It’s been a nonstop rock riot over at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre ever since laugh-out-loud jukebox musical Rock of Ages took the stage in April 2009. So it’s no surprise the show’s riotous ringleader Mitchell Jarvis kept the same tongue-in-cheek vibe going during a recent visit to his dressing room to see what personal items make him tick. “It’s mainly things that have accumulated over the last year,” Jarvis tells Broadway.com. “I don’t put a lot of care into it, let’s be honest!” The space isn’t Jarvis’ first on Broadway—the actor made his debut in the 2004 revival of Fiddler on the Roof. We imagine his Fiddler digs were quite different, though. Check out the kind of dressing room only a show like Rock of Ages could make possible.
“This picture was for our Rock of Ages calendar shoot. The funny thing about it is I’m acting—but [co-star and dressing roommate Adam Dannheisser] isn’t. The photo does depict the closeness we force in the show every night. Which brings me to this severed head…”
“…I plaster all my co-stars so I can make [a model] of their severed heads to hang above their stations. It just lets them know who’s boss and what happens if that order is tampered with. I keep the heads like trophies.” [The head was actually made for Dannheisser during his Broadway run in Cymbeline.]
“I got this automatic wine opener for opening night. I like to crack open a nice bottle of Bordeaux before each show. Then polish it off before I head home.”
“My father was a Mexican luchador. His father was a luchador before him. They were renowned as two of the greatest wrestlers in Mexican history. It’s an interesting fact. I’m not sure if the Broadway community is aware of it, but I come from a long line of accomplished Mexican wrestlers and am very proud of it.”
“Oh, this? This is my Anti-Monkeybutt Powder. It’s just there because I sweat a lot during the show. You know, you don’t want to do deal with any chafing.”