In family of showmen, he made his name in music

Like a lot of other people, Kevin B. McGlynn felt the pressure to go into the family business.

His father, John J. McGlynn, was an eight-term state representative and served as mayor of Medford for 10 years in the 1960s and 1970s.

His brother Michael has been Medford's mayor for 20 years, supplanting his father as the longest-serving mayor in Medford history, after serving as a state representative for more than a decade.

But every family has its ``black sheep." Kevin became a professional actor. Next week he's coming home as a member of the cast of ``All Shook Up," a musical featuring the music of Elvis Presley.

``Our family is full of politicians, lawyers, and teachers," Kevin McGlynn said. ``They're all performers of some sort. I'm the only one who went into the legit end of show business."

``We're all very proud of him," said brother Michael, who still couldn't resist recounting an embarrassing story or two. ``Did he tell you about the time he was playing Peter Rabbit at the North Shore Music Theatre, took one hop too many off the stage, ended up with a gash, and had to go to the hospital?"

The mayor also said his brother's travels with various shows meant a ``little piece of Medford' went with him everywhere he traveled. ``He would come back and tell me, `Did I tell you I ran into Mrs. So and So in San Diego?' "

Kevin McGlynn, one of six children, credits brother Dickie's eight-track tape of ``Jesus Christ Superstar" and those old MGM movie musicals starring Fred Astaire and others with inspiring him to pursue a career in musical theater.

Much later he fulfilled a dream by playing Jesus to best friend David Benoit's Judas in a run of ``Jesus Christ Superstar" at the Firehouse Theatre in Newburyport. Benoit is also in the cast of ``All Shook Up."

He graduated from Malden Catholic High School and the Boston Conservatory. At the conservatory, McGlynn said, he came with the worst Boston accent, and speech teacher Janet Rogers slowly and painfully took his speech patterns apart and reassembled them.

``Now when I come home," he said, ``my relatives tell me to cut the accent and `talk nahmmal.' "

A veteran of many regional and national productions, McGlynn has returned to the area for such shows as the national tour of ``Kiss Me, Kate" which played at the Wang Center, and last spring's hit Huntington Theatre production of ``Forbidden Broadway: SVU."

McGlynn, who says he received his singing voice from his father, said he used to mimic his dad to please his sisters. That skill came in handy in ``Forbidden Broadway: SVU," a comedic musical in which he had to mimic stars such as Robert Goulet and Harvey Fierstein.

``Doing Harvey Fierstein does a number on your voice," he said.

In ``All Shook Up," McGlynn is a member of the ensemble while also understudying the major roles of Sheriff Earl and Jim, the father, in the romantic tale of how a young girl's dream comes true when a guitar playin' roustabout rides in and turns the town upside-down with his unique musical style.

Besides the production numbers, you can look for McGlynn as the warden in the ``Jailhouse Rock" number.

McGlynn didn't grow up an Elvis fan but became impressed with the singer's way with such ballads as ``Love Me Tender." He saw ``All Shook Up" on Broadway and was blown away by the voices and arrangements. He signed a six-month contract to tour with the show, which is already booked through next July.

In Medford, the actor said, he has a fan base, even outside his immediate family, with 60 first cousins, aunts, uncles, and other relatives.

Jack McGlynn said he and his wife, Helen, have rented buses with family members to go see Kevin perform.

This time, they decided to ``spread out" and attend several performances to give their son a ``rooting section" at different shows. Michael McGlynn plans to attend the Oct. 1 performance.

``We're very proud of how arduously he worked to get where he is," Jack McGlynn said. ``He would spend eight to 10 hours a day practicing."

A veteran of 48 years on the governmental and political stage, Jack McGlynn laughed when it was suggested that the professions of politician and actor aren't all that different.

``We're all actors of some sort," he said. ``He just happens to have an Equity card."

``All Shook Up" will be at the Opera House on Washington Street in Boston from Sept. 26-Oct. 8. Rich Fahey can be reached at richwrong@comcast.net.