impulse to call one of your loved ones, or reach out and say, 'I am thinking of you and love you'--DO IT.  It takes so little to keep the flow of love going.  And what goes out, comes back.  I am grateful that I will begin 2015 engaged in my craft in a warm and sunny place.  This new year marks my 25th year as a professional actor, and will also bring my 50th birthday.  Phew!  Am I grateful?  You betcha.  Do I still have the hunger to realize more ambitions?  Damn straight!  I continue to reach for more opportunity as an actor.  I continue to invest in my work as a teacher and coach for performers in New York and wherever I perform around the country.  I continue to hope for someone special to share the next chapter of my life with, but I have plenty of love to go around to friends new and old, and my beautiful family.  Have a wondrous holiday season, one and all, and a happy and healthy new year!!

Family Business

"Peter Pan" has beguiled children for over a hundred years, but the play holds a special place for those of us who grew up in the theatre.  It is a magical spectacle that features kids as the stars, and many an actor has fallen in love with theatre by performing in it as one of the Darling children, or lost boys.  My first exposure to "Peter Pan" was at Boston University where my Dad designed a student production.  I got to sit in out in the house in wide-eyed wonder as I watched pirate ships glide on stage, a dancer in a crocodile costume with glowing eyes slither about, and best of all, kids only a little older than I soaring through the air in flying harnesses.  Oh, how I wanted to be one of them.

Jenn Thompson, my director on "Peter and the Starcatcher," was.  And several other members of the cast have also shared their stories of the thrill of being a child actor and entering the magic world of make believe that J.M. Barrie created.  The childhood of a 'theatre brat' is something truly special because we get to see behind the curtain and learn how the magic is made... you might think this would spoil our illusions, but on the contrary--those experiences as a young actor instill the dreamer in us, and we are propelled into our careers by them.  My parents met in theatre school and I grew up with my father in scene shops and theaters, while my Mom created her own company and training facility where I had all my early training and experience as a performer.

Jenn Thompson with husband Stephen Kunken

Jenn Thompson had a similar growing up.  Her father, Evan Thompson, is a veteran actor and director and her brother Owen is also a performer.  Jenn grew up performing children's theatre with her family, in plays her Dad wrote.  She is married to respected New York actor Stephen Kunken, whose work I greatly admire.  Jenn's life has been steeped in the traditions of theatre.  I feel a real kinship with her; there is something about being 'born in a trunk' as my Mom calls it.  We share the same references, we know the legends and lore of the theatre.  This makes Jenn an ideal director for "Peter and the Starcatcher."  It is a piece that seeks to get to the root of the theatre tradition--pure storytelling-- with a minimum of stagecraft, where the actors create the world, becoming pirates, mermaids, birds, corridors, doors... whatever is required to bring the story to life.  Jenn brings incredible detail and imagination to this process, as well as the special wonder of an artist who saw the magic of theatre through a child's eyes... and still does.

Karen Azenberg on stage at Pioneer Theatre Company

Our producer, Artistic Director Karen Azenberg, is also a child of the theatre, and part of what I would consider a legacy of Broadway royalty.  Her father, Emanuel Azenberg, a member of the American Theatre Hall of Fame, has produced theatre on Broadway for decades, and his association with Neil Simon has brought most of that prolific writer's most successful plays to the stage.  Karen grew up in the Broadway theatre, and has worn many hats--director, choreographer, stage manager, and now she brings that wealth of experience to her role as producer with taste, sense, and a love of the family business she came up in.  She related to some of us during a break in rehearsals the story of her bat mitzvah, and the reception after at--where else?--Sardi's!  Now, that's a theatre kid!  I feel blessed to work under Karen's leadership and to observe the way theatre is done here at Pioneer due to her vision.

Performing as a young 'ham' of thirteen!

You don't have to have grown up a 'theatre brat' to cherish its traditions, but I speak from experience when I say that having that childhood makes it impossible for you not to!  Theatre artists like me, and Jenn, and Karen absorbed all things theatre at that vulnerable time when we were 'sponges,' our senses alive and our imaginations boundless.  I feel like "Peter and the Starcatcher" calls on that childhood wonder, those memories tinged with the smell of sawdust and greasepaint, the dreams of kids who wanted to fly--not just in fairy tales, but in real life, suspended from a wire, soaring over a stage with colored lights in our eyes, seeing the wide eyed wonder of other kids from their seats in the audience. 

As of this writing we are well into our second week of demanding, exhausting, but thrilling staging rehearsals for the show and it is coming together, thanks to Jenn and our brilliant choreographer Patti Wilcox, as well as all the creative forces at work behind the scenes at Pioneer Theatre Company.  I look forward to stepping out onto that stage in a couple weeks and bringing the magic to a new generation of dreamers.

