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Transcript
of Jason's 1998 chat on the
website Talk
City,
courtesy
of LiveWorld
Boxtop
presents
June
01,
1998
Jason
Raize
made
a
huge
splash
on
Broadway
in
the
role
of
the
adult Simba in Disney’s The Lion
King.
From there he went on to release his new
solo album, NYC. Jason stopped
by Talk City to chat about his
exciting career
and his hopes for the future.
Speaker: Talk City Presents(tm), in
association with
BOXTOP Live(tm), welcomes you to a
conversation with our special guest
Broadway's Jason Raize. Jason, it's
wonderful to have you with us
tonight! How
does the experience of playing Simba differ
from your other Broadway
roles?
Jason
Raize: I
guess we start out with the fact
that the movement incorporates an entirely
different area of acting
into your
performance. That's probably the largest
difference from the typical
work I've
been doing. The goal, as mandated by Julia
Tamor, our director, has
been to
achieve a duality between human and animal
on the stage. You do that by
the use
of symbolic movement of your body, and
manipulation of your mask. And
also
typical human teenager movements. That
combination should present a
picture to
the audience that allows them to see both
the animal and the human
struggles
within the character.
Sirrus: "The Lion King" has
been
nominated for 11 Tony's - congratulations!
How does it feel to be a
nominee
yourself?
Jason
Raize: Actually,
I'm not a nominee. The
nominations are for the show - for Best
Musical, and all of the Design
awards,
for Directing, and Choreography. It was
extremely tight this year, and
there
are only four slots for the nomination. We
had some extremely talented
people
on stage this year, and VERY deserving
people for the nomination. I'll
be there
- they're doing Circle of Life (which of
course I'm not in!), but I'll
be
there, definitely!
Serious: Is "Lion King" going to
go on tour? And are you going to go with it?
Jason
Raize: We're
going to first open a
Japanese company, within the next six
months. Within six months after
that,
they'll be opening a London company, then a Toronto company. Following
that there'll
be a U.S. tour. It's an
interesting way to
do it - it's not generally done in that
fashion. It's a possibility
that I'll
open one or more of those companies, in the
first month of one of their
lives.
We've been doing so well - it's just an
incredible blessing! The show
is sold
out beyond April of next year, and that kind
of advance speaks very
well for
the future of the show, and the demand
really isn't diminishing, which
is
great. And my contract goes through October
of this year.
Teri: Did you do any research
or special
studies for your role in The Lion King?
Jason
Raize: The
Discovery Channel! Definitely
watched a lot of nature shows, more than
getting any specific kinds of
lessons
from those programs, we were absorbing a
sense of the way of the animal
kingdom, as it happens in nature. Trying to
take the large lessons and
incorporate them in some way. Probably the
biggest thing in the way of
movement
for me is in attitude. Animals walk the
plains and savannas without
fear. We as
humans fear a multitude of things, and lions
have none of that in their
homeland. That's something we try to bring
to the stage - that lack of
fear of
the world around us.
Nicely: Are there any new songs
for the
Broadway show?
Jason
Raize: Many!
I forget the exact number.
There are at least five new ones in the
Broadway show. For me the most
exciting
songs on stage are the new ones for the
show. The song I sing in the
second act
is Endless Night. And there's a wonderful
one that will premiere on
Rosie
O'Donnell tomorrow. In the first act, Mufasa
sings a song to little
Simba, and
in the second act, Rafiki reminds Simba in a
reprise, of what his
father said
to him. And there's Simba's realization that
the words ring true.
Christiey: What is the hardest
think about
doing a show almost every night?
Jason
Raize: Probably
the stress on the body.
The amount of energy and impact that the
body takes during a
performance is
unlike any other thing. And performance
athletes will attest to that as
well.
It pushes your body to limits! In order to
do that 8 times a week,
requires you
to prepare your body for that kind of
output. And you have to have a
good
throat doctor! A long warm-up, both vocally
and physically. A favorite
of mine
are jumping jacks, to get the blood flowing
and get the energy up.
