Jeffry Denman Sings and Dances - Coast to Coast

Work, work, work… That's seems to be the case for Broadway actor Jeffry Denman, gets to display his amazing talents onstage and off. Denman made his Broadway debut in the revival of HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS... starring Matthew Broderick. He was also one of the members of the final cast of that feline fantasy musical, final cast of CATS (Munkustrap) and a member of the original cast of the Tony Award history making production of Mel Brooks' THE PRODUCERS. Displaying another side of his talents, he had his first book published in 2002, "A YEAR WITH THE PRODUCERS: ONE ACTORS EXHAUSTING (BUT WORTH IT) JOURNEY FROM CATS TO Mel Brooks' MEGA HIT", a personal memoir of a very exciting period of his life.

He was also seen in I Love A Piano at the DenverCenter for the Performing Arts, the Off-Broadway workshop of the Canadian musical WHEN WE WERE SINGING, Harry Groener's understudy in IF LOVE WERE ALL and the Shaw Festival's new Gershwin musical, A FOGGY DAY.

Then his first musical, DANCING IN THE DARK, was produced by MusicalFare Theatre, Studio Arena, as well as having a workshop at The Lamb's Theatre. Denman has also choreographed the long-running Off-Broadway hit, NAKED BOYS SINGING!

His most recent project with BRAVO BROADWAY had Denman appearing with the Sunshine Pops in "TAKE IT FROM THE TOP." This concert featured music from some of the most famous movie hits including "SINGIN' IN THE RAIN," "AS TIME GOES BY," and "CHEEK TO CHEEK." The concert also starred Rebecca Luker and Sal Viviano. Next up, he heads to Portland, Oregon to sing and dance with the Oregon Symphony in "LET'S FACE THE MUSIC AND DANCE: A FRED AND GINGER TRIBUTE." This concert will feature some of the greatest musical and dancing numbers created by the icons of film musicals – Fred Astaire and Ginger Rodgers. The Fred and Ginger tribute will also star Doug LeBrecque, Susan Egan, and Joan Hess – Denman's dancing partner.

As you can see, this guy does it all and I am tired just thinking about it. I got to talk with Denman recently about his current project with the BRAVO BROADWAY concerts around the country.

TJ: Well, I guess you'll be doing some traveling this month, Mr. Denman. From Florida to Oregon, you'll be crossing the country. How did you get involved with the upcoming concerts in the "Bravo Broadway" series?

DENMAN: A few years back a friend recommended me for a new Fred and Ginger Tribute concert that Bravo Broadway was constructing. Thankfully, I got involved and have been doing the concerts ever since. We usually do about four or five a year all over the country with some really wonderful symphonies. I also have now become involved in other concerts such as the "TAKE IT FROM THE TOP" concert I just finished with Rebecca Luker and Sal Viviano in Florida. It included a wider range of songs, not just standards.

TJ: Now, what is your role in these productions? Will you be singing and dancing?

DENMAN: Initially, with the Fred and Ginger concerts, Joan Hess and I were mostly just dancing; usually opposite Ron Raines and Debbie Gravitte. But as we developed the show we wanted to sing more. So we have been incorporating more and more singing into the show. With "TAKE IT FROM THE TOP", I was singing more than I was dancing, which was a nice change. I still like to do the dance numbers, but to just stand and sing a song in front of an orchestra that size is really an honor and a pleasure.

TJ: Growing up, did you see a lot of the song and dance movies with Astaire and Rogers and Gene Kelly, to mention a few?

DENMAN: Astaire? Kelly? Never heard of them. Just kidding. When I was about 15 years old my high school choreographer told me to watch a Fred Astaire film, Damsel in Distress. That pretty much changed my life. And while I connect more palpably with Fred, I do love Gene Kelly. They both became strong role models for me as a dancer and a performer. People know what a brilliant dancer Fred was but they forget that he was also very funny. He had an acting style that was pure and honest. There is so
much to learn from the old movie musical stars. I seldom get tired watching them.

TJ: Did they have an effect of you bringing you to your current profession?

DENMAN: Without a doubt.

TJ: What can audiences expect to see you doing during these concerts and who will you be performing with during the shows?

DENMAN: As I mentioned, "TAKE IT FROM THE TOP" starred Rebecca Luker, Sal Viviano and myself. Rebecca is as lovely as her voice. Sal I've had the pleasure of doing the Fred and Ginger concert with a number of times. A gorgeous voice and a great guy to match. The Portland concert will be Joan Hess and me alongside Susan Egan and Doug LaBrecque - two Bravo Broadway regulars. I've worked with Doug before in an Irving Berlin concert at the KennedyCenter with Marvin Hamlisch. He's an unbelievable tenor. Susan I have never worked with, so I'm looking forward to that. This is starting to sound like a love fest, but I say this with all sincerity. They gather wonderful performers for these
concerts.

TJ: Have you ever done anything like this before in your career?