I Won't Grow Up

Have you noticed how Peter Pan seems to be everywhere in our culture right now?  A major live NBC broadcast of the classic musical in the works; a new musical based on "Finding Neverland;" and a big screen feature starring Hugh Jackman, "Pan,"slated for release in 2015.  But perhaps the most original, disarming and artful interpretation of J.M. Barrie's classic story came rollicking on to Broadway a couple years ago: "Peter and the Starcatcher," based on the best selling novels by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson.  Like Gregory Maguire's "Wicked,"  which imagines what happened before the action of "The Wizard of Oz," "Peter and the Starcatcher" weaves the tale of the adventures that made Peter Pan Peter Pan!  This piece is so fresh, so magical... and the tour is still on the road, so it's a great gift to be able to do one of the few licensed regional theatre productions that are happening now: this one at Pioneer Theatre Company.


As a classical actor, I am never happier with Shakespeare than when it is performed simply, on a bare stage, with the focus on the actors and the words.  "Peter and the Starcatcher" is a true ensemble piece, a clever and imaginative adventure in which the players move in and out of narrating and performing numerous memorable characters.  My role is the pirate first mate, Smee, sidekick to the show's comic villain, Black Stache (who eventually becomes Captain Hook), the role that won Christian Borle the Tony Award.  Smee gives me many opportunities for hilarity and fun, including a potentially show stealing moment as a rather homely mermaid!

George Shelton, the original Smee, 1904

The legend of Peter Pan is so deeply a part of our collective consciousness, and the idea of 'the boy who never grew up' has beguiled generations with dreams of eternal youth, adventure and magic.  "Peter and the Starcatcher" enchants with all of this, while being decidedly a smart, sassy, sometimes shameless fairy tale for grownups!  I look forward to jumping into the work and sharing my adventures in Salt Lake City.  Stay tuned!

Even the Darkest Night Will End, and the Sun Will Rise…

At this writing, I am in my final week of “Les Misérables.”  What a fulfilling journey it has been, creating my own creepy, boorish Thénardier.  It’s a vastly satisfying part, shameless, dynamic—enhanced by the special relationship I forge with each audience—as repulsed as they may be, they can’t help but love me!  Who wouldn’t love that?

I am also proud of the fact that this has been the most successful production in Orlando Shakespeare Theater history.  Ticket sales at 96% capacity, excellent reviews, and the amazing reach we have had via the flash mob we performed of “One Day More” at the Mall at Millennia.  The major network morning shows featured the flash mob on Labor Day weekend, reaching millions of viewers, and the video has had nearly half a million views on YouTube.  If you haven't seen it yet, you can view it by clicking here!  Additionally, our participation in the annual Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS fund drive has raised over $10,000 for people living with HIV and AIDS.  In every respect it has been a success.

I have made good friends amongst this positive and talented company of artists, and forged a new relationship with a new theatre.  OST gave me an opportunity to work with their interns and MFA students by teaching a Shakespeare text master class, and we had the opportunity to do talk backs and discussions with high school groups and musical theatre majors at University of Central Florida.  “Les Misérables” inspired me immeasurably when I was a college student, and I feel great pride in paying that forward.

Despite all the triumph and artistic satisfaction, this time in Orlando was shadowed by the death of my beloved father during our rehearsal period in August.  Donald G. Beaman died of complications from surgery at the age of 81.  A brilliant artist and set designer, he taught generations of theatre artists over his nearly three decades at Boston University.  He was also a scholar of ancient civilizations and universal symbolism, writing volumes on the subject, as well as designing and publishing his own Tarot card deck, The Tarot of Saqqara.  The inspiration he brought to my life and my work as an artist cannot be adequately measured.  I was helped so much in my time of loss by the kindness and generosity of my fellow artists here in this production, and the work itself was a source of solace in the midst of grief.  My father would have loved my performance in this role, and he would have approved of my turning to the work of theatre as a way through the process of coping with his passing.  And so, life moves forward.  If “Les Misérables” teaches us anything, it is about the endurance of the human spirit to survive and to find redemption.

For me, it is on to my next project!  For my final role in 2014, I will have the delight of playing Smee in the Pioneer Theatre Company production of the magical theatrical adventure, “Peter and the Starcatcher.”  This Tony-winning blend of theatre, music, and storytelling imagines how Peter Pan became Peter Pan, and how ‘Black Stache’ became the memorable villain we know as Captain Hook.  I am excited to do this fabulous piece, and to proudly make my fourth regional theatre debut of the year with this great company in Salt Lake City.  There is truly nothing like working at the holidays, enhancing the joy of the season and creating family memories for festive audiences.  Stay tuned for casting news and more as I venture into Neverland in November and December!

I Dreamed a Dream...

In 1985, when I was a sophomore in college, I received as a holiday gift the original London cast recording of Les Misérables.  This album came to the States long before the show ever did, and I became instantly obsessed with it.  I was a serious acting student in a theatre program and to me this show represented a bridge between my two favorite theatre genres, classical theatre and musical theatre.  Imagine-- an epic pop opera based on great literature produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company!  I was in heaven.  