Listening to
music definitely. In my situation, if we
have an 8:00 show, I get there at 7:30, and I'm not onstage
for some
time into the show. So I spend 45 minutes
warming up and listening to
music and
getting makeup done (by a GREAT makeup
person - we get to talk all the
time).
And then get out there and do the show.
Johnniey: If you could play any
character -
play, movie, etc. - which one would you like
to try?
Jason
Raize: Difficult
question! I would
probably want to perform an as-yet unwritten
piece of work, because as
much as
I like interpreting existing works, there's
a kind of spirit that you
get to
imbue into whatever character you're
portraying that's very, very
unique. When
you're using all of your own secrets and
methods of bringing the
character to
life for the first time. It would definitely
be musical - I'm only
talking
within the theatrical world. Film and TV are
a different world, I can't
comment
on a particular role. I'd like to bring a
character to the theatre that
would
involve some great fantasy work. I'm a great
fan of fantasy stories and
worlds
of magic. I think it would be really
wonderful, with all the technology
we have
available today, to combine that with the
imagination and the
electricity of a
live performance.
CJ: What theatre training
have you
had? Professional and amateur.
Jason
Raize: I
guess the best theatre training
I had to start out with was a Shakespeare
summer workshop when I was
15. I was
sent to that as an excuse to get me out of
the house. A woman named
Nancy
Garrett vacationed where I grew up, and she
took that time on her
vacation to
teach that summer workshop for students. I
performed As You Like It and
Twelfth
Night, as my first experiences. That woman
really lit the spark in me.
Professionally, I attended the American
Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York, after high school.
Now, I'm sort
of split as to what I'd advise for
training/experience. It depends on
the
person, and each person would have a
different route to take. For me,
I'd have
had that spark knocked out of me if I'd been
in a four year course. But
a great
friend of mine from high school went to a
college at Syracuse, and gained an amazing
repertoire
of talents to draw upon. And that will make
his stay in New York much more successful.
Cinser: Is there a CD of the
show? Are you
on it (if there is?)
Jason
Raize: Yes.
And yes! I believe it's Track
16, but I'm not sure. I'm also recording a
solo pop album right now,
working
with Desmond Childs and Universal Records,
so there will be another CD
to buy
within the next year!
Listenin
To
Dylan: How
do the cast members
get along?
I loved the Lion King on Broadway. Jason,
you are very talented and
cute!
Jason
Raize: Most
casts bond as a family when
you do a production, and what typically
happens is that your
association gets
strengthened, especially when you're doing a
semi- original work like
this. Our
experience was heightened because we opened
in Minneapolis last year, so we ended
up
spending 7 days a week together! This cast
knows each other very well,
and
that's a great support system for the rigors
of a performance schedule.
Tony
Jacobson: Do you sing many of the
songs in
African languages? If so what languages are
they in?
Jason
Raize: I
sing only a couple of lines, and
the lines that I sing are Zulu. The same
goes for most of the
characters,
except Rafiki's character, who sings entire
chants in a combination of
African
languages.
Cindy: Are you going to
venture into film
after your contract is up?
Jason
Raize: I
actually have a film now that
we're in pre-production on. It's titled
Street Dreams, directed by the
Rocky
and Lean On Me director. We have our
tentative start date in November.
It'll be
shot on location here in New York, and in New Jersey. So I guess the answer
to your
question is "yes." It's a film about high
schoolers with big dreams
overcoming the odds of their socio-economic
status. Kind of like a West Side Story, crossed with
Dirty Dancing.
It's not a musical, although once I signed
on to do it, they re-wrote
some of
the scenes so that the character is an
aspiring singer as well as
actor. My
record company is going to produce the
sound-track, and I'll get to
record some
of the songs. It's a great opportunity.
