Jared Gertner – A Snow White Christmas

By starrymag | December 13, 2019

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

Q) What are the recent projects that you are working on?

A) I was lucky enough to do two different productions of “Guys and Dolls” this year – one for an 11,000 seat theater in St. Louis and one for 500-seat theater in New Jersey. I had a horror movie out this year called Nightmare Cinema and a couple of TV projects and voiceover projects (“Bojack Horseman” and “American Dad”).

Q) Please tell us the premise for A Snow White Christmas.

A) A lot of the elements of Snow White that people know from the fairytale will be there (the poison apple, the wicked queen and seven dwarves), but we sort of turn it on its head a bit. There is a Christmas element to it because it is a Panto so they add in a little bit of holiday fun. Then, we add in all this contemporary music. The art form of Panto is classic stories with contemporary music. We’re doing Huey Lewis and the News, Rihanna, Destiny’s Child and Panic! At the Disco, but all to tell the story of Snow White, which makes it really fun and current. There are a lot of jokes and a lot of things that are great for the grownups as well as the kids, which I think is a hard line to straddle with family theater because you don’t want the parents to get bored yet you don’t want the kids to get bored. I think the great thing about Panto, especially the way the Lythgoes do it, is they straddle that line so well that everyone has something to enjoy about the show.

Q) The costumes on this production are amazing. How does the costume put you in the mindset for your role as Muddles?

A) Muddles doesn’t exactly look glamorous. I’m in a floppy red hat and red shoes and a floral shirt. But there is something about putting on a costume like that you automatically start pouncing around and having fun because you look so ridiculous. A lot of my career has been looking ridiculous on stage. [laughs] So, it fits for me.

Q) There is an incredible cast to this Panto! Were you looking forward to sharing a scene with anyone in particular?

A) This is my third Panto for the Lythgoe and I’m always blown away by the caliber of people that they bring in to do their shows. And I know when I sign on to do one of their shows, I’m going to have the best time with the cast they’ve assembled. Garrett Clayton, who is in the show, was in Teen Beach Movie and “Hairspray: Live.” He’s someone who has also done a few of these Pantos so he and I have met over the years. We were both in Pantos, but never together. So, getting to finally team up (and we’re on stage together the majority of the show) with Garrett has been really fun. We not only have this great friendship, but this great working relationship. We just go out there and play. I know that when I go out on stage with him that not only can I trust him, but we’re probably going to play a bit and find some new stuff all the time.

Q) Talk about working with NappyTabs on the choreography.

A) The NappyTabs team are amazing. They have such a distinct style and an amazing way of telling stories through dance. They hire these incredible LA dancers to do their work. So, the bulk of their hard work is being done by these unbelievable dancers that will just knock your socks off. As far as being an actor in the show, for NappyTabs I really appreciate how they always allow us to bring our character to the work and allow us to find movement that makes sense for us rather than just giving us their style of dance. It’s an easy thing to do, but a lot of people forget to do it – to make choreography fit on an actor to make sure they feel comfortable doing it and it looks like it is coming out of them.

Q) What is your favorite song that you are going to sing?

A) Hmm. Well, I really love getting to sing “The Power of Love.” It is so much fun and it’s a song from when I was a kid. I enjoy it because it takes me back.

Q) Do you have any rituals that you will do for luck before each performance?

A) I do the same warmup for pretty much every show I’m in. I do a yoga-based stretch and then a vocal warmup. Right before I go on stage, I always have a list on my wall that I make that says “Don’t Forget.” It’s the things that I need to remember to bring on stage with me – hat or props. Remember to put on lip balm. The bottom, no matter what is on the list, says “good attitude” because I always want to remember that.

Q) What message do you hope people take away from this show?

A) The main objective of Panto is to bring families together and to have fun. I really believe that the Lythoges’ mission of bringing Panto to America is something that we need so much of right now because there is so much to stress about and worry about and fight about it seems. But for a couple of hours you get to sit in a theater and have the best time. You can boo for the bad guys, cheer for the good guys and listen to great music and see incredible dancing. I’m so proud that I get to be a part of a group that’s main objective is to just make people happy.

Q) What is the best musical you have seen recently?

A) That’s a great question. I saw “Come From Away” not long ago and it was one of the most exciting and inventive and moving shows that I’ve probably seen in my life. I was so excited sitting in that audience watching a show that was about how people can be great. It was about the best in us, which I think is a theme I’m really talking about a lot but I feel like theater has this power to bring joy and bring people together. Right now, that’s my favorite thing about seeing theater and doing theater.

Q) With the holidays approaching, what are some of your personal annual traditions?

A) Well, I celebrate Hanukkah and I get to do a nice shoutout to that in the show. Our tradition is to get to Chinese food and go see a movie, which is a very traditional Jewish Christmas. [laughs] Everyone else is busy on Christmas, so I’ve grown up always having Chinese food because it’s the only place that is usually open and seeing a movie. I now do that with my son, who is four years old, and we have made that our family tradition as well. Also, our own Hanukkah tradition is one night and it’s donation night. Rather than giving my son yet another present, we have him choose a couple of his toys that he is not using anymore and we donate them to less fortunate kids. I like that charity has become a part of our holiday tradition.

Q) Is there anything else you would like us to be sure we share with our readers about your appearance in A Snow White Christmas?

A) The Pasadena audiences have been amazing and they have been doing Panto in Pasadena…Oh, I guess this is their tenth year. So, it’s really caught on and I just want to encourage people to come see it and keep building that audience. It is not like anything else that we get in the states. I lived in London for a couple of years, so I got to see what Panto means to them and how important it is to communities. I love that the Lythgoes are bringing it here. I encourage everybody to come out and check us out because you will have a great time!

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and the work you do?

A) I’d say thank you to anybody who digs what I do. I’m always so excited to meet people who have any kind of connection to the shows I’ve been in or the work I’ve done. So, come on by and say hello. I’d love to see you!

 

Tickets start at $28 and are available 24 hours a day at www.thepasadenacivic.com