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Life - Fun Stuff

Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2009

One of the Guys: Johansen grad, 24, a Broadway vet

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It's a huge accomplishment to get in one Broadway show. Modesto native Joseph Medeiros Jr. has been in three and he's only 24 years old.

The 2002 Johansen High School graduate is in the ensemble for the revival of "Guys and Dolls," now in previews, and was a dancer in "Grease" from August through December.

He made his Broadway debut at 11 when he was a "swing" in the five-boy chorus in the musical "Big," meaning he would stand in for any of them when they couldn't perform. Afterward, he went on tour with the show across the country for seven months.

Medeiros said he is thrilled to be back on the Great White Way after such a long absence.

"It was something I was trying to do since I left the first time," he said in a phone interview from his New York City apartment. "It has always been my dream to come back."

In "Guys and Dolls," Medeiros is one of the crapshooters and, in one of his many appearances, gets shoved inside a trunk.

The 1950 show centers on an unlikely romance between a suave male gambler and an uptight female missionary. It was made into a movie in 1955 starring Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra. The famous songs include "Luck Be A Lady" and "Sit Down, You're Rocking the Boat."

The revival stars Oliver Platt ("The West Wing"), Lauren Graham ("Gilmore Girls") and Craig Bierko ("Boston Legal," "Sex in the City"). It began previews at the Nederlander Theatre on Feb. 5 and opens March 1.

Medeiros started his acting career at age 6 when he played Tiny Tim in Modesto Performing Arts' "A Christmas Carol" under the direction of Paul Tischer. From there, he went on to study under Debbie Holtzclaw at the Dance Factory and perform with Modesto's Central West Ballet. He also took voice lessons from Helen Roddy.

His last Modesto performances were in Central West's 2001 staging of "The Nutcracker" and Johansen's production of the musical "Fantasticks," in which he starred as the male lead.

His parents -- Joseph and Analisa Medeiros -- continue to live in Modesto and operate Guarantee Janitorial Services.

A 'Big' change

Medeiros said it was hard when he was cut from "Big" because his voice changed.

"That's when I started dancing more, actually," he said. "My voice went away but my body started to develop. I thought, 'Now I can train my muscles and train my body.' That was responding well."

At the same time, he appeared in shows at the Sacramento Music Circus and San Jose Repertory Theatre. After high school, he won a $20,000 four-year scholarship to study at the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati.

Before he went to college, he briefly thought about pursuing studies in something else -- either physics or foreign language -- but his heart always led him back to the arts. Though he had doubts from time to time about his chances for his success, he was committed to pursuing a performance career. "I pretty much knew that at least I had to try," he said.

The university proved helpful in improving his skills. At the end of his studies, he got to appear with his classmates in a New York performance showcase, which resulted in him finding his agent.

He then got a part in the ensemble of the Chicago production of "Wicked," appearing in it from 2006-08.

High-pressure work

Medeiros was a replacement cast member and had one week to rehearse by himself with the dance captain and then only one day to try it out with the rest of the cast before he went onstage.

In one scene, when he was playing a flying monkey and was strapped to a harness 25 feet above the stage, he got tangled in a cord and couldn't get down. While the lights were down, a crew member had to climb up and help him get down.

Medeiros said it was similarly nerve-racking when he jumped in as a replacement cast member in "Grease"; he had only two weeks to rehearse before performing.

In addition to appearing in the ensemble, he understudied the characters Doody, Roger and Eugene. He was in the show when Ace Young from "American Idol" was playing Kenicke, and he played to audiences that included Miley Cyrus and Olivia Newton-John.

Medeiros said it's been easier to be in "Guys and Dolls" because it's a new production and he was able to work with the director and choreographer from the beginning.

Asked the difference between performing at regional theater and Broadway, he boiled it down to the time and money put into the shows. "A lot of time and energy is put into really making a Broadway production and giving it enough rehearsal time so it can be something that will open and stick and have tourists come and see it," he said.

He said talent is everywhere, both on the performance and design sides. Medeiros was surprised at how many people he knew in the show from working with them at previous productions around the country.

He said he's really enjoying being back on Broadway and hopes this show won't be his last.

"In a lot of ways, it's something I've been working towards, something I've wanted for a long time," he said. "On the one hand, it feels good and comfortable and a little like home somewhat. But then, too, I have more goals and more things that I want to do."

Bee arts writer Lisa Millegan can be reached at 578-2313 or lmillegan@modbee.com.