“I was in a production called ‘The Rosy Cheeked Ghost,’ and when I hit that stage in the second grade I said, ‘This is for me,’” said stage, film and television actor Mel Johnson Jr.
Decades later, his Broadway credits alone include classics such as “Eubie!” with Maurice and Gregory Hines, “The Rink” with Liza Minnelli and Chita Rivera, Bob Fosse’s “Big Deal,” Mufasa in “The Lion King” and most recently a starring role in the new Earth, Wind and Fire musical, “Hot Feet!”
He’s also been a regular face of The New York Shakespeare Festival, where he most recently starred in the revival of the musical “Two Gentleman Of Verona” for the festival’s Shakespeare In The Park.
He’s acted in every possible medium and a host of genres, but he willingly admits that the stage is his first love – particularly because that’s where his training began.
“I was fortunate to realize it that young and even more fortunate to carve a career out of that,” Johnson said. “So many times you find something that you like, but you can’t pursue it or are afraid to pursue it, and if you do pursue it you can’t grab it. Things just sort of fell into place for me in that way.”
Starting last week, his regional theatre credits have grown to include The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis as a featured player in Richard Bean’s “One Man, Two Guvnors,” based on the Italian comedy “The Servant of Two Masters” by Carlo Goldoni.
The play, directed by Edward Stern, is the slapstick tale of a man who has decided to be a servant to two masters so he can make ends meet. The play follows lead character Francis in his attempt to balance his duties and keep his bosses out of each other’s path.
“It’s a lot of doors slamming and running up and down stairs. It’s a fun time – and timing is everything,” Johnson said.
Johnson is making his Rep debut as inn owner Lloyd BoatengLloyd Boateng and is thrilled with the unlikely challenges of his latest character.
“Lloyd is Jamaican. I am not,” Johnson said. “And he plays the steel drum. I had never played the steel drum in my life – but I’m playing them now. It’s really a lot of fun, and it’s so well written that everyone has their moment to shine.”
Shining beyond the shadows is an experience that Johnson has mastered over the years. In one particular role, he still gets regularly recognized from a film that’s nearly 25 years old: as Benny, a mutant cab driver in the Arnold Schwarzenegger 1990 cult classic “Total Recall.”
“We were all out to dinner and we were all sitting at this table, and one of the waiters came to the table and did a double take,” Johnson said. “We had a big hoot and holler over that in the barbershop.”
He’s been in high-profile television shows like “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” “The Practice” and “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,” but none garner the attention as Benny.
“They show that film a lot, and because it is a futuristic film it ages well,” Johnson said. “And it was so well done and it was the last of the big films before CGI came in, and so it was sort of real. My arm was real. I had seven guys behind me moving it. The special effects guy actually got a couple of Academy Awards out of it.”
Just as he did in “Total Recall,” Johnson hopes to support the main character and make a long-lasting connection with St. Louis theatre fans through his role at The Rep.
“Raymond McAnally is fantastic and the show rests on his shoulders,” Johnson said, “but we have a great cast and everyone has a good time.”
The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presentation of One Man, Two Guvnors continues through October 5 at the Loretto-Hilton Performance Center, 130 Edgar Rd. in Webster Groves. For tickets or more information, call (314) 968-4925 or visit www.repstl.org.
