Baltimore’s where it’s at! Now run and tell that! Making its iconic return to its ‘home’ city, Hairspray on the national tour is playing Baltimore’s Hippodrome Theatre just in time for summer. In a TheatreBloom interview, we’ve taken a call with Jamonté D. Bruten, playing Seaweed J. Stubbs, and gotten to talk about this uplifting, joyous musical and what it’s been like to be back on tour after a long-standing ‘pandemic hibernation.’
Thank you so much for giving us some of your time, Jamonté; we really appreciate having you with us! Can you tell me what it is about Hairspray that made you want to be a part of it?
Jamonté D. Bruten: Honestly, I’ve been a huge fan of Hairspray since I saw the movie when I was younger. I think this story, the overarching inclusion, the music, the script— everything about this story, everything about this show is why we do live theatre. I feel like it was a perfect opportunity for us to come out of 2020 and the Pandemic and everything and just back to something fun. Yes, the story is complex and there are layers to it, but it’s just such a fun show. It’s such an amazing show to remind yourself of why we do this. For artists, I think sometimes we get so caught up in it. We just go, go, go all the time that we forget to take a moment and just realize, “I remember when I was ten or 15 and what drew me to live theatre.” And I think Hairspray is such an amazing show to do that with and to come back to the world of live performing with.
It has such an amazing message. It reaches so many different people. It’s a story about inclusion and I feel like that is something that is very important for us right now. That was a big thing for me. This show is a perfect show to get me back on my feet as well.
Is this the first show you’ve done since coming out of “Pandemic Hibernation?”
Jamonté: Yes it is, actually! It means a lot to me. Just like everyone else, for me during the Pandemic, things were up in the air. We didn’t know when we would get the opportunity to perform again or be in any type of show. Coming back with this specific show and then going on the road with it so that you’re doing it some many times and seeing so many different markets and reactions, it’s just a really great thing to get to experience.
Tell me how you and Seaweed are similar and how you’re different. What are you bringing to Seaweed and what’s he bringing to you and what has that experience been like for you?
Jamonté: Playing Seaweed has been one of the most fun, one of the most liberating things. I’ve played roles before but this one has my heart. Me and Seaweed— I just think about 16- or 17-year-old Jamonté. And I think about the optimism that I had at that age and the innocence that I had. Seaweed is definitely charming but he’s the optimist of the group. He has this cocky little high-school boy mentality about him, but he also has a lot of heart. And that’s where we are very similar. Out of all my friends, I’m known as the one who tries so hard to be positive and who tries so hard to see the brighter side of things. That is the big similarity between us. We’re both optimists, we both have a big heart. We love to have fun and rally everyone together. I look at Seaweed kind of like a bridge. He brings his world and his community and he kind of connects it and helps Tracy connect the two and bring the two together. And I’m big on that as well, even when it’s something simple like different friend groups. I try to bring everyone together all in the same room so we can all have fun together.
A difference I would say is that he’s so young. Sometimes I really have to dig deep to tap into the younger Jamonté. I have to remember that Seaweed hasn’t really experienced the world. He hasn’t seen the world in so many different lights yet. So there’s a lot of things that he doesn’t know. It’s easier to be that optimistic at that age because you haven’t seen some of the things you see once you’re older. That is definitely something that is different about him but that I absolutely love because it helps me remind myself of my younger self. I think everyone can tap into their younger self for many different situations. I look at Seaweed as a younger version of myself and I’m able to see the difference in how far I’ve come— the me that I am today versus me in high school or as a young adolescence. I have to tap into that younger me every night. And I love it.
And for the experience, I just love his story with Penny— with their inter-racial relationship and integration— I think it is so important that here in 2022 we’re able to see just how that started. Being able to see that from the standpoint of 60’s versus now and how far we’ve come and how much it’s come full circle is really rewarding.
Seaweed gets some pretty impressive choreography during “Run and Tell That” and of course during other numbers throughout the show. What has that been like for you, getting to have these big fancy dance routines? Do you consider yourself to be a dancer? Do you find the dancing challenging?
