Aaron Pomeroy performs in the Leonard Bernstein/Comden & Green musical masterpiece On the Town. The latest production in the Reprise! Broadway's Best series runs Sept. 21-Oct. 2 at UCLA's Freud Playhouse in Westwood. For tickets, call (310) 825-2101.

Interview by Jeremy Kinser
Photography by John Skalicky
www.skalickyphoto.com

So Aaron, where are you from originally?

San Diego. I was raised there.

When and where did you begin performing?

My mom enrolled me in a tap class when I was 4 years old. I just took off with it and started dancing more. When San Diego Starlight Opera needed kids, my mom took me to the audition and they wanted me. That's how I started in musical theater.

Do you do "straight" shows, as well?

I'm more of a dancer, but I do sing and act as well.

Which shows have you been in?

I've been in over 50 shows. Kiss Me Kate, Cabaret, Footloose, Honk, Saturday Night Fever, Carousel, Oklahoma!, Phantom, West Side Story...

Whoa! I should have asked which shows you haven't been in.

I've been in a lot of shows.

What's been the highlight of your career so far?

Last year was really good for me. I choreographed Guys and Dolls. I performed in Kiss Me Kate, Cabaret, and The Goodbye Girl, having parts in all three shows.

On the Town is one of the all-time great musicals. In case some of our readers aren't familiar with it, describe the show for them.

It's about three sailors who get off their ship and have a free day in New York to do whatever they want to do. They're looking for love, excitement, and adventure. When they return to the ship they have to leave the people they've gotten to know and love.

What do you think makes the show special?

There's such great music by Leonard Bernstein. The music tells the story especially in the ballets. We tell stories through ballet. The music and dancing relates to people the emotions and feelings these people are experiencing.

If you were a sailor on a 24-hour furlough in the big city, what would you try to squeeze in?

I would do more Broadway show and theater. Probably visit the same places the sailors do -- the Statue of Liberty.

So you wouldn't be looking for Miss Turnstiles like one of the sailors?

(Laughs) No, not particularly. I wouldn't be looking for that person.

Harriet Harris is one of my favorite performers. How do you like working with her?

She is so funny and awesome. She's so interesting and inspiring to watch because she really gets into her character. She's a natural and you feel so relaxed as an observer watching her. She's wonderful and absolutely fantastic.

What's next for you?

I'm taking a break and then I go down to San Diego Ballet to do The Nutcracker and on tour with them to Montana and Wyoming and Arizona. Then we go back to San Diego to do the show.

What are your career goals?

I'd love to be on Broadway and do a little television and film work. Broadway is my main goal.