Staff Reports
Broadway star and fluid dancer Tony Yazbeck offered a message recently on his Twitter feed for the royal family’s Prince George after a national morning news anchor mocked the idea of the youngster’s ballet classes.
“Dear Prince George,” Yazbeck wrote. “Keep dancing and in five years time you can be on Broadway too!”
The princely encouragement is understandable from a performer whose smooth moves have thrilled audiences for years, in stage shows ranging from “On the Town” to “Prince of Broadway.”
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The actor, singer and dancer is set for his Cabaret at The Commons show at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at The Commons, 300 Washington St. in downtown Columbus. At least part of the performance is expected to be linked to his 2016 disc “The Floor Above Me,” which includes tunes spanning writers from George Gershwin to Coldplay.
“Acting, singing, dancing — it all comes from the same place,” he said last month on social media. “The instrument is the body, but we’re all storytellers. That’s what you have to do well to succeed.”
Yazbeck’s story began in hometown of Riverside, California. He grew up in Pennsylvania and Florida. His professional stage story began with a Broadway debut at age 11, playing a newsboy in the revival of “Gypsy.”
He reminisced with broadwayworld.com during a 2015 interview.
“The most incredible experience probably still, because it’s so heightened as a child,” he said. “Watching Tyne Daly from the wings every night, watching Bob Lambert do ‘All I Need is the Girl,’ and going, ‘I’d love to do that one day.’ Just incredible.”
Today, incredible is often a word used for the performer boasting appearances in TV’s “Smash,” and Broadway’s “Finding Neverland,” “Chicago,” “White Christmas” and other shows. Plus, at age 40 and sometimes finding himself dancing through seven shows per week, he told Dance Magazine last summer that he brings physical therapy tools with him even for stops at Starbucks.
The publication reported that his collection includes “a lacrosse ball, a muscle roller and a Chinese medicine tool for his neck.” He’s even careful about bending down to look at his phone, which he said is horrible for posture.
He is married to singer, dancer and choreographer Katie Huff, whose own credits for shows such as “Evita” are substantial. The two met while they were starring in the 2012-13 production of “Singin’ in the Rain” at the Drury Lane Theater in Oakbrook Terrace, Ill.
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Who: Tony Award-nominated performer Tony Yazbeck, known for his roles in "On the Town," "Finding Neverland" and other shows.
When: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Where: The Commons, 300 Washington St. in downtown Columbus.
Tickets: $45 and $60.
Information: 812-376-2638 or thecip.org.
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