Interview: Theatre Life with Jake Loewenthal

Today’s subject Jake Loewenthal is easily one of the area’s brightest lights in the DMV theatre constellation. He currently can be seen living his theatre life onstage at Signature Theatre as Charley Kringas in Merrily We Roll Along. The show runs through November 1st in Signature’s MAX space.

In just a few years, Jake has established himself as one of the area’s go to actors. Past Signature credits include RENT, She Loves Me, Into the Woods, Ragtime, Private Jones, and Fiddler on the Roof. Other area credits include 1776 at Ford’s Theatre, Dodi and Diana at Mosaic Theater Company, Falsettos at Rep Stage, and stepping into Little Shop of Horrors at Ford’s Theatre on four days notice. Read on to see what that experience was like.

Jake’s talents are not limited to just our area. He has also been seen regionally in productions at Asolo Rep, Alabama Shakespeare Company, Barrington Stage Company, Hartford Stage, Trinty Rep, and Short North Stage.

Jake’s Charley in Merrily We Roll Along is full of heart and brilliance. His performance is just one reason I say that Signature Theatre’s staging of the show is the best I’ve ever seen. Artistic Director Matthew Gardiner has figured out a way to humanize even the most unpleasantly written character (Franklin Shepard) making the show way more accessible for the audience.

If you have seen Jake Loewenthal onstage before then you are in for a performance of epic proportions with Merrily We Roll Along at Signature Theatre. If you have not seen Jake onstage before, I promise that you will become a believer. “Now You Know!”

Jake Lowenthal truly is living his theatre life to the fullest.

Had you been interested in working in any other profession before becoming a performer?

I always loved the communal nature of theatre as a kid, but at around 17 I was really keen on being an urban planner. I applied to a bunch of urban planning programs and one theater school because they randomly waived the application fee. I was all set to not study theatre and then I saw Raul Esparza in John Doyle’s Company and I said – oh my gosh – I have to try to do this – and at the last minute accepted my offer from Fordham to study acting.

Where did you receive your training?

Fordham University for undergrad and then Brown University for my MFA.

What were your first professional performing jobs both onstage and in the DC area?

When I was still a student at Fordham, I did a musical in the New York Musical Theatre Festival (which I don’t think exists anymore) called Open the Dark Door. It was bizarre and sort of gothic with really beautiful music. I was 20 working with all of these veteran Broadway performers and I felt – briefly – very on top of the world. My first job in DC was Mark Cohen in RENT at Signature Theatre. It was the first show back post COVID so it was really special. I came in fully off book from all those hours drilling La Vie Boheme as a 10 year old in my parents’ garage.   

Can you please tell us about your character in Merrily We Roll Along?

What a mensch. Charley is… unabashedly himself and a man of great integrity. He’s unimpressed and unswayed by the trappings of success and fame – he’s loyal – he’s honest – he’s a good friend. Sure, he’s judgmental and combative, but – sometimes you have to be! He’s constantly holding up a mirror to Frank and reminding him who he is which leads to a lot of resentment. He bites his tongue until he can’t.

Merrily We Roll Along has undergone many revisions since its initial Broadway run almost 45 years ago. Which version of the show is Signature Theatre using?

We’re using the 1994 Off-Broadway version, which was massively reworked by Sondheim and Furth. There is a great cast recording of this version featuring one of my favorite Charleys – Adam Heller.

Can you please talk about Director Matthew Gardiner’s approach to the material?

I think one of the wisest things Matthew did was rehearse the show in chronological order – which is to say we started staging the last scene and worked our way to the “beginning.” For the play to work, the chemistry between Frank, Charley, and Mary needs to be really lived in. It was easier to build the love in those relationships exploring the young, optimistic, joyful parts of the show – by the time we all got to know each other we were ready to explore jaded, compromised, bottom of the barrel Act 1. In Matt’s hands this production really leans into the memory play of it all – how does memory function? How does this sort of forensic exploration of how we got here flow? There’s a fluidity to memory that enables this sweeping story to really move.

You went into Ford’s Theatre’s production of Little Shop of Horrors mid-run as a replacement for the actor playing Seymour. Can you please talk about that experience? Did you feel any more pressure than you would have if you were with the production from the beginning?

Oh gosh – I was lucky to have just done an emergency replacement (I jumped into Cabaret at Barrington Stage as Cliff Bradshaw with 24 hours’ notice) so I sort of knew what I was in for. It’s a different kind of pressure – learning a massive role like Seymour in 4 days was mind melting (those patter songs!), but the actual performing of it was extremely liberating – no time to overthink things – no need to worry about what the critics will think – it ended up being some of the most fun I’ve ever had on stage.

Some people think Merrily We Roll Along can’t work as a whole because of the way the story is told in reverse. Why do you think this show has continued to disprove this theory with theatre companies still producing it after all these years?

It’s not a passive experience processing Merrily in real time – it requires a different kind of attention than perhaps audiences are used to affording musicals, but for those willing to lean in it’s a rewarding watch! It unfolds masterfully and comes together like a puzzle.  There’s a moment in the final scene – when all the pieces finally come together – where you can feel the audience get it. It’s like their breathing changes. It happens every night. It’s incredibly satisfying – and a credit to DC’s wonderful audiences. The score is killer – those horns? Come on! And it asks difficult but important questions about how we move through the world and how we grow.

After Merrily We Roll Along finishes its run, what is next for you workwise in 2026 and into 2027?

When we wrap this up in November, I’m going to hop into another musical out in St. Louis until the new year. In 2027, I’m really excited to be directing a play in Philadelphia and then back to my dear DC.

Special thanks to Signature Theatre's Publicist and Marketing Manager Zachary Flick for his assistance in coordinating this interview.