Paul Wong
Diversity and Inclusion Advisor, Executive Committee
About Paul
Paul’s previous theatre credits include 13 different Sondheim shows, including the lead role of The Reciter in the critically acclaimed PACIFIC OVERTURES (Stage Raw Musical of the Year), his Vee-Cee Award winning performance as Hysterium in A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM, LA’s first Ovation Award winning production of SWEENEY TODD (Anthony), LA’s first fully stage production of PASSION (Sgt. Lombardi, Fosca’s Father, Vocal Director) and the US premiere of the revised ANYONE CAN WHISTLE (George, Ensemble). His solo show is titled (what else?) SIMPLY SINGING SONDHEIM, ALMOST… He is the winner of the NAACP Theatre Award for Best Music Direction for DO LORD REMEMBER ME. www.Paul-Wong.com
MTG Show Credits
Fun Facts
I'm proud to be an MTG member because
I love getting to do shows that never get done elsewhere with amazingly talented performers.
Dream Role
Buddy or Ben in FOLLIES
Favorite Role I Have Played
Difficult to choose between Fredrik Eggerman in A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC, Charley Kringas in MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG, The Reciter in PACIFIC OVERTURES and Cosme McMoon in SOUVENIR
My Favorite Musical
MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG
Favorite MTG Show I Have Been In
HONEYMOON IN VEGAS
Funniest / Most Memorable Thing That's Happened to Me on Stage
I was playing Anthony in LA's first small theatre production of SWEENEY TODD at the original East West Players' black box theater space. Small theatre always being on a shoestring budget, Sweeney's 2nd floor barber chair/trap door into the bakehouse had been slow to complete and only arrived during previews so we hadn't had much time to work with it. Opening weekend I was offstage under Sweeney's barber shop, singing to give vocal support for the 2nd Act opener "God That's Good." I was standing too close to the trap door when Sweeney released his first victim and the edge of the trap door hit my right eyebrow. I was momentarily stunned and felt my eyebrow which was wet . I rushed to a backstage mirror to see blood running down from my split eyebrow. Applying pressure with a paper towel, I had literally only a minute before going onstage to sing in the "Johanna" (quartet), and I spent the entire number entering, singing for 45 seconds, exiting to get a fresh paper towel, applying pressure to right eyebrow, entering, singing, and repeat. The active bleeding eventually stopped although I needed stitches after the show. I spoke to a friend in attendance who said "yeah, I noticed the eyebrow and I didn't remember Anthony getting mugged, but I just thought, 'Wow, that's really good makeup'"... I can laugh about it now...
Languages Spoken
English