The singer, actor, and overall funnyman Jason Graae has a dense resume that ranges from Broadway to opera, nightclubs to concert halls, television to cruise ships, and theater to CDs. "I'm on the road a lot to afford my fabulous life in Los Angeles," he said. "I don't see it much, but I hear it's great." His house is under the "HO" in the Hollywood sign, and "you can take that anyway you like."
Graae is a trouper in the truest sense of the word, and while his near future includes guest-starring gigs with various symphonies in Jerry Harman tributes and nightclub dates with Broadway star and frequent collaborator Faith Prince, he also takes time for labors of love. Scrooge in Love! is one of those labors, and in this world-premiere musical sequel to A Christmas Carol, he plays a somewhat mellowed Ebenezer Scrooge as he navigates his post-epiphanal life. Scrooge in Love! begins its run Nov. 25 at the Eureka Theatre under the auspices of 42nd Street Moon.
Previously, Graae starred in Little Me for 42nd Street Moon, has appeared at its fundraisers, and has known Artistic Director Greg MacKellan for years. "I just love the energy and spirit of the company," Graae said of the group that stages unelaborate productions of seldom-seen musicals. Or, in the case of Scrooge in Love!, a never-before-seen musical.
"When Greg called me and said, 'We're thinking about you to play Scrooge,' my first reaction was that I was too young to play Scrooge," Graae said. "And then I Googled him, and it says in the Dickens story that he's in his early 50s. So actually I'm too old for Scrooge."
Nevertheless, the 57-year-old performer signed on because, beyond his affection for the Moon troupe, Graae is also a longtime friend of composer Larry Grossman, whose Broadway credits include Minnie's Boys, A Doll's Life, Goodtime Charley, and Grind. For one reason or another (but not because of the music, Graae would say), these were all high-profile failures. But Grossman did have a hit off-Broadway in the early 1980s with Snoopy!!!, in which Graae played the title role. "He's one of my favorite people," Graae said of the composer, "and his songs are just beautiful."
In addition to music by Grossman, the new musical has lyrics by Kellen Blair and a book by Duane Poole. Jacob Marley is back in this sequel, along with a trio of new spirits who help guide Scrooge to a connection with the one true love he let get away. "It's been a wonderful challenge to play him, because while he's certainly happier and calmer, he's still got some Scroogeness in him," Graae said. "It's been a while since I've seen the character anywhere, but I didn't want to watch any of the movies because things stick in my mind, and then I start channeling Albert Finney or Jim Backus."
The score is "vintage Larry Grossman," Graae said. "There's like a period feeling to them, but also a freshness as well. My songs have a kind of motif throughout, and they are very conversational and very energetic."
Does he get the 11 o'clock number, the theatrical term for a big song that occurs late in a show? "I don't know that I have the 11 o'clock number. I have, like, the 10:20 number," Graae said. "It's a beautiful ballad called 'A Kitchen Built for 20,' about his being alone in this big house. The spirits have something that follow that might be called the 11 o'clock number that's really fun and sassy."
Graae grew up in Tulsa ("That's 'a slut' spelled backwards, in case you didn't know") and headed off to Southern Methodist as an oboe major. "I hated my teacher, so I transferred to Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and then that hateful, bastard, assface teacher also moved there, so I took that as a sign to put down the oboe and pick up at the start of The Pajama Game."
He headed straight to New York after graduation, and within a month was cast in a production of Godspell at Equity Library Theatre. "Scott Bakula was Jesus, and I think we all made $21 a week, but it was a very high-profile, showcase-y kind of thing," Graae said, "and I got an agent from it."
Over the next decade, Graae created roles in three new Broadway musicals, but all were short-run flops. Hollywood has provided much steadier work, and he has guest starred on numerous series including Six Feet Under, Frasier, and Friends. New York may be his spiritual home, but Los Angeles is where he is planted.
"It's where my life is, where my husband is, and where my house is," Graae said. "My husband, Glen Fretwell, and I dated for 16 years, and got married the summer before last, and Faith Prince was our minister. He's a landscape architect, and I highly recommend sleeping with a landscaper. We have a great garden."
Ticket info for Scrooge in Love! is available at (415) 255-8207 or at 42ndstreetmoon.org.