By Wayman Wong
01 Jun 2003
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| Michael Cavanaugh |
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| photo by Ben Strothmann |
It’s Tony time, and tunes are bustin’ out all over because it’s June, June, June. This month we’re spotlighting Michael Cavanaugh, the "Piano Man" of Movin’ Out, with notable quotes from fellow Tony nominees Antonio Banderas and Robert Sean Leonard. Plus, cabaret crooner Jeff Harnar gives his regards to "Broadway."
SING US A SONG, PIANO MAN
Movin’ Out is Twyla Tharp’s thrilling dance musical set to Billy Joel at the Richard Rodgers, but for two hours "that voice you’re hearing in that hall" is Michael Cavanaugh’s. Backed by a hot band, he makes his Broadway debut perched above the stage. When "we’re all in the mood for a melody," this gifted and good-looking singer-pianist belts everything from "Scenes From an Italian Restaurant" to his electrifying encore of "New York State of Mind." For driving the show with his magnificent musicianship, he earned a Tony nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Musical.
Pretty good for a 31-year-old guy from Cleveland, Ohio, who was playing in a Las Vegas piano bar until Joel himself "discovered" him through mutual friends. On Feb. 11, 2001, Joel went to see him perform, and Cavanaugh "almost had a heart attack. The whole place was screaming. Then Billy came up onstage and we did the Beatles’ ‘I Get By With a Little Help From My Friends.’ He was so cool." Talk about "Pressure."
But he’s more than a "Piano Man." This 6-foot devoted dad and husband also is a terrific tunesmith in his own right. He’s got a gift for melody, and his pop songs range from the fun and infectious "Sounds a Lot Like Me" to the haunting, hymn-like "Give It Time." Even Joel raves: "He’s a talented writer who harkens back to another era."
Michael Cavanaugh: No, I’m a happy man. It’s been unbelievable.
Q: What’s it like hanging out with Billy Joel? I hear you appeared with him at a concert in your hometown before a crowd of 20,000.
Cavanaugh: That was so great. Billy’s been my idol since I was seven. He’s a rock ‘n’ roll legend and yet he’s such a down-to-earth guy. For instance, he threw a Christmas party for Movin’ Out downtown at La Madre. Billy had a little electric piano set up, and he was playing Christmas songs. And we were all singing along: everything from "O Holy Night" to "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer." It was really a blast!
Q: Considering the rave reviews and success of Movin’ Out, I hope he’s encouraged to write an original musical for Broadway.
Cavanaugh: Billy says he already has an idea for a book. He sounds more excited about it than another pop album. I bet it’d be phenomenal. He’s a storyteller.
Q: Congrats again on your Tony nomination. To me, great singing involves great acting. Do you consider yourself an actor?
Cavanaugh: Yes, because I wear different faces on certain songs. I’m really narrating the story. It’s not traditional acting, but I feel like I’m steering the ship. There are times when I’m talking to [the character of] Eddie and looking at him like he’s a prick. And in "Big Shot," I’m connecting with Brenda, so I am acting.
Q: You’re also a songwriter, and you’ve had some of your material recorded with the Grammy-winning producer Phil Ramone. Tell me about your music.
Cavanaugh: You can definitely hear the influence of the Beatles and Billy Joel in my music, but it’s got a modern twist. I’m hoping to get signed to a major label and I’ve gotten some interest, but if that doesn’t happen, I want to release a CD myself and maybe sell it at the theatre and through my website.
Q: When did you know you wanted to be a performer?
Cavanaugh: When I was seven and went to my first KISS concert. Another major moment was when my aunt took me to Broadway. I was 13. I saw The King and I with Yul Brynner, 42nd Street and Little Shop of Horrors. My aunt says I said, "I’m gonna be on Broadway someday." And by 15, I wanted to be a rock star.
Q: Showbiz can be rough. Ever thought of throwing in the towel?
Cavanaugh: Yeah. When I was 19, I had surgery on my [vocal] cords. I was burnt out on playing for drunks in bars and competing with the dartboard for attention. I gave up singing. So I went to school to become a piano tuner. After six months of opening up dusty old pianos, I thought, "What am I doing? This is crazy!"
Q: It was around this time that you met your future wife, right?