Irelandsmc: How do you feel about
musicals
becoming so much more mainstream? For
example Rosie O'Donnel promoting
stuff
(like you!) on her show.
Jason
Raize: I
think it's fantastic, because I
believe that theatre is an experience unlike
any other in this
multi-media age.
And theatre needs a friend in the
multi-media areas, to spread its
interest
among this new generation of consumers. And
the best way to do that is
to have
people like Rosie O'Donnell, who share with
the world their personal
interest
in a form of art such as theatre. And who
will hopefully inspire large
number
of people to test those waters, and
hopefully enrich themselves because
of it.
Rosie O'Donnell did a whole year with
Grease, and she talks about it to
this day!
We are nothing but insanely fortunate to
have Rosie O'Donnell not only
promoting Broadway in general, but our show
in particular. It just blew
me away
to watch her show the next morning; she was
so enthusiastic. She did us
such a
great service, and it was completely
unsolicited!
Terris: What kind of books to
you read?
Jason
Raize: Fantasy!
I read fantasy and
entertainment biographies. My favorite
series is the Wheel of Time
series by
Robert Jordan. One of the best entertainment
biographies was not about
an
artist, but about a firm - the William Morris Agency. It was titled The
Agency. The
author did such an amazing service to the
creation of the company, but
also
gave an entire history of the entertainment
business - from immigrants
who came
to this country and started burlesque
theatre, and how that lead to
film, and
theatre, and radio work. It's an amazing
book about the business I'm
in.
Cindy: How can I find out
about you where
abouts. Do you have a Web site?
Jason
Raize: Right
now the website is at www.jasonraize.com
Basher: Hi Jason. I was
wondering what the
hardest part, and the funnest part of being
in a theater production
was.
Jason
Raize: The
hardest is the dancing, in
this role particularly. We have a fantastic
modern choreographer, but
he has
little regard for what positions the body is
supposed to be in! As for
the
funnest, in this role it's being able to
make the connection between
the
audience and myself. Singing Endless Night,
and sharing the discovery
that we
have pieces of ourselves from everyone we've
touched in our lives. That
touches
me. My mother died when I was three, and I
had a brother who died when
I was
seven. Exploring that is very important to
me personally, and I enjoy
being able
to do that.
Fargout: What is it like playing
an inhuman
character? It's gotta be difficult to work
with all that make-up and
costuming.
Jason
Raize: It
absolutely is! I guess in the
beginning it was learning how to deal with
it. Now it's learning how to
do
without it. Truly, humans are very adaptable
creatures! It wasn't long
before
the aspects of the performance incorporated
everything that was thrown
at us by
the direction team. The only irritating
thing for me is that I have a
big red V
in body paint over my shoulders and chest,
and when it gets hot (and it
does,
on stage, every night!), the paint starts to
run! Julie the director
likes the
streaks though; she says that the paint
starts to run just at the right
time in
the character's development, and the red
streaks remind her of blood!
Cindy: what kind of things do
you do
besides performing?
Jason
Raize: Right
now working on the album
takes up a lot of time. doing song searches,
and preparing those songs
for
performing. I love to read. I go to the gym.
My absolute favorite is
movies - I
go to the movies all the time; there's
nothing like sitting in a
theatre!
Mad
Mel: Who
is your favorite Broadway star
or actor/actress?
Jason
Raize: Glenn
Close. Her husband works on
our show, and she was such a presence. She
came and saw the show ten
times, and
she came backstage, and hung out quite a
bit. The energy that emanates
from
that woman - even when she's standing still!
It's amazing. And I'd like
to get
Anthony Hopkins on a stage.
Fargout: Performing on stage can
be a great
experience, but have you ever had any
embarrassing moments, such as
missed
lines or incorrect notes? I know I have, but
the show must go on!
Jason
Raize: Definitely!
The worst for me was
the process of tweaking the costumes. We all
had intricate costumes
with all
sorts of contraptions to make the design
work. My personal demon was my
mask.
