WEST ORANGE, NJ — Mike Evariste, a former West Orange resident and alumnus of Hazel, Roosevelt and West Orange High schools, was featured in the April 1 production of “Jesus Christ Superstar,” airing live on NBC from the Marcy Armory in Brooklyn. Evariste was part of the ensemble cast in the stunning production, estimated to have been watched by more than 10 million viewers.
Evariste and his family lived in West Orange until 2001 before moving to Florida after completing his sophomore year at West Orange High School. At the time he believed he was destined to be a trumpet player, attending Juilliard School’s Music Advancement Program for five years and performing with the Marching Mountaineers in freshman year.
“I was in the marching band my freshman year when we took first place at our National Championships for our division. Ironically, our theme was ‘Les Miserables’ and I also made my Broadway debut in ‘Les Miserables’ as Montparnasse,” Evariste said in a press release. “I was in the chorus, jazz band, concert band and performed in the WOHS 2000 spring musical, ‘Evita,’ and in the 2001 production of ‘Anything Goes.’”
Evariste’s passion for theater grew and, in addition to “Les Miserables,” he has appeared on Broadway in “South Pacific,” “Hair,” “Disgraced” and “Amazing Grace,” as well as tours such as “Fame,” “Rent” and “The Book of Mormon.” He co-founded the production company “Co-Founder at 42 Seven Productions” in 2015.
Evariste still has “a ton of family and friends” who live in West Orange. He resides in South Harlem with his wife Tiffany, several blocks north of Central Park North.
When asked what advice he could offer to aspiring actors, Evariste said, “Continue to train. Take voice lessons and utilize vocal coaches to work on material for auditions/callbacks. Take dance and acting classes.”
Evariste concluded by saying, “Be nice and respectful to everyone you work with in this business. It’s a very small circle and everyone knows everyone. You never know who you’re talking to.”
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