Jason Forbach
Jason Forbach | |
|---|---|
| Alma mater | University of Missouri (BM) New England Conservatory (MA) |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, singer, playwright, filmmaker |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Known for | Into the Woods Les Misérables The Phantom of the Opera |
| Spouse | Joseph Spieldenner (2016–present) |
Jason Forbach is an American actor, singer, playwright and filmmaker. He is known for his Broadway portrayals of Rapunzel's Prince and the Baker in Into the Woods,[1] Enjolras in Les Misérables,[2] and Raoul in The Phantom of the Opera.[3]
Early life
[edit] |
Forbach graduated with his Bachelor of Music in 2000 from University of Missouri where he was the recipient of the Chancellor's Emerging Artist Award that year. He went on to complete his Masters with academic distinction at New England Conservatory in Boston.[4][5][6]
Career
[edit]In 2006, Forbach joined the Las Vegas cast of The Phantom of the Opera understudying the roles of Raoul and Monsieur Reyer.[7]
In 2009, Forbach played the dual role of Rapunzel's Prince and The Wolf in Into the Woods at the Wells Fargo Pavilion.[8]
In 2012, Forbach joined the 25th Anniversary national tour cast of Les Misérables as Feuilly and an understudy for Enjolras. He later took over the role of Enjolras playing opposite his real-life husband Joseph Spieldenner as Grantaire until the tour closed.[9] In 2013, he received acclaim for his performance as Chris Scott in the North Shore Music Theatre production of Miss Saigon.[10]
In March 2014, Forbach returned to Les Misérables in the second Broadway revival. Once again playing Feuilly and understudying Enjolras. He briefly took over the role of Enjolras again in October 2014 and left the role in November of that same year.[11] He continued with the production playing Feuilly and the Factory Foreman.[2]
Forbach appeared as Captain Albert Lennox in the 2016 and 2017 Shakespeare Theatre Company and 5th Avenue Theatre productions of The Secret Garden.[7]
Forbach is also an award winning playwright having placed in the New Works of Merit Playwriting Competition with his play Heathen Hill.
In 2022, Forbach joined the New York City Center Encores! production of Into the Woods as the male swing. He would end up going on for Rapunzel's Prince for a majority of the run when Jordan Donica was sick.[3] He moved with the production to the St. James Theatre for the second Broadway revival understudying the roles of the Baker, the Wolf/Cinderella's Prince, Rapunzel's Prince, and the Narrator/Mysterious Man. He opened the production as the Baker when Brian d'Arcy James was sick, and also went on for the Wolf/Cinderella's Prince many times including when Gavin Creel and Cheyenne Jackson were both unavailable for 3 days in August. He also played Rapunzel's Prince many times during the production's run on Broadway.[1]
On November 21, 2022, Forbach returned to The Phantom of the Opera at the Majestic Theatre on Broadway for a limited run through December 5 playing the role of Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny. He had been a vacation swing in Phantom at the Majestic Theatre for several years, primarily understudying the roles of Raoul, Reyer, Marksman, and Hairdresser.[3]
In 2023, Forbach went on tour across the United States to ten cities with the Broadway production of Into the Woods playing Rapunzel's Prince and understudying the Baker. He starred opposite Gavin Creel, Stephanie J. Block, Montego Glover, and Sebastian Arcelus all reprising their Broadway roles.[12] On February 23, he went on for the Baker last second for the second act of the production's preview performance at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., he would then proceed to open the show's engagement as the Baker that weekend and play the role for the majority of the performances at the Kennedy Center while Arcelus was recovering from an injury. Andy Karl and understudies Sam Simahk and Eddie Lopez played Rapunzel's Prince in his place. On February 28, Forbach announced on his Instagram stories he'd be playing the Baker during the 6-day absence of Arcelus at the Emerson Colonial Theatre in Boston, Massachusetts. Simahk played Rapunzel's Prince in his place. He also played the Baker during the production's closing weekend at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center in Nashville, Tennessee with Lopez playing Rapunzel's Prince in his place.
