Q&A: Cirque magic also happens in the orchestra pit

When "Cirque du Soleil: Dralion" swoops into Chaifetz Arena, it will boast some spectacular performances — in the air and in the orchestra pit. We chatted with Anthony Cooperwood, who's been a musician with Cirque du Soleil since 2001, about life with the circus.

• You're from Kansas City, but where do you call home when you're not on the road? When I'm not working, I'm living in Montreal.

• You've toured around the world. What are some highlights from your travels? I'd say that some of my favorite places to play have actually been with the circus. We've been performing all over the world, and Spain has been one of my favorite places — Barcelona, especially, and Malaga and Valencia were quite special. We were in those places for a total of about a year. Touring through western Europe was nice. ... When we're not performing, we have the opportunity to stay in these areas for about a month at a time, so we had an opportunity to really visit and get to know the cities and the countries. Getting a better knowledge of Europe was great.

• How long have you been with Cirque du Soleil? I've been with Cirque off and on since about 2001, so almost seven years.

• What are some of the challenges of performing for live theater versus just performing music? It's the fluidity of the show. ... When we have a live show, we have a band, so the actual editing takes place on the spot. We do a lot of the shows kinda flying by the seat of our pants. We've got a great band, and we've got some talented musicians, and we kind of evolve with the show as it's going. We can't say that any particular show is exactly like another because it constantly changes. Of course, there's blocking and rehearsals, and people usually hit their marks on time and things like that, but you never know when an artist is gonna fall or miss a jump or something. So we sometimes might have to solo a little bit longer, we might have to cut an area shorter, we might have to jump over an entire section. By doing this — by maintaining the fluidity of the music with the show — the audience will never know that anything is amiss.

• You've conducted the orchestra, so what's that like, getting to make some of those calls? I've done that in the past ... but I'm not the backup conductor on this show. If the main conductor gets sick, then I would actually take his place and call the show - and I would play my parts. I'm the keyboard player and the bass player for the show, then there's also the conductor. He plays keyboards also, but he mainly triggers the various sequences, and he acts as the liason between the band and the stage management. The stage manager, in the front of the house, actually calls the show. He'll get information from the conductor, who will relay that information to us. In a case where I would actually have to call the show, I would have to do my parts — the keyboard 2 parts — as well as the keyboard 1 parts, as well as trigger the sequences, and be the liason between stage management and the show as the action unfolds onstage.

• Is the orchestra in a pit or backstage? Can you see the show as it unfolds? Absolutely — we're in a pit, and we're watching the show as it's running. Because the music is such an integral part of the show, we're the glue that holds the entire show together, so it's important that we see everything that happens onstage. We're integrated into the stage in a pit area. If you know where to look for us, you will see us; if you don't know, you really won't notice us. It's really subtle. ... For things that we can't see that well, we also have video monitors that come from a camera located in the front of the house.

• I haven't yet said the name of the show because I'm not sure how to pronounce it. Help me. I pronounce it Drah-lee-on. It's a combination of the word "dragon" and "lion," and that's the concept of the show. East meets West.

• Tell me about some of the sounds we'll hear in "Dralion." The score for the show is extremely diverse — there are didgeridoos (Australian wind instruments), there are French horns, there are strings, there are whistles and flutes from the Far East. I do a lot of the weather effects — thunder to go along with the lighting that comes from the lighting department. ... The percussionists have percussion instruments literally from all around the world. Our percussionist is from Australia, and our drummer is from Brazil. He brings some of his Brazilian influences into the drumkit for the show. We have a violinist, an electric guitar, an acoustic guitar. I play upright electric bass, as well as five-string bass and fretless bass, as well as keyboards and piano. There's country-type music, there's Irish-type music — it's really a mix of so much different world music.

• Do you have a favorite act in the show? I do. In the second half of the show, there's a ballet between two people. ... It's an aerial dance between two artists, a male and a female. It's a very romantic moment in the show — a very uplifting and very etherial kind of thing.

• Have you ever been tempted to hop onstage and try any stunts? No! Not at all! So many of us have so many different talents, and we kind of stick to what we do. But that's onstage. Behind the stage, we can have all sorts of fun! Backstage, when we're in rehearsals or after the show or before the show, we have lots of fun on the various apparatus — learning to do backflips and juggle. The juggler teaches a lot of people to juggle, and it's really neat. A lot of the people behind the scenes are sharing their art with other people. ... We have a trampoline back there, so some people are learning to do some exercises on that. It's really kind of cool — this big sharing of knowledge. And then a lot of the acrobatic artists want to learn musical instruments, so some people will bring a guitar, and our guitar player will give guitar lessons. And there's also languages — we're teaching each other languages. Some of the people who speak English are teaching some of the Chinese to speak English, and some of the people who speak Chinese are teaching some of the English people how to speak Chinese.

