"Broadway Baby" - An Interview with Actor Josh Lamon (Part 1) - Shebrew in the City

Episode Transcript
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Nicole Kelly (00:04):
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Hi, this is Nicole Kelly.

(00:33):
So I, along with my producer,patrick, decided it might be
nice if we did a little intro toeach episode to kind of
introduce the guest, a littlebit talk about if I have a prior
relationship with them and youknow how the episode came about.
So for this first little intro,I am super excited to talk
about my friend, Josh, and Joshis an amazing human and one of
my favorite people and Iactually met Josh before I met
him.
So Josh is a Broadway performer, he's in a lot of original

(00:55):
Broadway casts and he was in thefirst national tour of Hair and
if you know anything about myfamily, we are obsessed with
Hair.
My sister named her dog burgerand she was literally just
telling us she's going to nameall of her dogs for the rest of
her life after characters fromhair.
So, like very pointedreferences, um, and josh was in
the first national and when wefirst met him, my husband was

(01:15):
like I'm pretty sure I dancedwith him in the in the um the
aisle of the pantages theater.
When I mentioned to josh, he'slike, yeah, that sounds about
right.
Also seen him in a couple ofshows.
I'm pretty sure I saw him whenhe was in the national tour of
Wicked as Bach.
I definitely saw him in thecast of A New Brain at City
Center and I remember him andthat was a very fun summer

(01:35):
because I got to see basicallyeverything playing in New York
at the time because my husbandwas out of town for a gig and I
was really excited to see theshow and I definitely remember
him.
And what's great about Josh ishe's super talented but he's
also a really good human andthat's one of the reasons I
think he's worked so much isbecause people really want to be
around him and I love spendingtime with him and I'm super
excited for you all to get toknow him.

(01:57):
Josh is actually in previews fora brand new musical and we're
going to talk a little bit aboutthat in the episode.
So he is in the new musicalDeath Becomes Her, which is
playing at the Lunt-Fontaine.
They started previews onWednesday and me and my sister
and my husband were there and ifyou want to see a little
preview of that, you can checkout my TikTok and Instagram,
which are both SheBrewInTheCity.
I posted a little video andJosh is a featured character and

(02:20):
actually gets his own song,which I thought was really cool
because I was unaware that wasgoing to happen, and my family
loves Death Becomes Her.
So if you're a fan of the movieas well, I would definitely
check that out.
It is fantastic.
My husband also is one of theproducers.
He did a show with her, sowe're very, very invested in
this show.
We want it to do really, reallywell.
So I'm really looking forwardto all of you getting to know
Josh and, because we had so muchto talk about, this is actually

(02:42):
going to be my first two-partepisode, so we're going to be
releasing one half today and theother half later on this week
because we had so much to talkabout.
You'll also get to enjoyhearing one of my dogs kind of
crying in the background alittle bit.
I apologize for that.
We have moved apartments, soit's going to be a little bit
easier recording moving forward,even when I have people in

(03:04):
person, but I want to apologizeahead of time, so please enjoy
this episode.
Hi, this is Nicole Kelly andthis is she Shebrew the City and
today I'm sitting down with oneof my favorite humans in the
entire world Broadway star , Josh Lamon.
How are you today, Josh?

Josh Lamon (03:35):
I'm wonderful.
Nicole, how are you?

I'm good.
I'm so glad that we werefinally able to make this
happen, Josh sit down with you,and in person, because I don't
do this in person too often.
It's usually digital virtual,digital virtual, both, whatever
you want to call it.
If you hear my lovely dogs inthe background, they are locked
up, so they are upset about that.
They're just big fans of theshow! They, they want to be

(03:58):
involved, they're just reallyexcited.
to be involved, so let's jumpright in.
So what I usually start out byasking is about people's Jewish
backgrounds.
So, how were you religiousgrowing up?
Did you go to Hebrew school?
Did you have a bar mitzvah?
What was that like?

Josh Lamon (04:15):
I've never really been religious, so to speak, but
I was.
I grew up Jewish.
I did go to Hebrew school andit was very much a part of my
childhood and my upbringing.
We always went to Friday nightservices and of course I had a
bar mitzvah.
It wasn't as epic as I think Iwished it was, because you know
like, growing up you go to somebar mitzvahs or bat mitzvahs,

(04:39):
and some of them are likethey're fine, and then you go to
others where they dropped likehundreds of thousands of dollars
or whatever.
So mine was pretty simple.
Um I I decided that my parentswere like we can either throw
you a massive party or we can goto israel as a family.
And, being, you know, 13 and atheater kid, I was like, well,

(05:02):
I'll see your trip to israel,but you know we have to stop in
new york so I can see my firstbroadway show.
Oh, cool, and they agreed tothat what was the show that you
saw?
oh, my goodness, nicole.
So we stayed at um.
There was like a double treewhere the palace theater was
yeah or is?
Yeah, we stayed there.
My first first meal was at theOlive Garden.

You know, I went there for my birthday one year
before we went and saw thatrevival of Sunset Boulevard and
I was working at a restaurant atthe time and one of my managers
was like you are a hospitalityprofessional, why were you at
Olive Garden?

Josh Lamon (05:39):
Why are you not at Olive Garden?
I wanted breadsticks.

And I remember I told Patrick I was like I want
to go to Olive Garden before theshow.
He was like what?

Josh Lamon (05:48):
I took Caitlin and Izzy, the two lead girls, from
prom to Olive Garden during tech, because Izzy had never been no
, no, and we had so manybreadsticks.
I swear I got sick from it.

They're good.

Josh Lamon (06:02):
They're great but they don't hold up, because I
remember being like I need moreto go and yeah, but anyway, so
off topic, okay, judaism me wow.
Yes, so you went to Olive Garden, oh yes, and the show that I
was dying to see was theoriginal Broadway company of
Beauty and the Beast.

(06:22):
So I spent some of my barmitzvah money on a single ticket
.
I don't know why my parentswere like, yeah, go by yourself,
but I did.
I sat in the orchestra and Iremember on the playbill there
was this little note from Disneybeing like if this is your
first time seeing a Broadwayshow, welcome and all this stuff
.
And I was just over the moon, Imean, I remember just like on

(06:45):
the plane ride, looking downover New York and being like,
wow, susan Egan is down thereright now.

Like that's what a dork I was you know, susan Egan
was Patrick's principal at OSHAyou stop it.

Josh Lamon (07:00):
I mean, I I never met her.
I always joke, I'm.
I'm always like oh, susie Egan.
So, susan, if you're listening,I love you.
Yeah, so I did that and it wasepic.
And then my mom and my sisterand her friend and I went to go
see Miss Saigon after that.
And that was very, very sad.

(07:20):
Yes and yeah.

Definitely the antithesis.

Josh Lamon (07:25):
Yeah, the right word , the antithesis of Beauty and
the Beast.

