Jay Johnson: The Two and Only! presented by the Colony Theatre Company and WetRock Entertainment, Inc. Opens Dec. 3; plays Thurs.-Sat., 8 pm; Sun., 3 & 7 pm; until Dec. 13. Tickets: $35-$40. Colony Theatre, 555 W. Third St., Burbank; 818.558.7000 ext. 15 or colonytheatre.org.
Jay Johnson
Jay Johnson is delighted to be returning to the Colony Theatre where, in 2006, the actor/ventriloquist presented his one-person show, Jay Johnson: The Two and Only to critical acclaim prior to its Tony Award-winning New York premiere in 2007. He enthuses, “Actually, if I could stay at the Colony Theatre for the rest of the life of this show, I would be a happy guy.”
Johnson has made quite a few sojourns on his way back to Burbank. After receiving the Tony for Special Theatrical Event, Johnson took his show on the road, performing in theatrical venues throughout the US and overseas. “There have been a few minor changes but it is essentially the same show I originally performed at the Colony,” says Johnson. “For this engagement we are using the road set rather than the Broadway set, primarily because it is easier to do.”
Co-conceived and co-directed by fellow actors Paul Keppel and Murphy Cross, The Two and Only intertwines the dark history of ventriloquism with the story of Johnson’s gradual evolution from an introverted, acutely dyslexic Texas lad who discovered he had a talent for creating funny voices and a propensity for playing with puppets. “By the time I was 11, I had an act and was charging people 10 bucks to see it,” he recalls.
In high school, he produced and starred in his own local television show sponsored by a car dealership. This led to summers performing in theme park shows at Six Flags Over Texas, Astroworld and Six Flags Over Georgia, where he logged 918 performances during the summer he graduated from high school. ”When I reached adulthood, I had honed my ventriloquism skills to a high degree but my show business career took off in another direction.”
In the mid ’70s, Johnson moved to Los Angeles. He subsequently starred in four television series including Soap, which ran for four years and still can be seen worldwide in syndication. He has produced and performed in two network television specials, two HBO specials and hundreds of guest appearances on variety shows. He has also hosted three comedy specials and appeared in over 30 national commercials.
“During my run on Soap the idea of developing a one-person show based on ventriloquism began to germinate,” says Johnson. “Since I was getting great exposure on the series, I thought it might be the right time to venture forth. Ventriloquism is a unique form of acting. I think it is the ultimate high as an actor to create this alternate universe, purely based on his or her own skills of communication.”
Johnson had a couple of acting buddies who were in complete agreement. “I originally became friends with Paul and Murphy when we were all doing episodic television. Paul was on It’s a Living. Murphy was all over the place, including Taxi. One night, I did a benefit for Los Angeles-based Hamilton High School Performing Arts Academy and they suggested I do a one-person show. It all built from that. The show was developed over the next year. I probably would have kept developing it with no concrete goal in mind but they pushed me into getting The Two and Only onto the stage.”
Johnson is keenly aware of the historical roots of ventriloquism and the skill set needed to be accomplished at it. “There are ventriloquists who teach it but I believe you have to have some basic natural equipment to master the skill. Anyone can study opera but not everyone can become a coloratura soprano. It is a combination of physical abilities, interest and creativity. All those things have to merge at once.
“I have been fortunate to become acquainted with many of the greats. I met Edgar Bergen, who never was concerned that people could see his mouth moving. He actually said he wanted the audience to know where the voice was coming from. And Jimmy Nelson (The Texaco Comedy Hour) is in his 80s and is a complete genius of the genre. Television has been greatly responsible for giving exposure to some other great talents like Paul Winchell, Senor Wences, Shari Lewis and Terry Fator (discovered on America’s Got Talent).”
Johnson on stage
Johnson laughs when asked if there is a new show in the works for perhaps another Broadway run. “As soon as they hand you the Tony, they ask, ‘So, what are you going to do next?’ I don’t know what that would be, yet. This show incorporates a lifetime of desire and experience I am still enjoying expressing. I’m working on other scripts with some friends but there is no timeline to any of it. I might even take part in the development of a project I’m not even in.”
Although he won’t debut a new work, Johnson is planning to go back to New York in January. “I have just recently obtained the rights back from the Broadway consortium who held the production rights to The Two and Only,” he explains. “So, I am putting together a new strategy for the show. We are probably going back to New York to do three or four dates as a kind of showcase for people who book theatres around the country. After the original Broadway run, we toured for about a year. Now, we are kind of starting over. And maybe book some places we didn’t go to the first time.”
Johnson is not ruling out a return to episodic television work. “Every actor hopes he is just one phone call away from a series regular gig,” he admits. “I have guested on shows. I did a CSI where I played a ventriloquist and I have guested on others just as an actor.
“I know the money is in television but if I had my druthers, I would prefer to do live performing. I would be perfectly happy to do eight performances a week in front of a live audience for the rest of my career. That’s where my heart is.”
Feature image by Ed Kreiger
Article by Julio Martinez
