“It’s really been a dream to be a part of a show in this capacity,” said Brown, 40. “I’m a big fan of revivals but I personally like a revival that’s revived from within. To be part of ‘Sunset Boulevard,’ a true revival of this caliber, it feels like it’s art. We’ve really stripped the show back to the lyrics, music and words. There are moments every day onstage in which I pinch myself. It’s been an absolute dream. I’m 40 years old and have been in this business since I was 20 but to finally be on Broadway in this capacity — this was the perfect time.”
Credit: FACEBOOK PHOTO
Credit: FACEBOOK PHOTO
He credits visionary, Tony-nominated British director Jamie Lloyd for his boundary-pushing work aesthetically and visually. Lloyd thrillingly incorporates multimedia and projections throughout the production to bring Billy Wilder’s iconic Academy Award-winning 1950 tale of bygone Hollywood to a new generation with theatrically cinematic pizzazz.
“Jamie has created a space for all of us to be creative and allow ourselves to utilize other muscles of our training,” Brown said. “This is the first time I’ve done a show where I’m onstage but also doing film acting at the same time. It’s a remarkable experience.”
Credit: Evan Agostini/Invision/AP
Credit: Evan Agostini/Invision/AP
A chance to evolve
Reflecting on his roles, Brown is grateful for the chance to evolve as an actor in a space that otherwise would not have been available to him.
“I’ve been able to bring my essence,” he said. “When I play DeMille or Max in my Black body, it’s an added (layer). What does that symbolize in the world of this show? Our (version) leaves a lot open to interpretation (more so) than the movie. At the end, does Max really leave Norma?
“We also know what the world is like when it comes to Black men and violence so does Max take the fall for Norma? (Questions) like that work in the world of this ‘Sunset Boulevard’ and I love it. Now that I’ve played Max I can say it’s become a dream role because I never thought I would be able to play him. In any other ‘Sunset Boulevard’ there would never have been the possibility,” Brown said.
Credit: Evan Agostini/Invision/AP
Credit: Evan Agostini/Invision/AP
In addition to savoring opportunities to go on as Max, and particularly sing “The Greatest Star of All,” one of Lloyd Webber’s finest ballads, Brown has enjoyed sharing the stage with Scherzinger, a fellow Wright State alum, in Act 2 as DeMille.
“Our connection (is about) the nuts and bolts of acting: really listening to each other and truly responding in those moments,” Brown said.
‘I was always told I am enough’
Growing up in Fairfield, Brown found joy in the arts. He participated in church plays and community theater but his seventh-grade trip to New York City in 1998 with his show choir left an indelible impression.
“I saw ‘Ragtime’ (starring) Brian Stokes Mitchell and Audra McDonald,” Brown said. “It was my first Broadway show. I realized I could be a part of this. I realized I could be an actor and be on Broadway.”
At Fairfield High School he was notably cast in the classic comedy “You Can’t Take It With You” as Boris Kolenkhov, a colorful supporting role. He had his heart set on the leading role of kindhearted grandpa Martin Vanderhof but still recalls the words of wisdom of his drama teacher Jay Muldoon.
“Mr. Muldoon said it’s not about the size of the role but what you bring to it,” Brown said. “Whenever I audition for shows I always remember his advice. My grandmother would also say rejection is protection.”
Credit: WRIGHT STATE UNIVERSITY
Credit: WRIGHT STATE UNIVERSITY
Brown’s Wright State credits include “Smokey Joe’s Café,” “The Threepenny Opera” and, in a full circle moment, “Ragtime,” portraying Coalhouse Walker Jr., the role originated by the aforementioned Mitchell. But it was his appearances in “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” and “The Piano Lesson,” both directed by the late Sheila Ramsey, that cut deep as never before.
“When I was at Fairfield it was not very diverse so (being) at Wright State was the first time I saw other students in a (theater) program that looked like me and there was a plethora of us,” Brown said. “Looking back on my Wright State training, I was always told I am enough, and I think that’s a really big lesson for any artist to hear, especially an artist of color. Sheila Ramsey talked in a way I understood. She allowed us to utilize the men I knew.
“There are people in your life or in your family, perhaps your aunts and uncles, that only another Black person knows, and to be able to communicate that so articulately with us made a huge difference,” Brown said.
‘An honest, true depiction of equality’
Brown’s national touring credits include “Hadestown,” “The Prom,” “My Fair Lady,” “Dreamgirls” and “The Scottsboro Boys.”
His off-Broadway and other New York theater credits include City Center’s “Once Upon a Mattress” starring Sutton Foster as well as “Smokey Joe’s Cafe” and “The Fantasticks.” His regional credits include Human Race Theatre Company, Old Globe, Ahmanson, American Conservatory Theatre, and Paper Mill Playhouse.
He has also appeared on film and TV in “The Blacklist” and “Vinyl.”
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
He’s excited about attending Sunday’s Tony Awards and is continuing to cherish his experience in “Sunset Boulevard,” which is scheduled to close July 13. Once the show ends, he looks forward to spending more family time with his husband, Joshua, and their two pre-teen kids.
“Doing eight shows a week is not easy when you have a family and kids,” he said. “I look forward to having a summer with my husband and our boys going to the beach or taking a car ride upstate.”
As he anticipates the next chapter in his journey, Brown hopes “Sunset Boulevard” will stand as a testament to what is possible in the world of musical theater.
“People leave ‘Sunset Boulevard’ feeling inspired,” he said. “I think that’s what theater should always do — give inspiration. I hope other creatives that see our show (leave) with (new) ways to think outside the box about how a show is conceived or cast. Jamie wanted to create a world that looks like the world. There are differences in race and bodies. It’s an honest, true depiction of equality.”
HOW TO WATCH
The 78th annual Tony Awards, hosted by Emmy, Grammy and Tony winner Cynthia Erivo, will air live at 8 p.m. Sunday, June 8 from New York City’s Radio City Music Hall on CBS and streaming on Paramount+. For a complete list of Tony nominees, visit tonyawards.com.
About the Author
