“Broadway!” Gay Men Sing Show Tunes. Imagine That. Performances Sat., June 27 at 3 and 8 pm; Sun., June 28 at 3 pm. General Tickets: $30-$45, call 818.243.2539; VIP Tickets: $100, call 323.467.9741. Alex Theatre, 216 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale. Visit gmcla.org.
For over 30 years, the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles has sung its songs and told its stories, building an international reputation for musical excellence while remaining deeply rooted in service to the LA community. The chorus membership donates more than 60,000 volunteer hours annually. This weekend the chorus will sing songs from Broadway shows in a program that features Tony Award and two-time Grammy Award-winning actress Jennifer Holliday (she will only be appearing in the Saturday evening and Sunday matinee engagements).
The performance will consist of both classic (The King and I, Zorba, Milk and Honey, South Pacific, Company, Passion and Follies) and contemporary (The Lion King, Young Frankenstein, Spring Awakening, Aida and, of course, Dreamgirls) musicals that have defined the boards of the Great White Way.
Bruce Mayhall
GMCLA’s Artistic Director Bruce Mayhall begins his seventh year with the organization. Under his artistic leadership, more than 300 new compositions and arrangements were commissioned, adding significantly to the male choral repertoire.
LA STAGE: What is your background?
BRUCE MAYHALL: Before becoming AD of GMCLA I taught choral music at the university level for about 30 years. During that time I also conducted symphony choruses and directed music for several churches. My doctoral studies were in Choral Conducting and Administration of Higher Education. I came to LA from Reno where I taught at the University of Nevada for 12 years. Before that I taught at schools in Oklahoma and West Virginia.
LAS: How many days in a year does the Chorus travel to cities outside of Southern California?
BM: The Chorus does not travel outside Southern California every year. We have attended every GALA (Gay and Lesbian Association) Choruses festival since its inception 25 years ago (we were a founding member of the association which now has more than 200 member choruses). The last festival was a year ago in Miami; in 2004 it was in Montreal. In addition, the Chorus has made three international tours in its 30 year history. Because all the men have careers and jobs outside their involvement in the Chorus, our travel capabilities are limited–most of the men bank vacation hours and funds to pay their own expenses when we travel. We occasionally appear outside the area for other events–the first GLBT march on Washington in 1980, conventions of ACDA (American Choral Directors Association) in 1986 and 2008, and in other cities, joining other gay choruses for special performances: New York, Seattle, San Francisco, Dallas, etc.
LAS: What was the Chorus’ longest tour? And farthest?
BM: July 4-13, 1991 to Denmark, Germany, Austria, Hungary; Oct. 9-18, 1998 to Russia, Estonia, Finland, Germany; Sept. 21-29, 2006 to Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil.
LAS: What engagement was the most challenging?
BM: International travel requires about a three-year planning-to-execution process. Our last tour cost about $500,000 so from the standpoint of complexity these tours are our greatest challenges. During the 1980s and 1990s the Chorus lost about 150 of its members to AIDS death. This exacted a huge emotional demand on the Chorus and threatened its very existence. Overcoming those challenges to provide support, artistic expression and ultimate victory has brought great depth and strength to our organization. The current international crisis has brought its own set of challenges, to which the Chorus is responding with great agility and creativity to allow us to make continued growth and ensure our viability for the future.
LAS: How many men are active members of the Chorus and how many have been with the group since the beginning?
BM: Our present singing membership is 185; the total number of members involved in singing and non-singing roles (including associates, Board of Directors, volunteers) is about 225. There are currently seven founding members who continue active involvement as singers.
LAS: What is the procedure to audition for GMCLA?
BM: We hold open rehearsals in the first two weeks of our September and February rehearsal cycles. Prospective members are invited to attend those sessions and then enroll for a private musical audition held on the weekend following open rehearsals. Each prospect brings a prepared musical selection of his choice, a prepared piece from the open rehearsal (which is sung in quartet with men from the other voice part sections) and reads a short musical selection at sight. Further information about auditions and procedures is found on the Chorus website.
