On The Road: Josh Davis

Today’s edition of On The Road features the fantastic actor Josh Davis. He is currently starring as the menacing inspector Javert in the National Tour of the legendary show Les Miserables. Josh is a Maryland native, University of Delaware graduate and an artist and producer. In 2014, Josh made his Broadway debut in the Tony Award-winning show Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. He is also my current tour crush, and I included a video at the bottom of this post of him singing “Stars” so you’ll understand why. I know you all will enjoy this interview and I hope you’ll get to visit Josh and the rest of this incredible company on the barricade when they pass through your city! 

How long have you been a performer?

I've been acting professionally for 16 years.

Since you graduated with a B.S. in Business Marketing, when did you realize that you wanted to be on Broadway?

Hah. I don't think it works like that. I'd always liked acting and singing. I did all the shows in high school and sang in an a cappella group in college, but went into the world to pursue a career in advertising. Then went to work for a production company and while I was there found myself thinking about acting a lot. I was always singing broadway songs and Im sure my co-workers found it annoying. After 9/11 I was let go from my job (they had nothing to do with one another, just a moment I remember vividly) I realized I wanted to pursue acting as a career, but I don't know if I was so sure I would make it to Broadway. I just knew I wanted to be able to make a living as an actor. It wasn't until I was actually booking jobs that I realized it might be a possibility.

What is your favorite show you've ever worked on?

Every show is unique, but my contribution to Beautiful: The Carole King Musical was prob my favorite. Craeating new characters for a broadway show is pretty amazing and watching the show grow from a rehearsal room on 42nd St to a major Broadway show was just awesome. That being said being in Les Miz at this level was probably the most challenging. I'd done 3 productions of Les Miz prior to the National Tour and I got some bad habits as far as portraying Javert. This rehearsal process was very challenging cause I needed to break those preconceived notions of who I thought Javert was and how I was playing and singing the track. I think what I'm doing now is much better than I'd ever played him before and I'm thankful to the directing team for pushing me to get to this point.

How did you feel on the night you made your Broadway debut?

A surreal experience. But I think finding out I was going to broadway was actually even more meaningful. I wasn't hired to do the broadway show for Beautiful yet. I was just hired to do the out of town show in San Fran. I had to wait for Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil to give me their approval to move onto broadway. I was singing "You've Lost That Lovin Feelin" And that was their all time hit song, so they had final say over who sang it. I was in San Fran and on the night of our first preview the our producer Paul Blake came up to me and said, "So Josh, Barry and Cynthia came to the show last night and they loved what you did. So you're going to broadway." I immediately broke into a cold sweat and went to my dressing room called my parents and told them and then we all just started to cry. It had been a long haul to get there and it was an amazing reward.

I found this amazing video from your time in Beautiful when Carol King surprised the cast by walking out during the curtain call. Did you guys truly have no idea she was there? 

Nope - No idea. That's all real amazement. On our first day of rehearsal we were told Carole wished us her best but would very likely not come to see the show. It was all too close and personal to her and just brought up a lot of memories from the past that were too emotional for her. If you've seen the show you'll understand why. She did come to our first rehearsal when we got back from San Fran and that was a surprise. She gave us her blessing and let us ask any questions we had of her and was very gracious, but she said she just couldn't bring herself to watch it. So a few months went by and then one day during Broadway Cares Equity Fights Aids fund raising she just comes waltzing out of the stage right wing. She's finally come to the show and she was just so overwhelmed with it and how we portrayed these events of her life. It was one of the highlights of my time there. After that I saw her several times including when we all performed on the Tony's together. 

With fellow cast member Nick Cartell. He plays Jean Valjean.

What are some items you absolutely can't live without backstage?

My steamer (Mabis), My diffuser and essential oils (love my room smelling fresh with citrus, eucalyptus or cinnamon and cloves depending on the time of year and my roller to roll our my legs and back. Must haves.

What is the most interesting day at work you've ever had?

Well there have been several of those depending on how you define interesting. There was the time a drunk audience member tried to get on stage at Beautiful, or the time I fell off the band stand at Beautiful cause they called the show out of order by accident and of course when Carole came to the show. 

Who is the coolest celebrity you’ve ever met at work? 

Believe it or not Taylor Swift was one of the nicest and genuine celebrities that came to he show. She brought her parents and brother and usually celebs hang out for a few minutes and take a picture and then take off, but she stayed for about 45 minutes and talked to everyone. Turned out her Dad and I went to the same college so we had a nice talk about that. She just seemed like a very genuine person. Other notables were Harry Connick Jr. and Kati Perry. All were really nice and genuinely interested in what we did. 

What has been your most memorable moment on tour so far?

 Probably singing in a room with me the music director, and Claude-Michel Schonberg, the composer of Les Miz. He wanted to hear me do it without anything other than my voice. It was a surreal experience. After that he, Alain Boublil, and Sir Cameron Mackintosh all came back stage after our opening night and gave me some great feedback. I thought,"Ok this is it, this actually happened holy F*cking Sh*t", it was pretty awesome.

What is your favorite thing about your job?

The people I work with. Some of the most amazingly talented, creative and caring people I've ever met. And of course I get to sing every day. I love singing. 

What is the most challenging part of being an actor on tour?

It's a long haul. Eight shows a week and then traveling on our off day. It can be very tiring after a 5 show weekend. It's a marathon. Also, I REALLY miss my dog.

What is your favorite fun fact about Les Mis?

We use some beautiful projections during the show on the back wall. Some of them are actually Victor Hugo's original paintings. He was of course known as a writer, but he was also a very accomplished painter. Beautiful stuff.