Cavanaugh: I met Karin at 18, and we married at 21. She had me wrapped [up] pretty quick. It’s weird because I thought: "I’m never getting married." I was ready to live the crazy, rock ‘n’ roll life. I was gonna drink, go on the road and get into all kinds of trouble. But then I met Karin. She was so pretty and awesome. We shared a lot of the same beliefs. We’re both born again Christians and we just clicked.
Q: You two have an adorable six-year-old son Matthew. Is he musical?
Cavanaugh: Yeah, he taught himself to play the beginning to Billy’s "Goodnight Saigon" all by himself. And he likes to sing, but he’s so silly. Matthew is like a little SpongeBob SquarePants. All we do is run around and wrestle.
Q: And is he excited about getting a baby sister?
Cavanaugh: Very. Her name’s Mikayla Christine, and she’s due Sept. 21. Matthew always hugs Karin’s tummy because he wants to hug his sister.
Q: So you’ve made your Broadway debut. Still wanna be a rock star?
Cavanaugh: Sure! Some people become a rock star, then do Broadway and wind up in Vegas. It’s almost like I’ve done everything in reverse. I’ve played Vegas, now I’m doing Broadway, and I still have this rock star dream. I’d love to sing my own songs in front of thousands of people and perform at the Grammys.
Well, with Cavanaugh’s charisma and talent, I’d say: Just "Give It Time."
For more info and snippets of his songs, visit www.michaelcavanaugh.com.
HOBNOBBING AT THE TONY BRUNCH
Antonio Banderas: This sexy Spanish movie star scores a perfect ten with his Broadway debut in Nine, but he’s no stranger to the stage. Back home, he was a member of the National Theatre of Spain. Asked about the first Broadway musicals he ever saw, Banderas recalls Big Deal ("It was a Bob Fosse show that wasn’t a success, but I loved it") and Song and Dance, starring Bernadette Peters. Dream roles? "The king in The King and I. I remember Yul Brynner in the movie. And Bernardo in West Side Story.’’ Since Nine is based on Fellini’s "81/2," could he see it being turned back into a film? "Absolutely, and I would love to do it!"
Robert Sean Leonard: In the riveting revival of Eugene O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journey Into Night, he plays Eugene, the sensitive son with a touch of the poet, but do you remember Leonard’s previous role on Broadway? He made his Broadway musical debut by playing Harold Hill to beat the band in The Music Man. What was that like? "After doing Stoppard, O’Neill and Shaw, it was fun to be in a show that’s sweet and light and had audiences cheering,” says the handsome Tony winner (The Invention of Love). "It was like being in the Bahamas. At one show, one of the dancers noticed that a couple had left [Music Man] during the intermission. I told her, "Honey, try doing Iceman Cometh. You wind up counting the people who stay." Though Leonard still prefers plays, would he do another musical? "Yeah! I’m working on it and talking to Melissa Errico."
HIS THEME SHOWS ARE DREAM SHOWS
If the Tony Awards ever honored a cabaret act that best celebrates the thrill of musical theatre, Jeff Harnar would win for The 1959 Broadway Songbook. Easily the best theme show I’ve ever seen, it features the ebullient baritone crooning a tune from every musical on the Great White Way that season, from At the Drop of a Hat ("Have Some Madeira, M’Dear") and Destry Rides Again ("I Say Hello") to West Side Story ("Tonight"). Framed by a sweet boy-meets-girl story, it was a terrific tour de force for Harnar’s acting, singing and showmanship, not to mention Alex Rybeck’s amazing arrangements and Sara Louise Lazarus’ deft direction.
Though he first performed this act in 1991 at the Algonquin and recorded it live for Original Cast, the two-time MAC Award-winning vocalist will be reviving a couple of its songs in his new show, Dancing in the Dark, Fridays, June 13, 20 and 27 at 8 PM at Don’t Tell Mama. In fact, Harnar and Rybeck will toast their 20th anniversary of cabaret collaboration with selections from all eight of their "Songbook" shows, which include salutes to Comden & Green, Cole Porter, the Gershwins and Sammy Cahn.
In those two decades, the 5-foot-8 singer from Manhattan Beach, Calif., has sung at Carnegie Hall, Rainbow & Stars, the Russian Tea Room and the FireBird Café, accompanied by his multi-MAC-nominated musical director. Continued...
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