Jamonté: First off, I think it’s so fun. The choreographer, Jerry Mitchell, has made the choreography in this show absolutely amazing. It’s so easy to commit to it and to get lost in it. It really is a bunch of teenagers just moving. It’s really cool that I get to even perform this number and do “Run and Tell That” because it’s such a popular number. No matter what type of day I’m having, I could be having a rough week, a tiring day, but going and doing “Run and Tell That”? You’re forced to be present. There’s no way to mark it or do the choreo half-way. You cannot phone it in. That makes it so exciting.
I would say that I am a strong mover. I have so many technical dancer friends and I see what they do— but you know? For my body? There are limitations! I can pick up choreo, I’m really good at making it my own, but I would definitely define myself as ‘strong mover.’ We do want to become ‘dancer-dancer’ one day. But where we are right now? Strong mover.
There are so many topics that get broached during this show. Food is definitely one of them. Jamonté, what is your favorite go-to comfort food and is it the same or different from Seaweed’s go-to comfort food?
Jamonté: Ooh. That’s a goo question. You know what’s funny? There’s a part in the show— and I don’t want to give too much away— but there’s a part in the show where chicken and waffles is mentioned. It’s funny because before this show I wasn’t a big waffle fan. I love chicken, obviously, but I wasn’t a big waffle fan. I went to this brunch place— I don’t remember the name of it— but I had brunch, thinking, ‘I should probably try it.’ So I could get an opinion of it, and not be on the stage every day of the week doing this whole scene about chicken and waffles and not even know what it tastes like. So I tried it and honestly? That is one of my favorite meals now. I love waffles. I think that I love them more than pancakes. I have incorporated it into the show where Seaweed gets excited about the chicken and waffles. I’ve made it a bit. I make that moment so heightened. Waffles are a common love food for me now.
What is the moment that defines the show for you?
Jamonté: The moment that defines the show for me, I would have to say that as far as Seaweed is concerned is “I Know Where I’ve Been.” That’s the moment that brings it all together. We have so many different moods in the show, right? We have the exciting, the glitzy & the glam, and then we have the dreamy sequence, the optimism, and then we have the moments where we bring it down and we make it real. We have those real moments where it’s more vulnerable and it’s more stripped away. In those moments, you focus in on the script and the story and you discover what we’re here for. “I Know Where I’ve Been” is this moment where Motormouth Maybelle is having here moment, she’s having her 11’clock number, and it ties it all together. That’s the moment I feel connects Seaweed and Penny, which connects the overarching storyline of Seaweed. The storyline with Penny is of course a part of Seaweed’s story, but that moment where she passes Seaweed off to Penny it highlights “this is where we are.”
There’s this line— “there’s a dream” and we all move forward on that line; I think that’s the moment where I see “okay. Now we’re locked in. We’re tying this together; we’re connecting this all together.” And from that moment on it drives everything forward, right on into the finale. The finale, for me, defines the entire show. It defines everyone’s storyline. It brings it all together and makes it all make sense. Everyone’s story is told individually; you get a piece of everyone’s narrative and along the way you get some people connected but the end, the finale— that’s when it all comes together. I would definitely say “I Know Where I’ve Been” defines that for me because that’s the kickstart for getting to that finale.
What would you say has been the biggest challenge for you, coming back from “pandemic hibernation”, coming back into this very high-octane, high-stamina role?
Jamonté: I definitely will say the biggest challenge has probably been the physical and the emotional aspect of it. None of us are the same that we were before 2020. For many different reasons. There were so many layers to that— you had the pandemic, you had other things happening— it was everything happening all at once. We changed so much in that time that we may not even realized that we’ve changed so much. So coming back after that and coming back with this show that tackles a lot of the themes and things that we delt with in 2020, it really taps into an emotion that you may not have been able to tap into wholeheartedly before. It can be a little intense. Sometimes we try to balance things out a little bit, we try to force ourselves to distract ourselves in big ways or little ways— but with this story— you can’t. You can’t ignore things; you really have to commit and be vulnerable and listen and feel. It has been a big challenge for me getting on that stage every night and feeling it every single night. There’s not a moment where we can ‘check out’ or go on ‘auto-pilot.’ Because everything matter. Every little thing matters in this show. Every word matters, every line matters, every moment has motivation for the next moment. That has been a big challenge.
