INTERVIEW: Tony winner Judy Kaye to bring Cole Porter songbook to NJPAC
Two-time Tony Award winner Judy Kaye will delight fans of the American songbook at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center’s Chase Room in Newark, New Jersey, Sunday, Nov. 13. Kaye, best known for her roles in Broadway’s The Phantom of the Opera, Nice Work If You Can Get It, Wicked and Souvenir, will sing a selection of Cole Porter tunes at a special 3 p.m. performance called Cole Porter From A to Z: Celebrating 125 Years. She will be joined on stage by Porter biographer Robert Kimball.
Kaye is a theatrical alumna like no other. She has been a part of some of the most successful musicals of all time, and she continues to receive ovations across the river in midtown Manhattan. She recently finished a multi-month run in Wicked as Madame Morrible. After that role ended, she had enough time to prepare for her NJPAC performance.
And the singer is keeping busy. After the New Jersey program, she heads to Toronto to work on a musical that might appear on Broadway next year.
Recently, Hollywood Soapbox spoke with Kaye about Porter’s songbook, her past accomplishments and future goals. Answers have been slightly edited for style.
On how she became attached to Cole Porter From A to Z: Celebrating 125 Years …
“It was a phone call from Robert Kimball, and he asked if I’d be interested in doing this. … I knew that I would be just barely done with my Wicked contract. I left the show on the 30th of October, so I thought, well, I’ll probably be looking for something to do. It was suggested, and I thought, well, gee, that would be fun.
“I really adore him, and I thought it would be fun to work with him. I mean he knows everything … [about] these guys and girls who wrote for books, the great American songbook. And it’s marvelous to be around him, and every time I’m with him I learn more.
On Cole Porter’s influence …
“Of course, Cole Porter is one of those great heroes of American song, and his story is wonderful, and American, and poignant, and sad and all of the above. And his lyric writing was intelligent, and witty and very effecting in some surprising ways that he can be so sly and so touching at the same time. I just thought it would be really a neat thing to do, so here I am.”
On the Porter selections at the performance …
“There are some rarities, rarely sung and some that only recently truly [came] to light. … And anyway there’s a couple of things, yes, a song called ‘Weren’t We Fools’ that when it was presented to me I started performing maybe 15 years ago. I can’t believe it’s that long actually, but I did a show at a place that no longer exists called Archie’s. And I sang that song, and I will be singing it again. I haven’t sung it in a while, so it’s kind of exciting.
“That and the absolutely gorgeous song that I’ve hardly ever heard, ‘After You, Who?’ — beautiful, beautiful bittersweet ballad. And ‘Where Oh Where,’ which I sang on a recording a lot of years ago. I can’t even tell you how many years ago, but it’s one of those funny fun songs that he wrote.”
On the ‘freewheeling’ nature of the show …
“It’s going to be pretty freewheeling because I’ve been working on my own on this material, revisiting it. Bob and I are going to get together basically tomorrow [Saturday, Nov. 12] and put it together. It’ll be a salon. Let’s all get together in a living room and try this song, try that song. And we’ll talk about it. He’s going to do most of the talking. I may throw in a word here and there, but it’s really his event. I’m going to supply the vocal cords for it, or the singing vocal chords.”
On retaining her individuality while playing on Broadway …
“I have staunchly held on to my individuality as it were. Actually the business has forced that a bit on me too because I’m really hard to sort of peg. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve been easier to peg I guess because that’s what we do with aging actors. The roles become narrower and narrower, but as we age we’re also getting hopefully a little smarter, a little more burnished. Our talents are a little more burnished and our abilities to sort of inhabit things.
“We don’t obsesses about stuff as much as we used to, so maybe I find a more intimate way into material than I used to, which is a blessing I think for a lot of personal reasons. It’s fun to work on a big stage. It’s fun to sing at the White House. It’s fun to sing at Yankee Stadium, and it’s delicious to be in a smaller room with people who really want to be there, and want to share the music and do that. It’s all good for me. I love it.”
On choosing the next role …
“I’ve got lots of things happening that I have to sort of consider now, and I’m more selective. … I’ve worked a lifetime. I’ve been a good saver, and I’ve been lucky enough to work a lot in this business. So I have pensions. Not that I’m all that terribly old, but, you know, you start to think about that stuff. And you start to think about how much time you have.
“I don’t have the angst, you know, that I would have as a younger performer. I think that’s true for everybody as the aging process goes on, and I’ve been lucky. Someone once said, ‘As you’re aging, if you can still bring it in this business, you will work.’ So here I am.
On her Toronto project …
“Actually I’m starting a new project Dec. 6 up in Toronto that is meant for Broadway next fall. It’s a magnificent project actually. It’s called Sousatzka based on the movie and a book called Madame Sousatzka, and I’m so excited about it, about the people I’m going to work with, about the project itself, the creators. I was thinking after Wicked I’d take some time off. I was really kind of hoping I could, but sometimes as my husband says, ‘It’s a business of opportunity.’ And you really have to do it when it comes along because these special things don’t come along all that often. So I will be back in the fray shortly.”
On looking back and looking forward …
“I love looking back to fun times, and I especially love getting back together with people I’ve worked with before that we’ve had terrific relationships. I like going to back to a role that I’ve played because I always find … you come back to it, and you find out what you’ve learned. You find out how you’ve changed as an individual, as an artist. That’s really cool.
“And then I love looking forward to really good stuff. As time has gone on, I don’t look forward as much as I look back because it’s hard to find this stuff. I wish, so God, so much, that I was a writer. I wish I had that gift, but I can write little nothings, but nothing theatrical, nothing that I could perform really. I wish I had been moved to do that, but that seemed to not be in the cards for me. But I’m excited about the future. I’m excited about Sousatzka, and I’m excited about my life in general. I’ve had a really, really wonderful life, and it looks good going forward. So you will see what’s out there. Keep overturning rocks and see what’s waiting underneath.”
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Cole Porter from A to Z: Celebrating 125 Years with Judy Kaye and Robert Kimball will play The Chase Room at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, New Jersey. The performance is scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 13 at 3 p.m. Click here for more information.
