James Newman is one of three possible “daddies” in the touring production of Mamma Mia!
RICH LOPEZ | Staff writer
Rich@DallasVoice.com
Eight shows a week was not in Jim Newman’s immediate plan. But his current gig is about as good as it gets.
As Bill Austin in Mamma Mia!, Newman plays one of three potential daddies to a young woman searching for her father. He’s embodied the role for more than a year on tour now, and, like his character, Newman (he/him) sees this all as one big adventure.
“I love Bill, and there are a lot of similarities between us. He’s kind of a big kid and definitely an adventurer — which is my M.O.,” Newman said. “I came into this career seeing it as an adventure, so it fits.”
The Broadway Dallas presentation of Mamma Mia! opens Tuesday, April 15, and runs through April 27 at the Music Hall at Fair Park.
Not only does Newman love the part, he is also thrilled to work for a show that keeps him working and keeps him paid. Plus, the cast has become a family over the course of the tour.
So, for the time being, Newman is just enjoying this chapter in his life.
“It’s really just been too good of a gig, and most of us have been with it since it opened about 17 months ago,” he said. “For us older people, these kinds of gigs are a blessing. The creative team is sweet, and it’s so nice to come into this great atmosphere.”
Newman is also candid about how he was financially struggling through the pandemic, so to have a secure gig for the time being is comforting. He jokes that he is certainly earning his keep.
“Eight shows a week at 60 definitely hits different from the last time I toured 25 years ago,” he said with a laugh.
His last big road adventure was playing the Cowboy as part of the Village People.
Yep.
He was with the group for eight years, with about five of those years doing the actual Village People performances and the other years a bit stilted as the band muddled through legal drama.
But similarly to Newman finding Mamma Mia! after his post-pandemic situation, the Village People gig was a lifeline after he initially refused the invitation to join.
“The manager had seen me do Hands on a Hardbody, and they called me to ask me to join as the Cowboy,” he said. “But that wasn’t on my radar. I was in a show, and it was going well — until it closed all of the sudden. So, I called ’em back to see if that offer was still open.”
That it was. He joined when — at the time — four of the original members were still in.
Instead of nightly shows, he just had to do at least one show a week and maybe two songs.
The gig was steady and the group was essentially a corporation where Newman had a regular paycheck with benefits.
“We were treated well, and I got to see the world,” he said. “We performed with all these amazing people in those costumes. I mean, it’s almost similar to Mamma Mia!”
The significance of being a gay man joining an iconically gay music group wasn’t lost on Newman. But then, he saw how much bigger the Village People were, beyond the queer audiences.
“First, Broadway is a very insular audience, so to go from that to these huge audiences was mind-blowing. Watching thousands of people perform ‘Y.M.C.A.’ is freaky!” he said. “But you see these people who are coming for the fun of it all. I did not understand the magnitude of the band — especially as a gay man being part of this. And those songs will never die. They are everywhere.”
He isn’t lying.
The Village People — in its current iteration — made headlines when the U.S. current president selected “Y.M.C.A.” to use on the campaign trail. Then the group went on to play MAGA rallies, arguing that their songs are for everyone.
Newman gives them that last part, sure. But this isn’t his Village People. When he heard of these recent gigs, it shifted some of his feelings.
“This Village People has nothing to do with the Village People I was in. We would have never performed at that. And really, even if you’re not making a statement, playing an event like that is making a statement,” he said.
He saw it as a betrayal to queer people. And when the news came out as well that the group was claiming the songs weren’t gay anthems, it was hurtful for Newman.
“That made me so sad. Why spit on the crowd that made you? And then to play for people who are actively trying to squash gay rights?” he said. “The Village People were a part of my history, and I hate that I don’t have as much pride in it as I did.”
But he doesn’t let that get him down. He has more to be proud of, like his appearance on the now-historic Daddyhunt The Serial on YouTube, which won Best LGBTQ Film and an honorable acting mention for Newman at the Top Shorts Online Film Festival 2017. He also has his “day job” with Mamma Mia!, and he has a new boyfriend. The latter has become his most unexpected adventure.
When the tour started, his dating situation at the time didn’t work out with the distance and touring. But he figured he’d just be single on tour. But then ….
“This kid hit me up online. and we just started talking, and he turned out to be a funny and sexy guy,” Newman said. “I thought I’d be sort of an older mentor type, but then he offered to visit. And now we’re dating.
“It just happened, and I know I’m not having a midlife crisis.”
Newman laughs about the significant age gap (his boyfriend is 22), but then wonders, “Why not?”
“He’s so kind and thoughtful, but I was finding all these reasons for saying no, until I decided,
“ I’m just not gonna do that,” he said. “The world is on fire, and I’d rather stay in this happy place with him and not question it. I’m not someone who needs a relationship, but it’s been great with him.”
For tickets, visit BroadwayDallas.com.