DENMAN: The concert work? No. It's very different from stage work. You don't have near the rehearsal time and there is a bit of a "shot out of a cannon" feeling to them. But what it does do is sharpen your skills at improv and spontaneity. Sometimes a tempo might be a bit too fast, because you only rehearsed it once with the orchestra. You learn to just press on and make it work. Even if you have to change the choreography a bit. In the end you just can't get too worked up about it. You just fix it for the next performance and hope for the best. Teaches you just let go and perform.

TJ: Jeffry, how does it feel to have been part of the phenomenon known as THE PRODUCERS?

DENMAN: My time with The Producers was wonderful. I feel that every performer should know at least once, what it's like to be part of a show that is so accepted and supported and applauded for. We all spend the better part of our careers wanting the audience to go crazy. When we first opened in Chicago none of us had ever heard anything like it - it felt like a rock concert. I wish that for everyone in this business. We all work too hard to go without it at least once.

TJ: Did you know from the start that the show was going to be as big a smash?

DENMAN: No. From my experience and recollection, we were all just as worried and concerned as any show I've ever been involved in, hit or flop. Nothing is for sure in this business. Even when the audiences went crazy in Chicago we worried about NY. Even when they went crazy in NY, we worried about the critics. Once the critics chimed in, we worried about the "backlash." Do we ever stop worrying? I don't know.

TJ: Where did you get your first inspiration to get into theatre?

DENMAN: First grade I played the Fox in The Fox and the Hungry Tiger. I think that pretty much set the path I was going to be on. Can't wait for them to do a revival of that.

TJ: Not only are you a triple-threat performer, but you are also a director and choreographer?. Was this in the game plan for you as well?

DENMAN: The choreography was something that came as a result of my college dance training at the University of Buffalo. We were trained to be well rounded dancers and that included trying our hand at choreography. I found that I really enjoyed it. The direction came as a result of loving to story-tell. I know that being a director is in my future but the performing bug is still biting me pretty hard. I am keeping my
focus on that right now. Ten years from now? Who knows...

TJ: Who would you cite as your musical theatre heroes?

DENMAN: I have a lot. Harry Groener would be at the top of the list. Nathan Lane. Karen Ziemba. Gregory Hines. Brian Stokes Mitchell. Paul Kandel. Barbara Cook. Al Hirschfeld. It's so wide ranging. Some of these people I've worked with. Some I've never met. All have given me something either directly or indirectly, that only they could have given me. And they all have influenced the type of performer and person that I strive to be.

TJ: Now, your first Broadway role was in HOW TO SUCCEED? with Matthew Broderick and then, you appeared again with him in THE PRODUCERS, which also starred Nathan Laneand was directed by Susan Stroman and written by Mel Brooks. Personally, for me, I think I would have been totally starstruck. How about you?

DENMAN: I had only been in NY for a total of two months when I got How To Succeed. So to say I wasn't starstruck would be an outright lie. But as you work with famous people you learn what seems now to be a very simple truth. We are all just people. Some have more money, more influence, more dressing room space, etc. But at the end of the day we are all just trying to get through the day as best we can. Mel Brooks got me pretty star struck but he is so disarmingly charming that he puts you at ease very quickly. I still like getting that excited, youthful feeling when I am working with someone who I've admired. But
it's also nice to know that there is a reason you are up on that stage with them. You don't want to lose yourself in the process.

TJ: And then you also wrote a book on your experiences in THE PRODUCERS. How did you manage to keep track of all your experiences on this amazing journey? Did you keep a written daily diary or audio tapes or what?

DENMAN: I had kept a journal on and off for a couple of years, documenting important times in my life, on my computer. The intent was not to make it into a book. I have always enjoyed looking back every once in a while to see where I've been, what I've (hopefully) learned and who has come in and out of my life. The closing of CATS seemed an appropriate time to document, so I did. While CATS was closing I was auditioning for THE PRODUCERS so it naturally became part of the journal. The idea of the book came over dinner with a friend while we were previewing THE PRODUCERS in Chicago. The idea stuck with me and I started investigating how it could be done when we got back to NY.

TJ: And now I want to help out readers find out a little more about Jeffry Denman with something I call MY FAVORITE THINGS. Here we go...

FAVORITE ACTOR Morgan Freeman. He's just waaay too good.

FAVORITE FOOD A perfectly cooked steak. Not too flashy, sorry.

FAVORITE MUSICAL A battle between Sweeney Todd and How To Succeed. But I think Sweeney would probably make quick work of Finch. I love them both for very different reasons.

FAVORITE AUTHOR Playwright: Tom Stoppard

Author: David Foster Wallace

Librettist: Tom Meehan

FAVORITE THING IN THE WHOLE WORLD A sweater that Fred Astaire owned which was given to me by his daughter Ava.

For more information on what's happening with Jeffry Denman, check out his website at www.jeffrydenman.com and for more information on Bravo Broadway, take a browse at http://www.bravobroadway.com/bravo/bravo.nsf/htmlmedia/intro.html .

For now, it's back to the keyboard for me to bring some of the best and brightest in the theatre world to you. And remember, theatre is my life. Cheers!