The stage made its call loud and clear to AMJ practically
from the beginning. His most memorable role in grade school was Linus in
a reworked version of It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (renamed
Pineapple because he lived in Hawai'i at the time). During
high school in Florida, he performed in Regional, District, and State drama
competitions, bringing home several awards. His turn as Grandpa in You
Can't Take It With You became a bit notorious when some in the audience
found his performance so convincing they thought a 75-year-old was playing
the role instead of the teenage AMJ!
But adulthood didn't allow him to tread the boards again until 1997,
when he lucked into Steve Oakley's The Ballad of Bobby Rae, which
ran at The Playhouse of the Foothills in Tujunga, California. During a rehearsal,
AMJ jokingly overplayed his role of gay confidant Randy because AMJ found
the character too stereotypical. Oakley liked AMJ's additions so much that
they ended up in the script! 
In 1999, AMJ returned to the Playhouse, this time as a dimwitted mobster in Oakley's Festival Fever. With slicked-back hair and a thick Brooklyn accent, AMJ played Luigi with his usual aplomb. One night, the actor playing his brother Angelo had a family emergency, which the cast found out about 10 minutes before curtain. Since he and AMJ always appeared together, AMJ combined Angelo's dialogue with Luigi's and performed the two brothers as one character. "He can do anything," Oakley said of AMJ after the show. |
In 2002, a co-worker recruited AMJ to join Aerospace Players' production
of Oklahoma! just as the cast went into its first reading. He ended
up in the role of Slim, who, aside from being part of the chorus, had just
seven lines. But when the director saw what AMJ could do, Slim ended up
hoofing it through several of the show's production numbers as well. AMJ
came to rehearsals in his cowboy boots so he could learn how to move in them.
His dedication paid off in another way the second night of the show when he
came down with a horrible cold but went on anyway, downing throat lozenges
whenever he could. The director complimented his performance, saying he couldn't
tell at all that he was sick! |
AMJ's next foray into theatre went beyond just acting - this time he
was also responsible for the book and lyrics! The Nine Lives of L.M. Montgomery
is a musical biography which AMJ created with Emmy-nominated composer Leo
Marchildon in 2006, chronicling the life of the "Anne of Green Gables"
author while bringing her fictional heroines to life to help tell it. A year
of exhaustive research went into it, during which AMJ read every single L.M.
Montgomery novel and all her published journals, not to mention several books
about the author herself. AMJ and Leo also interviewed many L.M. Montgomery
scholars to help make the musical as accurate as possible. 
Amid much fanfare, it world premiered at Kings Playhouse on LMM's native
Prince Edward Island in Canada 20 June 2008, the exact 100th anniversary
of the publication of her signature work "Anne of Green Gables", with
press coverage that ranged from local papers to a segment done by Japanese
network NHK. AMJ had the unique opportunity to appear during this premiere
run in a series of peripheral roles. Later that year, AMJ and Leo released
The Nine Lives of L.M. Montgomery: Original Cast Album, to
which AMJ also lent his voice (it can be found in the Store!).
Nine Lives returned for a second season in 2009, this time at the
Carrefour Theatre in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. AMJ and Leo had
improved the show, making it more colourful and concise. AMJ also stepped
into the role of director for this production. And, although he hadn't planned
on appearing in the show a second time, circumstances found him picking
up the meatier role of L.M. Montgomery's wayward son Chester, which had
him dancing the jitterbug. While being in a show you've both written and
directed isn't traditionally done, AMJ loved the experience of performing
in it and also felt it gave him a unique perspective into how the show worked
both on stage and backstage. The Nine Lives of L.M. Montgomery has many more lives
to live. News of upcoming productions will break right here at AMJ On-Line!
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AMJ's most recent project gave him a chance to play a historical
figure instead of writing about one. Trudeaumania, a new musical
by Wade Lynch and Don Fraser, held a workshop in February 2010 at the Confederation
Centre in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. AMJ was cast in the role
of Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau. The reading didn't require
the stage's usual theatricality, but AMJ got into the role, attempting to
emulate Trudeau in look and sound. He considered it a chance to stretch himself
as a performer and do something entirely different on stage.As 2010 continues, AMJ is considering writing a second musical with Leo Marchildon. So stay tuned as those hot lights keep beaming down - AMJ's not through with theatre yet! Be sure to visit the Gallery for even more photos of AMJ's adventures on stage! |