Sometime over the next year or so, the tour of the show came through Boston and I went.  I can still remember the impact the original production had on me... it was so sweeping, so impassioned, with such spectacular stagecraft.  The finale literally lifted me out of my seat.  So great was my appreciation of the show, I did the Marius/Eponine duet, "A Little Fall of Rain" for my senior showcase presentation.

I moved to New York right after graduating college, and was here less than a year before I returned to Boston to get more experience and be better prepared for the demands of life in NYC.  But during that brief time I was here, I went to every single audition for the Broadway production of Les Misérables I could get into.  I was 22 years old, ambitious and in love with the idea of being one of those guys on the barricade.  After several calls where I got 'typed out' each time, the casting director, Vinnie Liff, took me aside, put his arm around me and, after praising my singing and my audition, told me I was simply too short for the show.  I was disappointed but am to this day grateful to Mr. Liff (may he rest in peace) for being so generous to tell me why this coveted show was out of my reach.

Well, fast forward over 25 years and I am now a character actor, with a new goal: to play the show-stealing, shameless, hilarious and villainous Thénardier.  Over the past few years I have done numerous auditions for the role for regional theatre productions and for the recent 25th anniversary tour... chasing the part with the same determination with which I chased John Adams in 1776.  It always seemed I was losing the role to an actor who, without the aid of makeup or costume, looked more 'charactery.'  But I knew that I had the stuff to bring both the comedy and the chilling evil of the character and the transformative ability to look the part as well.

Fortunately, director DJ Salisbury and Orlando Shakespeare Theater Artistic Director Jim Helsinger 'got it' this season, and have cast me in what will be the most ambitious production in the theatre's history, amidst a company that includes Broadway greats like Davis Gaines, and dear friends like the sublime Lianne Marie Dobbs, whose successful debut cabaret act I directed here in New York.  In just a couple weeks I will become the 'master of the house' and finally get to be a part of this fabulous piece of musical theatre, fulfilling an ambition I've cherished for nearly 30 years!

'My Dearest Friend'

"As founding father John Adams, actor James Beaman has incredible chemistry with Christiane Noll, who plays his wife, Abigail." ~Cape Cod Times

More gushing from beautiful Cape Cod, this time about my leading lady, the lovely Christiane Noll.  The touching glimpses of the relationship between John and Abigail Adams in 1776 are all based upon the immortal letters the couple exchanged during their many separations.  These interludes serve to humanize Adams and to give a strong female voice to the male dominated action of the play.  I could not have a more masterful Abby than the one brought to the stage by Christiane.

There's no denying I was intimidated when I learned that this Tony-nominated, accomplished singer-actress was to play my wife in my long awaited debut in this show.  Christiane not only has given unforgettable performances on Broadway in shows like Jekyll and Hyde and Ragtime, but she is also an international concert artist and has recorded a half dozen solo CDs.  While I am confident in my abilities, I was daunted by the idea of having to sing duets with Christiane and somehow meet her level of artistry and proficiency.

Christiane Noll as Abigail. Photo: Seacia Pavao

Christiane put me at ease with her professionalism, clarity and no nonsense attitude from day one.  And she's a superb actress, connecting with me from the get-go with the warmth and intimacy our director wanted us to find.  The result has been, I think, touching and memorable.  Christiane makes Abigail strong and witty, and of course, her vocals are unsurpassed.

There's no doubt that I have had vocal struggles with this role.  It is a very demanding part vocally, with Adams shouting and haranguing his fellow congressmen almost continually for over 2 and a half hours, in between singing about two thirds of all the musical material in the show.  I approached our two week rehearsal period having done voice work on the sung material, but I never anticipated that my attack on the book scenes would exhaust my voice so thoroughly!  And the quick turnaround process here at Cape Playhouse (after a week of run through rehearsals in New York, we arrived here with about 36 hours to tech and open the show) leading into a full eight show week... well, we had no day off, and very little rest.  All of this led to a vocal fatigue that has made this first week of shows a struggle for me.

I mention this only to highlight the generosity and advice Christiane Noll offered me.  She has been very encouraging and has offered remedies and tips for recovering my vocal health.  Not only has she been lovely and helpful, but so has her talented husband Jamie LaVerdiere (who is giving a chilling and masterful performance in the show as Rutledge) and her mother, an accomplished opera singer who has come to the Cape with the couple to help with their gorgeous 5 year old daughter who is here as well.  It's quite a family.

Actors of any ambition want to do their 100% best at all times in their work and careers.  And we also dream of working with people who have achieved the kinds of things in the business that we aspire to.  It's a bonus when they are also kind and lovely people.  I have been blessed in so many ways on this show, and working opposite Christiane is one of those blessings.