You know, ironically, beauty and the Beast
is the first Broadway musical Isaw at the now defunct Schubert
Theater in Los Angeles oh wow,and I think my sister's too.
So I feel like Beauty and theBeast.
My mom still talks about itlike it's the pinnacle of
musical theater.
Like she'll see something andbe like, but it's not as good as
beauty and the beast, nothingis mother, I know well, this is
also back before they cut theentire chorus oh sure when there

(07:48):
was like a full ensemble yeah,so yeah, I love that um, but
naturally, going back to judaism, I had a broadway theme, bar
mitzvah, yes, um, which I meanit wasn't fancy.

Josh Lamon (08:00):
The party was at the temple but all the tables were
different broadway shows and, uh, to give you a peek into how
popular I was, the kids tablewas sweeney todd, just a
demented little like musicaltheater kid, I used to listen to

(08:21):
the opening of sweeney todd onnapster dating myself napster
all the time, because that'sthat's what millennials do.

We did something similar to our wedding that all
the tabers table tabers I lovetabers I do too.
All the tables were named aftermusicals that have weddings in
them.
So like fiddler on the roof,funny girl, uh, wedding singer,
showboat that had like weddingdresses and wedding stuff.
So we did something kind ofsimilar.
Did you sing through your barmitzvah?

(08:51):
My mom loves to tell the storythat I like, instead of kind of
just chanting, I sang the entirething, which I guess I did.

Josh Lamon (08:58):
But she talks about it?
Yeah, I just, I belted myhauteur.

Baruch atah, adonai.
Yeah, I know the lick at theend of Wicked.

Josh Lamon (09:10):
Amen, I sang like the Torah portion, but I was
also a terrible Hebrew student.
You know, I think I have ADD orADHD, I'm not sure, but it just
was not gelling.
Also, I was always just aterrible student.
My mother would insist that Ipractice and I'd put in the
cassette tape of the cantorchanting and whatnot, and then

(09:33):
I'd put on my headphones andlisten to show tunes on my
walkman in my room.
So I remember the cantor at onepoint being like you have to
take this seriously or we arecanceling your bar mitzvah,
which was like a shonda beingyeah you know it's, yeah, you
don't cancel your bar mitzvahand um yeah.
So I got my act together andfigured it out I feel like

(09:55):
that's the story for most people.

I was like super student and had it like uber
prepared way before time.
I took it very seriously, I'msure I did.
Um, that's why my mom, theythought that I was going to be
like a cantor or rabbi orsomething and then, ironically,
I found theater and that kind ofreplaced that yeah, my mother
always, I think still wants meto be a cantor and I'm like that
day has that ship has sailed,mother you know there's a lot of

(10:20):
cantors.
I know who used to be musicaltheater performers sure and then
they're like I don't want to dothis anymore Because being a
musical theater performer ishard, so I'm going to join the
clergy.

Josh Lamon (10:30):
Oh, believe me, I would if I could, but it's so
much work.
Though my cantor growing up,cantor Lori Frank, who I love,
she was a performer as well, andthen my first professional
audition as a kid she coached meon it, oh cool.

I love that.
So we've talked a little bit inthe past personally about how
your mom is a huge fan of DebbieFriedman.

Josh Lamon (10:54):
Oh yes, she loves Debbie Friedman.
I do too.

Can you explain to people listening who that is?
Because I did not know for thelongest time and did exposure to
music with Debbie Friedman kindof help shape your career in
any way.

Josh Lamon (11:08):
Well, I think it's how to describe Debbie Friedman.
Maybe you know, back then shewas sort of like the Taylor
Swift of Judaica music, you know, very folk song-y but also just
remarkable.
Music has always been just.
It just transports me, it makesme feel things, it makes me

(11:32):
feel understood, it makes mefeel seen in a way, and even as
somebody not totally religious,her music always, always stuck
with me.
I don't think it really, youknow, pushed me into theater or
had much impact necessarily onmy career, but the storytelling

(11:52):
always did, and especially likegoing away I would go away to a
Jewish sleepover camp in thesummer, which is rare for people
on the west coast.

That's a very east coast thing.

Josh Lamon (12:04):
oh, and it was fancy too.
I didn't know this at the time.
It was in Malibu.
It was called, I think, ginlingHilltop Camp or something.
It was super, super fun, but myfavorite part about it was we
would always sing, like in thecafeteria.
We'd always sing these songstogether, and so Debbie Friedman
always had an impact on my life, for sure.

I definitely think that's something that kind of
drew me when I was younger toJudaism, the musical aspect, and
then when I realized that therewas a whole musical world of
theater outside of Judaism, Ithink that's one of the reasons
I fell in love with theater isbecause I had fallen in love
with music and storytelling andall of that through synagogue
with music and storytelling andall of that through synagogue.

Josh Lamon (12:45):
Yeah, I mean, my synagogue was also very
performative.
I guess we would have thesegiant shows every Purim, you
know.

The spiels.

Josh Lamon (12:54):
The spiels, we would have our spiels, and then we
belonged to two synagogues.
Growing up In hindsight I'mlike okay.

That's a lot of work.

Josh Lamon (13:04):
One of them had a uh , you know for lack of better
terms company, a children'stheater group called showbiz,
which was show beth, israelstudents, and, uh, kara friedman
was the woman who ran it andshe would write original jewish
rock rock operas for kids, ohcool, and we would do a new one
every year and it was alwaysreally fun.

(13:25):
So I guess, in that regard, youknow, it did really feed that
dramatic need for me ortheatrical need for me.

So first exposure to your future career through
one of the two synagogues thatyou're in.
I do know someone who's amember of three synagogues.

Josh Lamon (13:43):
Whoa.

It's complicated.
It had to do with preschooladmissions, I think.
Oh, okay, that makes sense, butI think in New York it's common
because of that.
So was this your first exposureto musical theater through this
showbiz.

Josh Lamon (13:55):
Not really, though.
I remember seeing my sister inthe musical version of Noah's
Ark.
There was a rock opera thatthey wrote called Esther that I
was obsessed with, and Iremember the song where they're
trying to find the new queen.
It's like the search is on, thesearch is on the search, and

(14:16):
just being obsessed with thiswhen I was a kid.
But my first real exposurethere's this group, this company
called San Diego Children'sTheater or San Diego Junior
Theater, in San Diego and BalboaPark.
A lot of incredible people gottheir start there Casey, nicola,
annette Bening, greg Barnes somany wonderful, wonderful
performers.
And my mom got us seasontickets when, I mean, I must

(14:40):
have been about three or maybeeven younger, and we had front
row, center seats and we wouldsee every show and, for whatever
reason, I knew that that's whatI wanted to do.
And it was also fun becauseafter the show all the kids
would come outside and theircostumes and you could get their
autograph and take pictureswith them.
And, granted, they were liketeenagers, but as like a two

(15:02):
year old, they were liketeenagers but as like a
two-year-old, they werecelebrities to me.
And so, between that and anobsession with the Muppets, I
was obsessed with the Muppets.
I still am, and I would likeput on costumes like my sister's
old dance costumes from herrecitals.
I'd put those on and justperform in front of the

(15:25):
television to the Muppet show.

