Jason Michael Evans plays a villain of sorts in the national production of Disney’s “Anastasia,” which runs through Jan. 6 at the Fox Theatre. But in real-life, the Parkway North High graduate is about as nice a Jewish boy as they come. 

Full disclosure: I got to know about Evans by working with his mother, Judy Evans, for years at the Post-Dispatch. I remember her saying he was going to college (Missouri State) to study theater, and fully supporting the decision because it not only made him happy, but she and her husband, Tom, knew their son had big talent. Boy, were they ever right.

Being able to make a living doing something he loves isn’t lost on Evans, who has worked in musical theater for the past decade. When we spoke last week, the 31-year-old actor talked about the importance of being content with what you have rather than feeling it’s not enough.

“You can get this sickness of never being satisfied and thus constantly being let down when good things are happening to you,” he said. “Of course Broadway is the dream but my voice is a little darker than my age and when I’m ripe for those big roles I’m going to be older. 

“So right now I am perfectly content and happy where I am. If Broadway comes a callin’ I will run there but as of right now it’s hard to imagine loving my job more.”

His job in “Anastasia” is to portray Gleb, a Soviet officer who must confront the rumor that “Princess Anastasia,” the youngest daughter of Czar Nicholas II, the last emperor of Russia, escaped being murdered with the rest of her family by the Bolshevik secret police in 1917. Ten years later, when a street sweeper named Anya admits to having amnesia and bears a striking resemblance to Anastasia, two con men groom her to become the long-lost princess.

“Gleb believes in Communism before it all goes wrong so if it is, in fact, Anastasia, his job is to do away with her to vindicate his father,” said Evans, explaining that Gleb’s father was one of the guards who helped execute the Czar and his family, so he feels a duty to finish what his father started and kill Anastasia. “But Gleb has strong feelings for her after they meet, so he is very conflicted.”

The role allows Evans to showcase his impressive vocal skills, with a handful of solo songs. He credits cantors at Congregation Shaare Emeth, where he celebrated his bar mitzvah and sang in the youth choir, as well as his high school choral coach, Brian Reeves, as inspiring him and helping him to develop as a singer.

“One of my earliest fond memories of music is listening to the late Cantor Ed Fogel’s voice and being floored by it,” he said. “When Kenneth Jaffe took over, he really took me under his wing and noticed my potential when tutoring me for my bar mitzvah. He was always someone I looked up to.”

Evans’ connections to Judaism run deep. He played baseball in the Maccabi Games, was involved with NFTY youth group and went to Camp Sabra. But it is the lessons he learned from his Jewish upbringing that he holds the closest, he says.

“In the Reform Judaism I grew up with, it was all very inclusive. I remember at Sunday school going to worship at different religious institutions to learn about them. 

“I never got the impression from any of my Jewish mentors that it was, ‘My way or the highway.’ I think that open-mindedness followed me in all aspects of my life. I learned that there is not one correct way to do something as long as your message is peaceful and inclusive.”

Today, Evans lives in New York, but he couldn’t be happier that the run of “Anastasia” in St. Louis has given him a week to spend with family and close friends before he has to go back to work. 

“I can live in New York but St. Louis will always be my home,” he said. “It’s great to spend time with family, and get to see my grandfather. All my best friends live here. And of course I have to hit some of my favorites — Lion’s Choice and Imo’s, for sure.”

We joke about friends hitting him up for tickets to the show, which, as it turns out, he doesn’t mind a bit. “Unfortunately, on tour we don’t get any comps but we can get house seat requests, so I’ve put in at least a dozen of those. 

“Some of my best friends, when I told them I am in this big touring show, their first question is, “Do you get paid?’ They have no clue what I do for a living, which I love and find endearing. 

“They all have families and jobs, so it’s hard for them to go to Utah or Maine where I do a show, to see it. I welcome all the house seat requests. I want the people I love to see me doing what I love.”

For tickets or more information about the show, go to www.fabulousfox.com or call 314-534-1111.