Ep136 - Adam Jacobs: Aladdin, The Lion King, Les Miserables

A Disney prince and a family man, this performer opens up about the importance of faith, hard work, and determination, and shares a look behind the curtain of his career both past and present.  Adam Jacobs is an actor and singer maybe best known for originating the title role in Aladdin on Broadway, a performance which garnered him both Grammy and Drama Desk Award nominations. Adam’s other Broadway credits include The Lion King, and Les Miserables, as well as the national tours of Mamma Mia!, Cinderella, Les Miserables, The Lion King, and Aladdin. Offstage, Adam’s talents and credits range from writing, and directing, to producing, and even visual effects. His latest film project, Adam Jacobs Behind The Curtain, features a live recording of his 2019 cabaret at Feinstein's Upstairs at Vitello's in LA, as well as interviews and a behind the scenes look at Adam’s artistic journey.  During our conversation, Adam speaks candidly about his mixed-ethnicity and the confusion it led to as a child trying to figure out where he fit in. He recalls it first feeling like an obstacle he had to overcome, but explains how he later discovered his heritage was an advantage, allowing him to play a variety of roles. Adam also talks about the decision to leave NYC and move to the suburbs of Chicago with his family a few years ago, which has offered him more performance opportunities, and a homebase between LA and NYC. And we delve into the evolution of Adam’s latest project Behind The Curtain, from live cabaret to filmed “docu-concert”.  In this episode, we talk about:  Overcoming self-doubt and challenging the status quo The impact of his high school mentor and teacher  His experience in NYU’s CAP21 program  Having other interests outside of performing  How his family influences career decisions The creation of the Behind The Curtain film  Connect with Adam: IG: @AdamJacobsNYC Twitter: @adamjacobsnyc Stream on Spotify Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at [email protected]. I want to know what you think. Thank you to our friends Jukebox The Ghost for our intro and outro music. You can find them on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @jukeboxtheghost or via the web via jukeboxtheghost.com. A very special thanks to our patrons who help make this podcast possible! Cheryl Hodges-Selden, Paul Seales, David Seales If you would like to see your name in this show notes or get a shout out on the pod itself, visit ttp.fm/patreon to become a member and show your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices