A nod to Madeleine Kahn in BLAZING SADDLES.  If you know the reference that might sum up, or at least give you a good idea to, my humor.  On the surface it may be silly but under the surface just a little savvy.

Welcome to my blog!

I’ve been intending to do something like this for some time but have never let the cojones drop low enough to allow myself.

Who am I?  My name is Jason (rhymes with Mason) Danieley (rhymes with Cocker-Spanieley)  I’m a “Broadway” singing actor.  Really a singing actor who has worked on Broadway a few times, off-Broadway a few times, off-off Broadway, in Regional theatre, Dinner Theatre, Summer Stock, at Theme Parks, in a Barbershop Quartet, on a Riverboat, in a Band, as a soloist with Symphony Orchestras around the world, in Cabarets, in theatrical concert stagings of musicals with symphonies, I’ve taught Master Classes at Universities… you name it, if it includes singing and acting or talking about singing and acting I’ve probably done it.

Wait, don’t run away so quickly!  It’s often a misconception that music theatre actors are these over the top, hammy types who don’t have an ounce of realism in their being.  That is definitely necessary in certain situations but not ALL music theatre is like that any more.  And that balancing act between styles is what we call the craft of acting.

And just because you are a singer doesn’t mean you can’t act.  On the contrary, you must be able to act exceedingly well and be quite flexible and facile to do so within the confines of what the composer puts on the page for you to sing; how soft, how loud, how long to hold certain words, your inflections and pacing is all laid out for you.  Now make that all sound natural and effortless!  Oh, and by the way the choreographer wants you to do these moves while you are doing all of that.  The moves may be a little complicated and make you winded but if you could make that look easy and not tiring we’d like for you to do that eight times a week.

No, this isn’t going to be a blog about the craft of acting for the music theatre and it’s not going to be a soap box for a dying or outdated style of acting in theatre.  I’m just proud of what I do and am continually curious and intrigued by what I am lucky enough to do for a living.

I’m a husband (to another singing actor. Do you know who?)

I’m a runner (half and full marathons)

I’m a dog owner (miniature schnauzer named Oscar)

I’m a joke teller (I excel at the dirty kind)

… any and all of these things may show up here.

I consider this my own private (Ha! Only everyone on the world-wide-internets can read it) blog where I’ll share whatever is on my mind at a given moment.

I’ve started writing now as I’m getting ready to begin rehearsals for my latest Broadway show called THE VISIT.  A musical version of the Friederich Dürrenmatt play by the same name adapted by Terrence McNally with music and lyrics by John Kander & Fred Ebb.  It stars the great Chita Rivera and Roger Rees directed by John Doyle and choreography by Graciela Danielle.

Come back periodically and see what’s happening.

As my great grandfather used to say:  “You be good… and I’ll try!”
Jason