LAS: What is next for the Chorus?
BM: This concert closes our season with a wide range of songs by Rodgers and Hammerstein, Jerry Herman, Kander and Ebb and more recent works by Mel Brooks (Young Frankenstein) and Duncan Sheik (Spring Awakening). Next season will see us collaborating in production of a new theatrical work (Laramie Project…an Epilogue), in addition to a fantastic adaptation of the holiday classic Nutcracker and a grand spectacular of music featured in the films of Baz Luhrmann.
LAS: What else would you like to tell our readers?
BM: Three years ago the Chorus embarked on a vital project for the future–bringing live musical performances, workshops and curriculum content to high schools in the greater Los Angeles area. After an intense developmental period, including landmark performances in five Los Angeles schools, Alive Music Project will be officially launched in October with an expanded offering to area schools (about 10 workshop series in each school year). AMP provides live musical performances, historical, social and cultural context for the music we perform including (but not limited to) the contributions of GLBT composers and performers to the broader culture. Students are engaged in candid discussions about how music has always been an agent for social change, the unique challenges facing the LGBT communities in their struggle to end discrimination and how to deal constructively with challenges like bullying, homophobia and exclusion in our schools.
Jennifer Holliday
Jennifer Holliday made her mark on Broadway in Dreamgirls but she is a veteran of soul music. Defined as a “singer’s singer,” she is a vocal powerhouse who has also performed at the White House. LA Stage asked her a few questions before rehearsals began for this weekend’s shows.
LA STAGE: What age did you start singing? Do you remember your first performance with your church choir?
JENNIFER HOLLIDAY: I started singing at the age of nine in the youth choir, but by the time I was 13 they had me singing in the adult choir.
LAS: What was your first professional singing engagement?
JH: My first professional engagement was for the musical Your Arms’ Too Short to Box with God for a road tour at age 18.
LAS: When that show played in Los Angeles, you drew favorable notice from the critics and audiences. What did you feel from all that attention?
JH: That show was also my Broadway debut. As far as the attention, I was just humbled and excited. While I was in the show in LA so many recording stars came to see the play; even Aretha Franklin, my childhood idol, came with her then husband Glynn Turman. It was an awesome experience!
LAS: What is your best memory from Dreamgirls?
JH: My best memory from Dreamgirls is when I won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical. It’s my best memory because I really felt God with me for my performance that night! When I look at the clip on YouTube I can’t believe it myself how I was even able to still have any voice at all, after doing eight shows a week for months as well as a matinee earlier that day and at least three rehearsals for the live telecast. There was absolutely no lip-synching allowed for that performance but God gave me my voice and the strength to create a very special moment!
LAS: Is this the first time you have sung with a gay men’s chorus? What songs will you sing?
JH: Actually, this will be the third Gay Men’s Chorus that I will have performed with. The first was the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus, then the Seattle Gay Men’s Chorus. The concert with the LA Gay Men’s Chorus will be a Broadway revue so naturally my songs from Dreamgirls will be a perfect fit. And yes, I will be singing “And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going.”
LAS: You sing jazz, gospel, pop, Broadway and love songs. Is there a favorite kind of music you prefer?
JH: Yes, I’ve grown tremendously as a singer over these past 28 years since Dreamgirls. Gospel music is my first love but country western music has also always been a favorite of both mine and my mother’s since I was a child growing up in Houston, Texas.
LAS: Is there something you want to do that you have not done before?
JH: Well, as far as my career goes, I would love to have a nice role in a movie and get that experience as an actress. As far as my personal life goes, I would love to climb a real mountain straight to the top. I have had to overcome so many trials and challenges in my life that had kept me weighted down in a valley of hopelessness and great despair. Finally, I feel that my dreams are within my reach. God has renewed my strength so that I can soar like an eagle. I would just like to climb a mountain, any mountain, and sing a song of great gratitude to God and to my many fans who have shown me so much love and given me hope!
Photos courtesy of Gay Men’s Chorus and Bill Dow
The stellar production and memorable choruses will have the listener singing along before each song is over. Musical