NOTE: ARCHIVED CONTENT - FAN INTERVIEW FROM CIRCA 2000

[BEGIN ORIGINAL INTERVIEW CONTENT]

Greg Jbara is currently in the Las Vegas production of Chicago. When I went to see Chicago recently I sat next to Greg's Aunt Fran. We had a nice chat during intermission. After the show I was waiting for a cast member friend and we again exchanged words. Soon her nephew Greg came out and we chatted. So I set-up an interview session. He is a very talented man and I wanted to learn more about his career. As you will see he has worked a lot in various areas of entertainment, as shown in his bio below.

Greg starred on Broadway as "Billy Flynn" in the Tony Award winning revival of Chicago. He also originated the role of "Squash Bernstein" in the Broadway musical Victor/Victoria, starring Julie Andrews and originated the role of the dimwitted catcher, "Sohovik" in the Broadway revival of Damn Yankees! starring Bebe Neuwirth, Victor Garber and Jerry Lewis. His other stage credits include the Broadway revival of Born Yesterday with Ed Asner and Madeline Kahn, Serious Money with Alec Baldwin and Kate Nelligan, Privates On Parade with Jim Dale and Simon Jones, Forever Plaid, Das Barbecu and Have I Got A Girl For You!. Greg just completed work on three new films: Adrian Pasdar's feature directorial debut, Cement, also starring Chris Penn, Sherilyn Fenn & Jeffrey Wright; the remake of the feature film, The Out Of Towners starring Goldie Hawn and Steve Martin. He spent April of 1998 in Tuscany, Italy where he co-starred as "Snug the Joiner" in Michael Hoffman's film adaptation of Shakespeare's, A Midsummer Night's Dream with Michelle Pfeiffer, Kevin Kline, Rupert Everett, Calista Flockhart, Stanley Tucci, Bill Irwin, among others. Greg co-starred in the Paul Rudnick comedy screenplay In And Out, directed by Frank Oz. He is featured as "Angelique", the preoperative transsexual lesbian in the film version of Paul Rudick's hit play Jeffrey. Other film and TV credits include: The Pied Piper, One Fine Day, Married To It, The House On Carroll Street, Crocodile Dundee II, Suddenly Susan, The Drew Carey Show, Family Guy, Rocket Beach, Cybill, The Closer, The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles and Newhart. He sang Randy Newman's, You've Got a Friend In Me from Toy Story for US Olympic Ice Skater, Michelle Kwan's performance on the 75 Years Of Disney Music/TV special. Greg also appeared as "Kenny" in the Carnegie Hall concert version of Very Warm For May with Jon Lovitz for conductor/director John McGlinn. His recordings include the Broadway cast recordings of Victor/Victoria and Damn Yankees!; Brigadoon and Annie Get Your Gun on EMI; A Broadway Christmas, Unsung Musicals II, Unsung Berlin, Peter Pan and Drat The Cat! on Varese/Sarabande. He can also be heard as the announcer for Ripley's Believe It Or Not on TBS.

Greg was born and raised in suburban Detroit. He transferred from the University of Michigan School of Music's musical theater program to complete his BFA in acting at the Juilliard School.

CW: Hello Greg. It is nice to chat with you again.

GJ: Hello.

CW: I noticed in your credits you were in Forever Plaid. Was that off-Broadway?

GJ: No, I auditioned for this company they put together for the Ford's Theatre in Washington, DC.

CW: Have you seen the show here?

GJ: No, I haven't. I worked with some of the guys who originally put together the show here in Las Vegas.

CW: You have also a lot of recordings in to your credit. Are those all cast albums?

GJ: No. Some are studio recordings. Annie Get Your Gun and Pete Pan are studio cast recordings. Annie Get Your Gun [I] did with Kim Criswell and Rebecca Luker, at the Abby Road Studios in London for EMI. Drat the Cat was part of Varese/Sarabande. They drag up those shows that never were produced and do studio cast recordings.

CW: Oh, I wondered about that. Now let us find out more about you...you went to University of Michigan and then Juilliard. Were you always going to school to be an actor?

GJ: No, I had a minor in Physics and major in communications, partly because my folks were frightened with the concept of me trying to make it as an actor. I was trying to do the responsible thing [and] get a degree in television production. I have to admit they could not keep me off the stage. Ultimately I became a student of the school of music in their musical theater program. When we finally got that off the ground, I realized I was not going to get out of there in four years with my Bachelors Degree. So a voice teacher at the University of Michigan introduced me to the woman, who at the time, was the President of the League of Professional Theater Training Schools. After talking with this woman I realized where I really needed to be was in a performing arts school. So I auditioned with New York Performing Arts School and Juilliard. So I ended up at Juilliard.