• So, anything you've picked up that you're ready to take on the road? Actually, when I first started playing in this show, I was only a keyboard player, and I was playing the bass on the left hand — I was doing left-hand keyboard bass. But there were so many bass parts that it just made sense to learn the instrument. So I actually did learn the bass instrument on the road, and we put that into the show. Before I learned bass instruments, I learned how to play the Chapman Stick (a two-handed fretboard instrument) to cover some of the bass parts and then put that into the show. So some of the things that I learned on the fly did go into the show.

• Finally, what's in heavy rotation on your iPod right now? I was just listening to the Foo Fighters earlier today as I was working out at the gym. And I've got some songs by Sting that I really like. I'm listening to some jazz, as well — Oscar Peterson's always great.

By Gabe Hartwig • ©2011 St. Louis Post-Dispatch, STLtoday.com • Published 01.13.11

Q&A: Young actress takes Dorothy on the road in 'Oz'

There are few stories more familiar than "The Wizard of Oz." Maybe that's what makes it such a good show for the Fox Theatre to book for Thanksgiving weekend. We chatted with Kate Bristol, who just joined the cast as Dorothy, about her new role in "Oz."

I was reading some of your tweets yesterday, and it looks like you're still in college? I am! I'm studying musical theater at Pace University, but I'm trying to minor in literature, or something of the like.

This is your professional stage debut. Tell me about the other work you've done. It is. I've done work through my childhood and adolescence in Texas, so some regional theaters and mostly community theaters, and then I went to college, and I've done some college shows. It was after a particularly trying year of college that I auditioned for this show, thinking, "Oh, I'll just give it a shot," and then I booked it! It was a really pleasant surprise.

How will you balance a tour with attending college? A lot of people have asked me this, and I think I'm a little crazy. I worked it out with my academic professors for this semester that I will finish the semester online while on the tour bus. And next semester, I will take it completely online. What that basically means is that, during the day or when we're at the hotel or changing cities on the bus, I'm gonna be doing research, and I'll have books with me, and I'm gonna be e-mailing in papers while we're being transported to the next city. It's a little crazy. ... It's a little frazzling, but it's actually really fun.

How many hours are you taking? I'm taking 14 hours this semster. Most of those are dance and musical-theater classes. I only have two academic classes, and so for my musical-theater classes, I'm writing journals about my performing experience and the process of which I develop the character, and it's kind of like work study. I'm working in what I'm being trained in. It's actually highly educational.

You've also done some voiceover work? I have! I am a voiceover actress for FUNimation. They record animes in the English voices, and they do that in Texas. I started doing that job when I was 13, and I grew up working in voiceover. That's what I consider my home acting job, I suppose. Whenever I'm in Texas, I'll go and work a couple of hours. I love voice acting.

Do you also love anime, or does that just come with the job? I wasn't an anime fan until I started the job, but now I see all the work that goes into it, so I am an appreciative anime fan.

What's your schedule been like lately? I wake up about 6:30. And I take an hour-and-a-half-long commute to the rehearsal studio. We get there about 9:30 to 10, and we start a full run-through of the show. After that, we work on all the specific scenes that need tuning, whether it's an acting thing or a dance thing. It is a full, full working day until 6 o'clock. It's busy, and it's awesome!

Have you always been a fan of "The Wizard of Oz"? Oh, I have. I grew up on "The Wizard of Oz." How it started was, my mom used to be a costumer, just as a hobby, for local community theater, so when the local elementary school did a production of "The Wizard of Oz," she helped make the costumes. That's how I started watching the movie, and then I was hooked, of course. I was absolutely enthralled by it. I completely grew up watching it.

Is there any pressure that comes with performing such a familiar role? That's the thing: It's such an iconic role, and everyone knows the characteristics and everyhing. I approach the role of Dorothy as my own. I decided that I was going to act it and react to the situations as I would. Because of the script and the speech, it ends up that the Judy Garland aura of Dorothy kind of ends up coming out anyway. People tell me that I share many of the characteristics of Judy Garland in that film. I'm a little more spastic, but I try to combat that.

