Homecoming for Pistahan Grand Marshall
August 25, 2008
SAN FRANCISCO — With a true Broadway voice and Disney-High School Musical looks, charming the crowd came easily to actor Adam Jacobs as Grand Marshal of the Pistahan Parade on August 9.
“It was an awesome experience for me to be welcomed by the community—I was taken aback by their graciousness and hospitality,” Jacobs said, who was joined by his mother (a Filipino immigrant), sister and wife. “I don’t think any other culture goes to those lengths to treat their guests as well as they treated us.”
Such qualities have appeared to rub off on Jacobs, a personable actor with a quick chuckle and smile.
The Half-Moon Bay native has fluttered the hearts of little girls in princess gowns as the Prince in the NETWorks National Tour of Cinderella, but he covets the role of Simba, which has in the past gone to Filipino actors who were just “a little taller and more muscular — that sucks!”
Jacobs fell in love with theater as the lead in school plays at Saint Ignatius College Prep in the Sunset District. He found a perfect role as Marius in the 20th Anniversary Broadway Revival of Les Miserables, a role he played eight times a week for two and a half years, singing the beautiful solos of the student revolutionary who falls in love. “Les Miserables introduced me to the Broadway community and was a huge learning experience,” Jacobs said.
Jacobs credits his parents for supporting his career from the beginning as well as his extended family who first attended his pageants in Salinas, cultural talent shows, community theater productions and piano recitals. “Early on, I had so much courage and support from the Filipino community,” Jacobs said. “I’m grateful to reconnect and rediscover the culture [with Pistahan].”
“We are grateful to have him,” said Pistahan Executive Director (and AsianWeek Creative Director) Al Perez. “He is a talented world-class performer and a good role model to Filipino youth.”
Jacobs prizes his work for the adrenaline rush of being onstage but mostly for “making people feel and transforming their lives,” citing his role in Harvey Milk at the San Francisco Opera as an example.
“People felt so strongly about that incident, and it let them relive those experiences and get a broader perspective,” Jacobs said. The candlelight march of 2,000 people followed by the performance “demonstrates the power of theater.”
But the pluses and minuses of being an actor are plain. He dislikes the instability “even though I have the credits” and the constant traveling while on tour (“it’s not as glamorous as everyone thinks.”)
Upon the closing of Les Miserables in January, Jacobs looks forward to “originating a role and working on it from the ground up,” entering television and film and making a record with folk, R&B and funk influences.
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Excellent article! But one comment… yes, Adam is indeed a goodlooker referring to your comment “Disney High School Musical looks”! But one might give credit to Adam’s sister Arielle Jacobs who was the lead female character Gabriella in Disney’s High School Musical tour for it’s entire run of 18 months, and who also participated and performed in the Pistahan celebration.
Your last paragraph makes it sound like Les Miz is closing in January ‘09 — actually, it closed in January of THIS year.
http://ibdb.com/show.php?id=5340