the musical & the mindset
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Starring J. ROBERT SPENCER as “Dan”, a husband trying to keep his family together and rescue his wife from her dark place. He is finding the walls too high between both of them and their children, yet the walls of his seemingly happy household too thin to keep out a reality that’s causing chaos.
BIO
J. ROBERT SPENCER: Broadway JERSEY BOYS (Original NICK MASSI, Tony Award Best Musical 2006, Grammy Award Winner, and Gold Record), Side Show. Tours: Heartland, Cats, Finian’s Rainbow, Tommy. Off-Broadway: Weird Romance; God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater.
Voice for Animated films: Grave of the Fireflies, Nightmare Campus.
TV: LAW & ORDER, All My Children, Girls Behaving Badly. He has sung and performed on Dave Letterman, The Today Show, Regis and Kelly, and on Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with 95 million people watching worldwide.
FEATURE FILMS: In 2004, J. Robert began his own film production company called 7 SPENCER PRODUCTIONS. His independent short/feature films have been Official Selections in over 20 film festivals worldwide, Including Audience Awards at the Palm Beach Festival, Audience Award in Santa Barbara, the Big Apple Film Festival, Atlanta Film Festival, and he received a nomination for Best Supporting Actor at the SMMASH Festival for his independent feature NIGHT OF THE DOG. His first feature comedy FARM GIRL IN NEW YORK (www.farmgirlny.com), which he wrote, produced, directed, and starred, signed a worldwide distribution deal in 2008 with ANYWHERE ROAD DISTRIBUTION. His second feature HETEROSEXUALS wrapped in the summer of 2008. He was the Executive Producer and starred opposite Natasha Lyonne, Ashley Williams, and Tovah Feldshuh.
He has written two new screenplays, performs his own sketch comedy/standup and is a published singer/songwriter. In 2007, J. Robert performed his original song I BELIEVE at Carnegie Hall with the New York Pops and the Young People’s Chorus.
In September of 2008, he performed at the Majestic Theatre in Boston with Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops for HANDEL’S MESSIAH ROCKS, A JOYFUL NOISE written by Jason Howland and Dani Davis. J. Robert performed alongside Lachanze, Mig Ayesa, and it will be available on CD/DVD and will be aired on PBS during the holiday season.
J. Robert’s next journey is performing alongside Alice Ripley at the Arena Stage in D.C. in the new musical NEXT TO NORMAL directed by Michael Greif.
He was recently honored with an Honorary Alumni Award and an Honorary Doctorate from his alma mater at Shenandoah University for excellence in achievements in the arts.
Love always to God, his family, and his wife Jenny Lynn, son Geddy, and daughter Raine.
Interview by Eddie Varley of BroadwayWorld.com's "Shop Talk"
N2N excerpt:
J. Robert Spencer: The thing that I love about Next to Normal is that it comes at the perfect point in my life, playing the role of Dan, who's a husband and a father.
Eddie Varley: How did this come about?
JRS: It came about because I did the workshop last October. I actually played the therapist in the workshop, but when it moved to Second Stage, I wasn't allowed to leave [Jersey Boys] to go do it. But, the whole time I was doing the piece, I had such a connection because I'm a husband and a father, because of the elements of what Next to Normal is about.
EV: It's a powerful piece.
JRS: It's powerful and it's so-- you know, I feel that audiences want to be challenged and they need to be challenged and I think this is the right piece for these times.
EV: I believe so.
JRS: And it's going to change-- it already has changed theater. And the fact that David Stone's behind it as a producer and they have Michael Greif on board, and Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey are so ahead of the ball game as writers, and to deal with this topic, they're ahead of the game.
(c) Murat Ozdemir Photography
(click on pics)
official website
hear Mr. Spencer's music at MySpace & his website
(above)
Mr. Spencer's film: "Farm Girl in New York" website
"Farm Girl in New York" at MySpace
starring in "Next to Normal" at Arena Stage
official "Jersey Boys" website
(click on pics)
official website hear Mr. Spencer's music at MySpace & his website(above)
Mr. Spencer's film: "Farm Girl in New York" website "Farm Girl in New York" at MySpace starring in "Next to Normal" at Arena Stage official "Jersey Boys" website(click on pics)
