Chaz Lamar Shepherd, a Philadelphia native, has lead role in 'Dreamgirls' at the Academy of Music

DO YOU think the old saw about another door opening when one closes is just an empty platitude? Then you obviously don't know Chaz Lamar Shepherd.

Shepherd, a Philadelphia native who opens tonight at the Academy of Music in the key role of showbiz operator Curtis Taylor Jr. in the national touring version of "Dreamgirls," probably wouldn't be returning to his hometown in this capacity had it not been for the openings and closings that have marked his career.

In the earlier part of the last decade, Shepherd had established himself as a dependable TV actor, appearing in such series as "Moesha," "The Parkers," "The Steve Harvey Show" and "Sister, Sister." Then the jobs became increasingly scarce, he explained during a recent phone chat.

"TV started changing. There were [fewer] roles for young African-Americans, less sitcoms," offered Shepherd, who lived in several areas of the city while growing up and who graduated high school from the Evelyn Graves Christian Academy at 55th Street and Chester Avenue in Southwest Philly.

Things grew brighter for him in 2006, when he accompanied a friend to the New York auditions for the stage version of the film "The Color Purple."

"I was just going out on a limb, just for fun," he recalled. "I went to an open call. I had no idea I was going. My agent didn't know I was there. I had no picture, no resume."

Those details obviously didn't matter, as Shepherd won the role of Harpo in the big-budget musical co-produced by Oprah Winfrey. The television door had slammed shut, but the musical-theater stage door opened wide.

As Curtis, Shepherd, whose phone demeanor was nothing but cordial, gets to play one of Broadway's all-time jerks (much of the "Dreamgirls" plot hinges on his callous handling of Effie, one of the singers in the fictional girl group the Dreams).

Like so many actors, Shepherd gets a kick out of playing the bad guy.

"The different layers I bring to the guy makes it a lot of fun," he said, noting that in Curtis' case, "what makes him a jerk is his business decisions, not his personality."

He added that he and his current alter ego share at least one trait: "Curtis and I are very similar in that he's starting a company, and I'm starting a company." He was referring to Chaz Records, a label that will distribute his 2009 CD, "Love & Truth," a collection of what he described as "soul-pop" tunes.

That Shepherd, who made his professional debut in a Walnut Street Theatre production of "Fame," is a performer is entirely logical; the arts are pretty much in his DNA. His mother, Cheryl, operated a dance school, and he made his stage debut as a 5-year-old emcee at the recitals.

"I memorized the script and introduced the dancers," he said.

From there, "performing just gradually happened. When I was 12, I went to an open-call audition in Philadelphia - I think it was for a movie called 'Newsies.' The casting agent connected me with an agent in New York. From there, I started going on auditions. That's how my TV career began."

Shepherd splits his time between New York and Los Angeles. But at least through next January, the road will be his home, as he's under contract to "Dreamgirls." He's hoping he'll be asked to stay on beyond that.

But no matter how many cities he visits, it's doubtful any stops will be more meaningful than this week's Philly engagement.

"It's special to perform in a place I passed by all the time, never thinking I'd one day be onstage there," he said of the Academy of Music. "And to do it in front of people who watched me become what I've become, that's what makes it special!"

Academy of Music, Broad and Locust streets, 7:30 tonight through Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday, $100-$25, 215-731-3333, www.kimmelcenter.org.