Correction Appended
Last year, after Jonathan Schwartz '10 attended an open call audition in New York for the Broadway revival of "Godspell," one of his favorite musicals, nothing happened.
Not being a member of the Actors' Equity Association, the union representing stage actors, Schwartz had to wait in line for eight hours and hope that there would be spots left for non-professionals to audition. He was the very last person to be seen, and after a few callbacks, still nothing happened.
It wasn't until six weeks ago that Schwartz received a call that his name had been pulled to audition for one of the lead roles in a different show, "The Fantasticks," which is currently playing off-Broadway in New York. Schwartz raced to the city for yet another callback.
"They let me know that day that I got the part and would be doing the show in a couple weeks," Schwartz said. "It was a very whirlwind experience."
These days, in addition to attending classes, Schwartz performs eight times a week in New York. Tuesday is his only day off, and on the weekends, he stays at his home in Cranford, N.J.
"Teachers and administrators have been really helpful in rescheduling my classes to fit the performance schedule," he said. "I've also found it easy to do homework on the train. There is a lot of train time commuting back and forth," he said.
"The Fantasticks" originally opened off-Broadway in 1960 and ran a record-setting 42 years before closing in early 2002 as the world's longest running musical. In the summer of 2006, a revival opened at New York's Snapple Theater Center.
"The Fantasticks" is "Romeo and Juliet" with a twist: It tells the story of two teenagers whose fathers have pretended to feud for years but have secretly hoped their children would fall in love. Schwartz plays the boy, Matt - a role he has performed twice before.
"Matt is a hybrid of many of my favorite types of roles: the nerd, the young lover, the swashbuckling hero, the jokester," Schwartz explained in an e-mail, also describing the character as "very close to my own self."
"He's a naive young man looking to find adventure and make his own way in the world," Schwartz said. "My favorite thing about the character is that he has a really great arc and development over the course of the play. Starting off as an upstart, hormonally driven young man, he ends up learning many of life's toughest lessons the hard way and finally returns a wiser, more caring and mature person in the end."
This revival of "The Fantasticks" is directed by its book writer and lyricist Tom Jones.
"You rarely get the opportunity to work on a show like this where the writer tells you what he's thinking," Schwartz said.
Next week marks 50 years since the show's first production. "They are having a big celebration and inviting all the alumni from the cast," Schwartz said. "Mayor [Michael] Bloomberg's office is presenting a certificate. It's a big thing that we're all really excited about."
Schwartz admits that it is not easy working on a show with such a legacy in New York.
"There is a bit of pressure thinking that so many famous and amazing people have been doing this show," he explained. "But it's great that Tom Jones and everyone involved are adamant in making sure that I am able to make this part my own and bring my own spin to it. It doesn't feel like I am rigidly trying to fit into this mold. They cast me for who I am. I really feel like I'm part of this institution in New York."
The Cranford native has theater is in his blood. "I'm from a big theater family," he said. With a director father and choreographer mother, Schwartz said he has always been exposed to theater. He did his first show when he was 4 years old when he played in the ensemble of a community theatre production of "Oliver!"
Since then, Schwartz has performed in 35 musicals, including various productions at Cranford High School, the George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick, the Playwrights Theatre of New Jersey in Madison and Plays-in-the-Park in Edison.
"The Fantasticks" is not only Schwartz' New York debut - it is also his first professional Equity show. His favorite roles from past productions include Leo Bloom in "The Producers," Jean Valjean in "Les Miserables" and the dual lead role in "Jekyll and Hyde."
"I never took acting or vocal lessons," Schwartz said. "But I've always latched on to and loved musical theater. I've always loved singing. When I'd listen to a cast recording, I would always try to mimic what they sounded like or what they did."
At Princeton, Schwartz has been in Princeton University Players' productions of "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum," "A New Brain," "The Flood" and, most recently, "Tick, Tick ... Boom!" He has also performed with the Triangle Club and is a former music director of the Nassoons.
In addition to participating in student groups, Schwartz has been getting a theatrical education in the classroom. As part of the "Making Musicals" seminar, which was co-taught by English professor Tamsen Wolff and McCarter Theatre's producing director Mara Isaacs, Schwartz has had the opportunity to study the creative and development process for musicals. The class attends professional workshops and readings of new works and talks with directors, book writers, composers and lyricists.
"Every week as part of the class, we go through news in the musical theater world," he said. "It was pretty funny because one week I was part of the theater news."
Schwartz describes Princeton's influence on his career as "less academic and more the environment of success."
"Princetonians are very driven and excited and motivated to reach for big goals," he said.
Last year, Schwartz was inspired to attend the initial audition for "Godspell" after a group of Princeton friends attended an open-call audition for the Broadway show "Spring Awakening."
"I thought to myself, ‘OK, all right, I can do this too,' " he said. "I was really inspired by them taking initiative and going on an audition in the city. They gave me the confidence to want to go try it."
He said his work with the Nassoons also helped him prepare for his professional debut.
"I was nervous about being able to perform eight shows a week, but singing a cappella for an hour every night for the past three years has helped build my stamina vocally."
Because of his performance schedule, Schwartz is currently on leave from the Nassoons, but he plans to be back in late May when they record their upcoming album.
Next up for Schwartz is finishing junior year. He has considered taking time off to pursue his career, but at present his plans are uncertain. "I can always reassess depending on whether I'm still in the show in the fall," he said.
Schwartz currently holds a standard minimum off-Broadway contract with "The Fantasticks" of 13 weeks of performances, which ends in late June.
"At that point, I can leave if I want to, or they can find a replacement, or they can extend my contract," he said. He's looking forward to continuing the show after the semester ends and being able to enjoy the real working actor experience.
"I love this lifestyle," he added. "I really like having people enjoy this art form and enjoy what I can bring to it. It may not be a ton of money, but it's a load of fun. I've loved this experience since I was four and I don't see myself stopping."
He said, "I can't see theater not in my life in some way."
Correction
An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that casting agency Telsey + Company had cast Schwartz in The Fantasticks. In fact, Schwartz had been hired by the production itself.
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