How This Broadway Star Sounds So Good

Joshua Henry endorses plyometrics.

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JOSHUA HENRY IS a vocal powerhouse. The 41-year-old earned Tony nominations for his roles in 2010's The Scottsboro Boys and the 2018 Carousel revival. (“He's an extraordinary Billy, hulking and hurting, unafraid of delving into the character's ugliness and tackling his moody songs with both force and grace,” our critic Sara Holdren wrote about the latter part.) Now, Henry’s playing another down-on-his-luck turn-of-the-century character, Coalhouse Walker Jr., in the Ragtime revival directed by Lear deBessonet. Coalhouse, an optimistic piano player, is put through a Job-like list of trials over the course of the show, culminating in his 11 o’clock number, “Make Them Hear You.” The part’s vocal range goes from a low G to a high A2. “It’s one of the rangiest roles I've ever done,” Henry says.

1. Start the day in a higher register.