That's what we were saying.
Our daughter does like she.
She likes to wear costumes.
We were I would turn on like alike a period show with women
wearing obviously like hugedresses.
It was set in like the 1870sand she made me put on like a
party dress for her and Iunderstand that because I always
feel like the date for thefirst dress rehearsal was always
my favorite day doing a show.

Josh Lamon (15:45):
Yeah.

Because it really kind of gels together everything
, because you physically feellike the character in their
outfit.

Josh Lamon (15:52):
Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

Were these San Diego.
You said Junior Theater.

Josh Lamon (15:57):
Junior Theater.

Were these the first shows that you saw what
was your first professional show?

Josh Lamon (16:01):
I don't remember the first professional show that I
saw, your first professionalshow, um.
I don't remember the firstprofessional show that I saw,
but I do remember seeing um uhat the starlight bowl, which
doesn't exist anymore.
It's an amphitheater in balboapark and it's unique because
airplanes fly over it and thenyou have to freeze the actors on
stage.
It's hilarious, but um Iremember seeing chess there when

(16:22):
I was little and that made nosense to me.

I think of Make Witch version.
There's like six versions.

Josh Lamon (16:28):
Who knows what version.
I just remember being like thisis boring.
We saw Evita there and againeven like at, like you know,
fourth grade or whatever beinglike okay next, and I loved
shows like Joseph, you know yeah.
Okay next and I loved shows,like Joseph, you know.
But yeah, and I also remember.
But my family knew that I lovetheater so much that they just

(16:49):
always took me with them.
I think I was the only, likesix year old, that saw the
national tour of Follies youknow, and I don't know why my
family was like Follies iscoming to town, let's take Josh.
Let's take Josh because he'llidentify with people going
through like a past midlifecrisis and falling out of love

(17:10):
with each other.
That's great.
That's great for and the likebananas.

Second half of the second act.
That makes no sense to me as anadult.
That most recent revival wasreally cool visually, but I
still like I'd never seen it inperson.
So that's that part where theyjust go crazy.

Josh Lamon (17:27):
Oh yeah, I'm like what is happening oh, I love the
show though, but I remember Isaw I saw the revival a few
times at the intermission oncethis woman next to me, this
older woman who was just very,very moved, and I forget what
she said exactly.
But we looked at each other andI was like how are you enjoying
the show?
And she's like it's wonderful,I'm just so sad.

(17:47):
I was like is it too early fora cocktail?
Tears before bedtime, dear it'snever too early for a cocktail
in the theater.

When I moved here.
That was such a shock to mebecause you don't drink in
theaters in LA and it'ssomething that's really pushed
here.

Josh Lamon (18:06):
Oh yeah.

So when I first moved here, first started seeing
shows on Broadway, I was likewhat is this craziness of?
Like you can get sloshed beforethe show?

Josh Lamon (18:15):
even starts.
Oh yeah, yeah, it's a miraclesometimes.

Yeah, for some shows it's necessary.

Josh Lamon (18:20):
I will say, and it's fine if we air it.
I saw K-Pop, which was a very,very short-lived show here.

Yeah, yeah, and which was a?

Josh Lamon (18:27):
very, very short-lived show here.
Yeah, yeah, and you know as faras, like, the book was sort of
a mess and whatnot.
Was it a great show?
No, but my friends and I hadthe most fun that we've ever had
.
Yeah, like at a show with thedancing and a little bit of
booze, you know.

Yes, yes, I'd prefer getting drunk and seeing
a Broadway show than gettingdrunk, drunk and going to like a
club and, depending on the show, like it could be a club, like
I could see with a musical, likethat, like getting drunk with
your friends and like I don'tknow.
When I saw Beautiful Noise withmy sister, I wasn't drinking
and she was like, why are youscreaming, singing Sweet Carol?

(19:02):
She was so embarrassed I thinkI posted something on the
internet and my mom was like Isent you to school for theater
and this is what you sound like.
But yeah, there are, there aresome shows that that alcohol
definitely helps.
How old were you when youstarted doing shows?
How old were you when youstarted doing the children's?
Did you do?
I'm sorry?
So I'm assuming you worked withsan diego, uh, junior I did not
until, um, not until elementaryschool.

Josh Lamon (19:25):
I started performing at a local like a community
junior theater.
Yeah, um, I believe starting infirst grade was when I started,
and then my first professionaljob was in fifth grade.
It's the one that my cancercoached me on.
It was a gypsy, oh um.

Starring karen morrow, oh my god, I love karen
morrow we love karen morroworrow, who I feel was born a decade
too late, which is a very arosething, because she was very much
an Ethel Merman but was justyoung enough that musical
theater was starting to change,that she didn't become a
superstar like Ethel Merman, butshe actually came when I was in

(20:06):
college would come and teach anaudition technique class.

Josh Lamon (20:09):
She's such a sweet lady, she's remarkable and she
was so kind to the kids and um.
So that was my first job.
I I sang um.
It's a jolly holiday with Maryfor my audition.
And the canter, even like gaveme choreography to do with it,

(20:30):
but what got me the job was atthe time I played trumpet
terribly, and there's that partin the beginning.

Yeah, where the kids are doing, they have like
the kids that do the differentbecause it's like a variety show
.

Josh Lamon (20:37):
Yeah, In the Broadway production it was
Clarence and his clarinet, andin this version it was Tommy and
his terrific trumpet.
Not so terrific, though.
Oh, I was awful.

At least you could be awful.
I feel like if I I ever triedto instrument I, I wouldn't even
be awful, but it's just.
It's just not how my brainworks sure so at what point did
you decide you wanted to pursuethis professionally, like
seriously, like I know a lot ofpeople, you know a lot of people
who are performers, like I'vealways wanted to do this.
But at what point did youdecide, okay, this is literally
what I want to do.
I need to get professionaltraining for this.

Josh Lamon (21:15):
Always.

Always.

Josh Lamon (21:16):
And always I knew that this was going to be my
career.
You can ask anybody I grew upwith, and a part of that was
sort of why I felt like I didn'tneed to take school very
seriously when I was growing up.
I remember a math teacher inhigh school coming up to me and
being like you need to studyharder or take this class more

(21:36):
seriously.

And I was like no, I don't, I'm going to be an
actor.
I need to count to eight.

Josh Lamon (21:41):
And she was like well, you're going to need to
know the dimensions of the stage.
And I was like, no, I won't,that's not my job.
Like I was such a jerk about it, but from a very young age it I
knew that this was what I wasgoing to do yeah, I love that.

I love that this is, and you made that happen.
I feel like so many people havethis dream and, for various
reasons, it just doesn't workout, sure, but you know it's.

