Known to millions of devoted fans and social media followers of the musical Be More Chill for originating the role of the SQUIP in the 2018-19 Off-Broadway and Broadway productions, triple threat Jason Tam has a long history on the stage, dating back to his childhood in Honolulu, Hawaii, where he performed in community theater before making his 1993 Broadway debut, at the age of ten, as the young street urchin Gavroche in Les Misérables. Educated at such prestigious institutions as Honolulu’s private college prep Punahou School, NYC’s CAP 21, where he studied musical theater, and NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, from which he received his BFA, Tam has gone on to amass an ever-growing “fifteen minutes of fame” with his numerous appearances on both the stage and screen, including the upcoming full-stage production of The Jonathan Larson Project, beginning previews on February 14, at Off-Broadway’s Orpheum Theatre.
Among his memorable past roles on Broadway are Paul in the 2006 revival of A Chorus Line (he was also featured in Every Little Step, a documentary about the auditions and casting for the production), Xander in Lysistrata Jones in 2011, and David in the original 2014 cast of If/Then at the Richard Rodgers Theater, and can be heard on the 2014 Broadway album Carols for a Cure to benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. He was seen in the 2017 Off-Broadway premiere of KPOP with Ars Nova, for which he received the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical, and his many notable regional credits include She Loves Me at the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis, West Side Story, Oklahoma!, and Footloose at the Sacramento Music Circus, and The King and I at Casa Mañana in Fort Worth, Texas. Tam is also known on screen for his role as Markko Rivera on the daytime soap opera One Life to Live, appearances on Do No Harm, Guilty, Hawaii 5-0, and Beyond the Break, and on April 1, 2018, as the Apostle Peter in the live televised version of Jesus Christ Superstar.
In the midst of rehearsals for The Jonathan Larson Project, Jason generously made time in his busy schedule to answer our candid questions about his background, career, and some of his favorites, so our readers and his fans can get to know him a little more personally.
- What three emotions did you feel when you first stepped onto the Broadway stage?
Jason: I made my Broadway debut at ten years old, playing Gavroche in Les Misérables, and I felt terror and delight as the turntable spun me around to make my entrance. On top of that I felt a sense of belonging, like I was doing the thing I was put on this earth to do.
- Is there one role or show in your career that stands out as your favorite?
Frank Shepard in Merrily We Roll Along, because the show takes place over decades, and he changes drastically from the beginning to the end. It felt like I was operating at full throttle.
- What’s the most fabulous thing about performing live?
When the audience disappears. If I’m in a great scene with a great acting partner, the rest of the world falls away, and oddly enough I think that’s when audiences are most tuned in.
- What’s the most memorable reaction you’ve ever gotten from an audience member?
During Be More Chill, I never got tired of hearing from young fans of the show, who said it helped them spin their own anxiety and/or depression into something that fueled them, instead of something that weighed them down.
- What do you find most relatable about Jonathan Larson?
His persistence. He was a prolific creator, and he continued to create even when it felt to him like it was going nowhere. It’s an honor to help bring his undiscovered material to a wider audience.
- Which is your favorite song in The Jonathan Larson Project, the one you most look forward to performing?
“Pura Vida,” because I get to use my imagination to summon up the most beautiful forests I’ve ever encountered. Even though it’s just in my head, it still deepens my breath and lowers my blood pressure.
- Is there a dream role or show you’d like to play in the future?
King Lear, but that’s a ways off. So until then, I’ll dream of playing Alexander Hamilton.
- Who’s been the biggest inspiration in your career?
As a multiracial actor with Chinese heritage, BD Wong has been a huge inspiration to me. He was #UnapologeticallyAsian long before it was a hashtag, and he’s had the most incredible, and varied career.
- Which came first for you – singing, dancing, or acting?
Singing came first, at about five years old in a church choir, but acting was close behind. I played all the little kid roles in community theater – Randolph in Bye Bye Birdie, Winthrop in The Music Man, etc.
- What’s your first creative memory?
Putting on shows with my siblings. I remember making our parents watch us do an interpretive dance with scarves, about a seed growing into a tree.
- What’s your favorite comfort food or beverage?
I grew up in Hawai’i where there’s a big mix of Asian cultures – Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, Filipino, etc. So Asian food in general makes me feel like I’m at home.
- What three things do you always carry with you?
Chapstick, a reusable bag that folds into a little ball, and gratitude for all those who came before me.
- What three words would you use to describe yourself?
Peace seeking weirdo.
- If you weren’t in musical theater, what career path would you have followed?
I love sciences – quantum physics, marine biology, astronomy. I would’ve been drawn to something that connected me to the natural world.
- What’s the biggest lure of being famous?
Opportunity. The bigger your fame, the more projects get put in front of you, which equals more chances for you to find the next perfect thing to work on.
Thanks, Jason, for sharing an insightful 15 minutes with us; I can’t wait to see you again soon in The Jonathan Larson Project. May your fame, like your talent, be never-ending!
The Jonathan Larson Project plays Friday, February 14-Sunday, June 1, 2025, at the Orpheum Theatre, 126 Second Avenue, NYC. For tickets (priced at $69-164, including fees), go online.
