Jason Forbach is an American actor and singer. He is known for having played Rapunzel's Prince and the Baker in Into the Woods,^[1][2] Raoul in The Phantom of the Opera,^[3] and Enjolras in Les Misérables.^[4]

Early life

Forbach graduated with his Bachelor of Music in 2000 from University of Missouri-Columbia where he was the recipient of the Chancellor's Emerging Artist Award that year. He went on to complete his Masters with academic distinction at New England Conservatory in Boston.^[5]

Career

In 2006, Forbach joined the Las Vegas cast of The Phantom of the Opera understudying the roles of Raoul and Monsieur Reyer.^[6]

In 2009, Forbach played the dual role of Rapunzel's Prince and The Wolf in Into the Woods at the Wells Fargo Pavilion.^[7]

In 2012, Forbach joined the 25th Anniversary national tour cast of Les Misérables as Feuilly and an understudy for Enjolras. He later took over the role of Enjolras playing opposite his real-life husband Joseph Spieldenner as Grantaire until the tour closed.^[8]

In March 2014, Forbach returned to Les Misérables in the second Broadway revival. Once again playing Feuilly and understudying Enjolras. He briefly took over the role of Enjolras again in October 2014 and left the role in November of that same year.^[9] He continued with the production playing Feuilly and the Factory Foreman.^[4]

Forbach appeared as Captain Albert Lennox in the 2016 and 2017 Shakespeare Theatre Company and 5th Avenue Theatre productions of The Secret Garden.^[6]

Forbach is also an award winning playwright having placed in the New Works of Merit Playwriting Competition with his play Heathen Hill.^[5]

In 2022, Forbach joined the New York City Center Encores! production of Into the Woods as the male swing.^[10] He would end up going on for Rapunzel's Prince for a majority of the run when Jordan Donica was sick.^[3] He moved with the production to the St. James Theatre for the second Broadway revival understudying the roles of the Baker, the Wolf/Cinderella's Prince, Rapunzel's Prince, and the Narrator/Mysterious Man. He opened the production as the Baker when Brian d'Arcy James was sick, and also went on for the Wolf/Cinderella's Prince many times including when Gavin Creel and Cheyenne Jackson were both unavailable for 3 days in August. He also played Rapunzel's Prince many times during the production's run on Broadway.^[2]

On November 21, 2022, Forbach returned to The Phantom of the Opera at the Majestic Theatre on Broadway for a limited run through December 5 playing the role of Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny. He had been a vacation swing in Phantom at the Majestic Theatre for several years, primarily understudying the roles of Raoul, Reyer, Marksman, and Hairdresser.^[3]

In 2023, Forbach went on tour across the United States to ten cities with the Broadway production of Into the Woods playing Rapunzel's Prince and understudying the Baker. He starred opposite Gavin Creel, Stephanie J. Block, Montego Glover, and Sebastian Arcelus all reprising their Broadway roles.^[11] On February 23, he went on for the Baker last second for the second act of the production's preview performance at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., he would then proceed to open the show's engagement as the Baker that weekend and play the role for the majority of the performances at the Kennedy Center while Arcelus was recovering from an injury. Andy Karl and understudies Sam Simahk and Eddie Lopez played Rapunzel's Prince in his place.^[12][13] On February 28, Forbach announced on his Instagram stories he’d be playing the Baker during the 6-day absence of Arcelus at the Emerson Colonial Theatre in Boston, Massachusetts.^[14] Simahk played Rapunzel's Prince in his place.^[15] He also played the Baker during the production's closing weekend at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center in Nashville, Tennessee with Lopez playing Rapunzel's Prince in his place.^[16][17]

Personal life

On February 9, 2016, he married actor Joseph Spieldenner.^[18]

Acting credits

Theatre

Source:^[4][6]

Television