Graae's Anatomy
By Melinda Schupmann
Perhaps one of the most generous show business "entities" is Jason Graae. His talents lend themselves to opera, musical theater, cabaret, commercials, and giving his time tirelessly to any events that promote theater. That he is enormously talented is just frosting on the cake.
Dark Monday nights are turning out to be event nights that allow theater folks to put on shows in between their usual weekly stints. This production, rumored to have some surprises, is a kick. Accompanied by his musical director, Alex Rybeck, he turns on his boundless electrical energy and devotes himself to giving the audience a great show. As the production begins and he is introduced, instead of Graae, the mischievous Bruce Vilanch walks out and announces that we're there to attend a Jerry Falwell memorial. After the spontaneous cheers and applause are over, he quips a bit more and calls for Graae to come out. Instead, Susanne Blakeslee (a co-star in Forbidden Broadway, Forbidden Hollywood, and Hello Jerry, a touring show with Jerry Herman) comes out to join Vilanch, and she adds a bit of fun to the opening.
The show is a biographical snapshot of highlights of his road to stardom. He begins by reminiscing about standing in the wings watching his mother rehearse in community musical theater, and the show business bug bit. He attended school in Cincinnati earning his BFA in Musical Theater and went to New York to find work. He glosses over those early days except to note that he had a couple of commercials that gave him some money to tide him over. The most notable was the voice that advertised Lucky Charms. Watching him cavort around the stage, it seems a shame that all they could experience from him was his voice. He could easily pass for a leprechaun, given the opportunity
He does a very funny bit about his being cast as Chino, the funny murderer in West Side Story, doing a reprise of his part in the show. He goes on to poke fun at his experiences as he moves along from job to job. He loses the Lucky Charms gig when he moves to the West Coast, but it appears that he has been working steadily ever since. His resume includes awards from the Los Angeles Drama Critics, New York Nightlife, and a Bistro award for Best Major Engagement. He has been on Broadway in It's a Grand Night for Singing, Falsettos, Stardust, Snoopy! and Do Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up? He has been off-Broadway in Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh (Drama Desk Nomination) and Forever Plaid. At this performance David Engel and Stan Chandler emerge from the audience to do a trio of "Wedding Bell Blues," which receives some more cheers from the audience. That the audience is made up of a host of theatrical talents says a lot for Graae. Giving up their one night of freedom after many weekly performances and rehearsals to come out to support him shows the nature of the close-knit Los Angeles theater community.
Midway in the show, he points out his mother in the crowd. He says he is a self-proclaimed mama's boy, which leads into "Mama, a Rainbow" from the musical "Minnie's Boys," the homage to the Marx Brothers. His affection for her makes the song one of the highlights of the show.
Graae is an imp, and his humor is boundless. From asides and quips to arch glances and studied reactions, he has the audience in the palm of his hand. The double entendres that are a scattershot attack on the audience prove his quick wit and clever acumen for performing.
Aside from his comic persona, he also proves that he can handle serious music too. He relates that he was in a tribute to Johnny Mercer, and his renditions of "Tangerine" and "Laura" are delivered with heart.
It's hard to try to capture the essence of Jason Graae in words. He is quick, funny, warmhearted, inventive, energetic, tender--a thesaurus-full of words that are still unable to define him. He gives no outward sense that he recognizes his own star power. You need to see him in action at a performance to get the sense of his talents. Fortunately for Los Angeles, he pops up in work all over town, so the best mandate is to look for his next show and plan to be entertained. He's the real deal.
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