Is the script pretty much like the movie? It is. It was adapted from the film, but it's got a lot more things. Not that it's been modernized in any way — we're true to the time period.

What's your favorite part of the show? My favorite part in the show, I think, is the poppy scene. You know, when Dorothy and her friends are almost to the Emerald City, and they fall into a poppy field that the witch has enchanted, and it makes them fall asleep? In that scene, the poppies are dancers, and they are so beautiful. It's mind boggling. And there's this transformation where they transform into snowflakes onstage. Wonderful effects and costumes, and it's so cool. Meanwhile, I'm just asleep in the middle of them, getting to absorb it all.

What are some of your other favorite shows? My favorite musical of all time is "Parade" by Jason Robert Brown. Completely not the genre of "The Wizard of Oz" whatsoever — it's really dark. It's a very brooding, dark show, but I really love stuff like that. Like Sondheim — anything by Sondheim. It's all very musically complicated and thoughtful. That's usually the kind of shows I really like.

What shows would you love to be in next? Oh, anything! I haven't thought about this — I've been so wrapped up in this. I'm gonna go back to school, you know. I might do whatever show they have at school and continue to audition outside the city. So whatever comes up, I guess.

When you're not studying or working, what do you like to do? What am I going to do? I'm going to read books! That's my favorite activity. I'm kind of a nerd.

What's on your iPod? I'm listening to Of Montreal and Janelle Monae. Not a lot of theater, come to think of it, which is kind of unusual because I love musical theater. I don't have any theater on my iPod! I have really weird indie bands.

By Gabe Hartwig • ©2010 St. Louis Post-Dispatch, STLtoday.com • Published 11.24.10

Q&A: 'Wicked' actress says it's easy being green

Vicki Noon as Elphaba in "Wicked" (Photo by Joan Marcus)

Vicki Noon got her start with the hit musical "Wicked" in Chicago in 2008, as the understudy for Elphaba, the misunderstood Wicked Witch of the West. We chatted with her about her starring role as Elphaba on the national tour.

Is it easy being green? The makeup really isn’t as harsh on the skin as it may seem. It feels very light, like any other form of stage makeup I’ve worn. Sometimes I even forget that I’m green. I literally get painted, then powdered, to try to keep the green from coming off of me and onto other cast mates and props. The whole process takes about 25 minutes. I just sit back, drink my tea and have some “girl talk” with my makeup artist, Joyce.

What’s your favorite part of being Elphaba? I feel so fortunate to play a role like Elphaba. She’s strong not only in her beliefs, but in presence. And vocally, as well. Elphaba is a demanding role, and as an actress you really yearn for a character like her. Every night after I’ve taken my bow I feel like I have accomplished something great.

You began as a standby for Elphaba. How does that differ from being an understudy? An understudy is still a part of the onstage show (in other roles) every night. As standby, I wasn’t in the onstage show, except when the Elphaba called out. It was sort of like being on-call in other professions. I didn’t necessarily have to go on in the role every night, but I had to be prepared to do so if needed.

Your character gets to fly. Any fun flying stories? No funny flying stories, but I do have a lot of falling stories. I fall a lot!

Elphaba is a complex character. Are you like her? I wouldn’t say that I’m like Elphaba. I’m a much more open and friendly person than Elphaba is. I didn’t have the sort of rough childhood that she did. I have a wonderful, loving family, and I’m lovey-dovey and warm. It’s still a struggle to beat that part of me out of my portrayal of Elphaba. Elphaba is strong, stubborn and rough around the edges. I do relate to her when it comes to feeling different or being picked on. I think we’ve all been there at some point in our lives: middle school.

What do you hope audiences take away from “Wicked”? I hope audiences walk away from “Wicked” feeling better than when they sat down. That’s the goal.

By Gabe Hartwig • ©2010 St. Louis Post-Dispatch, STLtoday.com • Published 06.11.10

Q&A: Liza Minnelli

So you’ll be performing with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. Tell me about the show. Oh, my God. Well, it’s a wonderful symphony. I’ve performed with them before, and I love it. And I love Powell Symphony Hall. And I’m going to bring you the best show I can, as always.


What kind of music? Old favorites? Stuff from your new CD? I think what I’m going to be is I’m going to do some of my favorite symphony songs in the beginning. First, the symphony will perform, and then I’m going to come on and do some of the ones that I just love that I haven’t done for a while. And then the second part is really just the introduction of this new album I’ve made.