Also physically. Like everyone else, I was in hibernation, sitting on my couch. I didn’t do too much physical activity in 2020. I ate a lot. So getting back into it, I had to relearn my body. This is my first professional gig post-college. I graduated in the class of 2020! I definitely think that I’m relearning my body. I’m relearning the limits that I may not have had before or learning that there are limits that I had before that I don’t have now. It’s really teaching me how to build myself back up, especially in my stamina. This show is very high energy and it’s very athletic. Doing it as frequently as we do it— we do it eight times a week, sometimes twice in one day— you have to listen to your body more. And that is something that I didn’t do very well in ‘the before.’
I’m the type of person who likes to go, go, go! I like to challenge myself. But sometimes you do have to just sit back and listen to your body. Because your body will tell you what it can or can’t do that day, or how far you can push it that day. People think that physical health is just dancing and moving. But it has a lot to do with what you eat and how much you hydrate and how much you sleep and all those internal parts. I definitely am learning daily. Each day I’m learning how I can be in better physical shape and how I can make this athletic experience on this stage easier. I can honestly say that doing it for seven or eight months now, it is a lot easier than it was at the beginning. This show has a lot of moments where you can just strip it back because the main focus isn’t really on you or what you’re doing in that moment, so it becomes somewhat easier to breathe and pace yourself. But you have to know those moments and know when you can take a moment and rest and give yourself some self-care.
What is the moment that brings you all the joy? The moment in the show that if you’re having that ‘down’ day that just picks you up and throws your spirit into overdrive?
Jamonté: Well there’s so many in this show. I would have to say “Without Love.” I am a stickler for duets and collaboration. Everyone loves solos, and that’s nice, but I love having that moment with Penny, and Tracy and Link, and we’re all singing together with that music and that score. It’s really a musically driven number. I love getting to do that every night with the amazing Penny that we have— Emery (Emery Henderson)— I absolutely love having that moment where we can connect on a musical level. Every day is different for us and we’re able to be present enough to really collaborate and work with each other. When you’re working with another person you have to consider where they’re at that day, you have to consider how they feel in that moment. It’s just a really great moment, as an artist, to learn how to be able to really adapt to what’s happening around you. Realistically you can’t do it the exact same way every single night. That’s not authentic. It’s really nice having another person there, it helps me take perspective from outside of myself. When I’m doing “Run and Tell That” it’s a little bit different because it’s a solo number. It’s checking in with myself. When you’re having a duet with someone, you have to think about what’s going on with them in addition to checking in with yourself. I think that is definitely my favorite moment, and I tell her [Emery] that all the time. I tell her that “Without Love” it has my heart.
They do the big number at the beginning, “Good Morning, Baltimore!” What is it that gets you going in the morning? What’s your morning routine to get you going for the day?
Jamonté: I get up, I brush my teeth, I make sure I have a warm shower so I can loosen up the voce. That wakes me up. Then I love to go to the gym and do some cardio, have some movement. With this show it’s really hard to get on stage and do all that dancing and athletic movement without any type of physical warm-up early on in the morning. I like to get my body moving and get the sweat going and loosen up the joints. And eat something. Eating something is so important, that goes without saying, I know, but it’s really important with this show. I think about bananas and potassium. Nine times out of ten, we’ve just finished a show the night before and you’re waking up with an empty tank. So it’s really about keeping up with your body and keeping up with the work that you’re already doing and the physical aspect of it needs food.
If you can play any other role in the show— if age, gender, race, vocal range, etc. were not factors— who would you want to play and why?
Jamonté: This is such a fun question. I would honestly want to play Little Inez. She’s so on fire. She gets to have fun. She’s running around all the time. Because she’s a kid— she’s always high-energy literally from one end of the stage to the other! When you’re playing a kid, I feel like there’s just so much room for little— I don’t want to say ‘errors’— but little things to just happen, little things that you may not have control over or didn’t think about in order for them to happen. And because you’re a kid it just rings as so authentic and you just get lost in that. I feel like that would be so much fun.
