NR: Do you miss "Plague For Sale?"

JJ: My voice does not miss "Plague For Sale." A lot of my friends and family and fans miss all of that. It was fun but my voice does not miss it. After a year of that, my voice took a beating. I can sing along with the pop radio now. But that was such an undeveloped, annoying situation all year long also because it was almost something and then not, and it sometimes landed, sometimes not.

NR: Since you've been here since the beginning, how have you seen the League grow?

JJ: The League has done so much, the brunch that they're planning and all of the wonderful work that they've done. I know all of the wonderful groundswell work that they did for our show from the beginning. The last time I was on Broadway was Into the Woods ten years ago and there was nothing like what we have, and the support that we get from the League. So it's been pretty exciting and interesting. It was hard actually to get used to initially because you didn't know if it was appropriate even for you or for them and to see how close they were to the show, but then it really became a very supportive feeling.

NR: Do you have any theater superstitions?

JJ: No, not really. The same one, I don't like to quote from the "Scottish play" inside the theater. I understand why there's no whistling backstage for a million reasons. It began because that's what they used to call to make a drop of a drop. The stage hand would whistle to get that drop down so you can't have anybody whistle or you're going to get a flat on your head. Nowadays, it's just nice not to have anybody whistling backstage because it's so annoying.

NR: What do you wish you had more time for in your life?

JJ: That's an interesting thing you should ask. I know that I have a lot of time now to do some things if I want to use it wisely. I was just thinking today that I wish I had something that I really wanted to do right now. I mean, more creatively, like another side project or something that really interested me, that I can do for myself. I just got a computer and I know that there's lots of organizing and taking care of my life that I can do. Right now my life is pretty happy and I'm really enjoying my home life for the first time in many years. I'm enjoying a relationship and so I'm enjoying being at home. I wish there was more time to do things I want to do at home. And the other thing is I finally have the money and I don't have time to travel. I have only one day a week.

NR: What would you like to do in the future?

JJ: More of the same. I'd like to do another new musical. I'd love to create another character in another new musical again in my life, especially knowing what I know now, and have it be a larger character with a little bit more responsibility on me. I'd like to have a larger role that had more of a responsibility to it and to have the discipline that I would need to do that with. This involves a lot of discipline, but I don't have to go out on my own and crank out those big ballads like those guys do out there. I think I'm ready for that responsibility, so I would like to do that. I would like to also do some non-musical work here in the city, take advantage of this Broadway time to make sure I do some non-musical work on Broadway or Off Broadway here in New York, so I can have a bit of a film and television career also. I've got that "character dad, doctor" sort of thing and lots of roles that would be available to me and I want them to be open to me in this career. Unfortunately, in New York, you get pigeon-holed and if you do musical theater, you don't really get into that. I've done a bit of film and television and I will be able to work in that field. I want to make sure I get my foot into that field somehow. But I don't want to move to Los Angeles until they pay me to move there.

NR: OK, thank you.

JJ: You're welcome.

It was a pleasure to speak with James and share a laugh about his "adorable" costume. It would be fascinating to watch him take on more responsibility in a show and I hope he is given that opportunity in the future.

Questions suggested by:

John Bonavita, Stephanie Henkin, Renee, Lindsay Ribar, Peter Williams, Thom and Colleen Rosati

Interview conducted and photographs by Nancy Rosati.