Tell me about the album. Well, the new album is called “Confessions,” and it’s every song that I ever heard sitting under the piano at my father’s house and my mother’s house and a lot other people’s houses — like Ira Gershwin. (Laughs)

You had quite the family growing up. Yeah, but everybody else had the same family. It was like a coal-mining town, you know. Everybody went to work and came home the same time. But there’s things like “You Fascinate Me So,” “Moments Like This,” “If I Had You,” “I Got Lost in His Arms” — isn’t that a good song? — “Close Your Eyes.” And it’s just myself and Billy Stritch.

And you’re also in the new “Sex and the City” movie! Yes!

Singing Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies”? I’m not allowed to tell you. Under pain of being shot in the foot.

What can you tell me? That I’m in the new movie, and I had a ball doing it. And I know all the girls, and we had great fun.

I love the new Snickers commercials. Aren’t they funny? Me too!

They do a really job of reaching a lot of demographics at once. I think so, too! (Laughs)

So can you define “diva” for me? I can’t. I grew up in Europe a lot when I was a kid, and “diva” was always an opera singer. You know, a grand dame — an opera singer. So I don’t get “diva.”

Do you think you’re a diva? I’m not an opera singer — no! I don’t live like a diva. I live like a worker. I get up, I go to dance class, I’m on schedule. I don’t quite know, really, what it means. I’m very happy about it, if it’s nice. (Laughs)

You were on one of my favorite TV shows — “Arrested Development.” Oh! Wasn’t that great?

Lucille 2 was such a funny character! Oh, I know, but all of them were so wonderful. We had such fun on that set.

I think it was ahead of its time. Oh, it was. We worked together like a real troupe. It was wonderful.

Will you come back for the movie? Oh, sure, if they ask me. You never know. And if I’m not working! (Laughs)

What have been some of your favorite roles through the years? Oh, I think “The Sterile Cuckoo” (1969) is the part that I fought for. I never wanted to be in movies, and then I read that book. My friend Tony Bill sent it to me, and I fought for that part for two years. I sat in offices, I did everything. All the girls that I sat in offices with had on kooky clothes, and I wore a pleated skirt with a zipper, and I didn’t think about that too much. That was my idea on the character. Her father ordered out of a catalog, and that’s how she dressed. But they were in such wacko clothes, I thought, “Oh, this’ll never happen.” And I get a call from Albert Finney saying we’d like to see you for a movie called “Charlie Bubbles” (1967). I said OK, and I go into the office and everybody’s dressed exactly the same, and I thought, “Oh, I’m never gonna get a part, and I don’t quite know what I’m doing here.” But he was so great, and he realized that I learned from that. He also realized he directed me in several very different directions. He saw that I was a director’s daughter, so I’m kind of used to seeing people being directed. Anyway, we hit it off, and a day later he called me and said, “Well, do you want to go to London?” I said, “Sure!” And that was that.

Who’s been your favorite performer to work with? Oh, God. There’s so many wonderful things about so many different people. I mean, standing on a stage with Frank (Sinatra) and Sammy (Davis Jr.), who are you gonna pick? I’ve been on stage with Aretha Franklin. You can’t pick — there’s something wonderful about everybody, if you look for it. And I think that’s the trick: to look for the good.

Anybody you’d like to work with? Lady Gaga! Oh, I think she’s great.

That would be so fun! Maybe if we did a disc together, we could do the video together. That would be funny. I think it would be interesting, because I think she respects me too. I think we’d get a kick out of it.

Have you met her? No, I haven’t met Lady Gaga.

I’m sure you could arrange that! No! Well, I could, but I don’t want to bug her! I’m sure she won’t want to bug me! And we’re both so busy! (Laughs)

You’ve said you consider yourself more of a storyteller than a singer. Explain what you mean by that. Well, when I was about 17, I went to see a guy called Charles Aznavour. I didn’t know who he was, and he was singing in French — I thought, “OK.” And this guy walked onstage, and I held my breath, and I don’t think I breathed once until he walked off. And I thought, “That’s what I want to do.” Each song was a little movie. There was a different character in each song — he was in the moment. So he became my mentor, and I asked him if he would be. I was singing one of his songs at the Coconut Grove in Hollywood, and he came in to see me — I had just started — and I looked down, and he’s sitting there. I thought I’d fall off the stage! And then he came backstage afterward. His English wasn’t great at that point — it was 120 years ago, right? (Laughs) So he wrote me a beautiful letter, and I asked him if he would be my mentor, and he said, “Of course!” And he literally became that. And he taught me, and he guided me, and he wrote songs for me. He was a huge influence in my life — as big as (John) Kander and (Fred) Ebb.