It had a tendency to not want to stay in
place. I've lost it on stage
about six
times! It always comes at the same time,
when the choreography calls
for me to
swing my head in circles - a move designed
to lose masks! Once it went
off and
into the orchestra pit. And of course my
microphone is in my mask. So
when I
lose the mask, I lose the mic. And we lose a
LOT of sound!
Katrina: Jason, doing the shows
such as you
do must require a high level of stamina.
What do you do to keep your
stamina
up?
Jason
Raize: Vitamins.
Sleep. And gym. Also,
big, big doses of fun time!
Fargout: I see you were in The
Rocky Horror
Picture Show on stage. How was that
performance? Was it as fun as it
sounds
like portraying Rocky?
Jason
Raize: Yes,
it was a riot! I actually
performed it at the Bucks County Playhouse.
They have a tradition there
that
they do midnight shows of Rocky Horror
AFTER whatever show they were doing
during the day. It was a long day, but the
audiences loved it - they'd
dress up
- they were wild!
Paleboy: Do you have any advice
for a young
kid (15) trying to get into show business?
Jason
Raize: First
off, involve yourself in any
project in your immediate area. That will
give you a taste for what you
like to
do, because there are so many different
styles of performance art, and
you
don't want to do something that ultimately
you don't like. After that,
find
supporters and adults around you, and then
make the move to a major
performing
arts community in the world - usually New York, Los Angeles or Chicago. Then involve yourself
in a
class, to work with teachers and other
actors, but also to introduce
you to
people doing the same thing you are, and
will give you good friends.
Bichchoh: What has been the
easiest part of
your career?
Jason
Raize: Getting
the opportunity to sing
for people.
Basher: Even as what I would
consider you
a "big guy" in the theater world, do you get
nervous at all before
your auditions?
Jason
Raize: Auditions
get a lot easier. I know
that some people have said they get harder,
but for me they get easier
because
doing long runs of any musical or play gives
you a confidence like no
other,
because you spend so much time before other
people that your body
begins to
stop doing the typical nervous reactions.
It's really funny in a long
run,
because you don't walk on stage nervous, but
you'll become twice as
nervous if
something happens that you don't expect to
happen! You're totally
unprepared
for something different from what you've
been doing for a year. So far
we've
been pretty lucky with not dropping our
lines.
Fargout: Apparently you have a
very
pleasant face to look at, so I will just ask
- do you think physical
appearance
has some influence in obtaining a role?
Jason
Raize: It
most definitely does, but
that's not to say that "classic beauty" is a
factor there. Of course
any role and any director looking for a role
has a "type" in mind.
The evil "T word" in performing arts! But
there is much more
against-the-grain casting going on now, and
there are also roles that
are
type-appropriate for any person. It's more a
factor of whether people
can take
an honest look at themselves, and then make
the tough decision of what
roles to
go out for. You'll have much better
experience going for roles that
you're
type- specific for, or ones you have a
burning desire to play!
Speaker: Thank you for joining
us here in Talk City, Jason! Is there
anything you'd
like to mention that we didn't have a chance
to cover tonight?
Jason
Raize: A
humungous thank you! I'm really
so blown away by people's response to the
show, and specifically to me
and my
performance. I would urge people to stick in
there. I really enjoy
letting
people know about what I'm doing, and if
people want to get in touch
with me
through the website, I'll keep them up to
date on what I'm doing, and
when the
CD is coming out. Please come to New York and stop by the stage
door
afterwards. You can write to Jason Raize,
c/o The Lion King Company,
The New
Amsterdam Theatre, 219 West 41st Street, New York, N.Y., 10036
Speaker: As the spotlight dims,
tonight's
show comes to an end. We thank you, our
great audience, and a very
special
thank you to our guest Jason Raize. We look
forward to seeing you again
soon. Talk City Presents is produced
in
conjunction with BoxTop Live(tm) & Talk
City(tm), a production of
LiveWorld
Productions Inc.
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