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"Whether it's the best of Broadway or favorite hymns from his days as a preacher's kid, Byron Nease sings with a graceful passion that easily fills any concert hall or cathedral. But it is his willingness to share all of himself with his audiences that lifts his voice high into the heavens and makes the songs he sings as much food for the soul as they are a delight to the ear."
Tom Viola, Producing Director, Broadway Cares. Equity Fights AIDS
"Here's the sound of hope and glory captured in a baritone that soars to sweet heights and roars through the valleys in-between. When grace flows through a human voice, it comes out sounding like Byron Nease - and those in his audiences never, ever again, forget that they were there to hear it."
Mary Fisher, Author and Activist
"Byron Nease explores with equally exquisite intimacy the territories of love, spirituality and loss. I am always conscious of being swept off my feet by his wondrous voice, his humor and his expansiveness."
Sally Fisher, Author and Founder of Northern Lights Alternatives
Here is the article I wrote when I was biginning treatments ...
"just the semblance of a face."
After five years in PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, I'd assumed I would be somewhat inured to physical deformity; or at least the idea of it. But when the doctor held the mirror to my face and I saw the gaping hole in my nose, I immediately had two thoughts. I will never work again and no one will ever love me again. I had in the performance of the Kopit/Yeston PHANTOM delivered the line "Because I have no face. I have only the semblance of a face. No one should have to look at it." But no matter how solid my skill at performing that moment on stage; the reality of living it in my life was something quite different.
Due to facial wasting that had become increasingly visible, I had not really looked at my face for a couple of years. Oh . I looked at my hair when I combed it. I looked at my teeth when I flossed. I looked at my chin when I shaved. But I had not, really, looked at the entirety for a long, long time. The ravages of the medication had made me unrecognizable to myself, to those who love me and I seemed to be paying professionally as well. And now this diagnosis of basal cell carcinoma and the resulting laser surgery had left me with a hole the size of a nickel and almost a half-inch at the deepest point. Gratefully, it was diagnosed before it metastasized into the bone. But I'd finally reached the end of my ability to be optimistic. Again.
Thirteen years previous, due to AZT, I had lost the flesh from my behind. Sitting without pain was virtually impossible for any length of time. The neuropathy in my feet was increasing. At first, it was just a numbness and lack of sensation that had sent me sprawling on more than one occasion. Then the alternate burning and coldness began along with the 'pins and needles'. It gave new meaning to the word nightmare as I wrestled with covers on and off. As the fat pads slowly eroded, I devised ways of getting around town with the least amount of walking. I knew all the shortest routes between subways and buses, and plotted each day which route would be the least painful. In any case, by the end of any given day I was limping. Not the best look for a leading man in theater whose gait should be a self confident, easy stride.
Two surgeries have each seen a loss of one liter of fibrous tissue that would make any dowager jealous of my hump. 'Crixa-belly' had made it's appearance and been sucked out of my lower abdomen. The 'horse collar' developing around my neck makes me look rather like 'Jaba the Hutt'.
And so my life in my forties was unfolding. Cancer spots on the top of my head, forehead and chest developed from early days on the Southern California beaches, polyps in unmentionable regions, two bouts of radiation, sexual dysfunction due to the medication as well as the roller coaster of an uncertain liver with the ever present threat of a transplant after years of metabolizing the medication that was saving my life. I was walking a thin line. Not wanting to capriciously risk building resistance to almost all the various drug families, it's now a matter of continually buying time till the next drugs are available . and the next . and the next . and the next. And these combinations take a toll vocally (and psychologically) because of the disastrous drying effect they have on my vocal cords. The stamina and range of my singing have both been affected and it is now almost impossible to achieve what at one time was totally effortless. Not to mention the wondering if 'it will be there' when you need it in front of thousands of people.
The financial ramifications of this entire twenty-four years have also been exorbitant. In addition to the cost of my regular medication (at one point over 140 pills a day, including supplements) there have been dozens of alternative treatments from acupuncture, to guided meditation, to electro enhancement, to massage, to working with healers, to seminars, to reading and research, to special diets, to psychological help, to spiritual gurus, and on and on. Insurance? You must be joking.
Through the uncertainties, it is clear that I am one of the lucky ones. I have seen people die of AIDS and I have seen people choose to live with HIV. Of course, genetics, medical care, multiple infections of different strains of the virus and when you contracted it all bear a part. But I'm convinced that the quality of human spirit plays a bigger part. In any case, I had just about reached the end of my ability to cope when it came time for my fiftieth birthday.
