PLAYBILL.COM'S CUE & A: Magic/Bird's "Magic Johnson," Kevin Daniels

By Matthew Blank
24 Apr 2012

Kevin Daniels
Kevin Daniels

Kevin Daniels, starring as NBA legend Earvin "Magic" Johnson in Magic/Bird, fills out Playbill.com's questionnaire with random facts, backstage trivia and pop-culture tidbits.

Daniels made his Broadway debut in Lincoln Center Theater's production of Twelfth Night.

Other theatre work includes Up Against the Wind, RFK: The Journey to Justice, Much Ado About Nothing, Tape, Sus, Compromise and Calligraphy.

He has appeared on screen in "Page 36," "And Then Came Love," "The Island," "Kate & Leopold," "Modern Family," "Franklin & Bash," "House," "Chuck," "Their Eyes Were Watching God," "Brothers & Sisters," "Frasier" and "Law & Order."

Learn more about Magic/Bird at the Playbill Vault.

 Continued...

Full given name: Kevin Dwight Daniels Jr.

Where you were born/where you were raised: Born in San Diego, raised in Texas, grew up in New York.
Zodiac Sign:Sagittarius
What your parents did/do for a living:My mother works for a hair care company called Dr. Miracles. My father works in an industrial printing shop.
Siblings:An older sister who lives in Texas.
Current audition song/monologue:"Look Ma, I Made It" from Nunsense 2
Special skills: Making up song lyrics to fit my mood.
Something you're REALLY bad at: Singing. I mean, I'm okay. I just have a problem with pitch, tune, melody and lyrics.
First Broadway show you ever saw: Miss Saigon
If you could go back in time and catch any Broadway show, what would it be? The current Death of a Salesman with Philip Seymour Hoffman. I missed a chance to see it when we were in rehearsals. and now we're on the same schedule. I regret that daily.

I'd also like to see the original Streetcar.

Current shows you have been recommending to friends: Peter and the Starcatcher and Clybourne Park
Favorite showtunes of all time: "Lily's Eyes" from The Secret Garden
"Your Daddy's Son" from Ragtime
"Move On" from Sunday in the Park With George (really any song from that show)
All-time favorite modern musicals: In the Heights
Wicked
Avenue Q
Caroline, or Change
All-time favorite plays: Boesman and Lena
Angels in America
Native Speech
Some favorite modern playwrights: Bill Cain, Katori Hall, Neil LaBute, Eric Overmyer
Broadway or screen stars of the past you would most have loved to perform with: Ossie Davis
Your personal acting idols: Hamish Linklater
The one performance – attended - that you will never forget: Watching Janet McTeer in A Doll's House
Music that makes you cry, any genre: "Were you There?" by Mahalia Jackson
MAC or PC? MAC
Most played song on your iPod: "Getting Grown" by Cee Lo Green
Most-visited websites: twitter.com
deadline.com
playbill.com
Favorite Tweeters: @dannyzucker
@charstarlene
@jleefilm
Last book you read: "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo"
Must-see TV show(s): "The Good Wife"
"Game of Thrones"
"Homeland"
"Modern Family"
Last good movie you saw: "Warrior"
Some films you consider classics: "The Color Purple"
"Back to the Future
"The Last Dragon"
Performers you would drop everything to go see: Denis O'Hare
Pop culture guilty pleasure: Reading all the "Twilight" books, reading all of the "Hunger Games" books and watching "The Vampire Diaries."
Favorite cities: NYC, Los Angeles, Rome
Name your all-time NBA starting five: Magic, Bird, Jordan, Kobe, LeBron
Current NBA player you would most like to see them write a musical about: Jeremy Lin
First CD/Tape/LP you owned: Garth Brooks' "Roping the Wind" on cassette tape
First stage kiss King Lear at the Shakespeare Festival of Dallas.
Favorite or most memorable onstage role as a child/teenager: Mr. Barnaby in Babes in Toyland
Moment you knew you wanted to perform for a living: I got to play John the Baptist in a church play when I was 7. I never looked back.
How you got your Equity card: I got my Equity card at the time my AFTRA card and my SAG card because I worked on Twelfth Night at Lincoln Center, in the ensemble. Helen Hunt put the cast of the play on "Mad About You."
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