The Good Bad Altar Boy: An Interview with James Royce Edwards
By: Maya Cantu Jan. 02, 2006
Yet Luke means well--just ask James Royce Edwards, the actor who plays the character with big-hearted macho panache in the Dodgers Stages hit. Edwards is considerably better-spoken than Luke, but both consider spirituality an essential force in their lives...and can express it with impressive song-and-dance chops.
Luke is one of five Altar Boyz--the others are Matthew, Mark, Juan and Abraham (the Jewish one)--who are playing New York on their "Raise the Praise" tour, where they combine piety and pop music in songs such as "God Put the Rhythm in Me," "Girl, You Make Me Want to Wait," and "Jesus Called Me on My Cell Phone."
Edwards is so well-cast as Luke that it came as a bit of a surprise to learn that the actor had been one of the finalists for the role of the squeaky-clean Altar Boyz leader Matthew. Scott Porter landed the role, but Edwards, who was on tour with Hairspray, soon after heard from his agent that the producers might have other plans for him. "When the original Boyz started to leave the show, they called my agent to find out what other parts other than Matthew they thought I could play. Well, I remember from reading the script for the first time, that I really thought the character of Luke was hysterical. I took a trip in from D.C. where I was with Hairspray, to show them my spin on the role, and the rest is history."
Edwards thinks that casting worked out for the best. "I was really honored that they remembered me from my original audition and that they wanted so badly to fit me in the show somewhere... I really enjoy playing the role," which he also finds a very well-written one. "I don't typically get to play the character parts," he laughs.
As to inspirations in creating his Luke (a role originated by Andy Karl), Edwards cites Marky Mark and Joey from "Friends." He explains, "I think Luke has a heart of gold, but it's true that he's not the brightest candle at the altar. He always means well, and is very enthusiastic, but he has a few weaknesses, as do we all. He is extremely faithful and loyal to his friends, he always strives to do what's right, but he sometimes looses his temper and he's been know to relapse into his 'exhaustive' tendencies," which in the show, have led Luke from the straight and narrow to the kind of road that ends at the Betty Ford Clinic. Edwards says that Luke "tries to be a hard-core hip hop master, but deep down he's just a sweet farm boy from Greenville, Ohio."
Does Edwards always know to do what's right? Well, no one's perfect, but the actor wouldn't necessarily be afraid of facing up to the Soul Censor, the spirit-sniffing device that measures metaphysical temperature in Altar Boyz. "I think my soul's in pretty good shape, but I don't take it for granted. I try to keep a balance in life to make sure my number doesn't come up on the soul sensor. I think the moment you think you're OK and stop worrying about it, is when you find yourself suddenly falling into trouble."
Edwards thinks that the show--for all its satirical nods to boy bands, Catholicism and G.O.D. himself --has a religion-friendly soul that promotes love, tolerance, friendship and worship. "I love this show because it doesn't make fun of religion or things that people hold as sacred. You actually laugh at the show because of how faithful and devoted the Boyz are. There is no winking at the audience. The Boyz are completely sincere, and that's what makes it so funny. I think overall the show says that faith, whether it be in God or in your friends, can save the day. I think the final number, which one of my favorite moments in the show by the way, leaves the audience with a very positive feeling. It's inspiring." The final number, called "I Believe," features the Boyz united in light-hearted, but deeply-felt, praise and song.
Edwards may play a Catholic in Altar Boyz, but the actor is himself a fervent Mormon. The actor attended Brigham Young University--where he learned to dance. Edwards moves so well in Altar Boyz (performing moves such as the Walk on Water) that it seems as if he has taken lessons for many years. "I was in the Music Dance Theatre program at BYU, and I used to get made fun of all the time because I had no idea what I was doing, but I still had to take all the dance classes with the other people who had been dancing all their lives. It was a struggle, but I worked really hard and now I can pretty much hold my own with other singer/dancers." Edwards quips that when friends come to see Altar Boyz now, their number one comment is, "Man, I didn't know you could dance like that!"
