Saturday, February 20, 2010
Photo
Photo courtesy of Broadway World .Austintown native Dominic Roberts is performing in the national tour of "Mary Poppins." Roberts is a member of the original Broadway company of "Mary Poppins." .
By GRACE WYLER gwyler@vindy.com
Dominic Roberts was not born to sing and dance.
The 27-year-old Broadway actor did not get involved in musical theater until middle school and played baseball and hockey at Austintown Fitch High School. But Roberts has strayed from his athletic roots to pursue a successful career in musical theater.
Roberts is a member of the original Broadway cast of “Mary Poppins,” the stage adaptation of the famous Disney film. The show was nominated for several Tony awards, and the cast performed the acrobatic musical number “Step in Time” at the 2007 Tony awards show.
“I have reached so many of my career goals,” Roberts said. “I was in the original company of a Broadway show, which is a huge honor.”
Roberts, who performed with the company in New York for two years, is now traveling with the national tour of “Mary Poppins.”
Roberts performs with the chorus and as an understudy for Burt, the male lead played by Dick Van Dyke in the movie. He has given the lead performance about 25 times on the tour.
“It is a lot of fun to play the lead role in a national tour,” Roberts said. “I have learned so much from the other members of the company.”
Roberts got his musical start performing with Youngstown’s Easy Street productions. He was accepted to Baldwin-Wallace College’s musical conservatory, where he got his bachelor’s degree in music and musical theater.
Roberts moved to New York in 2004 to pursue acting. He performed in several off-Broadway shows before he was cast in “Mary Poppins” in 2006.
Roberts has returned to Ohio to perform at the Carousel Theater and with Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park.
He is considering graduate education after the “Mary Poppins” tour comes to a close.
“It takes a lot of energy to pursue this career,” Roberts said. “I have already reached a lot of my career goals.”