It was a couple of years ago that I was first introduced to the work of actor and singer Aaron Lazar. It was the Tony Award performance from Company featuring Aaron along with Neil Patrick Harris, Patti Lupone, Stephen Colbert, Martha Plimpton and a host of other Broadway vets. Although it was Neil who was front and center, it was Aaron who I couldn't take my eyes off.
Next three images via Amy Dickerson
I finally ordered my own copy of the DVD from Company, and got to relive the incredible performance from Aaron and the rest of the cast. Lazar attended Duke University where he earned a BA in music in 1998, while completing the prerequisite classes for medical school and taking the MCAT. He then studied at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music where he earned an MFA in musical theater in 2000. Only months after arriving in New York City, Lazar landed as the understudy to the lead in the Broadway National Tour of The Scarlet Pimpernel got the showbiz bug and abandoned his aspirations of being a medical doctor for the stage.
On Broadway, Lazar has appeared in Les Misérables, A Little Night Music, The Light in the Piazza, Oklahoma, The Phantom Of The Opera and is currently on stage in Mamma Mia. Some of you might recognize Lazar from role on television on A Gifted Man, Person Of Interest, Ugly Betty and White Collar and on the big screen in J. Edgar.
Company 2011
The Onion