A couple of months previous, I'd heard about a seminar being given about possible treatment for facial wasting. Overwhelmed with the idea of attending on my own, I asked my friend Phil Hall to attend with me. Across the years, I'd learned that I needed another set of eyes and ears. Phil was great. I was a mess. We walked into a room filled with people who had a face like mine . or lack thereof. Anna Love, a charismatic woman with a beatific spirit began the seminar. As she began to speak, I began to weep. The photos she showed of the 'before and after' took my breath away. 'clinestetica , was the first sign of hope I'd let permeate my mind in years. Perhaps it might be possible to regain my face and my behind . my life as I'd known it.
There were testimonials from people who had been through the process as well as a wealth of printed material. But what I walked away with was . hope. And even though it was not affordable for me at that time, I had a new sense of life going on. I owned the possibility that I would no longer look like a freak in my eyes . or a sick person in the eyes of the world.
Seeing my reaction, Phil took matters into his own hands. And with the help of two other friends (Sally Fisher and Scott Barnes) they wrote letters and raised enough money for me to have these procedures. They presented the grand total on my fiftieth birthday.
It was an amazing party celebrated in the home of my friend Linda Ellerbee. She created an environment that was loving, casually elegant and set the stage of loving support where the dependability of friendship was manifest in the gift of beginning again. Out of need, came restoration. Out of uncertainty came a community of support. I have always known I am rich in my friends. But this outpouring was a humbling and overwhelming gesture for which I will always be grateful.
I've had two out of three of the facial reconstruction treatments now. My back is smooth, my belly flat, my feet out of pain, and my neck back to a normal shape. Soon I will be able to sit without squirming from the pain; all this due to the love and generosity of my friends and the miracle of modern technology. Better living through chemistry.
HIV, the gift that keeps on giving ... if you're lucky. At the time of my diagnosis the doctor's verdict came as a death sentence. In those days, there were few options. We defined our lives by hospice. And yet, deep in my heart I never really thought 'it' would get me. I've had a sense that there was much left for me to do. I'm smart enough to know I'm not impervious to the endless list of possibilities. There have certainly been periods of depression, memory loss, inability to focus in my work, inexplicable energy surges and depletion, and the middle of the night fears of what illness might dictate were I to be dependent on others either logistically or financially. There have been days when every cough, bruise, cold or fever signals the end. But after years of blood tests and waiting for the results, I've learned to practice a certain amount of healthy denial along with a truly hopeful spirit.
No one in this life escapes some challenge . be it health, money issues, career challenges, personal demons, family dramas or combinations thereof. Everyone is called to the test.
I do not know what the future holds. But I have total confidence in those who care for and love me along with the tenacity with which I seek solutions to this barrage of challenges. Generally I am able to put a good face and optimistic spirit toward the never-ending litany of challenges and fears. I have faith. I pray.
I learn over and over as I empty myself to begin again. To hope again. To love again.
To choose more life. In the wisdom that is available in the depths of my despair, I seek rebirth. I seek the divinity that I believe is within each of us. I stumble and fall. But there is a hand that shepherds me. For although life is tough, I am tougher when I surrender to the best that is in me.
There is a lyric by my friend David Friedman that inspires me ". So open your hearts, open your minds, no matter how you've tried and failed tomorrow you may turn and find that . help is on the way . from places you don't know about today . from friends you may not have met, yet believe me when I say I know, help is on the way!" It may only be "the semblance of a face", but by the grace of God and my family of friends; it is a face I am no longer ashamed to show to others . or to myself.
Jane Pauley called him "Transcendent!"
Angela Lansbury said, "He is a feast of musical inspiration!"
Byron Nease is a one-person musical performance. A native Californian and son of a third generation Nazarene preacher, this Broadway star compels us with his inspirational story by way of what critics have called "The voice of the century".
Making his Broadway debut opposite Miss Lansbury as Patrick in Mame , he has, in the past twenty years, played most of the romantic heroes in the American Musical Theater. His portrayal of Raoul in Andrew Lloyd Weber's The Phantom of the Opera contrasted sharply to his role as the Phantom in the beautiful Kopit/Yeston Phantom . Across the US audiences have thrilled to his portrayals in Camelot, Annie Get Your Gun, A Little Night Music, West Side Story, Carousel, South Pacific . to name a few.
Byron has concertized from Carnegie Hall to the Hollywood Bowl with dozens of symphonies under illustrious conductors Skitch Henderson and Peter Nero. Honored to have sung at The White House as well as in the Senate Chambers, he has also performed high atop New York City at the world renowned Rainbow Room and sung as he's traveled to over 100 countries around the world.
