Getting it right

THE MANILA stop of Il Divo’s world tour is at Newport Theater on March 19. photo: https://www.ildivo.com/rudy de doncker

It’s one of the many things I love about musical theater. To some degree, I get to exercise it on the current Il Divo tour. It’s one of those things that you don’t realize until you’re in the thick of it, in the middle of a long run. A moment arrives that makes you tell yourself how incredibly lucky you are.

You get literally hundreds of chances to get something right.

In my first run of “Miss Saigon” in London, I clocked in 298 performances (there would’ve been more, had I not gone on a two-week vacation, taken sick days off, or gone through a three-week vocal rest period to fix my voice). That meant 298 opportunities to fix what was broken, reinforce what was working, or improve upon something that could be better.

Unavoidable ennui

Unavoidable periods of ennui would descend upon any artist immersed in a long run. Three to four months into it, you think you’re about to go absolutely insane singing the same songs every day. And then, when you least expect it, you have a breakthrough—something right this second, this minute, this day is different. Your understanding of a particular line changes, and your perception of the song is no longer the same. All of a sudden, the realm of possibility is opened up, and the time at work turns exciting.

The prospect of doing a show for a year no longer seems so daunting, because truly, even on the very last day of your run, you can find something new. There is always room for discovery, always a chance to make magic.

How does that translate to this current tour with Il Divo? Well, I’m treating this as if I’m doing a musical. Looking at the schedule as it now stands, it’s like one endless scroll down to June 7, my final performance date. However, to me, it’s many chances to get this song right, as well as many chances for things to go wrong.

Out of whack

I am a human being after all. I will not always be able to belt a high E, or consistently and cleanly land in the center of a C sharp. There will be days when my body will let me down a bit due to illness or fatigue, which will then affect my vocal performance. There will be nights I won’t get enough sleep, when I’ll be on strong medication that may make me loopy. Or it’ll be that time of the month which sometimes throws my system out of whack.

That’s actually okay!

Another challenge then makes itself known: the challenge of survival, something many musical theater performers are only too familiar with. Strep throat, bronchitis, the early stages of the flu, a sore throat, a bad cold, a cough, fever… or some combination thereof. Then technique takes over, and when it does, I thank my various voice teachers for making me sing operatic arias to strengthen my instrument, as well as my ENTs for getting me on the road to recovery.

The challenge here isn’t then about one’s expression, but about the mind and how it can lead me to the light at the end of the tunnel. I see my entire vocal instrument as a Transformer (Optimus Prime ang peg). I think about every single thing I need to do—raise my soft palate, engage  my core, drop my jaw to create that perfect “O”—just to get through the night. And it feels amazing once that final curtain comes down.

As of this article’s release, there are 46 shows left to do, including the shows in the United States. Those are 46 chances to figure out my solos and Divo duets phrasing, back phrasing, attack, choral blending, control. There will be 46 more audiences to sing my heart out for,  46 chances to get it right.

I love my job.

Generous Divas

With the Divos, there are always the Divas, the very loyal and ardent Il Divo female fans all over the world.

They are in the US, the United Kingdom, Germany, Brazil, Mexico… and they’re most definitely in Korea and Japan. I’ve gotten to meet many of these sweet ladies. They have given us delicacies both sweet and savory; cards and letters; locally produced gifts. Many of them travel to wherever Il Divo happens to be performing. I see many of their faces in the audiences—most frequently in the first few rows—not hesitating to display their love for the gents of Il Divo.

I just wanted to take this opportunity to say a most heartfelt thank you for such a warm welcome to (so far) Korea and Japan. Your warmth and love are much appreciated. See you at the shows!

(For details on Il Divo’s “A Musical Affair” world tour, visit www.ildivo.com.)