Brunswick native stars in ‘Amazing Grace’ at Proctors
SCHENECTADY, N.Y. » The hymn “Amazing Grace” is so popular (it’s on 11,000 albums and performed an estimated 10-million times annually) that it’s likely you listen to the song without even paying attention to the lyrics.
For those who do hear the opening words — “Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me” — it’s doubtful that but a few think of it as an autobiographical statement.
The musical “Amazing Grace” which plays Proctors in Schenectady for two performances on Saturday explores the life of John Newton, the man who in 1772 wrote those words.
In fact, in a recent telephone interview Jacob Shipley, the actor who plays Newton in the national tour, says the work shows Newton to have been a terrible wretch. But by the end of the show, Shipley insists the audience will be inspired by Newton’s turn-around. “They will fully understand the significance of the words.”
He adds that when the hymn which closes the show is performed, the audience always joins in. “It never fails. The audience is completely with us. They always, and I mean always, join us in the song. It sends chills up my back.”
At Proctors, those chills will be extra special. Shipley was raised in Brunswick, a community just outside Troy. He attended Tamarac HS and Doane Stuart. He developed his love of musical theater by performing at area community theaters. He’s appeared in “Over the Tavern” at Curtain Call Theatre in Latham and in “Next to Normal” with Schenectady Light Opera Company, and in “Les Miserables” with C-R Kids at Cohoes Music Hall. Several summers were spent performing at Mac-Haydn Theatre in Chatham.
It was C-R Productions that honed his love of musical theater and eventually inspired him to get a degree in musical theater from Ithaca College. He is especially grateful for his vocal training with Jim Charles, the head of C-R Productions. “I was tone deaf, but he worked with me and made me a singer,” he says.
As for “Amazing Grace,” he describes the life of John Newton as “epic”. He uses the same term to describe “Amazing Grace,” the musical. “Newton lived a fascinating, adventurous life. He followed his father into the slave trading business and later he was pressed into the navy by the British. After losing a battle, he was given to an African princess and became one of her slaves. Eventually he was freed, and on the trip home they ran into the storm that changed his life.
“The ship was sinking and Newton prayed to God to be saved. Miraculously the ship, which was filled with holes, remained buoyant and stayed afloat. He saw it as a miracle and everyone else on board called it a miracle. When he returned to England, he became a minister and campaigned against slavery.”
He says the harshness of storms vividly recreated on stage is thrilling for audiences, but showing the slave trade is emotionally brutal. “We don’t sanitize the situation. We show how cruel and dehumanizing it was to sell other human beings.”
He adds that some slave-selling scenes are painful for the cast to perform. “There are a lot of African-American actors in the show and it can be traumatic for them to experience what their ancestors had to endure.”
Shipley, who is Caucasian, says “I understand that. When I sing my song in that scene, as an actor I have to be as dispassionate as if I am selling a washing machine. In reality, I am aware that I am actually selling my friends. It can be very tough for all of us.”
Indeed, he says the cast has a number of pre and post show rituals they perform as a group that helps provide “a safe environment and a sense of emotional security.” Having the lead role on the stage of Proctors is a landmark experience for the 22-year-old actor. He last appeared at Proctors on the smaller GE Theatre in a Schenectady Light Opera Company youth production of “13.” “To be on the main stage – well, I just have no words,” he says.
If there is anything to mar his triumphant return to Schenectady it’s that “Amazing Grace” is only in town on Saturday and is playing two shows. That offers him little time to meet with friends and family. “I’ll get to spend some time with my parents in my hotel room between shows, but that’s about it,” he says.
But displaying the wisdom of a man whose ambition is to make a living in theater, he adds, “It’s a small price to pay travelling the country in a show that moves audiences every night. I’m living my dream.”
Amazing Grace at Proctors, Saturday March 17. Performances 2 and 8 p.m. Tickets at 518-346-6204 or proctors.org.