Josh Lamon (22:05):
It's a matter of being talented, sure, but but
also luck.
There's so many people that Iknow that are geniuses, that,
for whatever reason, um, it justhasn't swung in their favor yet
.
Or you know, whatever, it's a.
It's a brutal, brutal industrythat makes very little sense.

Which kind of leads me to my next question.
So I know that the journey kindof from bright eyed New York
city transplant to like to mynext question.
So I know that the journey kindof from bright eyed New York
City transplant to like toactual working actor even
Broadway is super different foreverybody.

Josh Lamon (22:38):
How long did you live in the city before you
started booking bigger gigs?
Oh, I was here.
I came here in 2003.
But I started auditioning herein around 2000.

Okay.

Josh Lamon (22:45):
And my first major job I didn't book until, I think
, 2005 or 2006.
So it was a couple of years.
It was a while and plus therewere so many just ups and downs.
I really did not make it easyon myself and put myself in a
lot of really bad situationswhen I was younger and I really

(23:09):
learned the hard way and justsort of had to pave my own path.

I think that's true for everybody.
No, no one journey is the same.
I feel like there's people whomoved, you know, get cast in
Broadway shows out of college,and then sometimes there's
people who it takes a decade.
Yeah, it's just, it's not a onesize fits all thing.

Josh Lamon (23:26):
Yeah, well, also being like a character guy, you
know, being like this heavyset18 year old kid or whatever.
I remember coming up toaudition because I was living in
Philadelphia at the time forthe non equity tour of
Cinderella, and at the auditionI sang my song and the director

(23:47):
behind the table just said, likeI need you to know that you're
fabulous.
I have nothing for you, but ifyou stick with this long enough,
you're going to do great, andthat's a really nice thing to
say, because normally they justsay thank you.
Yeah.

Speaking of you being a character actor, are
there things that you think youface, as you have challenges
that you face that maybe, say, aleading man wouldn't have to
deal with?
I mean, I know I had a castingdirector say to me once cause
they were like if you were aningenue and you weren't working
I'd be concerned.
But because you're a characteractress, you have plenty of time
, but I feel like that doesn'tmake you feel better when you're

(24:26):
going to start working in yourearly 40s.
What are some of the challengesyou think you've faced as a
character actor, as opposed tosome other type of leading man?

Josh Lamon (24:36):
Yeah, well, I think it all varies.
There are so many differentchallenges for no matter what
type you are, but it all depends.
I think the business in generalis a challenge because, also
when I booked Wicked, I had justlost all of my weight very

(24:57):
rapidly thanks to the Atkinsdiet and depression.

Depression will do that.

Josh Lamon (25:03):
But I lost it so rapidly I couldn't see it.
So I was still stuck in thislike self loathing kind of place
.
But then I was also in a newarena.
Now I wasn't with the otherheavyset funny guys, now I was
with all these twinks and notjust like there were so many of

(25:24):
them there's not as manycharacter people and there's an
ocean of twinks not as manycharacter people and there's an
ocean of twinks and um.
So that itself was challenging,but what I found is that I've
worked at every sort of sizeI've been um, but I think the
challenges get more, you knowlike, as you get older.
Um, yes, there's more work.

(25:46):
So I guess the biggestchallenge when you're young is
hanging in there, especially ifyou're not a dancer.

I feel like if you're a dancer and you're young
, you can work a lot, yeah, andit's really easy to work.
But again, as a character actor, it's kind of like, well, I'm
just kind of biding my time andthere's nothing new getting
added to my resume, because I'mnot right for anything.

Josh Lamon (26:05):
So it can be really frustrating, but not right for
anything.
So it can be really frustrating, but nowadays they expect you
to dance as well, which I can'tstand.
I think it should be illegal.
I agree with you.

I think that there's a lot of stuff I've
auditioned for in the past that,because I wasn't a dancer, I
didn't get Sure Like.
I can name literally some ofthe auditions.

Josh Lamon (26:22):
Yeah.

But I want to go back to Wicked, which I think I
saw you and I've seen Josh inseveral things before I even
knew him.
That's bananas, because thattour came through Los Angeles at
the Pantages so I probably sawyou.
So this is a show that has alot of technical aspects and
effects.
So what are some of thechallenges in doing a show like

(26:43):
this?
For those of you who don't know, theaters can be very dangerous
places even when there's not alot of technical effects, and
I've never done a fancy showlike that, where there's like a
dragon on stage.

Josh Lamon (26:54):
So don't want to spoil that for anybody who's
never seen Wicked.

But there's a dragon on stage.
So, as an actor, what are someof the challenges or perks of
doing a show that's crazy, withthe effects like that?

Josh Lamon (27:06):
Sure, well, it was never.
That was never dangerous for usbecause it's such a.
It's such a machine and ifyou're not Elphaba, you don't
have to worry about flying.
I'd say the big dangers werelike the bubble that Glenda
flies in.
Bubbles come out of it and thatmakes the floor a little wet

(27:28):
sometimes.
Bubbles come out of it and thatmakes the floor a little wet
sometimes.
And there was an entrance.
It was as I was leaving theshow actually, which was a very
emotional time for me, and myreplacement was shadowing me
backstage and I just was verystoked and I was like, listen,
brad, sometimes the bubble juicegets on the stage, so just be

(27:48):
aware of that as you run out.
Because, uh, the character runsout and is put in a spotlight
and freezes, and as soon as Iwas like gave him the warning, I
ran out and I slipped and justin slow motion fell flat on my
back and looked like a deadroach in a spotlight, while
glenda just looked at me withshame um so there was that.
But also it was so excitingWicked was so new at the time it

(28:12):
was the biggest thing.
It was the beginning of itbeing a global phenomenon.
So there was this built-in fanbase.
So, like I'm 25 years old-ish,nobody knows anything that I've
done.
I'm a nobody.
And now, all of a sudden, Ihave all these fans, and not

(28:33):
because I'm magical, justbecause they're obsessed with
the show.
Yeah, um, so that was thrillingand also sort of um, very, very
intense, because nothing reallyteaches you how to prepare for
that.
And then, when you leave theshow, nothing teaches you how to

(28:53):
be prepared for that, to goback to you know, like for nine
months I was like a theatercelebrity in that ring of you
know show fans, and now I'm backto being unemployed looking for
barista work or anything.
Yeah, you know.
So I would say that's thebiggest emotional kind of
challenge when you're doing yourfirst big show.

(29:15):
Yeah, and the only other thingI think that happened with
Wicked that would have beendangerous was something happened
with the flying rig for Elphabaand oil spilled on like half
the stage and so like half thestage, like you really couldn't
walk on but you had to.
And again I had another likefly into the air and land like a

(29:37):
dead bug during curtain call.
So yay me.

It's hard sometimes to be graceful when
there's oil on the floor.
So I wouldn't be too hard onyourself, I wouldn't be too hard
on yourself, I wouldn't be toohard on myself.
So you made your Broadway debutin the revival of Hair after
being on tour.

Josh Lamon (29:58):
Actually I booked it .
I did the show on Broadwaybefore I did the tour.
I didn't know that.

