Actor-singer-writer Jeffrey Vause was born in Honolulu, Hawaii spending his formative years in paradise. But he reports he was always a restless sort, watching movies set in NYC and always feeling he belonged there. In April of 1989, Vause 
made that desire a reality He performed in various plays regionally (in Hawaii, Pennsylvania and New York). In 2005 he wrote, produced and performed in a one-man, multi-character play, Aloha Oy! at Abingdon’s Dorothy Strelsin Theater in 2005, and then in 2019 founded the Proud Image Theatre Company to highlight and showcase works primarily from the LGBTQIA+ community. The company’s goal is to entertain and take audiences on unique journeys with a nod to the recent past while being mindful of the future. Vause is a member of The Dramatists’ Guild, The PlayGround Experiment, MAC (The Manhattan Association of Cabarets), The Windowpane Theatre Company and Village Playwrights. He’s married to Fred Orlansky, his partner since 1991 and husband since 2013.
made that desire a reality He performed in various plays regionally (in Hawaii, Pennsylvania and New York). In 2005 he wrote, produced and performed in a one-man, multi-character play, Aloha Oy! at Abingdon’s Dorothy Strelsin Theater in 2005, and then in 2019 founded the Proud Image Theatre Company to highlight and showcase works primarily from the LGBTQIA+ community. The company’s goal is to entertain and take audiences on unique journeys with a nod to the recent past while being mindful of the future. Vause is a member of The Dramatists’ Guild, The PlayGround Experiment, MAC (The Manhattan Association of Cabarets), The Windowpane Theatre Company and Village Playwrights. He’s married to Fred Orlansky, his partner since 1991 and husband since 2013.Proud Image Theatre Company presents
Jeffrey Vause in Aloha Oy! on Thursdays, March 23 and April 6, both at 7 PM at Pangea. For reservations, go to www.alohaoy.com
NiteLife Exchange (NLE) asks Jeffrey Vause (JV) Six Questions:
NLE: The publicity for your show, Aloha Oy!, indicates that it is deeply personal. How personal? How deep? Will the audience learn any “deep, dark secrets about Jeffrey Vause?”
JV: The show is deeply personal in the sense I speak and sing of knowing I was gay at an early age in the 1960s—and how that affected my life growing up Catholic in a place where being gay was accepted to a point but never really talked about or discussed. How that affected my life is a huge aspect of what I’m trying to communicate with my 
show. I talk about my husband Fred and our life together. And although I wanted to highlight and celebrate my unique journey, I also wanted to celebrate anyone who’s left their home to find their own truth. And to explore what it means to be from somewhere so special as Hawaii is and why anyone would want to leave!
show. I talk about my husband Fred and our life together. And although I wanted to highlight and celebrate my unique journey, I also wanted to celebrate anyone who’s left their home to find their own truth. And to explore what it means to be from somewhere so special as Hawaii is and why anyone would want to leave!NLE: In what ways was growing up in the “paradise” of Honolulu not enough for you, even as an active performer there? How did you begin to think you were in a place you didn’t really belong in?
JV: As I mention in the act, I always felt the paradise of the islands was lost on me—that I was too much for a little island to hold. I would go to movies and watch TV shows set in NYC and laugh at all the jokes and the references and I felt I understood the sensibility of this big city more than my hometown. I had a very successful theatrical life in Honolulu appearing in shows like A CHORUS LINE, DAMN YANKEES and HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS… – but I wanted to take the next step and try to make it on the Broadway stage.
NLE: Hawaiian culture is very specific in terms of family and friendship. The word “aloha,” for example, has several meanings, some of them quite profound. Has this culture influenced the way you navigate a life in New York?
JV: Absolutely! Being from a place that is so different in terms of culture and lifestyle definitely affects me here, even 34 years on! I’ve lived in NYC longer than Honolulu at this point, but I s
till have a side of me that tries to retain a bit of the “aloha” spirit – which involves always leading with patience, kindness and love.
till have a side of me that tries to retain a bit of the “aloha” spirit – which involves always leading with patience, kindness and love.NLE: What was it like to arrive in NYC for the first time? Was the Apple everything you expected it to be?
JV: I don’t want to give away too much because this is an important section of my act that is very special to me – suffice it to say it was quite a shock as one might expect! But living here made sense as the months continued on because I always felt I didn’t fully belong in the middle of the Pacific ocean. Having said that, yes the Apple was indeed everything I expected—plus a whole lot more! The excitement of a Broadway show, the rattle of the subway, the danger and thrills of a big city—this was all something I’d craved and have experienced often.
NLE: Until recently, your success was in performance and as a playwright. What was the impetus that drew you into the cabaret world?
JV: The pandemic played a huge role in me taking the leap on to the cabaret stages. My last play, TOMORROW WE LOVE, which I produced, wrote and starred in at Theater for the New City, was shut down mid-run in March 2020 due to Covid-19. I began to get restless and missed performing, so last year I got in touch with my one-time vocal co
ach Phil Hall to discuss putting together an act. Phil worked with me on the show and John Bowen came aboard as my musical director. I was excited to perform my very first time in May of 2022 to a packed house at Don’t Tell Mama and subsequently did the show another four times last year. I’m looking forward to bringing ALOHA OY! downtown to Pangea in the East Village on March 23rd and April 6th.
ach Phil Hall to discuss putting together an act. Phil worked with me on the show and John Bowen came aboard as my musical director. I was excited to perform my very first time in May of 2022 to a packed house at Don’t Tell Mama and subsequently did the show another four times last year. I’m looking forward to bringing ALOHA OY! downtown to Pangea in the East Village on March 23rd and April 6th.NLE:. When and why did you found The Proud Image Theater Company? What are your goals for the company?
JV: I had been writing plays for a while, amongst them THE MARRIAGE EQUALITY PLAYS, which were done as staged readings and I wanted to have my own company to produce these eventually; so in 2019 I founded PITCO. Our first major production was TOMORROW WE LOVE and PITCO is the “producer” of this cabaret act as well. I’m fairly near retirement from my survival job (fingers crossed!) so I’m hoping to ramp up some funds, find an angel or two, and reach out to the community for plays or shows to produce, in addition to my own works. I’m excited to showcase art primarily from the LGBTQIA+ community that demonstrates tolerance and promotes visibility through artistic expression. Given today’s toxic political climate, the time is ripe for a company such as PITCO. Stay tuned!