Growing up in the great tradition of leading men, Byron's charisma has more to do with heart than style . truth than bravado . courage and dignity than false machismo. This recording artist speaks and sings eloquently about his diverse career, celebrating the synthesis of life's journey. Appearing with such luminaries as John Raitt, Bonnie Franklin, Dick Van Dyke, Mary Tyler Moore, George Burns and so many more . he has learned that "On stage, you only earn the right to be liked. It's what you do off stage that counts".
His one-man show From the Parsonage to Broadway inspired him to write his new book Behind the Mask , to be released early in 2007. On PBS, Mr. Nease starred in a show he co-authored Ageless Friends: Where Harold & Maude meets The Odd Couple with best selling author and former Senior's Correspondent for NBC's The Today Show, Frances Weaver. Also on PBS, Mr. Nease co-starred in Broadway Love Stories , The Healing Touch of Mercy and From the Parsonage to Broadway which both chronicles his quest to define religion from spirit.
Mr. Nease can be heard on the multi-platinum original Canadian cast recording of The Phantom of the Opera, Bittersuite, Love Stories , Bittersuite, Songs of the Season, Leading Men Don't Dance as well as his own critically acclaimed solo CD Byron Nease - Listen To My Heart .
"It seems my whole life has been about what it means to be a leading man . personally and professionally. I'm the luckiest guy I know because I love what I do . I am grateful". Byron Nease has taken the lead on and off stage. He has found his own voice.
Byron Nease. artist raconteur, singer and performer, a celebrity member of many Speakers Bureaus has frequently spoken out about his advocacy on long term HIV survival , Child Abuse, Parenting an Aged Parent and "The Phantom Without the Opera"
Blurbs from different speaches ...
Byron Nease - Listen to My Heart
The difference between learning to love and learning to heal, is small. To be human is to have mind, body and spirit bound up together. How do we know? By listening . not through stethoscopes, board reports or projections. We learn by listening with our hearts. We will know that no one is a statistic. Listen to my heart.
Byron Nease - Help Is On the Way
A 22 year survivor of HIV, I know about survival. I know about hope.
All of us need a healing touch of mercy. Even when we are quiet heroes in our practices, labs, boardrooms or tired at the everyday lives, some days, it feels as though the miracle will never come. But it is often here, in our weary souls that miracles happen. We wake from a long night of grieving and fear and a loving physician says, "You're going to be just fine." These are the reminders that when the odds seem against us, before we knew it, help was on the way.
Byron Nease - Behind the Mask
After 1500 performances of The Phantom of the Opera and 22 years of living with HIV, I know a great deal about coming back from adversity. I decided to celebrate the struggle, to live with rather than die from. There is freedom in your circumstances, not because of them. Let me offer you a window that allows you to see, hear, feel and touch my being. Everyone is called to the test. You can live through and even thrive amidst adversity. You can, move on.
Some other thoughts ...
All in all, I guess the message (personally) is that the combination of my meds, supplements, spititual practise and the expertise at 'clinecestetica have given me 'hope' which is what I've needed most of all. Like many long time survivors of HIV ... for me, 20 years plus ... and hell, just surviving show business ... I had grown tired and was dispirited that at age 50, it appeared I needed to redefine myself. The business had changed. I had changed. The world had changed.
I have regained the ability to believe in myself, and, the notion of possibilities for a future, not just the future. It's refocused where I assign value. For so long, I walked with my head bowed low. Now I can walk forward with it held high. I know I can create a new destiny. I've begun to believe once more that I am worthy of receiving as well as being able to give.
I believe we can all build toward an assault against selfishness ... an openhearted affirmation of tenderness and integrity ... and the spirit that is within the center of each of us as we nurture the better sides of our very human nature while taking great care of the realities of our body's needs and complicated chemistries. We can be ... must be ... more sensitive to our need for each other ... for our ability to lift each other's lives ... and our own.
So how do we mix this seemingly incongruous combination of materialism and sense of spirituality/humanity/good will? For me, I feel cleaner, happier, more loving, more loved and more human when I submit my consciousness to the idea that human problems have both spiritual solutions as well as medical ones. And it goes further as we open new doors and take concrete steps (ie: research, new drugs and procedures) towards lifting lives and in some cases creating the very notion of hope. It determines our quality of living ... our value.
Photos courtesy of:
Jake Jacobs, Robert Ragsdale, Yonka Van der Kolk, Michael Cooper, James A Whittaker
Contact Byron at:
byronnease@gmail.com
"coming soon"
www.byronnease.com | 