So your Broadway debut was Hair.
Okay.
So how did you end up on thetour after being on Broadway?
Did you have to audition?
Was it an offer thing?
I'm always curious, when peoplekind of transfer to other
productions, what the process ofthat is.

Josh Lamon (30:19):
That was an offer and usually they are in that
case because it's easier forthem.
Also, it's sort of like a thankyou for doing the Broadway
production we would love for youto continue on.
It's just easier.
We don't have to spend money onnew costumes, wigs, blah, blah,
blah, yeah.
But it was a real thrillingjourney and it actually came

(30:41):
around when I was ready to quit.
I, after Wicked, I'd been doinga regional theater and a lot of
it, but I wasn't able to bookBroadway and you know, there's
only so much time that you canspend living out of a suitcase
making very little money, nothaving, you know, like roots

(31:05):
anywhere.
Yeah, any relationship that youtry to be in ends immediately
and it just was very depressingand I remember going into the
hair callbacks being like if Idon't book this, I'm done.
I just can't do this anymoreand I I figured that I'd be a
therapist and uh, which issomething I think you would be

(31:25):
good at.
Thank you, I think so too, andum, so I went.
The final callback was insane.
They were looking, it justfinished in the park, it was
transferring to broadway andthey were looking for five
swings and a swing.
Is somebody an offstageunderstudy?

that covers most everybody in the show um, it's
literally the hardest thing todo in musical theater.

Josh Lamon (31:48):
Oh, it's wild.
Yeah, it's easily the hardestjob in theater, so there must
have been like 50 of us in thatfinal callback.

That's a lot of people for a final callback.

Josh Lamon (32:02):
Oh they were not kidding and Diane Paulus, the
director, who I love, she reallywants to see every option that
she can and you know it's noteasy for her, I think, to make
those decisions because shewants to see everybody and she
wants to see what everybody canbring.
And so that callback I might beexaggerating but I feel like it

(32:26):
lasted for five hours.
It started off with a dancecombo and this dance combo was
like insane A it's hair, so likeyou're not really dancing.
You're flailing around.
You're also portraying youngpeople on a lot of drugs.
So there's that aspect and itgot nuts.

(32:47):
One man at the audition brokehis knee what yeah, and um now
helps run a theater company inuh connecticut, but that was
sort of the end of his road ohmy gosh.
Um, in that regard, and Iremember, uh, after the dance
and after, like, putting us ingroups and singing and blah,
blah, blah, we all got sent intothe hallway to wait for our

(33:09):
turn to come in and read thesides and the sides are pieces
of the script, you know and um,so I was out there in that hall
for up until the end.
I remember sitting there withcasey levy.
We knew each other through the,through the wicked family a
little bit and um, but also,everybody there had been in

(33:30):
Broadway shows or they'recurrently in Broadway shows, and
so I felt very likeself-conscious, very less than.
And then, finally, it was myturn.
I went in, I did what I coulddo and I left feeling defeated.
I called my agent at the timeand left him a message saying I
think I'm done, I can't do thisanymore.
And the next morning I woke upI think I was probably dieting

(33:52):
at the time because that's justwhat I do, for that's my hobby
Um, and I was like screw it,everything's terrible.
I'm ordering pancakes orsomething dramatic.
And then my agent called and hewas like hey, I got your
message, are you okay?
And I was like no, and um, hewas like I know you want to quit
and that's totally cool, I getit.

(34:13):
But do you want to quit afteryou do hair because you have an
offer?
oh my gosh and I remember, justlike I don't remember if I cried
, but when, when so many yearsof bs just pay off in one second
, it's a very, very powerfulthing.
And to be able to call your momand to be like I'm making my

(34:36):
Broadway debut, when you spendyears wondering what it's like
to get that phone call and thenall of a sudden you're getting
it, and that will never grow oldfor me.
I'll never not appreciate thatmoment, because it's rare, it's
uncommon, it does not happen forthe majority of people.

Yeah.

Josh Lamon (34:58):
And I do not take that lightly.
So I started as a swing.
For the first six months of theshow I covered, I think, 12
people.

Oh, my gosh.

Josh Lamon (35:09):
It was very stressful.

Yeah.

Josh Lamon (35:12):
Also because it's hair and it's so loose, it was
almost impossible to be exactlywhere somebody is on stage when
they are doing their show.
So I would sit out in differentparts of the balconies and I
would follow one person everyperformance and I would memorize
everything that they did, allof their traffic patterns, and

(35:36):
it sort of became an obsession.
I think I had a script forevery person that I covered and
different graphs and diagrams,and now and then you would take
a break.
The swing dressing rooms wereon the sixth floor of the
building, a walk-up, mind you.
We called it 125th street, um,and sometimes we would just like

(35:56):
have enough and just throw aswing party on the swing floor
and just like do that during theshow, but most of the time I
was in the mezzanine yeah,you're following people.

You're shadowing, yeah, shadowing.

Josh Lamon (36:07):
And then six months in.
Uh, my dear friend andincredible performer, theo
Stockman, left the show to go doAmerican Idiot.
And they came to me and theysaid do you want to take over?
And I was like yes.
And it was my first, I guess,role on Broadway.
And then we were all going toLondon to do it on the West End

(36:30):
and I understudied Margaret Meadin Claude's Dad, and the
brilliant Andrew Cober is justone of those performers who
never call out.
and then he, at the last minute,took a vacation and so which is
rare in Broadway vacations so Iwas finally going on and Diane
came to see I think my first orsecond performance, and

(36:54):
immediately after the show I wasasked to stay in New York and
take over for Andrew and not goto the West End, which I'm glad
that I did.
At the same time, I reallyregret not getting that
experience of going across thepond, but yeah, so I stayed and
took over, and then the show wasclosing and they said will you
take it on the road?

(37:14):
I said absolutely, and then wewere supposed to go to japan
that summer.
Oh, and then the tsunamihappened, so japan was canceled
and we ended up coming back tobroadway I remember that my
sister saw that.

Come back to broadway production yeah because
she saw the production of Hairyou were in, I think, four or
five times because she loveshair.

Josh Lamon (37:35):
Her dog is named Burger and I think she wants to
name all dogs after, after haircharacters.

I'm not exaggerating this.
She loves it so much and I thinkthat production might have been
a little bit gateway into herappreciating musical theater a
little bit more.
And you were in that and youwere part of that.
Oh, that means a lot.
You do a lot of readings andI'm assuming you do some
workshops as well.
Oh yeah, and those are twodifferent things.

(38:02):
Can you, like I said I prefacedyour questions with I know the
answers to this, but I want tohear you tell our people
listening who may not know theanswer, all this information,
because you would probably beable to explain it better.
So what's the differencebetween a reading and a workshop
and what is the process, kindof from casting to presentation,
for that Sure.

