Pebblebrook grad returns to Atlanta in ‘The Book of Mormon’ tour

Sam McLellan and the company of The Book of Mormon Jarius Miquel Cliett will star as Mafala Hatimbi at the Fox Theatre from June - Photo by Julieta Cervantes When Jarius Miquel Cliett was at Pebblebrook High School he wasn t positive that he would pursue a career in musical theater Despite being part of Pebblebrook s magnet effort Cobb County Center for Excellence in the Performing Arts CCCEPA heading into his senior year Cliett considered pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering Outside of his chamber choir requirements he revealed that during his time at Pebblebrook he only auditioned for three shows and performed in just one During his final year at school one of his advisors Evelyn White pulled him aside and very adamantly described him he should pursue music But despite little hints here and there it didn t become crystal clear that the stage was calling him until the end of his graduate career at Georgia State University Acting and warbling was just something I did Cliett mentioned I didn t really know that there was a full on career And yet Cliett has made a career out of being on the stage appearing in shows like Noel The Musical Once on This Island My Fair Lady and more He can next be seen in the national tour of The Book of Mormon playing Mafala Hatimbi The tour will be at the Fox Theatre from June - The Book of Mormon features music lyrics and a book by Trey Parker Matt Stone and Robert Lopez The musical farce follows two Mormon missionaries as they try to spread their faith throughout a remote Ugandan village For Cliett this is a full circle moment The first time he saw The Book of Mormon was at the Fox back in This is the second time he will appear in The Book of Mormon national tour but the first time he ll be playing a principal role Now my face is in the campaign he explained The first time Cliett auditioned for The Book of Mormon back in he didn t have an agent he now does He announced the the majority essential advice he gives to young people looking to pursue a career in the arts is to not be afraid to reach out on their own They re kind of shocked he disclosed about the reaction he gets They re like oh my god You email casting directors Yes I do That s even before I had an agent booking The Book of Mormon the first time I did it it was all through me Cliett reported he thinks being able to watch the performance of Mafala during his initial run in The Book of Mormon helped him prepare to step into the role himself Before this tour the last time he held a principal role was as Coalhouse Walker Jr in Ragtime at the Duluth Playhouse in Minnesota Your prep is going to be the same he revealed of being in the ensemble and taking on a lead role You approach it the same way with a certain amount of gratitude a certain amount of focus and preparedness Cliett noted that part of the reason he felt confident enough to pursue a career onstage was the experience of seeing other nonwhite actors inhabit the space On his first trip to New York City his mom took him to see In the Heights Lin-Manuel Miranda s musical prior to Hamilton Being a kid from Atlanta and seeing Broadway performers sing and dance to hip-hop songs helped him realize there was a place for him in the industry Seeing hip-hop on a Broadway stage altered everything he announced There s a sense of things I identify with while also still liking Ragtime and classics It s a nice ebb and flow Tickets for The Book of Mormon at the Fox Theatre can be purchased online The post Pebblebrook grad returns to Atlanta in The Book of Mormon tour appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta