Young musical performer Josh Lamon, who is openly gay, has come a long way from his Poway roots in only a few short years. Along the way, Josh was in the hit Wicked on national tour, played Seymour in Little Shop Of Horrors with TV star Hal Linden and won a Barrymore Award for his part in A Year With Frog And Toad. Now appearing in the big Broadway/San Diego production of the classic musical Hair, we caught up with Josh in Dallas by phone.
San Diego LGBT Weekly: Hi Josh! We’re in San Diego where it is always beautiful.
Josh Lamon: I know. That’s where I grew up. Yes, way out in the sticks in Poway. I used to hang out in the Euphoria coffee shop in Hillcrest when I was in high school.
How did you get into theater?
When I was little, my mom used to take me to San Diego Junior Theater in Balboa Park. We saw every musical there. It was all I ever wanted to do. While watching The Muppet Show I would get into the costumes or wear whatever was around and force my family into watching me do whatever crazy show was in my head. Eventually I begged my mom to let me do junior theater. We found a little community theater in Poway that was doing Youth Theater. So I started there. Back in the days when Starlight Theater was San Diego’s Civic Light Opera, I begged and pleaded to audition for Gypsy. I got cast as one of the newsboys. And I thought that I was a big star!
What happened after your star-making part at Starlight?
I thought that I had a real big career going on with the newsboy part. From there I did Moonlight Amphitheater and my high school theater guild because it was my escape. It was the one thing I was really good at. I felt comfortable doing it.
What did you do after high school?
I went to an art school in Philadelphia for a year and a half. Then I began auditioning with the local professional theaters there. I got my Equity card, and I’ve been working ever since.
You’re lucky to get an Equity card because it isn’t easy.
It wasn’t easy, I had to lie and give them a completely fake resume. They thought I had a lot of experience because I said I had done about 150 shows and you only needed 50 to get in. So they gave me a card.
Did you ever work at the Old Globe Theatre here in Balboa Park?
I wish. I wish I did. I just saw Rocky Horror there and loved it. A goal of mine is to work at the Old Globe as well as the La Jolla Playhouse. It’s my dream and it always will be. A group of my friends just did Sleeping Beauty Wakes there, but I didn’t get to see it.
How did you get into Hair?
Originally my agent got me an audition and I turned it down. I’m really a character actor, and the show was transferring to Broadway. I’m not this hot crazy thing with crazy hair, so I thought it would be a waste of my time. The casting people wanted to see me and take a look. I went in and sang a song and left. Then it all kind of rapidly happened when I got call-backs for weeks in a row. At the final call-back there were about 50 people for four roles. It was a battle like a reality TV show. I felt there was no way in hell that I would get it. My agent called me the next morning and said we start rehearsals at the end of the month. It was really quite an amazing moment. It was eight years of hard work to get to Broadway.
It must have been a thrill to get into your first Broadway show. Broadway is the epitome of show business.
Exactly, it’s an honor. I know so many people who are phenomenally talented and have not had the opportunity.
