Tonoccus McClain: Living a Why Not Life
The actor and performer Tonoccus McClain is known for many things like being a cast member of the national tour of The Lion King, performing Beauty and The Beast Live at the Hollywood Bowl, and The Little Mermaid Live in Taiwan, and his work on dozens of soundtracks and various film and TV projects. He is also my friend. And so when the opportunity to write and perform his own cabaret show happened, we spent a few weeks together in one session after another, talking on the phone and going back and forth over e-mail, hammering out a script that would talk about his life, encompass a lot of the conversations we’ve had about art and work over the years, and paid tribute to a lot of our shared passions and loves. There were stories that he told me for the very first time, and others where I had to find a way to describe and explain what his experiences meant and how to explain them. It’s a show about the Muppets and gospel, prejudice and Peanuts, the artistic life and growing up, falling in and out of love and growing older, and it is one of my very favorite things I have written.
Upcoming Performances
TBA