Nearly a year after his run on HBO\u2019s \u201cThe Gilded Age<\/a>\u201d came to a close<\/a>, Claybourne Elder is returning to his musical roots with a new project that chronicles his journey with faith and fatherhood. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n The Utah-born actor, singer and Grammy nominee unveiled his first-ever solo album, \u201cIf the Stars Were Mine<\/a>,\u201d Friday on Center Stage Records<\/a>. The 13-track collection celebrates his lengthy theatrical career, with standout versions of showstoppers from \u201cWest Side Story\u201d and \u201cSunday in the Park with George,\u201d among other musicals.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cEvery song has an emotional memory attached, so it\u2019s a bit like being inside my head,\u201d Elder told celebrity.land. \u201cIt\u2019s about belief and becoming a parent and what we leave behind. There are all sorts of feelings in these songs that can defy gender.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/div>\n The best moments on \u201cIf the Stars Were Mine\u201d are those that reflect Elder\u2019s personal experiences, from coming to terms with his queer sexuality after being raised in the Mormon faith to falling in love and, later, becoming a first-time dad. The album\u2019s title track \u2015 first recorded by jazz artist Melody Gardot<\/a> in 2009 \u2015 is a heartfelt tribute to his 8-year-old son, Claybourne \u201cBo\u201d Philip Rosen-Elder, whom he shares with his husband, playwright Eric Rosen<\/a>. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n Elder and his band also reimagine Whitney Houston\u2019s \u201cI Wanna Dance with Somebody\u201d as a wistful acoustic ballad, while his tender version of \u201cLonesome Goodbye\u201d by the Tennessee-based bluegrass band The SteelDrivers<\/a> \u2015 recalling his time in isolation during COVID-19 <\/a>and performed in duet with musician Rodney Bush \u2015 is right in his sweet spot. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n The release of \u201cIf the Stars Were Mine\u201d coincides with Elder\u2019s return to the New York stage after his run in the Tony-winning 2021 revival of \u201cCompany.\u201d Last month, he appeared in the New York City Center Encores! production of \u201cThe Wild Party<\/a>.\u201d To launch the album, he\u2019ll perform three concerts<\/a> at the Manhattan nightspot 54 Below.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Elder, of course, has taken time to perfect his delivery of his new music. \u201cIf the Stars Were Mine\u201d began as a touring concert, inspired in part by his encounter with a male stranger <\/a>who spotted him in the standing-room section of Broadway\u2019s \u201cThe 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee\u201d in 2007. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n At the time, Elder was a 20-something looking to break into professional theater. Though the man never introduced himself, he handed Elder $200 for a ticket for \u201cSweeney Todd\u201d after observing him appearing more engaged with \u201cSpelling Bee\u201d than those in the orchestra seats.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Elder never forgot that exchange, and in 2022, he was reunited with the man \u2015 now identified as Mark Howell<\/a> of Los Angeles \u2015 after sharing a social media post that included a 15-year-old photo of their initial encounter.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n He\u2019s since spoken about the reunion with CBS News<\/a> and on \u201cThis American Life<\/a>,\u201d and cites it as the impetus for his City of Strangers nonprofit<\/a>, which provides theater tickets to individuals who are otherwise unable to afford them.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cAs someone who had come through a lot of religious trauma, and having that kindness shown to me by a person in New York City, that experience … made me feel like there was something larger out there for the first time in a long time,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n Now 43, Elder made his Broadway debut in 2011 when he appeared in the musical adaptation of \u201cBonnie & Clyde.\u201d He\u2019s since racked up an impressive list of theatrical credits, but it was \u201cCompany\u201d as well as his portrayal<\/a> of John Adams \u2015 the debonair and doomed lover of Oscar van Rhijn (played by Blake Ritson<\/a>) \u2015 on \u201cThe Gilded Age\u201d that landed him on the cultural map. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n While Elder has enjoyed his recent success, he\u2019s been eager to look inward for some time. \u201cThere are lots of us trying to be the paint on somebody else\u2019s canvas, when it\u2019s much harder to make the painting,\u201d he told celebrity.land last year.<\/a> \u201cI want kids from a country town like mine to see [my work] and say, \u2018I don\u2019t have to \u2015 by coming out as a gay person \u2015 give up on all of these things I want.\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cIf the Stars Were Mine,\u201d he said, is in keeping with that mission.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cEverybody involved was like, \u2018This needs to be you.\u2019 And that helped me to make something I\u2019m proud of and scared to show people in a way that feels healthy,\u201d he said. \u201cIn a moment of insecurity, I thought, \u2018I don\u2019t know exactly who this is for.\u2019 Then somebody said: \u2018Claybourne Elder at 22 would\u2019ve loved it.\u2019 So it\u2019s for the people who see the heart of it. That\u2019s my hope.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n![\"Actor](\"https:\/\/img.huffingtonpost.com\/asset\/69cc8bd02400003f0b30a50f.jpg?cache=hGR5yl0qOv&ops=crop_334_1579_3208_3461%2Cscalefit_720_noupscale&format=webp)
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