This week, acclaimed performer Rhonda LaChanze Sapp is visiting San Francisco to celebrate her birthday and to pay homage to a pioneering singer that inspired her ascent as an award-winning vocalist and actress on Broadway.
In a phone interview preceding her trip, BARtab spoke with LaChanze about her present Broadway productions and about Diana Ross, whose songs she will be performing in a new revue this weekend at the Hotel Nikko. "Love Hangover: LaChanze Sings Diana Ross" is a playful and energetic tribute featuring songs like "Where Has Our Love Gone?" and "Good Morning, Heartache."
"LaChanze reinforces the impression that she is proud to belong to a new generation of divas taking charge of their music with poise and confidence," wrote The New York Times after seeing her performance at 54 Below in New York City. We also talked about her present Broadway production, "If/Then," a contemporary and experimental musical that features original compositions by Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award recipient Tom Kitt.
Peter Hernandez: I know that your birthday is in a few days- do you have any big plans coming up?
LaChanze: I do have about 60 of my closest friends who are meeting for a toast at a new place that my friend just opened. We'll chat it up a bit. And that's my biggest plan. I'm bringing together a bunch of people from different parts of my life -- cast members, some from "The Color Purple," some just from the business, and others are just friends. I'm excited about it. I'm turning 52.
Do you like San Francisco? Do you have any fond memories?
I've been to San Francisco once. I remember feeling that, in terms of cities, it's the only one I would live in besides New York. I like the diversity of the people, I liked how it's just so beautiful and how people were just fun. There are lots of sophisticated people in San Francisco. In New York, we think we're the center of the universe, but I went to San Francisco and I was like, "Maybe not."
Have you talked to Diana Ross about your show?
The show is not about Diana Ross -- I want to communicate that up front. It's about the music that she made famous. I'm not doing an impression of Diana Ross or telling her life story. But it's the fact that I've loved her music for so long that I chose this artist to do a tribute to. Some people do a Streisand show, what have you. Diana had such an effect on us over the decades. I wanted to put it all in a revue, going from The Supremes to the modern day.
You said that you were really touched by her music in the '70s, particularly the song "Where Did Our Love Go?" Were there lyrics that really touched you?
It was the whole package of Diana Ross. Her style, and that she was a superstar. There weren't many African-American stars at that time. And for a little girl with stars in her eyes, she was the person to look at. I was completely enamored with what she accomplished. Her music is the songbook to my life. I remember practicing her music in front of a mirror and thinking, "One day I'm going to do this." So this is a tribute to the music that one woman made famous, and it helped shape me as an artist.
Do you find it freeing to just go all out with the music?
I've always wanted to do just my own concert. I've done several recordings and other concerts with different music and songbooks. While it's freeing, I'm really enamored by the fun of the show. You're going to experience the familiarity of the music, but it's revisited. I've done the music with my stamp on it. It's modernized, if you will. It's a lot of fun -- my last show before I go back to Broadway. Catch me while you can, because I'm going to be on lockdown for the next year or two of my life. So come check out something I absolutely love before I get back on the Broadway stage.
Let's talk about "If/Then," the new musical that you're working on lately.
We did five weeks of preview performances and two weeks of open performances. We did a total of five weeks of performances trying out changes. It's a contemporary, brand new concept about the intersection of choice and chance and parallel universes. It follows the journey of the main character, Elizabeth, played by Idina Menzel. It follows two possible journeys, like the movie "Sliding Doors." It's a similar premise, but it's told in a musical form and it's pretty incredible and very smart.
You're playing the role of an elementary school teacher named Kate. What influence do you have on the main character?
My character brings the optimism and positivity and hope to a rather hopeless situation, a reminder that it's worth maintaining a positive outlook on life. I look at her in a positive way. She comes to New York after a failed ten-year marriage and is approaching 40. Coming back to New York to restart your life after all that time can be discouraging, but my character is there to uplift and encourage.
What parts of your personal life did you draw from as a character that is inspiring someone having difficulty with their life decisions?
That's interested, I don't know if I've thought of it like that. But personally, I am in transition and I am also encouraging myself to stay positive and open and not to live in the past, but to live in the present and to move forward. So I guess, in terms of pulling from the transition I'm going through, I'm encouraging her while encouraging myself.
There are so many elements of this play that anyone can identify with and the writer is very skilled at showing both sides, but having the viewer identify with the character. Any moment you can blissfully in love with someone and the next you can be miserable and then blissfully happy alone and then miserable alone. He touches on all aspects of that, and I can identify with it.
How is it working with Pulitzer- and Tony-award winning Tom Kitt?
The music is one of the strongest elements of this piece. It's very modern. Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey are an incredible team. I think they are ahead of their time. And I think they've created something very special. They're taking a bold risk with how the story is being told, and it's nice that they have the support of the director and Larry Kiedman, the choreographer, for creating this world. I'm learning something every day in rehearsal.
You've played leading roles, like Celie in "The Color Purple," and I can only imagine how much energy it takes to sustain that amount of emotion and to sustain it. What are some habits or routines that you do stay in shape as a performer?
I run. Cardiovascular exercise is the only thing that really warms my voice. I can do a million scales all day long but it will not warm up my voice as much. So I run before a show -- not every single day, but 30 minutes or something, three or four times a week. I swear by my NutriBullet. It makes a green drink in the morning, and I drink that every day. To keep my voice warm I drink ginger and lemon tea with honey. I keep it in a thermos. I boil lots of ginger root and I add honey and lemon and sip on it.
How old were you when you started acting, on top of singing, which you had been doing since an early age?
I was in college. I studied as a dancer initially. And I got to New York and I realized that within the first professional dancing job, I wanted to sing as well. So when I got my first big break in the business, they noticed I was a previous singer and gave me a role as a singer, and I began to audition for acting roles. I was a musical theater major so I had training in all areas.
Do you have any young performers who want to explore other kinds of performance?
I wanted to do leading roles, and I knew that in order to do that I needed a greater understanding of what is required to be in a musical. When you're part of an ensemble, or if you're a supporting character, the weight of the show isn't on your shoulders. You're not responsible for what's happening on stage. You have non-verbal responsibilities, like being a model for the rest of the cast -- modeling positive behavior and work ethics. Basic things. My advice is to be mindful of the amount of responsibility that's required in a musical, and to prepare yourself for the leadership aspect, because they're both important.
Have you mentored any performers?
I started a choir in my neighborhood in Westchester, New York a couple summers ago, but I didn't do it last year. I teach middle-age children voice and music in historical order, starting with negro spiritual music and then modern music like Michael Jackson. I did it chronologically. We also did performances. It was free for the children because I got a grant. I donated my time. When I have the week to do that, that's what I do. I live in the Fleetwood Section, which is part of Mount Vernon, which has some underprivileged children. I want to bring art to a community that might not be benefiting from art in their education.
See LaChanze's Love Hangover: LaChanze Sings Diana Ross at Hotel Nikko on December 20, 8pm and 21, 7pm. $30-$50. 8pm. $20 food/beverage minimum. Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. (866) 663-1063. www.ticketweb.com