Jump to content

Michael Arden

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Quirkellect (talk | contribs) at 21:21, 5 May 2016 (I updated his accomplishments in theater to include his recent Tony Award nomination.). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Michael Arden
Arden on Broadway, September 10, 2006
Born
Michael Jerrod Moore

(1982-10-06) October 6, 1982 (age 42)
Midland, Texas, United States
Occupation(s)Actor, singer
Years active2003–present
SpouseAndy Mientus (engaged June 23, 2014)

Michael Jerrod Moore (born October 6, 1982), known professionally as Michael Arden, is an American actor, singer, composer and stage director. He was born in Midland, Texas, United States.

Early Life

Growing up in Midland, Texas, he was active in the Pickwick Players, Midland Community Theatre's youth performing company.[1] He was a student at Trinity School, a college preparatory school in Midland. A Presidential Scholar in the arts, he received a scholarship to Interlochen Arts Academy as a theatre student, where he graduated in 2001.[citation needed] He was accepted on a full scholarship[citation needed] to the Juilliard School, where he was in the Drama Division's Group 34 (2001–2005).[2] He left Juilliard in 2003 to join the Broadway revival company of the musical Big River.

Career

Theatre

Arden made his Broadway debut as Tom Sawyer in the 2003 Roundabout and Deaf West revival of Big River. He also starred opposite John Hill in the 2004 off-Broadway show Bare, a Pop Opera. In Summer 2005, he played Nick, a sexually promiscuous gay man in love with a shark, in Adam Bock's surreal play Swimming in the Shallows at New York's Second Stage Theatre. He played the title character in Pippin for the World AIDS Day Broadway benefit concert in November 2004. He starred in the new Twyla Tharp musical The Times They Are A-Changin' based on the music of Bob Dylan. The Times ran January 25 to March 5, 2006 at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, California and then on Broadway at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre from October 26, 2006 to November 19, 2006. In 2007 he starred as John Robert in Ace, at the Old Globe Theatre from January 13 to February 18. In the summer of 2007 he toured Europe with Barbra Streisand as one of her "Broadway Boys." From July to September 2010 he played the lead role in a revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Aspects of Love at the Menier Chocolate Factory in London.

Arden's regional theatre credits include Pippin, God of Vengeance, Falsettoland, Tom Jones' Harold and Maude, West Side Story, Songs for a New World, The Common Pursuit and The Winter's Tale.

Beginning in October 2014, Arden played the role of Quasimodo in the new musical Hunchback of Notre Dame at San Diego's La Jolla Playhouse. The production ran from October 26-December 7, 2014 and at Papermill Playhouse from March 4-April 5, 2015.

Arden directed Deaf West Theatre's revival of Spring Awakening. The acclaimed production transferred from Los Angeles to Broadway, where it started previews September 8th, 2015 and opened on September 27th, 2015 at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre. [3] On May 3, 2016 Arden received a Tony Award nomination in the category Best Direction of a Musical for his work on the Spring Awakening revival. [4]

Television

He has appeared in television on ABC's Grey's Anatomy (episode "17 Seconds" as Neal Hannigan) and in Numb3rs for CBS. He has also been seen co-starring with Donald Trump in a Domino's Pizza television commercial, and with Regis and Kelly in a 2006 Commerce Bank commercial. He was cast in the Fox show The Return of Jezebel James, which aired and was cancelled after three episodes in the spring of 2008. Arden recently had a recurring role in the NBC series Kings as Joseph, the secret boyfriend of the closeted gay heir to the throne, Prince Jack Benjamin. He also guest starred in an episode of The Closer as James Clark, a schizophrenic murder suspect, as well as guest starring in an episode of Bones as Harold Prescott. He will be starring alongside Radha Mitchell, Jeffrey Nordling, and John Heard in the new A&E drama The Quickening. Producers of The Good Wife announced in August 2011 that Arden had been cast in a recurring role as a potential love interest for the recurring character Owen Cavanaugh (Dallas Roberts).[5] He starred in the FX series Anger Management.

