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George Salazar

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George Salazar
Salazar at the opening night of Little Shop of Horrors at Pasadena Playhouse in 2019
Born (1986-03-07) March 7, 1986 (age 38)
Kissimmee, Florida, U.S.
EducationUniversity of Florida (BFA)
Occupation(s)Actor, singer
Years active2008–present
Websitewww.thegeorgesalazar.com

George Ernest Salazar (born March 7, 1986) is an American actor, singer, and musician known for his work on and off-Broadway. He made his Broadway debut in the 2011 revival of Stephen Schwartz's Godspell. Salazar originated the role of Michael Mell in the 2015 musical Be More Chill and performed in the musical's 2018 Off-Broadway and Broadway in 2019 at the Lyceum Theater in New York City. He originated the role of Grover in The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical[1] and starred in Pasadena Playhouse's production of Little Shop of Horrors as Seymour Krelborn.

Early life and education

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Salazar is originally from Kissimmee, Florida.[citation needed] He was raised in Orlando, Florida. His mother, Jonah, is Filipino and his father, George, is Ecuadorian. Growing up, Salazar focused his studies on pursuing a career as a doctor but switched his focus to the theater in his last two years of high school.[2] After graduating high school, he attended the University of Florida where he majored in Musical Theatre. In 2008, he graduated from the University of Florida with a BFA degree in Musical Theatre. He moved to New York City shortly after to pursue his acting career.[3] He is also an experienced percussionist on drumkit and cajón.[3]

Acting career

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George Salazar in the Broadway revival of Godspell.

Salazar's first break came in 2010 when he was cast as "Otto" in the second national tour of the Tony Award-winning musical Spring Awakening. The production toured the United States as well as Canada and closed in May 2011.[4] Upon returning to New York City from touring, Salazar earned his Actors' Equity Association membership.[5]

In September 2011, Salazar was cast in the 40th Anniversary Broadway revival of Stephen Schwartz's Godspell. In the revival, he was the "Light of the World" soloist, marking his Broadway debut. The show opened at Broadway's Circle in the Square Theatre on November 7, 2011, and closed on June 24, 2012, after 30 previews and 264 performances.[6] A cast album was recorded and released on Sh-K-Boom Records in 2012. During Godspell's run, he and the rest of the cast made television appearances on the Late Show with David Letterman, The View, The Rosie Show, and the Tony Awards telecast.

In the Spring of 2013, Salazar further combined his passions for theatre and music as a cast member and musician in the Off-Broadway production of F#%king Up Everything. In addition to playing the stoner drummer of a rock band, he served as the musical's on-stage drummer. This role was later reprised in 2016 when the musical changed its name to Brooklyn Crush.[7]

In the summer of 2013, Salazar became an understudy in The Public Theater's Off-Broadway production of David Byrne and Fatboy Slim's Here Lies Love, directed by Alex Timbers. In April 2014, Salazar rejoined the cast of Here Lies Love in an open-ended commercial run at the musical's original home, The Public Theater, as an onstage member of the ensemble.[8] The production closed on January 4, 2015.

In 2015, Salazar joined the cast of the musical adaptation of Ned Vizzini's Be More Chill as Michael Mell at the Two River Theater in Red Bank, New Jersey.[9] The production closed on June 28, 2015.[9]

In 2016, Salazar played Michael in the Off-Broadway revival of Tick, Tick... Boom!, which opened on October 20, 2016, at the Acorn Theatre at Theater Row.[10][11] The production ran from October 20 to December 18.[12]

In 2017, Salazar played the characters of Grover and Mr. D in the Off-Broadway premiere of The Lightning Thief.[13] The limited production ran from March 23 to May 6.[13]

In 2018, Salazar reprised his role as Michael Mell in Be More Chill in the Off-Broadway premiere of the musical at Signature Theatre Company from July to September 2018.

In 2019, Salazar played Michael Mell in Be More Chill at the Lyceum Theatre from February 14, 2019, to August 11, 2019, on Broadway.

In 2019, Salazar starred in Little Shop of Horrors at Pasadena Playhouse as Seymour Krelborn from September 17, 2019, to October 20, 2019. During that time he was featured as a musical guest on The Late Late Show with James Corden on CBS where he sang "Suddenly Seymour" with Little Shop of Horrors co-star Mj Rodriguez.[14]

In 2021, Salazar played Musidorus in Head Over Heels at Pasadena Playhouse from November 9, 2021, to December 12, 2021.[15] It is his first theatre acting role since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the first show to reopen Pasadena Playhouse.[16]

He can currently be heard as Agent Maxwell Fernsby in As the Curtain Rises, an original Broadway soap opera from the Broadway Podcast Network.[17]

