The Medford resident was first drawn to performance by her late uncle’s college production of the classic musical
By Jim Flint
After nearly a decade away from the Camelot Theatre stage, Stephanie C. Jones is stepping back into the spotlight and into the shoes of a character she’s loved since childhood.
Playing the delightfully over-the-top Miss Adelaide in “Guys and Dolls,” Jones brings more than just vocal chops and comic timing to the role. She brings a deep well of emotion, sparked by memories of her late uncle, theater professor Paul R. Jones, whose college production of the classic musical first sparked what would become her lifelong passion for performance.
“The magic of that show never left me,” she said. Now, surrounded by what she calls “the sweetest group of humans,” Jones is shaking off the rust and rediscovering the joy of theater — this time with the audience cheering her on.
The original Broadway production of “Guys and Dolls” won five Tony awards, including best musical. Camelot’s production opened July16 and will run through Aug. 17 at the theater at 101 Talent Ave., Talent. Rick Robinson directs, with Karl Iverson serving as musical director, and Shannon Carter and Aubrey James Campbell as choreographers. Lyrics are by Frank Loesser with book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows.
A Broadway classic
“Guys and Dolls” tells the overlapping stories of high-roller Sky Masterson, who falls in love with mission worker Sarah Brown, and lovable rapscallion Nathan Detroit, engaged for 14 years to Miss Adelaide, a headliner at the Hot Box Club.
Jones is enjoying being back on the boards, especially playing Adelaide.
“I admire her strength and persistence,” Jones said.
After being engaged to Detroit for 14 years, Adelaide starts pressing the issue of marriage.
“Maybe she didn’t need marriage initially,” Jones said. “Maybe the excitement of engagement was enough while she pursued her performing career. But once she achieved her role as lead dancer, perhaps she was ready for a new path — marriage and kids.”
Tackling Miss Adelaide’s thick New York accent was not a big hurdle for Jones. Her mother’s family is from the Big Apple, so she’s been around that particular “New York bite” most of her life.
“I love hearing the sass in the voice of New Yorkers,” she said. “There’s a wit to it, even when it’s brutally direct.”
Finding her groove
Preparing for her first show in three years was tricky, but a challenge Jones relished taking on.
“At first, I felt a bit stiff,” she confessed. “In particular, it was tough getting back into the groove, like how I take blocking notes. There were definitely a few panicked moments before I found my rhythm again.”
If she could go back and talk to her 13-year-old self — watching her uncle’s production — what advice would she give her?
“Believe in yourself,” she said. “I would tell her, ‘You can do this!’ However, it was several years down the road before I started to believe in myself.”
Jones, 37, is a Medford resident. She was raised in Bakersfield, California. The family spent their summers at Crater Lake, where her father worked as a seasonal backcountry park service ranger.
She first moved to the Rogue Valley in late 2012 to audition for the local shows, hoping to work with her uncle Paul.
“At the time, he was performing and directing at Camelot,” Jones said. “We were able to do a show together in December of 2013, ‘Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Christmas Carol.’ Uncle Paul was Holmes and I played Belle in the ‘Christmas Past’ segment. We never got to interact onstage. He just watched as I played a ghost of someone from his past.”
From costumes to curtain call
An experience in Bakersfield led to her first big break in theater. She had been hired at the last minute to be a costume assistant for a production of “The Drowsy Chaperone.”
“I was watching a rehearsal from the audience side while sewing buttons on a costume. When I saw how much fun they were having, I decided to audition to be an ensemble dancer in their next show, ‘Crazy for You.’ I loved both dancing and singing.”
She was cast as the lead dancer in that production and was thrilled to take it on. Then something unexpected happened.
“As rehearsals approached, the director asked me to take over the lead role of Polly Baker. The actor who had been cast in the role decided not to do the show.”
Jones had never had more than three lines in any previous show, but she happily — if a bit anxiously — said yes. Taking on that leading role gave her the confidence to believe in herself, and the courage to embrace a whole new world of theater. Coming full circle, she played in Oregon Cabaret Theatre’s production of “The Drowsy Chaperone” in 2012.
Day jobs and dreams
Like many actors, Jones has had her share of day jobs to help pay the bills. She has cleaned apartments, worked for medical offices and done some housesitting. She currently is the company engagement director for Anima Mundi Productions, a Rogue Valley opera company.
“They’ve been incredibly understanding and flexible with my rehearsal and performance schedules,” she said.
Miss Adelaide was a bucket list dream role for Jones. What else is still unchecked on her list?
“I would love to do another Jane Austen play,” she said. “Or a comedic Shakespeare play. The language in Austen’s and Shakespeare’s work is just so beautiful.”
Now back in the spotlight and doing what she loves, Stephanie C. Jones is savoring every moment — and already dreaming of her next role.
For more information about Camelot Theatre productions and to purchase tickets, visit camelottheatre.org.
Jim Flint’s Curtain Call column publishes on the second and fourth Mondays of the month. Email Jim at jimflint.ashland@yahoo.com.