What is your favorite number to perform in your show?

I love singing Stars. It's just a great song and I've come to appreciate it much more since I've gotten on this tour. I see it as a sermon that he is giving himself and the audience and that's how I've been playing it. 

How does it feel walking out onstage each night as one of the most legendary characters in musical theater history?

All the guys are down in their convicts costumes and we all joke around and talk about whatever, but then I take my position at the top of the stage on platform that looks like it's part of the ship. As soon as those two notes come down - Dun Duuun - that immediately propels me into the zone where I sorta "become" the character or at least helps me to focus in on what I will be doing for the next 3 hours. It's an incredible honor to and responsibility to wear these shoes, er... boots. Literally.

What is your favorite thing about playing Javert?

I think my favorite thing is how I've realized his own humanity. I think there is a tendency to play him or view him as the bad guy and I often get asked a question in an interview or by audience members about what it's like to play the bad guy, but I don't see him that way. He is a flawed character indeed, but his failure to be able to understand redemption is his downfall. And I think, there are many people in our world who indeed have that problem. Though things in Javert's world are very black and white he is faced with the idea that the world, and life in general, is not as such and his only alternative is to leave this world. It's a very sad story. Val Jean gets all the credit cause, you know he's Val Jean, but Javert is a more complex character I think. I don't mean from an acting stand point, just from the literary stand point. He's very interesting to me. 

Why do you think Javert lets Valjean go and then commits suicide?

Ah, well see the above answer. To elaborate on that, Val Jean is more of a New Testament Archetype while Javert is definitely an Old testament Archetype. Fire and brimstone. He even says to Val Jean, "Once a Thief forever a Thief." He just can't bring his mind to grasp that people can change and that people's circumstances can lead them to do horrible things that they regret. I think our current legal system has a very avert attitude towards drug offenders. We see them as criminals when in fact this is usually a public health issue. Of course people can do some pretty bad things while on drugs, but the nature of the problem comes from being on drugs themselves and we don't do enough or offer enough options for people to get the help they need until it's too late and they become another clog in the wheel of the justice system. I'm actually in the process of creating a podcast of my life on the road. It will feature me doing interviews with interesting people across the country and one of the people I just interviewed is a Public Defender in Iowa. We talk about this exact same thing in terms of drug offenders being seen as criminal rather than people who need treatment and help. It's not out yet, but I'll let you know when it is.

Is it totally emotionally and physically draining playing such a deep, ruthless character eight shows a week? How do you stay healthy and sane?

Doing anything for 8 times a week for 3 hours a day and giving every thing you have is exhausting. Yes, I'm definitely tired after the show, especially on the weekends where we have 2 on Saturday and 2 on Sunday and then travel on Monday to the next city. Luckily I've gotten in the habit of going to the gym 4 times a week and I do some yoga, and stretch every day. I have to. When I started this process I was not in the best of shape and my body was hurting, I actually think I'm in the best shape of my life now. I hope.

What do you love most about telling this story every night?

Sometimes I take for granted how powerful this story is, so I make it a point to talk to people who come to the stage door and ask them about their experience. As an actor I can forget how the story I'm telling is so personal to some people and how much the audience can relate to it. It's important to me to remind myself of that. 

What is it about this job that makes you come back each day?

Well, it's a job and I need to survive. I think of Maslow's hierarchy of needs. I need shelter and food first and I am able to provide that for myself with my talent which is a blessing. On top of that I get to work with amazing people in the crew and cast. On top of that I find this show to be deeply rewarding in a personal sense. I love the music and I love the story. And on top of that I remind myself that there is one person currently playing this role in the national tour and right now that's me and it's just an incredible honor. 

What is the best advice you've ever been given?

Listen. No, really listen and think before you speak. 

What piece of advice would you give your 18 year old self?

Buy stock in Apple, Google and Amazon and buy bitcoin and sell in December 2017. Man I would've been so rich now. Sigh...

Also, just try. I was so intimidated when I was young. I was afraid of failing or of making a mistake, but that is what it takes to become successful. You have to put yourself out there and I really didn't come to accept this till much later in life. Also learn to play an instrument. Man there's a lot I would tell that young man.

What advice would you give to a young person who wants to pursue a career in the arts? 

DO NOT sacrifice your morals and your self-respect. If someone asks you to do something you find distasteful or goes against what you believe to be ethical do not do it. Know that other opportunities will always present themselves. Know that if you really want to do it than it's gonna take a lot of hard work. Small progressive steps. Don't give up and take every opportunity you can. This business is all about networking and you never know who you will be working with and what that small job could lead to. Practice, practice, practice.

FUN FACTS:

What was the first Broadway show you ever saw?

Phantom 

What is your favorite Broadway show you've ever seen? 

I think the one that moved me the most was "Indecent" and "A light in the Piazza".

What is your favorite city you've visited on tour so far? 

Montreal, Nashville and Kansas City.

What is your favorite restaurant or bar that you've found on tour?

Girl and the Goat in Chicago and Blue Smoke in Greenville. I find a ramen place in every city we go to. Ken's Ramen in Providence is pretty awesome. Bring cash and don't ask for a to go bag. 

What is your favorite costume in Les Mis? 

That iconic black jacket. Menacing.

What is your favorite costume you've ever worn? 

I once played a potato. A very large potato. All you could see was my face and skinny legs in brown stockings. I was complete potato. One of my earlier acting jobs. Good memories. 

Images by Sam Fathallah

Des Moines, Iowa