John Arthur Greene: From Garner to Broadway to 'Peter Pan Live!'

John Arthur Greene is accustomed to live performances. He does eight a week as the Doctor in the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical "Matilda."

But Thursday night's national television performance of "Peter Pan Live!" is different.

"We say there is no tomorrow," Greene said. "There is one show. We've got to get it right."

Greene, who grew up in Garner and attended Enloe High School, has been in rehearsals for three months with a cast of 46 and a crew of about 350. The show will be televised live on NBC at 8 p.m., with Greene singing and dancing.

Last year's live musical on NBC, "The Sound of Music," drew an audience of about 22 million, according to Variety.

"I know they are guessing, but they are expecting more this year," Greene said. "It is nerve-wracking."

This year's show is much bigger, with 16 cameras, three sets and people flying around.

"You never look for a camera. They are everywhere," he said. "The choreography is sensational. You hit your spots, do your acting and get ready for the next step."

He doesn't have to worry about flubbing his lines ... he doesn't have any.

"But I get lots of face time," he said and laughed.

As a youth, Greene sang at Aversboro Road Baptist Church in Garner and at Hayes Barton Baptist Church in Raleigh, where his mother was the music minister. He found his niche in North Carolina Theatre productions and was home-schooled in New York his senior year in 2007, so he could get started on his performing career.

Greene consistently found work and made his Broadway debut in "West Side Story" in 2009. He left the show to join "Matilda," which won four Tony Awards in 2013. The part in "Peter Pan Live!" allows him to work with and learn from great talents.

Christopher Walken plays Captain Hook in the show, which is based on J.M. Barrie's fantasy adventure tale.

"Working with him is like being in a master class every day," Greene said. "You learn something about acting every day you are with him."

Allison Williams, best-known for HBO's "Girls," continues the theater tradition of females playing the role of the boy who won't grow up. She's incredible in the role, Greene said.

Living the dream

But Greene is surrounded by incredible people, even when he goes home.

He is married to Winston-Salem's McKenzie Mauzy, who has credits in Broadway's "Next to Normal" and "A Tale of Two Cities" and television's "The Bold and the Beautiful."

She soon may be most famous as Rapunzel in the movie "Into The Woods," which opens on Christmas and also stars Johnny Depp and Meryl Streep.

"I'm really excited about going to the premiere," he said. "There have been some previews, but I haven't been able to go because of rehearsals. I'm looking forward to seeing it. I hear it is sensational."

An album on the way

Greene also is rolling out an album, "The Shadows of Life," this spring. He calls it "Southern soulful" and says it is a collection of songs about a boy learning how to be a man.

Plus, he's headed to Los Angeles for a film role before returning to "Matilda."

"I'm busy, but this is the stuff that I've dreamed about my entire life," he said. "This is totally what I've dreamed."

This story was originally published December 3, 2014 at 8:00 PM with the headline "John Arthur Greene: From Garner to Broadway to 'Peter Pan Live!'."