haron Brown is one of the few actresses who gets two leading men for the price of one.
The stage and television veteran is one of the lead
characters in "Jekyll and Hyde," which starts a week-long run at Ovens Auditorium, Oct. 12-17. Brown plays Lucy Harris, the object of Dr. Henry Jekyll's affection and object of torment for
Edward Hyde. Jekyll and Hyde is played by Chuck Wagner.
"She is a dance hall girl and sometimes prostitute who basically is a decent woman caught in a bad
situation," Brown said. "This is a very challenging role because there is not a lot of dialogue involved, so I really have to get into what the
character is feeling. Dr. Jekyll treats her nice while Hyde abuses her."
Brown's appearance in "Jekyll and Hyde" is the latest stop on a show business journey that
began before she was born. Her mother is June Brown, who manages the Alley Cat Studios in Los Angles; her father is comedian Johnny Brown, who appeared on "Laugh-In" and "Good Times"
"There was never a time when I didn't want to go into the family business. It was what I grew up knowing," she said.
Brown's first major role came at the age of 3 when she appeared in commercials and did
some modeling. At age 13, she was the youngest actress to play the role of Dorothy in the national tour of "The Wiz."
Five years later, she became the first black female to play the narrator when she originated the role in the national tour of "Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat," which
she later reprised on Broadway.
On the big screen, Brown has acted in the film version of "A Chorus Line" and "Sister Act
II" with Whoopi Goldberg. She also portrayed Etta James in HBO's "Introducing Dorothy Dandridge."
Brown's favorite role is always the one she's portraying. Her advice to others interested in
breaking into acting is to look to those who have longevity.
"You would need to learn for people who have been doing this forever. If someone has
been doing it for 10 years or so, then they really don't know anything," she said.
"The level of professionalism has changed so much in recent years you need to learn from
someone who's been through it all."
Tickets for the show are $18-55 and can be charged by phone by calling 522-6500.
