TONYS 2009 Q and A: Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical Nominee - Gregory Jbara

Gregory Jbara is a 2009 Tony Award nominee for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical for his inspired work in Billy Elliot the Musical. This is Gregory's first Tony nomination. He originated the role of André Thirbault in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and has performed on Broadway in Victor/Victoria and the 1994 revival of Damn Yankees!

BroadwayWorld spoke to Gregory about how he first learned of his Tony nomination, the power of the acclaimed show and the emotional connection to the audience.

BWW: How did you find out about the nominations?

Gregory Jbara: I had a cousin who was in town, so I met her and her friend and we went down to the Coffee Shop in Union Square, which is where I actually watched Obama be sworn in for the presidency, and we had people cheering and everything so it was pretty great! They let us turn the volume up on the TV and seeing David Bolonga nominated was a beautiful surprise. 

BWW: Did it hit you right away, with all the excitement, the fact that here was your first nomination?

GJ: I was getting tons of texts and didn't realize until after that it was 15 nominations. I was in shock in some way too, you know and I didn't realized until it was over, or could really experience it, until it sunk in, I've been acting professionally for nearly 25 years and to finally have it hit now, with this show, it is very, very special. Playing this role is just so gratifying, it is its own reward.

BWW: The "wave" of the show is so strong, you had opened early in the season, but the production continues to have audiences embrace it, the community too.

GJ: When we opened so early, it was great to be embraced, to have it connect. But, it wasn't calculated, so many shows have agendas and everything and we even got pushed back by a whole season. If the production had stayed on schedule the original one, there would have been a different actor in the job, so there's no master plan, these special moments just sort of have to happen.

BWW: At first you weren't even sure you were going to return to New York, right?

GJ: I remember that my agent asked me to come back to New York even after I'd said "no", I was out in LA and working on films, but I always miss the stage, and it just was something that really inspired me, the story.

BWW: What a show and role to return with!

GJ: The whole arc of this journey is bigger than anything I've ever experienced and being able to experience it again and again every night is unique and like nothing I've ever done before.

BWW: Audiences are so enchanted by Billy's story, there is pure joy in that house, you must feel that coming back at you in such a powerful way.

GJ: the audience gives so much back and I love going out the stage door because it's like mutual storytelling that you don't want to end every night! You've spent those three hours with them, telling that story, and feeling their reactions, which are just incredible and emotional, and very real with this show, I love meeting the audience after, I really do! I really cherish the live theatre experience. 

On Broadway, Gregory Jbara originated the roles of André Thibault in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Drama Desk Nomination), Squash Bernstein in Victor/Victoria and Sohovik in the 1994 revival of Damn Yankees!. In 1997, Mr. Jbara was the second actor to star as Billy Flynn in the Tony Award winning revival of Chicago. LA Theatre credits include: Little Fish, Precious Sons (Garland Award), ...House That Jack Built and First Lady Suite at The Blank Theatre and Felix & Oscar at The Geffen. Upcoming projects include the films Out Of Step and Exit Speed and the faux docu-series "The Other Hef" at Sharenow.com. Other films include: Project 96b (48 Hour Film Project-LA Winner '07), Enchanted, Ira & Abby, In & Out, Jeffrey, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The First 20 Million..., World Trade Center, Out-Of-Towners. TV recurring roles on "Grounded For Life," "That's Life," "The Drew Carey Show," and "All My Children." TV guest starring roles include "Monk", "The Unit," "Twenty Good Years," "Conviction," "Friends," "Century City," "The West Wing," "Without A Trace," "Touched By An Angel," "Crossing Jordan," "Providence," "Ally McBeal," "Malcolm In The Middle," "Frasier," "Family Guy," "American Dad," "Rocket Power," and "Come On Over." Juilliard graduate. Resides in Los Angeles with wife Julie and sons Zachary and Aidan.

Billy Elliot, about a coal-miner's son with a passion for ballet, earned 15 nominations for the Tony Awards this week, tying a record set in 2001 by the comedy The Producers, which went on to win in 12 categories.

A hit in London and one of the most highly anticipated shows of the season, Billy Elliot officially opened at Broadway's Imperial Theatre on Thursday, November 13th, 2008.

This joyful musical lights up Broadway eight times a week! The multi-award winning Billy Elliot the Musical features David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik, Kiril Kulish, Haydn Gwynne, Gregory Jbara, Carole Shelley, and Santino Fontana.

Featuring music by Elton John, book and lyrics by Lee Hall, choreographed by Peter Darling and directed by Stephen Daldry, Billy Elliot the Musical is presented by Universal Pictures Stage Productions, Working Title Films and Old Vic Productions in association with Weinstein Live Entertainment, based on the Universal Pictures/Studio Canal film.

Billy Elliot the Musical is the funny, heartwarming tale of a young boy with a dream, and a celebration of his triumph against the odds.

Set against the historic British miners' strike of the 1980s, the story follows Billy's journey as a boy in a small mining town who, after stumbling across a ballet class while on his way to a boxing lesson, realizes that his future lay not in the boxing ring but on stage as a dancer.

Billy Elliot is currently playing at the Imperial Theatre -249 West 45th Street.

Nominations in 27 competitive categories for the American Theatre Wing's 63rd Annual Antoinette Perry "Tony"® Awards were announced on Tuesday, May 5th by Tony Award Winners Cynthia Nixon and Lin-Manuel Miranda from the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center. 

The Antoinette Perry "Tony" Awards are bestowed annually on theatre professionals for distinguished achievement. The Tony is one of the most coveted awards in the entertainment industry and the annual telecast is considered one of the most prestigious programs on television.

The American Theatre Wing's 63rd Annual Antoinette Perry "Tony"® Awards will be broadcast live from Radio City Music Hall on Sunday, June 7, 2009 (8-11pm, live EST, PT time delay) on the CBS Television Network. For more information visit tonyawards.com.

Click Here to View the Full List of 2009 Tony Nominees!

Photo of Gregory Jbara by Walter McBride

Billy Elliot production photo by Carol Rosegg