'Saigon' star has played Durham before

"The banks crashed and I lost my job," Daughtry said in a phone interview from Greenville, S.C., last week.

Daughtry became a teacher but found that just wasn't for him.

"I had to find something else to do," he said.

The Bethune-Cookman University graduate had done musical theater in high school, so he decided to draw upon his roots and head to New York.

He soon landed two shows with Cirque Dreams Holidaze and then hit the seas performing on Royale Caribbean cruise ships. His career led him to Japan to work at Universal Studios there, but soon he was back in New York for various roles on Broadway. Daughtry has performed in "Beautiful: The Carole King Musical," "Motown: The Musical" and "The Color Purple" on Broadway.

The actor visited DPAC most recently in "The Color Purple," playing the role of Harpo. He also stopped in the Bull City with the cast of "Motown: The Musical."

Daughtry understudied the role of Berry Gordy, founder of Motown records. He says the role remains close to his heart.

"He is such a legend and he was very hands on with the project," Daughtry said, noting daily phone calls.

For his latest role in Miss Saigon, Daughtry is playing John, who tried to reconnect the main character Chris with his lost love Kim and their son, Tam. While the classic story remains the same, the story has been refreshed.

"The production value is off the charts," Daughtry says. "It's a very big spectacle of a show. There are helicopters, fog, haze and acrobats."

There are 42 cast members and the ensemble goes through 16 costume changes throughout the show. "The most (changes) I've ever seen," Daughtry said.