Jacobson began his performing life on the stage, so it makes sense that he would return to it. After the success of Kenny, which he also co-wrote the screenplay for with his brother Clayton (who directed the film), Jacobson featured in the production of Guys and Dolls alongside Lisa McCune, Marina Prior and Magda Szubanski for which he won a Helpmann Award for Best Male in a Supporting Role, and the critically-acclaimed The Drowsy Chaperone, in which he performed with Geoffrey Rush and Rhonda Burchmore. Like many actors who pursue a career on screen, however, Jacobson firmly believes work on the stage is returning to a more grassroots level.
“Working in film is like visiting a nice palace but [stage is] the place where [I] feel most at home,” he says. “The feedback is instantaneous. And I know that sounds cliché, but the thing about something being cliché means that it’s proven to be right over and over again.” He won a handful of awards for Kenny, including an AFI Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role; Film Critics Circle of Australia awards for Best Actor in a Lead Role and Best Screenplay; and an Inside Film Award for Best Feature Film and Best Script, to name but a few, and while he certainly has no qualms in listing his awards (who wouldn’t when you’re that accomplished?) he’s still incredibly humble.
“I’m very proud,” he says. “The AFI Award is not a public vote, it was voted by my peers. Same with the Helpmann Award. I want to put the word humble with a sprinkling of shock.”
Surely it must be difficult to juggle between his many creative outlets? No, he says, it’s simply a matter of when he gets sick of one thing, he dedicates time to the others. “When people ask me ‘What do I choose?’ I have chosen: I choose all of them,” he laughs. “It’s like choosing between beer, wine and cheese: I want them all… [But] that’s exactly why we’ve decided to do this show; it’s time to get back on the stage.”
And so we come to how he and Bomba got together. It seems like an unlikely and, for some people, a somewhat puzzling collaboration, but Jacobson says the pair have known each other for quite some time and they share a passion for big band music and rambunctious onstage antics.
“[Big band music] is the stuff that used to ignite audiences in Vegas,” he says, and that’s exactly what they’re trying to emulate. In the days where crooners used to captivate those Vegas crowds, music was almost only a small part of what was a thrilling extravaganza of performance: it was big, loud, dazzling and unashamedly showy. The show was in preliminary planning stages late last year, so it hasn’t taken long for their ideas to come into fruition. Rehearsals sound like controlled chaos, and Jacobson says they have to constantly apologise for having too much fun.
So what can audiences expect from this one-off performance? It seems the duo have had a bit of a case of the Corey Worthington’s: the show has kept getting bigger and bigger to the point where it’s almost out of control (in the best way possible). In true Nicky Bomba style, there will be upwards of 30 people – mainly musicians and dancers – sharing the stage.
In regards to how the show is going to go down on the night, Jacobson admits it’s been a little difficult to explain to various interested parties. His mum and her friends understand what he does but don’t understand what Ska is, and others understand the Melbourne Ska Orchestra but can’t quite get their heads around how he’s going to fit in.
“[Some] people say, ‘Really, you?’ The truth is, I do get that for some people, it’s a little leap of faith. But the easiest thing I can say, is think big orchestra, think Vegas, think Ray Charles, think James Brown, and think comedy,” he explains. “We can guarantee a big night out. It’s like going to a circus but all the animals are drunk and the audience are allowed to let off fireworks.”
BY SOPH GOULOPOULOS
