Rochester actor helps bring Edgar Allen Poe's life to the stage
To tell the tale of Alex J. Smith's heart, his recent role in "Poe: A Rock Musical" speaks volumes.
The rock musical saw its world premiere in a run of five performances ending on Halloween. The show was presented at the Ames Center Masquerade Theater in Burnsville, Minnesota, and its book and score were created by Minnesotan Todd Ortberg. It reveals the early life of author Edgar Allen Poe and his awakening as an artist. Smith played the father of Lenore, Poe's great love, in the musical, as well as a soldier and friend of Poe in ensemble numbers.
"I received a call out of the blue offering me the role based on some of my previous work on stage," says Smith. Alex Ortberg, the son of the musical's creator, Todd Ortberg, was the drummer for the 10-piece rock band that provides the show's music. He had performed in bands with Smith and suggested Smith would be a good fit for the musical.
Smith has lived in Rochester for the past seven years. He moved to Rochester from Rockford, Illinois, and teaches private music lessons at Pure Rock Studios specializing in voice, guitar and bass. He earned a bachelor of fine arts degree in musical theater from Rockford University.
Smith's interest in performing goes back to plays and concerts he was part of in elementary school. He recalls his first line in a kindergarten production. He played Farmer Brown and offered the exclamation, "Woooooooah!"
"I went to a fairly sheltered religious school as a kid, where we weren't allowed to perform secular works until high school," says Smith. "In fourth grade, we did a religious, hockey-themed, children's musical called 'Power Play' and I got to step out from the ensemble and sing a solo that I was incredibly excited for."
Over the years, Smith has played roles like Creon in "Antigone" and Chad from "All Shook Up." He also played Guy in the recent production of "Once" presented by Rochester's Calliope Theatre Company.
"Poe: A Rock Musical" is a bit of a departure from some of the other productions Smith has been a part of.
"The show is unique because it was conceived and composed by a rock guitarist," says Smith. "Todd Ortberg is not so much influenced by the current trends of Broadway as he is by the pageantry and theatricality of the great live acts of rock, pop and funk. The show takes you off guard and leads to mash ups of themes, characters, and styles of music that you would not expect to collide."
Smith says the Ames Center Masquerade Theatre has been an amazing venue in which to perform and prepare for the show. He describes the venue as a professional stage with wings, a huge multilevel set, and rolling set pieces. He also lauds the friendly and helpful staff at the center.
"Working with Todd has been great," says Smith. "His excitement and enthusiasm about this project have been infectious. It was exciting to watch him discover the depth and nuance that talented actors can bring to his words on the page. During the table read process when there was no movement or staging just speaking and singing, Todd acted as director and vocal director, explaining how things would look on stage and instructing us on how he would like the songs to sound."
Since "Poe: A Rock Musical" was a brand new work, Smith says preparation included some shifts and settling of the final book and score. The physicality of performing on a large and complex set was also challenging.
While "Poe" is a fictionalized account of Poe's days in the Army, Smith said it offered insights into the author's life.
"It was interesting to discover that Poe always saw himself as an outsider having to change certain things about his outward presentation to fit into the groups around him," says Smith. "For example, going by his adopted surname Allen for much of his early life or how he sought to distance himself from his early military service as he became a more well-known writer."
Working with a large live band for the show was a highlight for Smith. Music for the band was arranged by saxophonist Kenni Holmen, a heavy hitter from the Twin Cities music scene that tours nationally. Smith is looking forward to the upcoming release of an original cast album from the show.
For Smith, the vitality offered by musical theater is something that can't be replaced. "I think the medium of acting brings people together by encouraging empathy and highlighting shared human experiences," he says. "In musical theater when the emotions become too strong for us to express with mere spoken words, we must break out into song. As silly as this can seem at times, I think having a real tangible person in front of you on the stage draws you in in a way that experiencing that same thing through a screen can never do."
