Anyone who saw the 2006 Broadway revival of A Chorus Line probably remembers Jason Tam's beautiful portrayal of gay aspiring dancer Paul, a thoroughly moving performance that climaxed in his heartfelt delivery of Paul's monologue about a troubled childhood.
Tam, whose auditions for the role in A Chorus Line were documented in the film Every Little Step, can currently be seen Off-Broadway interpreting the work of the late Jonathan Larson in The Jonathan Larson Project. Tam is part of a stellar group of performers sharing the songs of the Rent composer-lyricist, including Adam Chanler-Berat, Taylor Iman Jones, Lauren Marcus, and Andy Mientus. The musical revue, created by Jennifer Ashley Tepper and directed by John Simpkins, celebrates the dozens of seldom-heard songs found when the visionary writer tragically died at the age of 35 in 1996. Performances continue at the Orpheum through June 1.
Tam, who played Peter in NBC's Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert, has also been seen on Broadway in Be More Chill, If/Then, and Lysistrata Jones, while his Off-Broadway credits include The White Chip, The Ghost of John McCain, and KPOP. Audiences have also seen the actor on screen in Law & Order: Organized Crime, FBI: Most Wanted, The Blacklist, Do No Harm, Hawaii 5-0, One Life to Live, and Beyond the Break.
In the interview below for the Playbill series How Did I Get Here—spotlighting not only actors, but directors, designers, musicians, and others who work on and off the stage to create the magic that is live theatre—Tam candidly discusses the ups and downs of a career on stage, the improv genius of Idina Menzel, and why sharing space with raccoons would be part of his dream job.
Where did you train/study?
Jason Tam: NYU Tisch. I also spent one magical summer studying at the Shakespeare Lab at The Public Theater.
Was there a teacher who was particularly impactful/helpful? What made this instructor stand out?
Mana
Allen taught me vocal performance at NYU, and she stood out because you
could tell how much she was rooting for every single one of her
students. She was constructively straightforward, and she always
emphasized holding on to my own specificity and individuality.
Prior to this production, had you ever performed songs from Rent or other Jonathan Larson songs?
Yes, in my shower.
Why do you think his work remains so timely?
Larson's
work remains so timely because all his songs, even his ballads, have a
real forward momentum, a pursuit, a heartbeat. He wrote about the
growing gap between the rich and the poor, racism, corporate greed,
pollution, homophobia, patriarchy, and politics as theatre. It's as if
he were speaking directly to our current state of affairs. But it's not
all doom and gloom—his songs have a rebellious sense of play, and
they've all got glimmers of hope.
Is there a song (or songs) in this production that particularly affects you?
"One
of These Days" because it captures both the communal struggle and the
hope of being an artist. I've been fortunate to have some fantastic
career highs! But mostly it's been the other thing—the in-between
jobs, the not continuing on with a project, the hundreds of self-tapes
that pile up in my Dropbox. And most of my peers are in the same boat.
But despite all that, we persist, we keep creating, keep growing, keep
supporting each other, and keep believing in our artistry.
Can you share a favorite stage mishap from any production you have been in?
During If/Then, there were like two times Idina went up on her lyrics. It's
bound to happen, right? Because Liz/Beth is a juggernaut of a role and
she's on stage nearly the entire show. But when it happened, she'd come
up with new lyrics on the spot, like she'd Freestyle Love Supreme her
way through a verse! I'd never seen anything like that. It was so
impressive. And the new replacement lyrics would fit the scansion of the
rhythm, and rhyme! I wish I'd written some of them down. What an icon.
Do you have a dream stage role or stage acting partner?
I’d
love to do literally anything at the Delacorte—Shakespeare, in the
outdoors, during sunset, made free to the public for the betterment of
society, sharing space with raccoons—total dream job!
What is the most memorable day job you ever had?
Managing
a warehouse in the Bronx to procure and divvy up supplies for all the
fluid stations for the NYC marathon. It was a lot of manual labor, but
operating a forklift was fun!
Is there a person or people you most respect in your field and why?
I
have huge respect for my friends that foster anti-racist programs in
the theatre industry. Like Cody Renard Richard with the Cody Renard
Richard Scholarship Program, Britton Smith with Broadway Advocacy
Coalition, and Beowulf Boritt with the 1/52 Project.
Tell me about a job/opportunity you really wanted but didn’t get. How did you get over that disappointment?
Without
naming specifics, I will say that this happens all the time, and when
it does, I try to name all the small victories. What did I learn? How
did my artistry grow? How am I better off for having had this
experience, even if it didn't end up going my way?
What advice would you give your younger self or anyone starting out?
Save your money when you have it, and don't spend money you don't have.
Say yes to everything, until it's time to say no. Saying yes will allow you to build relationships with a wide array of collaborators, and many of those partnerships will last your entire career. Eventually you'll reach a point where you'll want to start shaping your career more specifically, and one way to do that is to be more selective about the things you say yes to. It's different for everyone, but you'll know when you get there.
What do you wish you knew starting out that you know now?
You don't need to go to a conservatory. You do absolutely need to train and study, but not necessarily at a university.
In
such difficult times in this country and around the world, how do you
think theatre can play a positive role, either for yourself and/or
the community at large?
Theatre's
like going to the gym for empathy. It's a place to practice caring for
people, and the more you do it, the stronger that care becomes. Good
theatre invites audiences to put themselves in the shoes of not just the
hero, but all the characters in a story. In that way, bit by bit,
theatre helps move humanity away from egotism and towards collective
enlightenment. It steers us away from binaries, and instead points us
toward complexity and curiosity.
What is your proudest achievement as an actor?
The
business aspect of theatre can be treacherous—reviews, sales,
nominations, press. My proudest moments as an actor have been when I've
been able to help lift the morale of my fellow castmates, and inspire
us all to move forward with open hearts, and heads held high.