What has been your big personal takeaway from the project up to this point?
Jamonté: The big takeaway for me is definitely a sense of community. With this show, because it’s such a big cast and the story calls for community, it really isn’t a story you can do without seeing it from other people’s perspectives. You have to be able to adapt. I know I keep saying that word, but it’s very important because every night is different. It’s really a great show to be able to consistently learn and experience new opinions, or approach situations differently than you might otherwise approach them. My opinions on things have altered based on what I’ve seen in this show. I’ve been able to tie things together in real life, put puzzle pieces together and form thoughts and opinions based on this show. These characters, when you’re playing them as much as we are, they influence you. They inspire you to think differently. They inspire you to react to things differently, to accept things differently.
It has definitely opened my mind in a new way. As you get older, obviously you get a little more settled into your thoughts and they’re influenced by your experience. Sometimes we lose that innocence, that youthful openminded-ness, we lose touch with how to have fun and live each moment on the edge. I think that this show really does re-center you. It brings you back and make you remember where you came from, in every sense of the word— as an artist, as a person, as an activist. It really does bring things back to the basics and the foundation of where we started. This show has made me be open to seeing things from new perspectives and new lenses.
What is it that you are hoping people will take away from seeing Hairspray? What are they going to walk out of the theatre talking about, and go ‘run and tell that’ to their friends?
Jamonté: Run and tell that! Run and tell your friends to come see this show! I want them to take optimism, awareness, and the ability to just speak up on things that they don’t feel are right! Leave with love, openness, being able to see different viewpoints, the other side of things. Like I said earlier, this show is honestly a story about unity and the coming together of different and opposing demographics for the greater good. Quality is the greater good. Everyone can exist in the same space and be happy and see each other, actually see each other, feel each other, and listen to each other without hurting or degrading one another. We are lacking that a little bit— a lot a bit— in the world right now. This story is so important right now because it highlights all of those things. Some people might see those things as miniscule things but they’re not. They’re big, important things in so many different realms, whether that’s work, or home, or school, wherever you are— just being in the world— these are big points and big themes that we need to be practicing daily— love, unity, togetherness, acceptance. And I want people to leave the theatre with that on their mind and in their hearts.
Now this is a hard one. If you had to sum up your experience with Hairspray in just word what word do you use?
Jamonté: You’re right, this is a hard question. One word…I’m going to say— openness.
Is there anything else that you wanted to say about the experience, about playing Seaweed, about Baltimore— where you’re due to arrive in just under two weeks— about Hairspray that we didn’t cover?
Jamonté: Baltimore! Yes! So excited to do this show in that city! I would definitely say this show is so much fun. The joy and entertainment— it’s the best. It will bring challenges to your mindset when you enter the theatre. I really want people to get out and see this beautiful story being told every night by such talented actors and beautiful people. Not just artists, but these are actual people behind these parts. It’s so much heart and so much compassion and commitment on that stage that no matter what everyone is going through the story will be told. And the story will be told in the lens of people, of individuals. It’s a big, big, big blessing that we have the opportunity to see this story being told in 2022. It’s such a blessing to see it live on stage in 2022 in the midst of everything— the state of the world, the pandemic, and the way things are for everyone right now— it is just such an important story. And it’s family friendly! Bring your children because the kids love it. They love being able to see all these elements coming together— the singing, the dancing, the costumes— there are just so many things about this show that will really draw you in. Regardless of how you want to view this story, you’re going to leave with something different. You’re going to take something away from this show that you didn’t come into the theatre with. This show highlights why we do theatre and why we like to go see theatre.
Hairspray plays June 14th 2022 through June 19th 2022 at Baltimore’s Hippodrome Theatre in the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center— 12 N. Eutaw Street in the Bromo Seltzer Arts District of Baltimore, MD. For tickets call the box office at (410) 752-7444 or purchase them purchase them online.