I left the University of Michigan because if I was going to seriously pursue an acting career that was not the place to be at that time. Juilliard was more for acting and I also took voice lessons while attending both the University of Michigan and Juilliard. I have been singing my whole life. At the time I was at Juilliard they did not have a musical theater program per se. They had many dance and movement classes.

CW: You had a lot of training and it shows in your work on stage.

GJ: Thank you.

CW: What is your favorite musical role that you have played to date?

GJ: It is definitely this role ("Billy Flynn" in Chicago). Because up until this time, in terms of my theater experience. For me to play "Billy Flynn" is such a contrast to all the doofus I have played along the way. In Damn Yankees I was a loud-mouthed meathead catcher. In Victor/Victoria I played the large, silent, less than bright - as was assumed - body guard. So for me to play the leading man and to be a pro-active character has been a treat for me.

Smudge in Forever Plaid as my second favorite role. There is nothing like four-part harmonies. Singing and holding those chords is definitely the most satisfying singing experience.

CW: What musical role would you love to play in the future?

GJ: I do not have any desire to play any roles that have already been created or done. I am looking forward to being able to create my own leading role in a new musical. Being able to do it back in New York, this may sound strange, but the reason I actually left NYC was because I had achieved a status. I was only looking for roles that they were offering to other celebrities in Broadway shows. I was literally not getting jobs, because Broadway had gone Hollywood. They really were looking for box-office draw, in terms of the names of the people they were putting in their shows. So I figured, all right if that's the way it is going to be then I got to go move to Hollywood. Get myself some, you know, TV queues, so people will know who I am. Then I can do the shows I want to do back in New York.

Oh, they really have not written a role I want to do. I really would love to go back and do a lead role in a musical and/or play actually.

CW: I have heard that from other actors too. Yes, I see the Hollywood influence coming into new shows. You hear about it on theater forums. Whether it is good or bad has yet to be seen. We get lots of actors coming here to work after they have worked on Broadway. It is good for Las Vegas...and maybe bad for Broadway.

Are there any singers or actors you would love to work with? and Why?

GJ: Actually Gene Hackman, because I think he is one of the most personable, and a good actor of integrity.

If you look at who I have worked with Julie Andrews, Jerry Lewis, Madeline Kahn (God rest her soul) and Ed Asner, just in my theater life alone. I have had the luxury of working with such incredible actors.

CW: What was it like working with Julie Andrews? And also working with Madeline Kahn?

GJ: Well, when I worked with Madeline Kahn it was the revival of Born Yesterday. It was my first Broadway flop that was actually successful commercially. Then another play Serious Money that came from another theater and went to Broadway, I worked with Alec Baldwin and Kate Nelligan, American actors who really weren't as necessarily commercially established yet. Actually I had a crush on Madeline...I mean I was just, that lady was a doll. An absolutely beautiful woman, and just so genuinely spontaneous, imperious and funny when on stage. I learned many lessons from her, the power of being nothing, and that was just a joy. Actually the good thing about that gig was, that most of those people remained in my life: Franklin Curver, Ed Asner and the ensemble members. We are all still very connected and that is unusual.

Now about Julie Andrews, (laughter) I will tell you a very amusing little story. The first day of rehearsal for Victor/Victoria, we were all at the 890 Studios at Broadway and 18th. All the principals are sitting around a table. We are doing our first read-through of the script. The designers, creative team, the entire production team are all there for this read-through. Julie Andrews is there wearing blue jeans, and a semi-opaque oxford long-sleeve blouse and she had like a fairly...um you could tell it was a very classy, but sexy bra she had underneath. This woman looked fantastic! I am actually checking myself going, I think I am going to go to hell, I have a thing for "Mary Poppins." You know...(laughter)...Maria Von Trapp is looking hot to me here in jeans. I am going to get punished for this. You can't be feeling that way about...you know..."Mary Poppins." I was impressed by...the woman actually has a very...works very hard to loosen the crowd. Let everyone know that she is not that prim and proper, matron sort of spinster character she has been to play. She is sort of a gas and it was great fun working with her, because she was very generous with her time in terms of the cast. Actually she and my wife have stayed very close. Actually Blake (Julie's husband) will be coming out here in February scouting for his new movie, but will be coming alone.

CW: So you are married?

GJ: Yes, I am married to a lovely woman (Julie), who has taken my name. We celebrated our second anniversary this past December. She is working on her Masters Degree in Psychology. She was an actress when I met her back in New York City. There were other things that meant more to her. One actor in the family is enough.

CW: What do you do to prepare for the part of Billy Flynn?

GJ: Basically just get enough rest. It is weird as you have seen, it is not a physically demanding role. I just try to show up on stage a 100% present, clear and rested. It is not a difficult role. All I have to do is a warm-up. The opening number is quite easy to do and is a nice warm-up in itself. I do not do anything special to prepare.

