Interview: Josh A. Dawson of MJ: THE MUSICAL at Orpheum Theater

How did you find your love of the arts?

I grew up the son of a preacher. I spent pretty much every single day at church and that’s kind of how I found my way to music, theatre arts and dance. My parents had me in voice lessons, dance lessons, and acting classes at a really young age. It kept me out of trouble and gave my twin sister and I something to do in our downtime. I got the bug really early. I did my first play at about six years old, and I’ve pretty much done a play or musical every year since then. It’s my career now.

I would love to hear a little bit about your journey into professional theatre. How did you begin in your pursuit of this craft as a profession?

I went to a performing arts middle school and performed all through high school and did community theatre. I went to college for musical theatre, and around my junior year of college I did my first professional show in Chicago. I’ve kind of always known that I wanted to do this from a young age, so it just kind of felt like the natural trajectory for me to move into doing it professionally and making it a career. Twenty-something years later, here we are. I’m very happy!

You have some incredible shows under your belt with Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Hamilton and now MJ: The Musical. Is there a dream show or dream role for you that you would like to pursue down the line? Or is there something that you’ve played previously that you would love to play again?

Yes! I did Hamilton for a bit and I got to play Aaron Burr. It was my dream role. Once that happened and I made my debut in that role, it was like the next day that they called me about the national tour for MJ: The Musical. I didn’t get much time with that role, and I’d love to circle back to it at some point in my career. I’m a different person now. I’m older and wiser, so I’d love to circle back. I’ve also been out of New York and on the road now for about four years, so I am just desperate to get back to New York City and get back to my community and my friends.

I would love to hear a little about your audition for MJ: The Musical. What was that process like for you, especially as a working performer who was involved in another production at that time?

Sure. There actually wasn’t much of an audition process for me for the tour. I actually helped build the Broadway musical. I did the labs and the workshops back in 2017, 2018 and 2019. I stepped away for another show that sort of came down the pike, and so I thought my time with this show was done. I got to see MJ: The Musical on opening night on Broadway. I was in the first row and got to support my family. When this opportunity came back around and the timing was right, it just felt right.

At one point in the initial process when we were in the labs, the project was untitled. A lot of us went to an invited call and had no idea what we were auditioning for. As the process unfolded, we started to dance more to Michael Jackson music, so we kind of figured that was the realm. Everyone knows Michael Jackson’s music. A lot of my career up until that point had been jukebox musicals, and so I knew it was kind of where I wanted to go. I went through the whole audition process then and found out a couple days later that they were gonna be bringing me into the workshops. And like I said, I did that for a couple years. Once the tour came back, the director sort of reached out and asked me if I had any interest in doing the national tour. I was almost an immediate yes. Just thankful that the star is aligned.

I love that! To your point earlier, everyone knows the show is about Michael Jackson, but can you tell us a little more about what audiences can expect to experience at the show?

It takes place a couple days leading up to Michael Jackson’s Dangerous tour. It just gives some insight into his creative process. Our director and our book writer have just really intricately and really intellectually crafted this piece to show a little bit more of his humanity. I think so many people know about his artistry and so many people know about the Jackson 5 and his early life, but as far as his creative process and what he brought in regards to his experience into this specific tour, I think it’s gonna be really unique for audiences. We are not a Las Vegas show. We are not an imitation show. For us to be able to have an actor who can tap into Michael’s human side is what I think makes this piece really unique. It’s also a concert. You’re gonna hear a lot of Michael Jackson tunes. You’re gonna hear a lot of the hits, but not all of them obviously because we couldn’t cram all of that into three hours. Pretty much everything he did was a hit. But I think what’s unique about this is just again the humanity and for audiences who never got a chance to see Michael Jackson live, this is probably the closest thing you are gonna get to it.

What is something that you learned about Michael or about the Jacksons during this process that really surprised you and that audiences might not know?

I don’t wanna give too much away, but I think I learned more about Michael’s relationship with his family. When I grew up, there was a VH1 movie/series that came out that I got to watch, but I didn’t really know how intricate and how specific his relationship was with his parents, and especially with his father. I play Tito Jackson and Quincy Jones in the show, so I got to really dive into their relationship with Michael specifically. Quincy, with the producing and the writing and the creative collaboration. With Tito, what I didn’t realize is that he was also sort of the musician of the family and kind of guided Michael through this journey of finding music and finding theory. He played an instrument too, which Michael did not do. It was just a surprise for me, because I’m also a musician. I’m in a band. So to be able to get to do this role and bring my talents just kind of worked out perfectly.

How did you prepare yourself in your artistic approach to creating your individual performance while still paying homage to these people who are very real humans?

A lot of research. A lot of reading books and watching documentaries and interviews. Quincy Jones is an idol of mine so I had studied his career extensively throughout my life. Like I said, he’s a producer. He’s a musician. He’s a savant. His worldview is something I really tap into. The use of love and music and the infusion of both of those things. This is not the first time in my career I’ve played a real person. I always play these men in the twilight of their lives. It’s a unique experience being able to look back at all of the body of work that they’ve done. I get to look at all of the interviews and all of the books that have been written on these men. It’s really easy in a process where they’re sort of late stage and I get just a wealth of knowledge. It’s really easy in that sense. But as an actor, I like to bring myself to these people, and I’m lucky that I get to play them as I’ve idolize them for a long time and I got the chance to draw back on a lot.

Is there a favorite part of the show for you to experience every night, either as an audience member or a performer in the moment?

I get this question often, and I think the answer changes. I won’t give it away, but I will say the start of the second act is by far my favorite part of the show. I watch it as much as I can. It’s about a 10 minute sequence of just the height of who Michael Jackson was. You are going to see what feels like just watching Michael Jackson on stage and see all his dancing and the orchestrations done by the team. It’s a phenomenal sequence. It is not to be missed, so make sure you get your popcorn and your drinks and get back in your seat for the top of the second act. I will just leave it at that.

Speaking of people in their seats… For anyone who has not yet pushed the purchase ticket button, what would you say to those people who are on the fence and haven’t quite committed?

I mean, if you like Broadway musicals or if you like Michael Jackson or if you love to be entertained, this is a show like you’ve never seen before. It’s not a typical jukebox musical. I like to compare it to a concert with people in the audience and the aisles dancing and screaming. It is a good time. But it really is the closest that you can get to seeing Michael Jackson live. And that is not to be missed.

A last thought for our Omaha talent as they try to navigate their own journey in the arts. What would you say to those who are looking to pursue a career in the arts?