Taking two years off from school, Edwards served on a mission that took him to Cordoba, Argentina; the actor considers it the most difficult and rewarding thing that he has ever done. When asked if his spirituality feeds into his work as an actor, Edwards responds, "My faith is what brings me peace and it's the foundation for who I think I am and what I do, so there's not really anything that I do that my spirituality doesn't feed into. For sure it helps me remember that there are a lot more important things out there aside from acting. Sometimes as an actor you deal with a lot of rejection and some difficult times, but if you're grounded on beliefs that provide a foundation of security in life it makes the rough times much more bearable."
While hard times are unavoidable for just about every actor, Edwards has been blessed with success as a musical theatre performer for some years. He only really started acting, singing and dancing in earnest the year before college; his dedication to high school sports at first conflicted with his desire to get involved in high school drama. He says," I got roped into performing when I attended a summer camp before my first year of college. It was called the Singing Entertainer Workshop hosted by the Young Ambassadors. The director of the program suggested I audition for the MDT program when I came to school."
Edwards toured internationally with the Young Ambassadors, and found it to be a transformative experience. "Touring with the Young Ambassadors was amazing. I spent one month performing in Southern Spain and North Africa, and then another month in South Africa. Most of the time we traveled by bus, and stayed with host families, so it was an excellent way to get to know the country and the people. In addition, before we left, we would spend a semester studying the cultures and histories of the countries we were going to be visiting. Our show schedule was grueling, but we had so much fun that I wouldn't trade the experience for anything."
After college, Edwards honed his craft by performing at Robert Redford's Sundance Theatre in Utah, where he worked on The Umbrellas of Cherbourg with legendary lyricist Sheldon Harnick (Fiddler on the Roof, She Loves Me); Edwards says that the experience was "an honor and a pleasure. Over the years I wrote him every once and a while to let him know how things were going. He always took the time to get back to me personally. I lost touch for about 4 years until about two weeks ago when I saw him at the after party for the It's a Wonderful Life benefit concert. I was shocked that he remembered exactly who I was, and he told me he often wondered what had happened to me and hoped that I was doing well. An amazing guy."
Harnick recommended Edwards to his brother Jay, who was at the time, the artistic director of Theatreworks/USA. The contact resulted in Edwards' first Equity job; he portrayed Jean Valjean in the company's touring production of Les Miserables. After playing the tenor convict, Edwards performed in a number of regional productions of musicals in California, and also took on an 8-month stint in San Diego's resident company of Forever Plaid.
After having been in callbacks for over a year, Edwards landed another national tour and played "Shirtless Island Guy #3" in the national tour of Mamma Mia!; he also understudied the roles of Sky and Eddie. The national tour of Hairspray followed. Edwards played Sketch, and also understudied Link, who preceded Luke as a singing heartthrob role. As he compares the two characters, "Link is trying to get his big break on national television and become the next Elvis and Luke wants to be the next Marky Marky/James Brown hybrid, but when the choice comes down to doing what will make them famous and doing what is right, they both follow their hearts and do the right thing."
It was while on tour with Mamma Mia! that Edwards, whose rippling muscles are hard to ignore under Luke's jersey, attained a longtime dream. In addition to playing 8 performances a week in Altar Boyz, the actor now maintains a second career as a certified personal trainer.
Edwards says, "I find both personal training and performing extremely rewarding. I trained a lot more while I was on the road with Mamma Mia! and Hairspray. I don't have so much extra time with our show schedule including all our press and charity events. Nevertheless, I'm working with a few people now, as well as doing some fitness writing and modeling for some magazines. The performer (taking up Luke's line) is "completely exhausted" towards the end of the week, but finds it satisfying and well worth it to both help others with fitness and to perform in the show.
When Edwards isn't performing or busy with personal training, he enjoys spending time with his wife Karin and Chispa—their pet chihuahua. "Karin has supported me through everything and everywhere. I'm so lucky to have someone who believes in me so fully, and takes care of me so completely. We are a great team." As for the dog, Edwards says "We got Chispa in Lexington, KY on that first Theatreworks tour, and she's spent most of her life on the road since then. Having a dog on the road can be pain, but it's all worth it when you come in the front door and see her reaction when she sees you." If Chispa's reaction is anything like that of Altar Boyz audiences, it's an enthusiastic one.
Center photo--Edwards, understudy Carlos L. Encinias, Scott Porter, Danny Calvert, Dennis Moench
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