From Mouseketeer to Broadway star

DEEDEE Magno-Hall as Mrs. Walker and Araceli Prasarttongosoth as young Tommy in the East West Players’ production of “The Who’s Tommy” Photo by Michael Lamont

(First of two parts)

TAGS: Broadway, Deedee Magno-Hall, Miss Saigon, Cliffton Hall, The Who’s Tommy, musical, Filipino performer

LOS ANGELES—She grew up with fellow Mouseketeers Justin Timberlake, Ryan Gosling, Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. She went on to play Kim on Broadway and later in an Asian tour of “Miss Saigon,” got to kiss and sing duets with her Chris, who would become her husband in real life. She performed with Idina Menzel on Broadway in the latter’s “If/Then” early this year.

And now, Deedee Magno-Hall gets to sing again every night with her on- and off-stage leading man, Cliffton Hall, in “The Who’s Tommy” in Los Angeles. The Halls play Captain and Mrs. Walker in East West Players’ revival of Pete Townshend and Des McAnuff’s Tony Award-winning stage version of The Who’s rock-opera concept album.

In his Los Angeles Times’ review, critic David C. Nichols praised director Snehal Desai’s production as “impressively staged, intensely performed” and hailed the entire cast, citing the Halls’ “soaring vocals and acute presence.”

We were glad to catch the show one recent weekend, and watched Deedee for the first time. We saw Cliffton for the first time, too, in “Faso Goes Broadway” last April. Playing the parents of the titular Tommy character, Deedee and Cliffton not only sounded great, they are among musical theater’s most attractive-looking couples.

The show also stars Joseph Morales, memorable as the pinball wizard, Tommy; Constance Jewell Lopez, riveting as Acid Queen; Parvesh Cheena (Uncle Ernie); and other versatile actors, many of Asian heritage, including Michayla Brown, 10, and Araceli Prasarttongosoth, 4, both wonderful as the younger Tommy.

Other credits of the long-haired Deedee, whose parents are Dick and Evelyn Magno from Baguio and Quezon City, respectively, include four albums as part of The Party, a pop group with several fellow Mouseketeers; the first US tour of “Wicked,” and the voice of Pearl in the ongoing animated TV series, “Steven Universe.”

The daughter of immigrants is proud to inspire young performers of various ethnicities. She said, “Over the years I have met aspiring performers of Asian descent, many of them Filipino, who have expressed their admiration for my representing a face they can relate to on TV and onstage. I can’t explain how truly honored and grateful I am that I was able to inspire even just one person to go after their dream!

“Sharon Cuneta and Lea Salonga were my inspirations, along with Barbra Streisand, Whitney Houston and Meryl Streep. I was fortunate to play many roles where the way I looked was not an issue.”

The Portsmouth, Virginia, native, who grew up in San Diego, California, and Orlando, Florida, (the family moved there when she was cast in “The All-New Mickey Mouse Club” in 1989) added, “And now, I get the chance to play Mrs. Walker in ‘The Who’s Tommy,’ thanks to East West Players, a role I would unlikely have the opportunity to audition for elsewhere. Times are changing, and nontraditional casting is becoming more apparent, and the inspiration will continue on!”

Further information about “The Who’s Tommy,” which was extended to June 21 at the David Henry Hwang Theater in LA’s Little Tokyo, is available at eastwestplayers.org.

Below are excerpts from our interview with Deedee:

How different is it playing opposite Cliffton now, from that first time in “Miss Saigon?”

DEEDEE Magno-Hall feels “fortunate to play many roles where the way I looked was not an issue.”

Cliffton and I have had several opportunities to sing together, for benefits, concerts or for fun at Filipino pancit parties. But “The Who’s Tommy” is only the second time Cliffton and I have been cast to play opposite each other onstage. Although we were both in the first national touring company of “Wicked,” our characters, Nessarose and Fiyero, never shared scenes together.

