Joshing Around: A Tale of Two Joshuas!

So, what happens when you combine two talented young performers (both named Joshua!), a terrific creative team, a lovely special guest star, and lots of great music? Something, I'm sure, to the effect of Joshing Around, which opens on Wednesday, November 9th at the Laurie Beechman Theatre for a four-show run. I recently had a chance to catch up with the two co-stars, Joshua Warr and Joshua DesJardins, and chat with them a bit about the show!

Jenna Esposito: Joshing Around! What a fun idea for a show. How did it first come about?

Joshua DesJardins: The idea for "Joshing Around" came about when JW and I met through MAC back in 2010. Both of us were featured in a "new artist" showcase, hoping to be nominated for a MAC Award (which JW was). As we began to get to know one another, we both knew a show together was inevitable.

Joshua Warr: We knew we had something interesting between the two of us - the fact that we're two VERY different people. We thought it would be interesting to play on the 'Odd Couple' factor of our friendship, with him being 'the Nerd' and me being 'the Diva' - we promise we didn't type cast ourselves! And next thing we knew, we were on our way to developing a show that would display exactly that - our major differences - but also, the underlying similarities between us. We ALL want to create art that is exciting and substantial and have an amazing time doing what we love to do, surrounded by people that inspire us to be better.

JE: I know both of you have done solo shows in NYC. Is this your first joint venture on a cabaret?

JD: Yes, "Joshing Around" is our first show together...although I, for one, hope it's not our last!

JE: What was the creative process like? Did you find it easier or more difficult to be putting together a duo act as opposed to a solo show?

JW: It has been exciting. There's a nice give and take to our relationship as friends and performers. He listens to what I have to say, honors my judgments, and then if I still haven't convinced him I am right, he's willing to talk it through! Haha! I'm joking, of course. I think this show is exactly half of us both. Though, I think it is best to say that Dessy [Warr's nickname for Desjardins] knows how to deal with my neuroses and issues fairly well...or so he makes it seem! He's a great balance to me, so the process with Dessy was incredibly smooth. I don't believe we ever didn't see eye to eye! I think a group process has its pros and cons. With it being a joint venture, lots of opinions and minds, the rehearsal process can get very heady - "too many cooks in the kitchen!" Each team member obviously wants their opinions and sentiments heard, but they can't always be honored. So that can get tricky. But in learning to work well as a team, common ground can always be found. On the opposite side, it's exciting to see what IS brought to the table when you have more than just a director and solo performer collaborating with the musical director. There's an incredible amount of information brought to every rehearsal. And this definitely helped some of the process that tends to take more time when doing a show solo, like choosing the songs to sing and fleshing out the through line, and publicity and websites. I mean, the list is rather endless when you produce your own work. So it helps to have, well, lots of help!

JD: The creative process for this show was long, but very organic. We originally began coming up with a concept for "Joshing Around" very early in the year. Our dear friend, Russ Weatherford first helped us shape the show into what message we wanted to leave our audience with. We then brought on Tony Bradford specifically for his positive and creative energy. So between JW, Russ, Tony, and myself (not to mention Dan Micciche, our musical director, and Karen Musey, our performer in crime), there were a lot of creative juices flowing at once. Sometimes it was difficult honing in on one idea, but for the most part, we are all on the same page. In the long run, it was much easier than putting on a solo show. Having an entire creative team behind you makes you feel truly supported. Heck, our third performer, Karen Musey, even helped build our website for us! As a matter of fact, that's what our show is about--creating art TOGETHER instead of for and by yourself.