Josh Lamon (38:23):
Well it's.
It actually is very differentfrom show to show.
Sometimes there's a reading andit's for development, where
they just want to hear the piece, they want to hear what they
want to change, they want to,they want to hear new voices
bring what they have to thetable.
Other times it's really more ofan audition where, not not for
the performer but for the pieceitself, they're not really

(38:44):
developing it yet, they'retrying to get money.

Yeah and and um, which is the number one issue
with getting a, with doing ashow, is money money there's
never enough money.

Josh Lamon (38:56):
It's always about money, which I understand,
because a typical 29 hourreading meaning you have 29
hours to put it up, um, which islike a basic typical work week,
um, and then a presentationthat can cost at least $30,000.

It's so expensive.
I mean and the actors are thecheapest part.

Josh Lamon (39:15):
Oh yeah.

Always.
The actors are always thecheapest part of doing theater,
sadly, because so many peoplewill do it for free.
That's the thing and this isnot.
It's not like a dentist isgoing to fill a cavity for free.
But actors love performing somuch, it's so much part of who
they are.
The producers have figured outthey will do it for free, which

(39:36):
is why we have community theateror stipend theater or non-union
regional theater, where I wouldwork for like $125 a week in
equity points.
They figured out that peoplewill do that.

Josh Lamon (39:45):
But so that's typically what a reading is.
A workshop, or a lab, as theycall it these days, is much more
intense.
It could be a process of whereyou're putting up the show and
you don't have the actual setpieces, but you have pieces that
mimic those pieces.
Sometimes there's costumes,sometimes there's a full
orchestra, oftentimes you'relike in a fancy mic, you know,

(40:11):
and you put up the show to seehow it works.
And again you're doing it formoney, people or you're you know
, or you're working for acompany like, let's say,
universal Theatricals.
Who's doing my next show?

Yeah, we're going to talk about that.

Josh Lamon (40:28):
But where it's like the money is there, it's not
really an issue.

They're just trying to see what needs to be
changed, tweak it and, like yousaid, also an audition, because
a lot of the time people who doworkshops or readings end up in
the original cast of stuff.
So that's the key, friends, ifyou want a Broadway career is
get in with people who doreadings and make friends with
the creatives, because you'remuch more likely to feed an OBC
if you've done the reading.

Josh Lamon (40:52):
It's very true.
Um, a lot of the shows thatI've done, um, well, I guess, uh
, prom and finding Neverland,specifically, you know, all
started from the very, veryfirst reading of it.
But yeah, so that's sort ofwhat a workshop is.
But what people forget is thateverything is an audition.

(41:12):
Your performance in the readingwill affect if you are being
considered for the workshop.
Even you know, oftentimes youdo the reading and then they're
like great, will you auditionfor the workshop?
Can you dance, Can you do allthis?
Because in the reading therewasn't a choreographer.
Now there is, and then you dothe workshop.

(41:33):
And again, that is an audition.
They don't need to take youwith it to the next step.
So you know and just like, thenyou do an out-of-town tryout.
That is also an audition.

Yeah, sometimes people don't make it out of the
out of town tryout Exactly.

Josh Lamon (41:48):
So it's always high stakes?
Yeah, it's stressful, yes.
And it's not even just youractual performance.

It's how you gel with the director and everything
, because you could be a verytalented performer, but if the
director's like you're a son ofa bitch, they don't want to work
with you.
You're a son of a bitch, theydon't want to work with you.
Patrick and I talk aboutsometimes that people want to
work with their friends.
It's fun, people want to havefun, they want to work with
people they like.
So we've all been in aproduction where there's some

(42:16):
guy or girl who kind of is notlike the rest of the cast and it
becomes like a whole thing.
There's drama.
So it makes sense that throughthis entire process you're not
only auditioning with yourperformance but with yourself.

Josh Lamon (42:26):
Yeah, Sometimes it's do I want to spend eight to 12
hours with you.
Are you going to keep thedressing room a happy place?

Yeah, you know, you get one negative person.
It kind of ruins the wholething.

Josh Lamon (42:37):
It ruins everything, absolutely everything.
No that makes a lot of sense.

So in addition to all your Broadwayway shows and
readings, you've also done quitea few broadway off broadway
shows.
Can you explain to ourlisteners what that means and
how that's different fromeverything else?

Josh Lamon (42:54):
sure.
Well, technically speaking, um,it's really just a matter of
the size of the house.
Um, I think it's uh, offbroadway is like what 500 and
lower.
I think I'm looking at patrick.
Right now 499 seats are um to99 seats are off broadway um and

(43:17):
99 and under is off off.
So technically that's what itis, but really here in new york
off broadway is basically justlike, depending on on the show.
Of course it's a broadway show,just much less money is
involved yeah um, and sometimesit's not anywhere near a
broadway show.

Sometimes it's really like ratchet and poop,
but um, you know, becauseanything can technically be off
broadway as long as they cansecure the space, it could be no
set and no costumes, yeah, orit can be.
You know there's some, or itcould be the public.

Josh Lamon (43:53):
Yeah, or it could be the public, which is major.
Yeah, you know where there's alot of money involved.
You're not making it, butthere's a lot of money involved.
Are the actors?

ever the ones making it, unless there's a lot
of money involved?
Are the actors ever the onesmaking it?
Unless you're someone likeBette?

Josh Lamon (44:06):
Midler or Kristen Chenoweth?
No, but even then, when I didShakespeare in the Park, we were
all making the same amounts ofmoney and I was like, well, amy
Adams can afford to work forthis amount of money.
I live here in New York and Iwould like a raise.

Speaking of that, is it true that the cast of Hair
all made the same amount ofmoney In the amount of money in
the park?
No, no, on broadway.

Josh Lamon (44:27):
No, I didn't because someone told me that everybody
made the same amount of moneylies.
Okay.
Well, um, oftentimes they'll dosomething called oh gosh,
what's?
I hate it so much favorednations, which really means
nothing.
There's no contract, there's nolegality to favored nations.
It just means everybody getsthe same.
But that's not true.
Um, if you're a lead performeron the show, you're going to be

(44:50):
making much more money, period.
Yeah, they even announced uh, Imean, there's no point not
saying the name, you can googleit but they announced eden
espinoza as the lead woman.
As sheila and hair.
When her contracts weren't doneand they were trying to pay her
very, very little, and so verypublicly, she was like Nope, I'm

(45:11):
not doing the show, bye, andyou know, like that's yeah, but
no, not, not everybody makes thesame amount of money it's.

There's all different levels.
It also has to do with howfancy you are or your agent or
all sorts of stuff there's.
There's lots of differentlevels, yeah, in in the arts.
So you kind of mentioned alittle bit out of town tryouts.
You've done several of theseand I've seen out of town
tryouts.
One of my really good friendswas the assistant md and then
the md on doubtfire, so I saw inseattle in january of 2020 and

(45:42):
then I saw a a dress rehearsalpreview and then I saw it.
So I saw kind of all theversions of this, the shows that
you've done.
How much do they change fromthe out of town tryout to
Broadway opening?