The similarities for me between Kim and Chris and Captain and Mrs. Walker is that they both fall deeply in love, they both have a child together and they both are torn apart by the complications of war and the difficult decisions parents have to make when it comes to doing what is best for your child.

What makes this experience with “Tommy” different is that we are married and parents in real life, as opposed to our experience during “Miss Saigon.”

Was it instant attraction for you and Cliffton in “Miss Saigon?”

During rehearsals for the second national touring company of “Miss Saigon” in 1995, Cliffton and I became fast friends. There was always an attraction but we were friends. He was the Chris understudy then. It wasn’t until 2001 when we were cast as Kim and Chris for the Asian tour that we finally played opposite each other. It was a dream come true to get the chance to fall in love with your sweetheart night after night. It hardly felt like work!

What is your most memorable experience with Cliffton onstage?

Oh, there are so many! The one that comes to mind was during our time in “Wicked.” One of my favorite moments was at curtain call. I stood next to him, holding hands during our final bows, looking out into the sea of thousands of cheering theatergoers. Night after night, I remember feeling so blessed and grateful that we were given the opportunity to live our dreams together.

How challenging is performing with your spouse?

It can be complicated if we make it complicated, but at this point…being married and having children (Kaeden and Brycen) changed our priorities. Putting our faith and family first helps us put everything into perspective. Egos go out the window!

Getting to tell our kids that mommy and daddy have to go to work, performing together in a show… it’s a luxury, like our version of a date night.

How do you and Cliffton make it work?

We are so blessed to have family close by to help us with our two sons. My brother, who has a daughter close in age with our youngest son, and my baby sister live seven minutes away from us and are always there to help when we have to run off for an audition or to record voice-overs.

My parents live in Las Vegas but my mother has been staying with us during the whole run of “Tommy,” which gives me such peace of mind.

How have you kept jealousy, competition and career pressures from affecting your relationship?

Cliffton and I share a love and passion for the arts but our love and passion for each other and our children is much deeper. We have taken steps back to let the other shine to keep a healthy balance. With every relationship, communication is key and we are always making sure we base our career decisions on what’s best for all of us as a family.

Were you aware of the 1975 film version of “Tommy?” Did you watch the movie before doing this show?

We watched the movie and clips of the original Broadway show after we had already started rehearsals. I didn’t want to watch anything before so that I could try and make the character my own.

I was not familiar with the show and its content…It was a bit shocking at first and I definitely don’t share Mrs. Walker’s parenting skills. One of the reasons I love theater is that every show can be a little different from the one before. It’s so exciting!

Being a mom of two boys, how does playing Mrs. Walker resonate with you?

The children in our show are so amazing. They are still when they need to be still, have lovely singing voices and are silly, giggling and having a ton of fun offstage. How they, at their age, comprehend the difference between reality and acting, especially given the content of this show, is amazing. They obviously love what they do. Hats off to their parents!

Because I am a mom of two boys who are very close to the ages of our young Tommys, it is hard not to fall in love with these kids. I do, however, have to put on a different hat when I play Mrs. Walker because I could never do to my children what she did to Tommy. After the shows, I leave Mrs. Walker at the theater. When we get home, I can’t help hugging and kissing my boys, trying not to wake them.

Does playing another mom, Mrs. Walker, bring back memories of “Miss Saigon?”

It does but it’s different. I was so much younger then and really didn’t know anything about being a mother. Of course, I tried my best to portray one but if I had the opportunity to play Kim now, as a mother, I imagine it would be a completely different experience.

What was it like performing with Idina Menzel in “If/Then?”

It was wonderful to be back on Broadway after so many years! And to be in a show among so many super Broadway stars was awesome. When Idina Menzel came out for her top of show entrance, there was always thunderous applause, much like being at a concert. I loved my experience in “If/Then.”

The entire company was so sweet and welcomed me into their very close-knit family. It’s such a great show and I’m excited it’s going on tour very soon!

(Conclusion Monday)

(E-mail the columnist at [email protected]. Follow him at https://twitter.com/nepalesruben.)