THE BRUTES: REVIEWS

“It’s an irresistibly dramatic scenario: siblings who split between the Union and Confederate sides in a violently divided country, enacting a tragedy about political conspiracy as a real-life plot bursts into flames around them.”

— LAURA COLLINS-HUGHES

“As a work investigating Shakespearean performance history, The Brutes wants to achieve some of the same goals as Theresa Rebeck’s Bernhardt/Hamlet, also about a famous 19th-century actor taking on the Dane. I found Wimpee’s juxtaposition of Shakespeare and history more deliberate and inspired than Rebeck’s, the friction of Julius Caesar’s simultaneous anti-tyrant and anti-revolutionary stances rubbing up explosively against John’s burgeoning plot.”

— DAN RUBINS

“At 75 minutes, The Brutes is a whirlwind, action-packed firecracker, but at its heart, it’s the complicated relationship between siblings perched on the edge of an impending tragedy but not yet in it that really makes this play a joy to watch.”

— VICTORIA TEAGUE

THE BRUTES OPENS

The Brutes opened November 23rd to a sold out crowd. Catch JD and the rest of the cast at the New Ohio Theatre through December 9th!

THE BRUTES

JD will be joining the cast of Spit&Vigor’s ‘The Brutes’ this fall as they move to the New Ohio Theatre in NYC.

“Spit&Vigor is thrilled to announce the NYC premier of THE BRUTES, written by Casey Wimpee (2007 NYIT Outstanding Original Short Script nominee / two-time Samuel French short play Finalist) and directed by Sara Fellini (MARYS LITTLE MONSTER / The Loft @ the Davenport Theatre).

Casey Wimpees wild and gripping drama, THE BRUTES, takes you backstage of an historic performance of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar featuring the renowned theatrical Booth family - brothers Edwin, Junius Jr. and John Wilkes Booth. This was the first and only time that the three brothers shared a stage together. The backstage drama becomes the focus of this portrait of their tempestuous relationship fraught with political conflict ending in an American tragedy.”

SENECA

JD can be seen opposite Isiah Whitlock Jr. in the upcoming Feature Film, Seneca, written by Armando Riesco and Directed by Jason Chaet. Seneca stars Riesco, and also features Shirley Rumierk and Stephen Adly Guirgis.  Enjoy some BTS from the set and stay tuned for further updates!

ANZAC DAY CELEBRATION RECITAL LINCOLN CENTER

JD will be performing works by Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon at Lincoln Center on April 24th, as a part of Daniel Lee's Anzac Day Celebration Recital. The program will feature a world premiere of Australian composer Andrew Howes' 'Bird Songs', along with works by Franz Schubert, Carl Vine and Sergei Rachmaninoff .

JILLIAN JACQUELINE'S SOMEBODY

JD can be seen in the music video for Jillian Jacqueline's Somebody, made for Amazon Music. Check out this article in Rolling Stone magazine about the video, directed by Justin Clough and give it a watch! 

See Jillian Jacqueline's Exuberant 'Somebody' Video

Nashville-based performer cuts loose in New York City for clip to accompany Amazon exclusive track

VSF Profiled for The Shakespeare Canon Project

VSF was joined by Eric Minton, creator of The Shakespeare Canon Project. Eric is devoting 2018 to travelling across North America to see all 38 of Shakespeare's plays, each at a different theatre. Eric joined the cast for a day of rehearsals and profiled the cast and company in an article linked below.

"Jeremy Funke, playing an attention-deficit Mercutio and the randy Nurse, and Jack D. Martin, playing workout wonk Paris and an arrogant Tybalt, leave their fellow actors in stitches during rehearsals."

VALLEY SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL

JD will be heading back to VSF this February as Tybalt in Romeo & Juliet! More details to come soon!

In Love with the Arrow Collar Man concludes run

In Love with the Arrow Collar man played it's final performance on December 2nd at Theatre 80 St Mark. Congrats to the cast, crew and creative team on a wonderful run!

In Love with the Arrow Collar Man review

"Charles is a sweet kid who turns into an efficient entrepreneur. He even develops a British accent when dealing with the outside world, nicely rendered by Martin." - Marc Miller, Theatre Scene

In Love with the Arrow Collar Man Review

"Jack D. Martin lends an alluring confidence to Charles, making it clear that he’s not just a pretty face."

Arrow Collar Man covered in Vogue

The Secret Life of the Arrow Collar Man, an Early 20th-Century Sex Symbol

Sketches of Charles Beach in a Norfolk jacket in an original ARROW scrapbook from 1913.

Photo: Courtesy of PVH Archives

Before you make your way to Theatre 80 St Marks on November 8th, find out more about The Secret Life of Charles Beach, The Arrow Collar Man, as detailed by LAIRD BORRELLI-PERSSON in this wonderful article for VOGUE Magazine. 

"The Arrow Collar Man was an early 20th-century sex symbol who, in his day, had about as large a place in the pantheon of hotness as Rudolph Valentino, Elvis, and the Marlboro man. This sophisticated yet implicitly sybaritic sex symbol hawked the wares of the Troy, New York–based Cluett, Peabody & Co., Inc., purveyors of detachable crisp collars and cuffs, which men attached to the body of their dress shirts. The Arrow Collar Man predates Jay Gatsby by 20 years, and, critics believe, is referenced when Daisy Buchanan says to Gatsby: “You always look so cool. You resemble the advertisement of the man . . . you know, the advertisement of the man.”

In Love with the Arrow Collar Man - LOGO Article

"A new play,  In Love with the Arrow Man, premieres this week at Theatre 80 St Marks in New York. Written by Lance Ringel, it charts Leyendecker’s amazing career: His Post covers popularized the idea of a rosy-cheeked baby New Year, a chubby Santa Claus in a red fur-trimmed coat, and of giving flowers on Mother’s Day.

“Leyendecker’s story has everything—an enduring romance, sibling love and rivalry, spectacular fame and fortune, deep sadness and loss......His art was genuinely extraordinary, and we are still feeling its impact today.”

Read the Full article by clicking on the link below!

IN LOVE WITH THE ARROW COLLAR MAN

After a great run at the NYNW Festival, JD will be revisiting the role of Charles Beach in a new full-length production of Lance Ringel's play, 'In Love with the Arrow Collar Man'. More details to come soon!

"The life of influential 20th-century American illustrator Joseph C. Leyendecker is explored in the new play In Love with the Arrow Collar Man. The title refers to the iconic advertising figure that the artist created, using life partner Charles Beach as the model. Arrow Collar Man dramatizes the lives of this pioneering same-sex couple, set against Leyendecker’s storied career, notably at The Saturday Evening Post. Arrow Collar Man is by Lance Ringel."