Josh Lamon (45:54):
It really depends on the show.
The prom did not change verymuch.
Some jokes changed.
I might be confusing the out oftown with the lab, but the
original I I Just Wanna DanceWith you ended very quietly with
her just being like and a song.
And then it just like ended.
And then when we got toBroadway, it was like and a song

(46:16):
.
You know like it was becauseit's Broadway and you gotta
skelter everything because it's.

Broadway there's no nuance in Broadway anymore
and as far as like females andthis is something I got yelled
at all the time in Conservatoryfor is that everything doesn't
need to be at a 10, nicole,because I'm a loud singer and I
was young and didn't understandnuance.
But now I'm like but look atall this.
There's no nuance.
You are a female who can beltor mix, and there's no nuance
they don't want that depending.

Josh Lamon (46:40):
Yeah, you know, like yeah, um which?
Is not how iondheim's supposedto be sung but uh, there are
other shows that, like findingneverland, that changed, which I
also saw with my mom.
I saw I saw.

I remember I saw it with my mom.
Um, I don't remember why wespecifically chose that, but I
really liked it and I I don'tthink she'd seen the movie and I
was like this is sad um, it issad but it's like bittersweet
sad, like there's level likethat woman at folly's, like
there's levels of sad and youcan splice this in.
I, when I saw the um revival offolly's, I saw it with

(47:15):
bernadette and we saw it in latoo, but I saw it first year
because I was I think I wasauditioning for a summer stock
production of annie and I cameto the city by myself and I was
like what am I gonna see foies?
and there's a moment at the endof the show where brad peter's
character is the last person toleave the theater and she was by
herself and nobody breathed forabout 30 seconds yeah she was
just like having a moment and Iwas like this is acting because

(47:38):
she's so amazing yeah, she's agenius it's always crazy to see
performers that are just on sucha different level.

Josh Lamon (47:46):
Yeah, they're aliens .
Yeah, I don't.
It's not fair.
Yeah, it's not fair, they'rejust it's kind of.

It's kind of crazy .
So you mentioned the prom, soso for those, I mean you can
explain the plot better than Ican.
But as a gay man, was thisexperience because it was kind
of a groundbreaking show Wasthis something that was very
emotional, especially close toyou, as opposed to some of the
other shows you'd done?

Josh Lamon (48:10):
Absolutely.
For people who do not know theshow, the musical is about a
teenage lesbian in the middle ofnowhere that and this part is
actually based on a true storythat tries to take her closeted
girlfriend to the prom and the Pher closeted girlfriend to the
prom, and the PTA reacts bycanceling the prom.

(48:31):
And the fiction part of themusical is there's this group of
Broadway sort of has-beens.
These like egomaniacs that areso full of themselves and the
only way to save their careersto get some good press, and so
they decide to like becomeactivists, but not like actual

(48:51):
activists and then they readabout this lesbian in indiana on
twitter and they storm thistiny, tiny little town to force
these people to have a lesbianprom.
It it's very funny but verymoving.
And we performed on the Macy'sThanksgiving Day Parade and it

(49:12):
was the first time in theparade's history that there was
a same sex kiss and this wasn'tlike making out.
It wasn't raunchy, it wasn'tdirty, it wasn't anything that
hadn't been on the parade in thesense of like, we see straight
couples kissing all the time,yeah, and we do not bat an eye.
But this blew up and Macy'svery much was very proud of this

(49:35):
.

Good for Macy's.
Yeah, very much.
Saying like this is what wewant Macy's, which was owned at
one point by Jews who died onthe Titanic.
Fun fact for you, hey.

Josh Lamon (49:43):
Yes.

Bringing you back to the judaism thing.
Ida is doris strauss um ohright, yeah, they're the,
they're the old, which I am soexcited to see that yeah because
titanic is my jam uh again sadmusical but it's so good but
yeah, owned by jews um yeah, but, macy's, they were insistent
that they wanted that on thebroadcast.

Josh Lamon (50:05):
But after that, I think I tweeted back when I had
Twitter, something about thisbeing gay history and all of a
sudden news programs across theglobe picked up that tweet and
every hate group in the worldcame at us.

Wow.

Josh Lamon (50:22):
And to the point that there were death threats.
We had to have security escortus out of the theater, some
performances, one of the leadpeople one of the leads in the
show somebody got their phonenumber and started leaving death
threats on their voicemail, youknow, and it got very scary, so
the whole.

(50:43):
There's a song in Act Two wherethis person is coming to terms
with their sexuality and callsit her unruly heart, and so we
sort of formed this thing calledthe Unruly Hearts Club between
us and the fans of the show, andwe would meet so many people
that were struggling with comingout, so many parents who knew

(51:05):
that their child was gay orqueer, whatever and um, but
their child hadn't told them yetand they were struggling with
how to support them.
So many people that were veryagainst their kids being gay and
having to come to terms withthat on their own.
And for me it just it was amoment of like having an unruly

(51:26):
heart.
I even got a tattoo of a heartwith like a rainbow on it and
it's really cute.
But you know, it did have a bigimpact, as well as being like a
plus size person, a plus sizegay guy To be able to like be
center stage and sing a song.
You know like that's very, verypowerful.

I love that you were able to have that
experience.
I think, this is one of thethings I love about theater is
it can be really groundbreakingand life changing for people in
a way that I think sometimesfilm and TV can't.
Yeah, um, you can also take alot of risks, even though we
talked about it being money intheater that you wouldn't be
able to take with like a majorbig budget Hollywood film.

(52:09):
So and that's one of the thingsI think makes theater so great
is you're able to sometimes dogroundbreaking, risky work that
may not be embraced by thelarger community.

Josh Lamon (52:22):
Yeah.

So kind of jumping into people.
You've worked with, the peopleyou want to work with.
You've worked with some of thebiggest directors on Broadway,
Do you find?
Did you find this intimidatingauditioning for them or working
with these people?
Or how do you, how do you dealwith that?
Because I feel like if I got ina room with Casey Nicholaw I'd
be like, oh my God.

Josh Lamon (52:43):
Oh, casey's a sweetheart.
It depends on the director.
There are some that areextremely intimidating, james
Lapine being one of those people.
He is a genius and he's alsoterrifying, and you know, when
he likes you, he's great.

(53:03):
When he's not liking you, it'sscary.
When he's not liking you, it'sscary, but at the same time, I
love him and I respect him andhe is a terrific director, he's
a genius.
And then there are people likeDiane Paulus who like initially,
yeah, I'm intimidated to meet,but then you work with them and
it's like, oh, you and I work inthe same way.

(53:24):
We feel the same way about thisprocess, we both get excited
about the same things and welove working together and I
consider you a colleague and afriend rather than a person, a
gatekeeper, a person in power.