“Liza with a Z” in 1972 was the first live TV concert. What was it like to be part of something so groundbreaking? Normal? (Laughs) Because I’d worked with all these people before — remember, I’d just done “Cabaret.” ... But we went to rehearsal, and we rehearsed. And then we did it. It seemed odd to only have one performance, but that was OK, too.

That does seem odd. Well, not if you’re in the moment. And, boy, do you have to concentrate to do that. But it does take away nerves.

I’m sure people have no trouble pronouncing “Liza” now. Oh, thank you! That was Freddy (Ebb, who wrote “Liza with a Z”).

Your favorite movie of your mother’s is “Meet Me in St. Louis.” Yes! I’m here because of it.

Does our city hold a special place in your heart? Yeah! That’s where my mother and father met — making the movie.

What project will you tackle next? Oh, honey! I’ve got so much in front of me. I really go one step at a time and put my full heart and soul into what I’m doing. It’s the only way you can do it properly, and that’s how I was raised, you know? You do it right.

By Gabe Hartwig • ©2010 St. Louis Post-Dispatch, STLtoday.com • Published 06.03.10

Diva? Nah — Liza is still hard at work

Liza Minnelli in "Sex and the City 2" (New Line Cinema)

Liza Minnelli is no diva. Not if you ask her, anyway.

"I grew up in Europe a lot when I was a kid, and 'diva' was always an opera singer," Minnelli says. "So I don't get 'diva.'"

Minnelli, 64, who has an Oscar, an Emmy, a Golden Globe, four Tonys and a Grammy Legend Award, is portrayed as a diva alongside another musical legend, Aretha Franklin, in a recent TV commercial for Snickers candy bars.

"I don't live like a diva — I live like a worker," she says. "I get up, I go to dance class, I'm on a schedule."

Her schedule brings her to St. Louis on Saturday for a show with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.

"I've performed with them before, and I love it," she says. "I love Powell Symphony Hall."

Minnelli will sing a mix of her favorite American standards, plus selections from her new album, "Confessions," due out in September. The CD includes songs such as "You Fascinate Me So," "Moments Like This," "I Got Lost in His Arms" — "every song I ever heard sitting under the piano at my father's house and my mother's house and a lot of other people's houses," she says.

Growing up, Minnelli had quite a musical family — not counting her parents Judy Garland and Vincente Minnelli. Her godfather was Ira Gershwin, and her godmother was St. Louis-born Kay Thompson.

"Everybody else had the same family," she says matter-of-factly, "like a coal-mining town."

In the new film "Sex and the City 2," Minnelli covers Beyoncé's "Single Ladies," which she was tight-lipped about — "under pain of being shot in the foot" — when we spoke to her.

But she says she had a ball with the film.

"I know all the girls, and we had great fun," she says.

Another project Minnelli thinks would be a blast: working with another diva, Lady Gaga. The two have never performed together, but Minnelli would love the opportunity.

"I think she's great," she says. "Maybe if we did a disc together. That would be funny."

But for now, Minnelli isn't sure what she'll tackle next.

"I've got so much in front of me," she says. "I really go one step at a time and put my full heart and soul into what I'm doing. That's how I was raised, you know? You do it right."

By Gabe Hartwig • ©2010 St. Louis Post-Dispatch, STLtoday.com • Published 06.04.10

Omigod, you guys: It's Becky Gulsvig

Becky Gulsvig (center) in "Legally Blonde: The Musical" (Photo by Joan Marcus)

Yesterday afternoon, I had the pleasure of chatting on the phone with Becky Gulsvig, who plays Elle Woods in "Legally Blonde: The Musical." The show plays the Fox Theatre next weekend. She was totally delightful.

My interview with Gulsvig will appear in next week's issue of Go! magazine and at stltoday.com/go, but here's a little something to tide you over in the interim:

Me: Have you had time to watch "Glee"?

Becky: I haven't! We always have shows during TV hours. I haven't made a point of watching it on the Internet yet, but I will. I just know that I'm gonna get so hooked on it that it's gonna be stupid. I'm gonna freak out and think it's amazing and wanna be on it. I'll probably sit down and watch the whole season in one swoop at some point. ... I would like to make a guest appearance on "Glee." I can say that without even having watched it!