Opening night challenge

Opening night at Cafe Carlyle went without a hitch, with a few friends, press people and family members in attendance. The first week went along nicely, with the next performance getting tighter and easier than the last.

It’s quite a challenge performing in so intimate a venue, as there’s really nothing behind that I can hide. No teleprompters, no auto-tune, no huge sets, no back-up singers, no extra-large orchestra. I just have myself, three musicians and less than a hundred people within spitting distance (And I do mean that literally. I might have landed a few droplets in one poor audience member’s soup. So sorry about that, sir). That said, it’s very liberating!

Manila staging?

I do hope the opportunity to do something of this sort will come in Manila. This is just so much fun that I have to replicate the experience!

I’d better make the most of this while it lasts. We have only until June 25.

Before our first show, we used the afternoon to make sure whatever technical things we have to do—some lighting as well as our sound levels—were exactly right. We all convened at noon at the performance venue for a few hours, going through each spiel, each song and each corresponding lighting cue. But the afternoon wasn’t all about work. Whenever we got a break, we’d tell a few stories and laugh. The atmosphere was light and breezy—the work never felt like work. After a few hours, I headed up to my room to get a few hours of rest.

Time to get ready came at about 6:30. My makeup artist Yuko Takahashi and her assistant Savanne (I apologize if I spelled that wrong) arrived to start on my hair and face. Robin Tomas, who has designed two gowns for my stint at Cafe Carlyle, came in with dress No. 1, a black empire cut silk gown. He also brought jewelry! Dress No. 2, something dramatic in red, will be delivered this week.

One of my agents, Josh Pultz, came upstairs to hang out, in case I needed anything, and one of my managers, David Belenzon, along with his wife Shelle, brought up presents for me and for Nicole.

The set itself lasts all of 70 minutes. Audience members can grab an early dinner plus drinks. After I was done performing, I entertained guests by the elevators before finally heading upstairs to get some sleep.

Do you hear the people sing?

Come October, I will be performing in Indianapolis in a concert titled “Do You Hear the People Sing,” celebrating the collaboration of Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg, the creators of “Les Misérables” and “Miss Saigon,” as well as “Martin Guerre,” “The Pirate Queen” and their very first musical together, “La Revolution Française.” Singing the various roles for this concert are Terrence Mann, Peter Lockyer, Marie Zamora and Stephanie J. Block.

We had our very first rehearsal today. Marie (who also happens to be Alain’s wife) brought plenty of provisions: bottled water, fresh cherries and bagels filled with lox and cream cheese. All the singers, armed with scripts and music from the various musicals, sat on one side of the room, while the production team led by Jen Bender, our director, sat on the other. Present were a scriptwriter, lighting designer, two orchestrators (Bill Brohn and Chris Jankhe), a music supervisor (Kevin Stites) and various other people whose names I will learn in the course of the production period.

‘Fangirly’ moment

Since it wasn’t a high-pressure environment, none of us blasted our voices to the back wall. Well, not at the very beginning. After a couple of hours, I think we had all warmed up enough that the true nature of how we all sing just came out. Everyone was incredible, but my true “fangirly” moment came when Terrence sang “Stars” from “Les Miz.” He was the original Javert on the Broadway production, so sitting two feet from him as he sang this song just blew my mind. Goose bumps traveled up and down my body, and it was just one of those moments one never forgets.

As for Stephanie, I still get tickled pink when I remember how she and I met way back in Los Angeles in 1985. We were both selected to be part of a children’s choir for a project called Children of the World. Gerard was a part of it as well, along with many child stars of the time. She was placed with the big belters, I was placed with the sopranos. Fast forward years later, she originated the part of Elphaba in the workshops of “Wicked” (yes, before Idina Menzel), and goes on to play numerous parts on Broadway. She’s wicked amazing.

On another note, I’m proud that my brother’s orchestration of “Too Much for One Heart,” one of the songs cut from “Miss Saigon” will be performed at the this concert, and that I’ll be singing it. Woo-hoo!

Since this was just the first rehearsal, there will be nips and tucks taking place over the next few months.

Life is getting nice and busy over here and I truly appreciate the blessing that it is. It makes me realize how much I’ve missed being here, and I do hope and pray for an extended stay.