BWW Interviews: Gregg Goodbrod Talks LES MISERABLES at Maine State Music Theatre

Gregg Goodbrod is not a stranger to Maine State Music Theatre. In just the past few years, his MSMT resume boasts the roles of Joe Gillis in Sunset Boulevard, Chris in Miss Saigon, Radames in Aida, Lt. Cable in South Pacific, Pat Denning in 42nd Street, Ethan in The Full Monty and the title role in Jesus Christ Superstar. And that's JUST at MSMT, let alone his 2 year Broadway run of Thoroughly Modern Millie and the 1st National Tour of the Dolly Parton musical adapted from the movie 9 to 5. Being a working performer is often referred to as a "Gypsy life"; you have to go where the work is, or, where the work takes you.

A graduate of Shenandoah University, like most artists, Gregg's education is ongoing. "I think you are constantly learning, if you have an open mind that is. You can observe people you work with and learn so much. It not only makes you a better artist, but really, a better person". It's that open mind of Gregg's that has not only brought him success but also, artistic fulfillment. A performer who is serious about his craft never does it for money or praise, but rather because it's a calling. "You want what you're doing to be art; to mean something. That's why we are in this business".

This summer, Gregg is taking on the role of Jean Valjean in Les Miserables, but he returns to MSMT not for the work alone. "I just love Maine", Gregg starts. "And the staff here is really like a family. You don't get that at a lot of theatres. I made strong relationships here in 2005 when I started working here, and it helps that they do amazing work here." It's that environment that encourages not only great work and brings actors back over and over again, but allows them to take chances and feel artistically fulfilled. "(MSMT) is one of those theatres that makes you feel safe; which is important when you are doing such an emotional show. You have to feel safe enough to open up and show everybody what's inside you", Gregg adds of his experience at MSMT, and in particular his experience with Les Miserables.

And that feeling of safety is important when you are tackling a role as weighty as Jean Valjean. Unlike most pieces in music theatre, Gregg's character goes through a journey that lasts nearly 40 years onstage. "The show starts, and (my character) is at such an emotional high. And along with that, it's like vocal acrobatics for the first 20 minutes of the show for me". And that, says Gregg, is one of the hardest parts of the show for him. Part of his challenge is to coherently bring the various transitions in Valjean's life to light, and to do so while carrying the weight of so many years on his character's shoulders. "By the end of the show, I'm trying to hold on to all of the past struggles from the beginning; because if I can hold that memory inside me until the end, it is such an amazing journey. It's a wonderful feeling of redemption that at the beginning is the furthest thing from his mind." Gregg's words speak volumes about not only how he tackles this emotional journey, but it speaks to the heart of how he approaches his craft, and the crux of the story.

Much of Valjean's journey in Les Miserables is juxtaposed against that of Javert's; the seemingly cold hearted inspector who makes it his life's journey to hunt down and apprehend Valjean. But the two characters have more in common than either may like to admit. There is one thing that stands apart, Gregg says. "To me, one of the only things that separate Valjean and Javert is that Javert lives by the rules, and Valjean lives through love. One of my favorite lines is toward the end, when I sing 'To love another person is to see the face of God'. Sometimes I can't make it through that". It's Gregg's emotional performance, in this humble writer's opinion, that makes Les Miserables at Maine State what it is: fantastic.

Tickets are selling quickly, so visit www.msmt.org to see Gregg Goodbrod in a masterful performance as Jean Valjean in Les Miserables. Playing now through July 13th.

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