Theatre credits

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Year Production Role Venue Level of Production
2010 Spring Awakening Otto Multiple venues National tour
2011–12 Godspell "Light of the World" soloist Circle in the Square Theatre Broadway
2013 F#%king Up Everything Drummer Elektra Theatre Off-Broadway
Here Lies Love Male swing The Public Theater
2014 Ensemble
2015 Be More Chill Michael Mell Two River Theater Regional
2016 Tick, Tick... Boom! Michael Acorn Theater at Theater Park Off-Broadway
2017 The Lightning Thief Grover/Mr. D Lucille Lortel Theatre
2018 Be More Chill Michael Mell Signature Theatre Company
2019 Lyceum Theatre Broadway
2019 Little Shop of Horrors Seymour Krelborn Pasadena Playhouse Regional
2021 Head Over Heels Musidorus Pasadena Playhouse Regional
2024 Glory Days Skip Symphony Space Off-Broadway

Filmography

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Television

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Year Title Role Notes
2016 Divorce Referee Episode: "Another Party"
2017 Bull Foley Episode: "What's Your Number?"
2019-2020 Superstore Eric Sosa Episodes: "Curbside Pickup", "Sandra's Wedding", "The Trough", "Deep Cleaning", "All Sales Final"
2020 Nancy Drew Sal Episodes: "The Lady of Larkspur Lane", "The Whisper Box"
2021 Impeachment: American Crime Story George Conway Recurring role
2022 Alice's Wonderland Bakery Dad Hatter Episodes: Another Alice

Awards and nominations

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Year Award ceremony Category Show Result
2017 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical The Lightning Thief Nominated
2019 Lucille Lortel Award Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical Be More Chill Won
2019 Outer Critics Circle Award Nominated
2019 Drama Desk Award Nominated
2019 Broadway.com Audience Choice Awards Favorite Featured Actor in a Musical Won
2019 Favorite Onstage Pair (with Will Roland) Won
2019 Theatre Fans' Choice Awards Best Featured Actor in a Musical Won

Discography

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Year Album Composer Role Label
2011 Godspell (The New Broadway Cast Recording) Stephen Schwartz "Light of the World" soloist Sh-K-Boom Records
2014 Moment By Moment Alexander Sage Oyen N/A Independent
2015 Be More Chill Original Cast Recording Joe Iconis Michael Mell Sh-K-Boom Records
2016 Brooklyn Crush (Original Off-Broadway Cast Recording) David Eric Davis and Sam Forman The Drummer Broadway Records
2017 The Lightning Thief (Original Cast Recording) Rob Rokicki Grover/Mr. D Broadway Records
2018 Two-Player Game Joe Iconis — Sh-K-Boom Records
2019 Be More Chill (Original Broadway Cast Recording) Michael Mell Sh-K-Boom Records
2019 The Jonathan Larson Project Jonathan Larson — Ghostlight Records

References

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  1. ^ "The Lightning Thief".
  2. ^ Daniel, Danica (January 19, 2012). "George Salazar Talks Spring Awakening and Finding God In Godspell During His Broadway Debut". Broadway.com. Retrieved February 21, 2014.
  3. ^ a b "George Salazar's Bio". Retrieved February 21, 2014.
  4. ^ "Spring Awakening on Tour". Archived from the original on February 27, 2014. Retrieved February 22, 2014.
  5. ^ Gioia, Michael (December 7, 2011). "THE LEADING MEN: The Men of Godspell — George Salazar, the Show's "Light of the World" During His Broadway Debut". Playbill. Archived from the original on February 25, 2014. Retrieved February 21, 2014.
  6. ^ "Godspell – Broadway Musical – 2011 Revival". Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved February 21, 2014.
  7. ^ "Playbill Video Feature". Archived from the original on February 25, 2014. Retrieved February 21, 2014.
  8. ^ Hetrick, Adam (March 5, 2014). "Ruthie Ann Miles and Jose Llana Set for Off-Broadway Return of Here Lies Love; Performances Now Begin April 14". Playbill. Archived from the original on March 10, 2014. Retrieved February 21, 2014.
  9. ^ a b Blank, Matthew (June 18, 2015). "Photo Exclusive: Spend a Day With George Salazar and the Cool Kids of Joe Iconis' Be More Chill!". Playbill. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
  10. ^ Clement, Olivia (October 20, 2016). "Tick, Tick...Boom! Opens Tonight". Playbill.
  11. ^ "George Salazar Theatre Credits". Broadway World.
  12. ^ "Tick, Tick...BOOM!". Keen Company.
  13. ^ a b Clement, Olivia (January 18, 2017). "George Salazar and Jonathan Raviv Join Cast of The Lightning Thief Musical". Playbill. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
  14. ^ Mj Rodriguez & George Salazar: Suddenly Seymour, retrieved October 8, 2019
  15. ^ "Head Over Heels". Pasadena Playhouse. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
  16. ^ "Pasadena Playhouse to reopen with Go-Go's musical 'Head Over Heels'". Los Angeles Times. August 18, 2021. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
  17. ^ "As The Curtain Rises – Broadway's First Digital Soap Opera | Broadway Podcast Network". Archived from the original on February 17, 2022. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
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