In 2024, it was announced that Forbach will make his film directorial debut with the short thriller film The Delicate Medium from a screenplay he wrote, with production set to begin in January 2025.[13]
Personal life
[edit]On February 9, 2016, he married actor Joseph Spieldenner.[6]
Acting credits
[edit]Theatre
[edit]Source:[2]
| Year(s) | Production | Role | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | The Music Teacher | Jim / Chronilos | Minetta Lane Theatre | Off-Broadway |
| 2006–2009 | The Phantom of the Opera | Ensemble; u/s Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny u/s Monsieur Reyer |
The Venetian Las Vegas | The Las Vegas Spectacular |
| 2006 | A Christmas Carol | Dick Wilkins; u/s Narrator u/s The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come / Young Scrooge |
North Shore Music Theatre | Regional |
| 2009 | Into the Woods | The Wolf / Rapunzel's Prince | Wells Fargo Pavilion | |
| 2010–2012 | Les Misérables | Feuilly; u/s Enjolras |
U.S. National Tour | 25th Anniversary |
| 2012–2013 | Enjolras | U.S. National Tour April 6, 2012 - June 9, 2013 | ||
| 2013 | Miss Saigon | Chris Scott | North Shore Music Theatre | Regional |
| 2014 | Les Misérables | Enjolras | Saroyan Theater | Fresno Grand Opera |
| Imperial Theatre October 28 – November 30 |
Broadway | |||
| 2014–2015 | Feuilly; u/s Enjolras |
Imperial Theatre March 23 – October 26, 2014 December 9, 2014 – May 24, 2015 June 23–29, 2015 September 7 – December 21, 2015 | ||
| 2015 | My Fair Lady | Freddy Eynsford-Hill | Wells Fargo Pavilion | Regional |
| 2015–2016 | Les Misérables | Feuilly / Factory Foreman; u/s Enjolras |
Imperial Theatre June 30 – September 6, 2015 December 22, 2015 – September 4, 2016 |
Broadway |
| 2016–2017 | The Secret Garden | Captain Albert Lennox | Sidney Harman Hall | Shakespeare Theatre Company |
| 5th Avenue Theatre | ||||
| 2017 | Evita | Agustin Magaldi | Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival | Regional |
| The Secret Garden | Captain Albert Lennox | Sarofim Hall | Presented by Shakespeare Theatre Company / 5th Avenue Theatre | |
| 2018-2019 | The Phantom of the Opera | Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny (Alternate) | Majestic Theatre December 6–8, 2018 January 9–12, 2019 May 31 – June 1, 2019 June 15, 2019 July 6–7, 2019 |
Broadway |
| 2018–2022 | Monsieur Reyer, Marksman, Hairdresser, Jeweler, Fireman, Porter, Passarino (Swing) u/s Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny |
Majestic Theatre February 5 – November 11, 2018 November 18 – December 5, 2018 December 9, 2018 – January 8, 2019 January 13 – May 30, 2019 June 2–14, 2019 June 16 – July 5, 2019 July 8 – August 4, 2019 August 11, 2019 – March 12, 2020 October 22, 2021 – May 3, 2022 May 16 – June 12, 2022 | ||
| Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny | Majestic Theatre November 12–17, 2018 August 5–10, 2019 November 21 – December 5, 2022 | |||
| 2022 | Into the Woods | The Baker, The Wolf / Cinderella's Prince, Jack, Rapunzel's Prince, The Narrator / The Mysterious Man (Swing) |
New York City Center May 4–15 |
Encores! Played Rapunzel's Prince for a majority of the run when Jordan Donica was sick |
| The Wolf / Cinderella's Prince | St. James Theatre August 3–5[14] |
Broadway | ||
| 2022–2023 | u/s The Baker u/s The Wolf / Cinderella's Prince u/s Rapunzel's Prince u/s The Narrator / The Mysterious Man |
St. James Theatre June 28 – August 2, 2022 August 6 – November 20, 2022 December 6, 2022 – January 8, 2023 | ||
| 2023 | Rapunzel's Prince; u/s The Baker |
U.S. National Tour February 18–23 March 11–26 April 4 – May 25 June 6 – July 30 |
Ten city engagement | |
| The Baker | U.S. National Tour February 23 – March 11 March 28 – April 2 May 26–28 | |||
| The Rocky Horror Show | Brad Majors | Bucks County Playhouse | Regional | |
| 2024-2025 | A Wonderful World | Crooner / White Gangster / Larry The Reporter
u/s Joe Glaser |
Studio 54 | Broadway |
Television
[edit]| Year(s) | Production | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | America's Got Talent | Feuilly | 1 episode |
| 2024 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Sam McKenzie | 1 episode |
| FBI: Most Wanted | Governor of Missouri | 1 episode |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b Gioia, Michael (July 19, 2022). "When Into the Woods' Lead Actor Was Out on Opening Night, It Was an Understudy's Time to Shine". Peoplemag.
- ^ a b c "Jason Forbach (Performer) | Playbill".
- ^ a b c Moynihan, Caitlin (November 22, 2022). "Meet Jason Forbach, the Understudy Doing Double Duty in The Phantom of the Opera & Into the Woods". Broadway.com.
- ^ https://gulfcoastsymphony.org/artists/jason-forbach/
- ^ https://music.missouri.edu/notable-alumni
- ^ a b "Jason Forbach, Joseph Spieldenner". The New York Times. February 14, 2016. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
- ^ a b "Jason Forbach theatre profile". AboutTheArtists.
- ^ Blank, Matthew (July 29, 2009). "PHOTO CALL: Into the Woods, with Denman and Lewis, in Sacramento". Playbill.
- ^ "Welcome stagedoordish.com". stagedoordish.com.
- ^ Gans, Andrew (October 4, 2013). "Jennifer Paz, Jason Forbach, Francis Jue, Rodrick Covington and More Cast in North Shore Miss Saigon". Playbill.
- ^ Millward, Tom (October 19, 2017). "Jason Forbach assumes the role of Enjolras in Broadway's revival of Les Misérables at the Imperial Theatre through to 30 November 2014, whilst original cast member Kyle Scatliffe is on leave". New York Theatre Guide.
- ^ Hall, Margaret (January 17, 2023). "Complete Casting Revealed for Into the Woods Tour". Playbill.
- ^ Higgins, Molly (September 26, 2024). "Jason Forbach Will Make Film Directorial Debut With The Delicate Medium". Playbill. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
- ^ Gordon, David (July 12, 2022). "Cheyenne Jackson, Jason Forbach to Fill In for Gavin Creel in Into the Woods on Broadway". TheaterMania. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
External links
[edit]- 21st-century American LGBTQ people
- 21st-century American male actors
- 21st-century American male singers
- 21st-century American singers
- 21st-century American writers
- American screenwriters
- American gay actors
- American gay musicians
- American gay writers
- American LGBTQ singers
- American LGBTQ writers
- American LGBTQ film directors
- American LGBTQ screenwriters
- American male musical theatre actors
- Living people
- New England Conservatory alumni
- University of Missouri School of Music alumni