Film

Having also done work in film, he is a featured actor in director Colin Spoelman's independent effort "Underground", the story of five friends who become trapped inside a cave system deep below a mountain ridge in central Kentucky. Arden's more recent work included the 2011 movie Source Code, starring Jake Gyllenhaal.

Composing and writing

As a composer, Arden has written several works, including Easter Rising,[6] As You Like It, and Ripley.

Personal Life

Arden is openly gay.[7] He is engaged to fellow Broadway and TV actor Andy Mientus as of June 23, 2014. He and Andy Mientus planned proposals to each other the same day, without the other knowing. [8]

Theatre Credits

Acting
Year Production Role Category
2003 Big River Tom Sawyer Broadway
2004 Bare Peter Off-Broadway
2005 Pippin Pippin Regional (Concert)
2005 Swimming in the Shallows Nick Off-Broadway
2005 The Secret Garden Dickon New York (Concert)
2006 The Times They Are A-Changin' Coyote Regional
Broadway
2007 Ace John Robert Regional
2014-2015 The Hunchback of Notre Dame Quasimodo Regional
Directing
Year Production Credit Category
2008 A Tale of Two Cities Assistant Director Broadway
2014-15 Deaf West Theatre's Spring Awakening Director Los Angeles
2015-16 Broadway
2016 My Fair Lady Director Regional

Filmography

Genre Year Title Role Episodes Notes
TV series 2006 Numb3rs Whitley "Backscatter"
TV series 2006 Grey's Anatomy Neal Hannigan "17 Seconds"
Film 2006 The Good Shepherd Pinafore Actor
TV series 2008 Cashmere Mafia Denis "Dog Eat Dog"
TV series 2008 The Return of Jezebel James Buddy "Pilot"
"Frankenstein Baby"
"Needles and Schlag"
TV series 2009 Bones Harold Prescott "The Bond in the Boot"
Film 2009 Bride Wars Kevin
Film 2009 The Cave Movie Sam
TV series 2009 The Closer James Clark "Identity Theft"
TV series 2009 Kings Joseph Lasile "First Night"
"The Sabbath Queen"
"Pilgrimage"
TV series 2010 The Forgotten James Poole "Mama Jane"
TV series 2011 The Good Wife Finn "Get a Room"
Short film 2011 Nurse Jackée Gabe
TV series 2011 Off the Map Pher "Everything's as It Should Be"
"Hold on Tight"
TV series 2011 Unforgettable Joe Williams "Lost Things"
Film 2011 Source Code Derek Frost
TV series 2012- 2014 Anger Management Patrick All Episodes Main Cast
TV series 2012 GCB Reverend Steve Stewart "Pride Comes Before a Fall"
"Adam & Eve's Rib"
TV series 2012 The Mentalist Evan Kress "War of the Roses"
TV series 2012 Nurse Jackie Gabe "Slow Growing Monsters"
Film 2012 The Odd Life of Timothy Green Doug Wert
TV series 2012 Royal Pains Homer "Some Pig"

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Work Result
2015 Ovation Awards Direction of a Musical Deaf West Theatre's Spring Awakening Won
2016 Tony Award Best Direction of a Musical Spring Awakening Pending

References

  1. ^ Wong, Wayman (April 1, 2004). "THE LEADING MEN: Candor and Ebb". Playbill.com.
  2. ^ "Alumni News". Juilliard School. September 2007. Archived from the original on 2011-11-11.
  3. ^ http://www.broadway.com/shows/spring-awakening-dw/
  4. ^ Times, Los Angeles. "'Spring Awakening' and Deaf West's unlikely road to three Tony nominations". latimes.com. Retrieved 2016-05-05.
  5. ^ "Exclusive: Good Wife Gives Alicia's Bro a Beau". TVLine. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
  6. ^ Gans, Andrew. "Easter Rises at Joe's Pub — with Arden, Butler and Pasquale — Dec. 21". Playbill.com. September 13, 2004.
  7. ^ Wong, Curtis (August 10, 2012). "Michael Arden Dishes His Upcoming NYC Gig, Charlie Sheen And Barbra Streisand". Huffington Post.
  8. ^ "Instagram". Instagram. Retrieved 19 November 2014.