Next to Normal's J. Robert Spencer Shows Off His Picture-Perfect Dressing Room

"There’s a ton of stuff in here!” Next to Normal star J. Robert Spencer says with a laugh, looking around his dressing room at Broadway’s Booth Theatre. As the Tony-nominated actor approaches his one-year anniversary as loyal husband Dan in the hit musical, he expresses pride in his “incredibly eclectic” yet homey backstage space. Choosing just five favorite things wasn’t easy, but Spencer managed to do it—and four of his choices are photographs or artwork with special meaning.

Photo by Jenny Anderson for Broadway.com



"My family section is number one, obviously. I have photos of my mom and my dad and my four sisters, and this is a favorite one with my wife Jenny Lynn, our daughter [one-year-old Raine] and our son [three-year-old Geddy]."



"When we were in D.C. doing Next to Normal, I was away from my family for two and a half months. When I finally got home, I came up five flights of stairs, and the first thing I saw on the door was ‘Welcome back Daddy.’ It was great.”



"I used to wait tables at the Olive Garden in Times Square. When I got Jersey Boys, the show put a billboard up right outside the second story window of the restaurant. Two years later, another billboard went up for Next to Normal—both of my shows, across from where I used to be a waiter. My father took this shot and gave it to me on opening night."



"The book Accidental Genius: How John Cassavetes Invented the American Independent Film is incredibly inspirational for any artist, no matter what field you’re in. Look at how I’ve torn this sucker up!"



"This is another nice memory from when we were in D.C. After almost every show, Alice [Ripley] and Jennifer [Damiano] and Adam [Chanler-Berat] and I would get together to paint and drink tea and sing. One night, I slapped some paint down and started shaking it, and eventually I could see an Indian looking up at the sky. I said, 'I’m done—masterpiece!' No one sees it but me. I call this painting ‘Accidental Gravity.'"