Jason Graae (pronounced "grah"
Early life
Though he was born in
Chicago, Graae was educated in Tulsa, Oklahoma, at Edison Preparatory School where he played the
oboe, acted in plays, and sang in the chorus.
He appeared in a production of the musical
George M! in the seventh grade.
Graae was a member of the Tulsa Youth Symphony for four years in high school as the principal oboist. Following his passion for music, Graae went to Southern Methodist University in Dallas, hoping to become a concert oboist, but did not like his instructor's approach. He transferred to the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music only to have his previous instructor move there as well. Taking this as "a sign from the musical gods", he pursued a career in
musical theatre instead.
He graduated in 1980 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in musical theatre from the now-merged University of Cincinnati – College-Conservatory of Music.
His mother was a dancer in Broadway musicals who moved to Europe after marrying his father;
Career
Early years
Graae made his
off-Broadway debut in
Godspell with
Liz Callaway in 1980, forming a friendship which had them performing together in
nearly 30 years later.
He made his Broadway debut in Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up?Jason created the role of Sparky in the musical
Forever Plaid and was an original cast member alongside Stan Chandler, David Engel, and Guy Stroman, when it opened off-Broadway in 1989.
It ran at Steve McGraw's for over four years with more than 1800 performances
and, as his first hit show, helped him to become increasingly well known.
The original four cast members shared a
Bistro Award for
Forever Plaid. Around the same time, he was nominated for the 1993 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical for
Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh.
In 1997, Graae starred in the US premiere of
Ragtime in the role of
Houdini.
Most recently, Jason traveled the U.S. for a year and 1/2 as the Wonderful Wizard of Oz in the National Tour of
Wicked.
Overview
Graae's reputation has grown on Broadway with roles in the Rodgers and Hammerstein
revue A Grand Night for Singing,
Falsettos,
Stardust,
Snoopy!!!, and
Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up?.
His
voice work in advertising includes as the
Lucky Charms leprechaun
and representing
Western Union Moneygrams,
and he performed a singing voice in the film
Home on the Range for Disney.
He was the English voice for the protagonist Barry in the 2011 French animated film
Sunshine Barry and the Disco Worms, co-starring
Jane Lynch and
David Bateson.
His television roles include recurring appearances as Chad on the Showtime series
Rude Awakening and as Dennis on
HBO's
Six Feet Under. He has guest starred in TV shows including
Friends,
Frasier,
Sabrina the Teenage Witch,
Caroline in the City,
Living Single, and
Providence,
as well as in films including
and
Geppetto. Graae has released commercial audio recordings including
You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile: Jason Graae Sings Charles Strouse,
described as perfectly capturing "the mood and atmosphere of the cabaret experience – from the entertaining 'novelty' songs which he infuses with his own apt sense of humor, to the ballads interpreted beautifully."
Graae was uncertain about the album's cover photo in which he appears "wearing nothing but a sly smile, a top hat (not on his head) and a cane" – and he "searched long and hard for the biggest hat he could find" – but ultimately agreed that it would be intriguing and is glad he did it.
The years 2000–2010
In 2000, Graae was cast in
Forbidden Broadway Y2K LA!, an updated version of the
Forbidden Broadway franchise of
which parody musical theatre.
The franchise had earlier spawned a spinoff a similar parody of the world of Hollywood in which Graae had appeared. He earned a nomination for an
Ovation Award for
Forbidden Hollywood and won an Ovation Award for
Forbidden Broadway Y2K LA! He is included on the cast album, the sixth in the series. He received an Ovation Award nomination for
Anything Goes in 2003
and around the same time was developing his
one-man play,
Coup de Graae!. He has performed this show in numerous cities including New York, San Francisco, and Hollywood.
It was amongst
Time Out New York's top 10 cabaret acts of 2006.
includes songs and stories from Graae's life (featuring Rodgers and Hart,
Jerry Herman, and the Bergmans), and references to his
voice-over work; he is described as "the complete entertainer, giddy, irreverent, mischievous and moving, often at the same time."
The
Los Angeles Times described the show as "an eclectic banquet of standards, show tunes, pop songs, incisive wit, easygoing charm and a humorous dessert featuring his tale as the voice of 'Lucky the Leprechaun'."
The show won a New York Nightlife Award for Graae.
He has developed other eponymous shows, including
Graae's Anatomy (2007)
and
49 Shades of Graae (2014).
In 2004, Graae took on the one-man play Fully Committed, which required him to perform 30 different roles in 80 minutes.
The Joel Hirschhorn Award is given annually by the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle for "outstanding achievement in musical theatre"; Graae was honoured with this award in 2007.
The years 2011 to the present
In 2012, he worked with long-term friend Faith Prince on
The Prince and the Showboy presented at the 54 Below nightclub.
The show includes tributes to
Jerry Herman, composer of the musicals
La Cage aux Folles and
Hello Dolly!; Graae described Herman as "a survivor of the highest degree who lives his life as an eternal optimist."
The Herman material coalesces around Graae's recollections about coming out to his mother.
Prince and Graae won the New York Nightlife Award for outstanding musical comedy performer in January 2013.
Graae performed in Little Me in its original form with 42nd Street Moon in San Francisco in 2013, under the direction of Eric Inman.
In 2015–16, Graae took on the iconic role of Ebeneezer Scrooge in the premiere of a new musical, Scrooge in Love! written by Duane Poole, (music by Larry Grossman and lyrics by Kellan Blair), at San Francisco's Eureka Theatre.
Graae gave a series of well-received performances in a concert version of the musical The Pajama Game at the Musical Theatre Guild in Los Angeles in 2016.
Opera
Graae made his operatic debut with the Metropolitan Opera in
Twyla Tharp's
Everlast in conjunction with the American Ballet Theatre.
He has also sung with the Washington National Opera and the
Boston Pops.
His Los Angeles Opera debut was in 2001 in the role of Njegus in
The Merry Widow.
Performing with the Michigan Opera Theatre in the same role earned him a nomination for an
Oscar Wilde Award in the category of Best Performance – Opera.
He has played the roles of Offenbach in
The Grand Duchess with the Los Angeles Opera, and Frosch in
Die Fledermaus with the San Francisco Opera, Washington National Opera, Houston Grand Opera and the Manhattan School of Music.
Personal life
Graae married his partner, fashion designer Glen Fretwell in 2014.
Awards and nominations
|
|
| 1989 | Forever Plaid | Bistro Award | | Cast award |
| 1993 | Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh | Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical | | |
| 1995 | Forbidden Hollywood | Ovation Award | | |
| 2000 | Forbidden Broadway Y2K LA! | Ovation Award | | |
| 2001 | Best Musical Comedy performance | Bistro Award | | |
| 2003 | Anything Goes | Ovation Award | | |
| 2004 | Fully Committed | Artistic Director's Achievement Award | | |
| 2006 | Coup de Graae! | Bistro Award for Best Major Engagement | | |
| New York Nightlife Award | | |
| 2007 | | L.A Drama Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Achievement in Musical Theatre | | |
| 2008 | Coup de Graae | Bistro Award | | |
| 2012 | The Prince and the Showboy | New York Nightlife Award for Outstanding Musical Comedy Duo | | with Faith Prince |
| 2015 | Scrooge in Love! | San Francisco Theatre Bay Area Award for Best Actor in a Musical | | |
| 2016 | The Merry Widow | Oscar Wilde Award | | |
External links
