Photo credit: (C) Joan Marcus, 2015
“You didn’t know what to expect going from city to city with the show,” Jarran Muse – who channels Marvin Gaye – told Hollywood on the Potomac prior to the opening of Motown the Musical at National Theatre. “The audiences, it feels, in just about every city, it feels like we are back in New York City. From the moment that down beat happens, from the moment the orchestra starts and that curtain rises, the audience is screaming and hollering and just having such a great time and all throughout the show they’re connected and they’re dancing in their seats, and they’re moving. They can’t help bopping and singing along and clapping, and it’s just such a feel good show, and that when the audiences energy is there with us, it makes it even better.”
Jarran Muse
Muse, who has family in Maryland, is expecting lots of family and friends to see his performance. “I have performed in Washington before as a part of the Hairspray company. I lived in Prince George’s County, Maryland so my mom is there. I have my uncles and my aunts in DC and Virginia, so that’s kind of my second home. I have not performed for National Theatre before, so I’m really looking forward to this.”
We asked Jarran what Berry Gordy was like and if he was someone that would help him further his career, as he has been known to do. “You know, I would think if I asked for some sort of help in that way, that he would be the person to talk to, but being the person that I am, I wouldn’t do that, you know,” he answered.
Jarran Muse
Going forward his aspirations are to continue acting on stage, film and television. “I feel like I haven’t quite conquered Broadway, but I’m on my fifth Broadway national tour,” he told us. “although I’ve been on Broadway and touring for quite some time, I will continue to do that as a Broadway actor, but I’m ready to dive into film and television. I feel like that is more of an aspiration then being a recording artist, for example. If I happen to fall into the slot of a recording artist, that would be amazing, but we all know that the music industry these days are not pumping out these huge mega stars anymore. You do have your huge mega R&B stars and what not, but a lot of people are getting by on their own, producing their own music and putting it out via YouTube or social media, and going that route with the recording industry. That’s not high on my list of things that I aspire to be or to do: It’s on my list, and if it happens that’s great, but I want to keep acting and get into more television or film.”
Catch his amazing performance as Marvin Gaye in Motown the Musical at National Theatre:
