Jesse Highley takes his stage role as the space ranger Buzz Lightyear very seriously. But he also has a lot of fun with it.
Highley plays Buzz Lightyear as part of the Disney Live Rockin’ Road Show at 12:30 and 3:30 p.m. Jan. 30 at the ShoWare Center in Kent.
“Buzz can do it all,” Highley said in a phone interview Thursday prior to weekend performances at Ontario, Calif. “He juggles basketballs, rings and bowling pins. He rides a unicycle. He flies around stage. And he has a song-and-dance number.”
The stage-show adventure features Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Goofy and Donald Duck in a fun-filled road trip looking for talent. The four characters soon discover Tigger, Cinderella and her comical stepsisters as well as Buzz Lightyear, Woody and friends from Disney/Pixar’s “Toy Story.”
Feld Entertainment, the Virginia-based company that produced the Disney Live Rockin’ Road Show, tracked down Highley for the Buzz Lightyear role because of his three years with the company working as a clown for the Ringling Brothers Circus.
“They asked me to come back because they needed an actor who could juggle, unicycle and fly around the stage,” Highley said. “They asked me if I wanted to be Buzz Lightyear. I figured it could be fun. I knew it would be a lot less makeup to put on every show compared to a clown and I would not have to worry about dodging elephant dung.”
Buzz Lightyear pops in and out of the 90-minute road show. Highley appears on a unicycle in the first act and later performs juggling and dancing acts.
Highley, 31, pumps himself up for each performance by spending as much as 15 minutes staring into a mirror and getting into character.
“In a sense, it’s like athletes who have rituals to get ready and pumped up for games,” Highley said. “I do that as an actor. I look into the mirror and look into the eyes of my character. It’s my way of calming and meditation.”
The Disney Live Rockin’ Road Show opened in August. Kent is part of its 75-city tour.
The production crew uses a giant video screen and multiple scenic projection panels to help the audience enjoy a visual experience with a backdrop that takes them through country hillsides, a cactus-filled desert, a royal village and other picturesque locales.
There are 15 cast members and about a dozen crew members on the tour.
“I’m having a blast,” Highley said. “It’s a lot of fun.”
Producers set up the show to entertain parents as well as children.
“There are references and comedy that the adults will pick up on and the children may not,” Highley said. “The children love the characters. There is something for everybody. But it’s not ‘come out and sit there because it’s just for the kids.'”
Highley, who grew up in the town of Peculiar, Mo., near Kansas City, became interested in performing when he saw the circus at about age 5 and decided he wanted to join the circus. He majored in theater performance at Central Missouri State University and then joined the circus as a clown.
But for now, Highley is all about playing the role of Buzz Lightyear so he can use his skills of juggling, riding a unicycle, flying, dancing and singing.
“You’ve heard of a triple threat but I’m more of a quadruple threat or even more,” Highley said.
If you go
What: Disney Live Rockin’ Road Show
When: 12:30 and 3:30 p.m. Jan. 30
Where: ShoWare Center, Kent
Cost: $48, $30, $25, $18
Tickets: www.showarecenter.com or call 253-856-6999
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