I love that so much.
One of my favorite things Iever did was a production of
Fiddler on the Roof in NorthernCalifornia and it was such a
collaborative work and it's justeveryone worked together and
the director was very on thesame level and I feel like that
doesn't happen a lot.
I feel like you know whether itbe regional theater and there's
not enough time to kind of playand collaborate.

(54:03):
But I love when everybody's onthe same team and the director
isn't like sitting on a pedestaland is like you, you, down
there, you do this like on a godmic yeah, I don't love working
for people like that

Josh Lamon (54:16):
yeah, um, it's not fun, no, but also I just get
annoyed the order that I getbecause I'm like you realize
we're not fighting isis, we'redoing a musical you know people
take it that seriously though.
And.

I've worked with those people too.
It's like tap dancing is theend-all, be-all guys.

Josh Lamon (54:33):
And that's fine for them, but I think that's what I
hate about the industry andpeople in general.
It's what I hate about peoplein general, like if you're not
saving baby Jessicaessica in thewhale in the well, like get
over yourself it's true you know, I know patrick and I'll be
like.
We're not curing cancer here,we're giving a tour of soho yeah

(54:55):
, like everybody calm down alsolike oh I know, you're brilliant
, lucky you.

You know, it's just like I well, the most
brilliant and talented peopledon't need to show you or tell
you, they just are yeah.
And they're confident in thatthey are.

Josh Lamon (55:08):
Or they don't need to be mean, but oftentimes the
mean ones just don't have anysocial skills or they have much
bigger problems than they takeit out on you.
So those are.
You know you're going to havegreat experiences and you're
going to have less greatexperiences, like anything in
life.

Is there a director you have worked with
that you'd want to work with?

Josh Lamon (55:30):
Yes, yes, I love Ivo van Gogh's visions, I love what
he does.
It would be a dream.
Jessica, I think.
Daniel, I think her name is I'mterrible with names and it's
terrible because she's myfriend's wife.
She directed.

Kimberly Akimpo, christopher Seaver's wife.
That's Jessica.
That's who Heather did.
Google this.
That's who Heather did Greasewith Stone Jessica Stone.

Josh Lamon (55:57):
Jessica Stone, that's it.

Who was an actor.

Josh Lamon (56:00):
Yeah, chris Fitzgerald's wife.
Yeah, they met performing atencores which I love.
Yeah, that's so fun, fun, butyeah, I think she's brilliant.
Yeah, there are so many peoplethat I would love to get a
chance to work with is there anactor that you haven't worked
with that you'd want to workwith?
Oh my gosh.
I mean who doesn't want to workwith Patti LuPone?

she's no longer a member of Equity, so I don't
know if she'd be able to doshows with you, I'm sure they'll
figure it out.
Yeah, she's, she'll be back Imean, I don't blame her.
She was like there's nothingnew.
I hate theater.
It's all you know.

Josh Lamon (56:35):
It's all rehashes of movies yeah, and also, like
broadway is hard, it is not forthe innocent, it is not for the
weak, it is very hard, it'sharder than people think.

Well, it's nonstop and you've mentioned to me,
because we talked about myjourney if I was to do a
Broadway show, I'd probably bean understudy and you're like
you'd never see your daughter.
Ever, Because you get a day offand then during the day, on the
days you're not getting shows,you're doing understudy
rehearsals.
So it's, it's you don't get andyou don't get vacations.
And if you get sick, you knowyou don't call in sick unless

(57:09):
you're dying yeah, or you know,if you get sick you lose a lot
of money.

Josh Lamon (57:13):
Yeah, um, your dressing room is probably on the
fifth or sixth floor of awalk-up of a building that was
built you know, like when moseswas around and you know the
dancing, it's nonstop.
Your body the older that youget, the less your body wants to
handle it.
And also, like you're workinguntil you get home around 11 at

(57:37):
night.

And then it's really hard to like come down,
because I feel like when I do ashow especially you know I've
done Fiddler a billion timesyou're so hyped up and so
emotional and you're like now Ihave to go home and sleep like
no, like that's why actors goout after shows, because they
want to like kind of wind downanything from everything well.

Josh Lamon (57:53):
Also like whether you have, like food issues or
not, the they say like oh, don'teat after 10 or whatever, but
it's like you?

when were you gonna eat?

Josh Lamon (58:01):
I started work at seven yeah so and I got home at
got home at 11.
So, like 1130 is dinner.

Not to mention that, as people are always
bringing food to the theater andthere's like a cake or cupcakes
and you're like God damn it whywhy, are you bringing this
stuff?
Cause you're so hungry becauseyou are starting your job when
dinner starts and it's like well, there's snackies here.

Josh Lamon (58:22):
Yeah.

It's easier, yeah, it's.

Josh Lamon (58:27):
It's not a good thing not to mention that actors
all have, regardless of theirsize, have body self-image
issues because of all sorts ofwhat a world.

Yeah, yeah, I know they're getting a little bit
better about it, but it's like atoken person I feel like
they've gotten a lot better.

Josh Lamon (58:38):
But you know, but also I don't blame it it is the
entertainment industry, it is aindustry of giving people a
fantasy and whether that is aBarbie doll or a Barbie movie,
things look certain ways and Idon't.
You know, like I'm not sayingthat diversity isn't good, body

(59:01):
diversity I think it's brilliantand important.

But I also understand the other side of it
yeah and you know it is abusiness yeah, you want
sometimes the dancers to all,especially in certain shows.
You want all the dancers tokind of look the same yeah,
depending on on what it is, youknow yeah, so you have yet to do
a non-musical on broadway, likewhat we what we in the industry
call a straight play.
Is this something you'd beinterested in doing?

(59:25):
Have you auditioned for these?

Josh Lamon (59:26):
Oh, that's my dream.
I have not auditioned for one,but that is the dream, could you
imagine?
Could you imagine not having tosing into the stratosphere or
dance, just like get on stageand talk?
That is a dream.

And they're usually shorter, so you're out
earlier.

Josh Lamon (59:45):
Yeah, I mean speaking of Paulus Diane.
During Neverland, during tech,my character flew in the
beginning of that.

I remember this.
It was like an accident, likeyou weren't supposed to go up
and then you did, or somethinglike that.
You're like I don't evenremember.

Josh Lamon (59:59):
I was swinging across the stage and fake fall
and all this stuff.
Yes, I remember this andgetting into the harness was the
most uncomfortable thing in theworld, where I had like these
burly tech guys like strappingme into this harness and it just
felt like the corset from helland Diane was sitting there and
I was just yelling like, put mein a play.
Put me in a damn play, youmonster, you know, yeah, yeah,

(01:00:26):
I'd love to be in a play, please, please.

Nicole Kelly (01:00:32):
Just a little reminder.
This is a two-part episode.
Josh and I still have a lotmore to talk about.
We're going to be releasingthat second episode later this
week, so be sure to subscribeand check it out.
Thank you so much.

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"Broadway Baby" - An Interview with Actor Josh Lamon (Part 1)

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.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}"Broadway Baby" - An Interview with Actor Josh Lamon (Part 1)