CW: Is there anything hard about this part?

GJ: Well, when I first did the show in New York, when I took over I did it for three months when Marilu Henner started. I had come right over from Victor/Victoria and I really did not sing that much at all in that show. I had one big money note in the show in the Finale. I literally went from that into 2 weeks of rehearsal for Chicago.

I realized then that I was out-of-shape vocally. I actually took the majority of the three months to where I could sing the "G" in the We Both Reached For the Gun. I actually studied with D. Sabella who was doing "Mary Sunshine" in New York at that time. Sabella helped me with lessons to get rid of the tension. It used to be the terror, to not only get up to the "G," but hold it for a day-and-a-half. I don't even think twice about it now, it is quite effortless.

The other thing is worrying about tripping when coming down the stairs in the first number. I actually did that in my first performance in New York. It was the opening night for Marilu Henner and me, I came down those stairs and I literally missed the stair. I actually managed to stay on my feet, but it was very noticeable that I had missed the step.

CW: Why did you take this particular role initially?

GJ: Up to then I had been playing supporting comic, goof-ball roles. To play "Billy Flynn" the quintessential charmer, manipulator and leading man. To sing pretty songs and you get to share the stage with very attractive women...who faun all over you. (laughter) For me it was finally taking that next step. Being able to handle a leading man in a Broadway show, it was a no-brainier! I knew they were looking for a replacement for Jimmy, and I thought I got to have it. Actually, I believe the only reason I got the gig was that I showed up for the audition in my tuxedo! (laughter) So you got to think, for Fran Weissler, she said oh he looks good lets hire him. He can wear a tux and I am sure he can do a good job!

CW: I think you do the role very good and the way I think the role should be played. I think Fran may have seen that too!

GJ: Oh...thanks Carolyn, thanks. I am half Irish. Genetically I am predisposed to the character.

CW: (Laughter) So why did you take the part here in Las Vegas?

GJ: I literally took the part here, because the timing was right. Vicki Lewis and I did Damn Yankees together originally on Broadway. We have not worked together since we moved to Los Angeles. It was a great opportunity to do a show together. I really wanted to work with Vicki again and Nana (Visitor), as well. I had not worked with Nana who I actually met on this job, but admire our Trekkies. So I thought also there was a hook there. I also wanted to do the show in Vegas. There are towns you play or you have experiences in and I had never done a show in Las Vegas. It was O.K. for me commuting doing the show. I love doing the show.

CW: So are you living in Los Angeles and commuting to Las Vegas?

GJ: Yes, I was originally hired for Hal Linden's vacation. Starting the end of January I will be commuting and staying on the weekend. I have a job in Los Angeles, as an announcer on TV's Ripley's Believe It or Not on TBS. That is a steady gig I've got. We are coming up on TV pilot season too. I fly in every day during the weekdays. I live close to Los Angeles International Airport.

CW: What is it like working in Las Vegas compared to, say Broadway?

GJ: The way you are treated. The crew/people treat you with respect...they are nicer here. They treat you like a celebrity. For me it comes because they treated Ben Vereen and Hal Linden, and they treat me that way. I am not used to that. I am used to being treated like everyone else. Sort of a certain...I guess...privilege you get here, it is nice and fun. It is quite a change and I enjoy that.

The audiences here are different markedly less responsive. I think that is a product because you are not getting the same audiences here as you do on Broadway or on the road. People are not choosing to see Chicago to get that musical theater experience of a Broadway musical. The audiences here buy a ticket and are in their seats to see the musical Chicago. The show here is treated like an option of several Vegas' shows you can see. I think this reflects in the way the audience responds to the show. It is not just me. It is the entire show. It is a very different response than I have received on Broadway and on the Road.

CW: We get a lot of foreigners who do not speak the language. They have translators for the show for several languages. So if they are listening to the translator they are not going to get the same response. I think French, German, Spanish and one of the Asian languages.

GJ: Oh, I did not know that.

CW: Yes. I read it in a local tourist guide. So you will get a variety of people at the show that are just not here to see Chicago.

GJ: Oh, they are just here to see the big feather hats and topless ladies and the big production shows more. (laughter)

CW: Thank you so much for doing the interview.

GJ: It was a pleasure Carolyn, Thank you.

Greg is also on the internet and you can pop in and say hello, click here to access Greg's home-page.

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* Notes from GregoryJbara.com
Dead links have been disabled from the article.
Some spelling/word errors have been corrected (i.e. "community" changed to "commuting").
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Date of interview: Not certain, but Greg was in the Vegas production of Chicago January 18 - February 27, 2000.

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Original interview © Carolyn Weaver

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